m wood pen

 

a few years ago, on a whim, with no thought to either the future or expectations of others, i whipped up a little birthday sketch and posted it to my child’s facebook wall.

well, since i have three children, i was sure to draw something specific for the next child, and then the next. repeat, draw, post, as it were.

the fun was captivating for all, and in lieu of a mimed ‘happy birthday’ bit of typing for dear and close friends, i would see the fb warning (so in so’s birthday is next week!), and, conjuring up the essence of their je ne sais quoi, sketch, color, scan and post a suitable, and very custom, birthday illustration.

i can say, pretty proudly, that i haven’t missed many. granted, i have to cull the wheat from the chaff, as i have scads of fb friends and simply would be out on the street if i dedicated my time to these special sketches for all…! but my main people, well, let’s just say, i’ve got them covered.

so, yesterday was a pretty big day. my adorable, adventurous, wacky, determined, super intelligent and wildly curious mom turned 85. as a cue, my daughter suggested i center my sketch around my mom’s decade-worth of archaeological digging around turkey, one of the many pinnacles of an amazing life.

so, here it is. with a nod to istanbul, ankara, the expedition house, butterfly chairs where the likes of top global archaeologists and vip visitors would sip martinis after a long day at the site, my mom’s love of reading and travel, all tied up into one very happy drawing, for my favorite lady.