Still Berning

Well, part of my sabbatical experience/promise to ME, is to get out and draw more- so although this post is not related directly to my sabbatical project, it is about getting out there and experiencing through drawing on location, all the happenings out and around me.
****This is not necessarily an indication of where my vote has gone in NY, just covering a happening.

On the eve of the Democratic debate in NY, and a few days before the primary, masses of peoples were heading towards Washington Square Park in NY. It was one of the first of this string of days that have been like golden gifts here. The skies were cloudless and the sun so warm and welcoming. Though I planned to head to the park, I could have just as easily been lifted up and swept along, so massive was the movement. Once there, I was in a sea of people, median age, below 30, some of whom I am guessing, were planning to vote for the first time. There were signs galore, costumes, buttons, masks, and voices, some constant, some every so often, erupting into the Bernie chant.  I found myself on line at about 3:30 and into the park at 6:00pm. Rudy and his sister Joyce, my chronological pals, made room for me on the bench. Sis and bro came in from LI, flags a wavin' Bernie enthusiasts to the core. Rudy made the headlines and sound bytes of every camera guy and media person that passed by, character that he was. It was the crowds that got me that day. Organized, peaceful, passionate, pleasant. I got a tiny glimpse of the man..Heard his message booming through the park and the streets, over and above the crowds, loyal to the end.

Walking Amongst Giants

I had the good fortune to spend the first three months of this year in the Dominican Republic, working on my sabbatical project. Being able to be there for an extended period of time allowed me some time to travel- and I did- to Samana and Las Terrenas, north of Santo Domingo. I promise, I was working, but also, drinking in the atmosphere and pleasure of living at the beach for a spell. Being at this exquisite province is almost like living on a deserted island. Though it is a tourist destination, the beaches are rarely very crowded.

But that is the least of it. 

The palm trees simply tower over the beaches and land, 

blown and contorted by the constant winds. 

They are mystical, tall and elegant, often densely packed together, their body language defying the elements. The turquoise waters below roar at times, soothe at others. 

Town is very active and never without the constant looping of “moto conchos,” 

as they are called. 

They circle round and round, often laden with two, three, four people at a time. 

But it is the early morning that I loved most, seeing it all come alive, beginning with the pescadores, the fishermen, setting out to fish, coming back, cleaning, cutting, bartering, selling. And of course, there are the women, strolling from morning to night, with their beautiful beaming faces, selling that sweet fruit.

I'll have more about my sabbatical year next post. Stay tuned!