Written by For our prompt of “Sunflowers” today, I paired mine with a little red finch. It actually snowed here for a bit today and the sky was completely gray, so sketching a bit of spring was rather therapeutic. It’s nice to be able to sketch a bit of sun, even if it failed to make the actual sun appear. That’s one of the things I’ve always loved most about my sketching habit. Each day can be whatever color I chose to make it. Today, where I live in downtown Kansas City, Missouri it was quite a celebration as the Kansas City Chiefs had their victory parade after recently winning the Super Bowl this past Sunday. Thousands of folks braved the cold to come cheer them on and the city was buzzing with energy and excitement. I’m not really into sports, but I love anything that can bring an entire city together in a day of happy celebration. Snow was described in news reports as “nature’s confetti” and nobody seemed to mind the lack of sun at all. Proof that a day is a bright as one choses to make it. So, in honor of that incredible event, I chose to color my bird red. Here, where I live, the sun is definitely shining in people’s hearts.
Actually, Philippe and I both chose to work from home today. When our baseball team won the World Series five years ago, it practically shut down the city, making travel impossible. It took me over an hour to pick him up from work at that time. Rather than risk getting trapped again, we just avoided the crowds entirely. That said, we live just two long blocks from the post-parade show. We could hear much of what was to come last night as they practiced and tested the sound system. Today, all we had to do was open our back door to hear everything that was happening quite clearly. It was definitely an introvert’s way to participate in some small way, but it was still rather fun. Since I don’t really watch or follow football, I was instead just caught up in the pride for a city. It’s the city I grew up in, and the one I never left. I’ve had multiple opportunities in my life to take jobs in New York, San Francisco, and San Diego, to name a few. Yet, each time, I chose to stay in the city I’ve always loved since I was a child. And, I’ve never once regretted that decision.
I’ve certainly traveled plenty and have seen the world. I ended up marrying a guy from Paris, after all. And, I rather love that Philippe now loves this city as well. I was so worried when we first met that where I lived wouldn’t compare with a place like Paris. I insisted we take trips to all of those places with job offers that I had turned down, just to see if there was a city he might like better. I remember the worry I felt during that time. I worried that he might want to move and live someplace else. I told him that there was a book that referred to Kansas City as the “Paris Of The Plains,” which only made him chuckle at the time. But after seeing those other places, he said that this was the place he favored most. Despite its lack of bakeries on every corner and all of the other wonderful amenities found in Paris, the “feel” was indeed a tiny bit similar in the end. Truly, Paris doesn’t feel terribly gigantic when you’re wandering through the districts outside the tourist areas. It’s just a collection of neighborhoods, with sometimes empty streets, until a celebration brings every outside again. And that’s precisely what happened here, just hours ago. When thousands of people came out in happy reverie, to make a sunny day.
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Fantastic Charlie and it does feel like summer!
Thanks so much, Karen! 😃💕
Lovely and sunny on a snowy day. Thanks 😎
Thanks so much, Susan! 😃💕 Yeah… at least it’s warm inside a sketchbook! hehe
A sketchbook is the perfect place to find warmth.😉💙
I think sometimes cities are like the weather. It doesn’t matter what the physical reality is – it’s sunny if your heart is full of light and it’s home if that’s where your heart is.
Yes! Home is definitely where the heart is! 😃💕
Amazing sketch Charlie !
Thanks so much, Fatima! 😃💕
Beautiful!! Happy to see Kansas City win :-)!
Thanks so much, Mary! 😃💕 Yeah, it was super fun to see happen!
Sunshine is always a good thing! Thank you for sharing yours Charilie.
Aww thanks, Laura! 😃💕 Glad you enjoyed this!
So gorgeous!!!! Congrats on the game win. Its fun to cheer for our home town even if we are not into the games. 🙂
Thanks so much, Lisa! 😃💕 Yeah, it was totally cool when it’s your home team. I didn’t watch the score even if I’d rather be sketching than watching the games! 😊hehe
I don’t think of myself as an introvert, but I hate crowds. My friend tried to talk me into New Year’s Eve in Time Square and I almost had an anxiety attack just thinking about it. When I was living in Chicago Joe took me to a big mall to do some Xmas shopping and we ended up leaving because there were too many people. Give me an intimate party of 20 any day over a crowd. I take that back. We had about a hundred people at our wedding and that was perfect. Of course I knew and loved them all and that made all the difference.
Yeah, I think knowing and loving the people makes all the difference! 😉 I can’t handle a much bigger crowd of people I know, but people immersed in a bunch of strangers isn’t my thing at all!
Very pretty picture! And although I am from New York City, i prefer the small town feel of where I live now(for last 20+years) and the peace and quiet associated with it.
Thanks so much, Priscilla! 😃💕 That’s wonderful. Yeah, I think Philippe and I will definitely end up in a small town when we both retire.
Great painting Charlie. I love growing sunflowers. We had a competition a couple of years ago with our 3 grandchildren to see who could grow the tallest. We had a family lunch on the measuring day and I printed certificates to give out.
Thanks so much, Gary! 😃💕 Oh that’s so cool!! I love that you did that. What a fun thing to do as a family!
il faut beaucoup d’amour pour quitter son pays, sa famille, ses traditions – sa langue – vous n’avez jamais mis une photo de Philippe ? ou fait un dessin de lui – en revenant dans vos vieilles archives, j’ai vu que parfois, il y avait des photos, comme lors d’un restaurant où vous deviez manger de la viande crue
Yeah, it’s a big step to leave your country for sure. As for photos of Philippe… there’s one on the about page and probably if you look me up on Facebook. 😉 hehe I only did one sketch that resembled him at all… and it was a silly one! – https://doodlewash.com/catching-candy/
Just gorgeous! I love the added red bird. A little pop of color. Congrats on your team winning! Superbowl was watched in between some war movie my hubby was watching. It was a great 4th quarter!
Thanks so much, Lori! 😃💕 hehe… yeah, the 4th quarter was the big show! We were already in bed! lol But heard the fireworks outside so we knew they’d won!
Definitely a cheerful picture!
Thanks so much! 😃💕
Wow! Tthat made my day sunny too. Not necessarily weather but the mental effect was great. Thanks. I really like your sketches but ofcourse with the description….
Thanks so much, Milan! 😃💕 Glad you enjoyed this!
I love sunflowers! and birds! Your painting makes me feel sunny even though it is 5 a.m. and raining.
Congratulations to your city for its win, and I agree the best thing about such events is the way it draws
people together. Smart decision to work from home as opposed to fighting the crowds. All kinds of pluses
to that. Thanks for another great visit to DOodlewash.
Thanks so much, Sarah! 😃💕 Yeah… I don’t like being in crowds at all. It’s never a fun experience for me. But it was fun to watch crowds from a safe distance! hehe