A Bunch Of Lettuce

This quick little sketch is labeled a bunch only because it’s not a head of lettuce. But it still makes it sound like there’s a lot of it, even though, as my doodlewashes go, this one is super tiny. As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we’re in Chicago and I’m supposed to be taking a break, but had to pop in to say hello with a little sketch and a post. I did actually end up eating a salad for lunch today, so I could be a little naughtier at dinner which is up next. Also, we were far from a nice restaurant and had to grab something in a museum cafe. When I’m uncertain about the menu I always default to a chicken Caesar salad. This was also my safe choice in most airports while traveling. As it turns out, this is a fitting choice as the salad is not named after the famous title for a Roman Emperor, but an Italian chef named Caesar Cardini. Various stories exist, but one relates that Cardini cobbled the salad together with ingredients on hand for a group of airmen, calling it “Aviator’s Salad.” The salad grew in popularity in his restaurant and has retained his name to this day.

Having spent the last couple of days visiting various exhibits, I’m in full on trivia mode and my mind is spinning with way too much information. Were it actually able to hold all of the said information, I would kill it in a game of Trivial Pursuit right about now. Instead, I’m rather exhausted and can’t seem to remember much of anything at the moment. While museums are a wonderful source of knowledge, getting it all at once is often a bit tiring. My inner child gets so excited to learn new things, but I lack much of the stamina of the little ones running around me. But I pushed through and had a really fun time. I saw sharks and dolphins at the aquarium and then learned about planets and space travel at the planetarium. I resisted the urge to buy some astronaut food in the gift shop as I already did that a couple of years ago and confirmed that astronauts were not in the profession because of the cuisine.

As much fun as it can be to get away for a bit, it will be equally wonderful to be back home again tomorrow night. I’m a bit of homebody in the end and prefer it there most. The little routines that make up my day might seem boring to some, but to me, they’re the best things in the world. Though there’s joy to be found in the unexpected there’s so much comfort to be found in those things we can count on each day. So, I’m quite happy to return to them. And no matter how much of my life defaults to routine, I can also take comfort in the fact that there are still surprises to be found. After all, I’ve no what I’ll paint or write about here each day. I think that’s why early on I referred to these monthly themes and challenges as Doodlewash adventures. It’s still that, for me, each and every day. Even on days like this one, when the only thing that appears is just a bunch of lettuce.

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About the Doodlewash Da Vinci Paint Co.: Leaf Green, Da Vinci Yellow, Terra Cotta, and Cobalt Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book.

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world!

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