Why I love Autumn...

Autumn has always been my favorite season. (Yes I like summer too cuz, no school, but Autumn is my favorite season /for the season./) For me, Autumn doesn't really start until October. Don't ask me why, it may just be the climate I live in. So, what better post to start off the month of October than one about Autumn?

I'm just going to make a list of things I love about this, my favorite season.

• Rain.
• Leaves.
• Colors- Brown, yellow, orange... I used to really dislike the color orange, but last year or so I realized that orange is the color of October and November, and I actually associate it with wonderful things. Thus, orange is higher esteemed by me now. 
• Temperature. Just crisp enough that you can wear cozy clothes, but not frigid. If you're hardcore(or a boy), the slightly-cold temperature sometimes still leaves the option open for wearing shorts. 
• Cloaks. Yes, I have a cloak. Yes, I relish any opertunity to wear it. :3
• Hoodies and Sweaters. (But mostly cloaks)
• Tea and Hot Chocolate. <3 I actually am not averse to drinking these all year round, but when Autumn rolls around it suddenly is not strange to be drinking hot drinks. 
• Blankets! Especially fuzzy ones. 
• Writing. God's beauty is inspiring. And writing when you're inspired is wonderful.
• Drawing. Similar to above, I see the beautiful things around me and I want to express it all on paper with ink and colors. 
• Pumpkins. Yes, pumpkins. They're just so satisfying to look at and pick up and hold. I so enjoy the round smoothness of them. (Well, depending on what variety you're talking about)
• My birthday. Call me biased, but when I was little, before I actually had a favorite season for the weather, it was already Autumn because of my October birthday. 

I've probably left several reasons off my list, but that can't be helped.
What are some of your favorite things about Autumn? 

Claervont Captive: A Review

Recently I read Claervont Captive, by Bryce Roberts. (twice, actually, and I bought it so I could recommend it to others and let them borrow it) Here's the review I wrote.

The first chapter of Claervont Captive by Bryce Roberts drew me in, and the rest of the book did not disappoint. My interest held all the way through. In fact, I read the entire second half in just one afternoon. A medieval-themed novel, it was well-written, full of detail, action, and strong characters.

We follow the story and growth of Michal as he narrates his tale and learns what it truly is to be loyal and honorable. I found it quite satisfactory watching him age and mature, rising to be a great leader. Sharing his trials and emotion, his failures and joys gave me much enjoyment, though at times I did cry.

The second part of Claervont Captive far exceeds the already-wonderful first half. Michal’s friends rally round him, giving him the support of true allies. The word choice throughout the novel is excellent; I truly appreciated that.

I would say that for all the detail, some parts are a bit gory and slightly violent, and a very, very few issues are hinted at that are on the mature side of things.

For being such a delightfully heavy book(even as a paperback), Claervont Captive is a quick read. When I finished, I was left with deep satisfaction and soaring inspiration. Though the ending looked dark from some points, the wholesomeness of the book cannot be denied. I’m left rather eager for the next book in the series. Claervont Captive is a well done book and I recommend it highly.

If you're interested in reading it, you can buy it here. It's also listed on Goodreads. 

Photos of Germany and Holland

This year has been quite the year for travel in my family. As of now, we have spent a total of FOUR MONTHS not at home since January. I feel quite sorry for Dad, who's off on another trip very soon. Anyway, all that to say, on our last trip, we flew to Germany and then Holland, and it was just too beautiful not to post pictures.

This was the view from our balcony in the room we stayed in. 

  Our place of boarding was a three minute walk from the train station.

 This was the old town gate. I would have loved to climb those stairs, but there was a padlocked grating at the bottom.

 There was only one old church building in the very small town, but it was a beautiful one. (the church we attended didn't meet there though)

 Above, this was the old Latin school, and though I can't quite remember what date it started, it was a long time ago.

 We visited the remains of a sort of fortress.

 This museum was only open on sundays and holidays, so unfortunately we didn't go to it.

 My sister, some friends of ours and I built a fort up in the woods in our spare time.

 We took the train quite a fair distance through Germany to get to Holland.

 We stayed in a small town with some friends.

On one of the days, we took a trip to Amsterdam to visit some art museums. It's a lovely city. 

I think we all had a nice time on our trip, but as always it's great to be home. The flight back went pretty much without a hitch, so we were all very thankful for that after our outgoing flight had been such a hassle.

Battling Against Artist's Block

Artist's Block. Oh, the terror. You're in a happy, creative mood, but then, as soon as you open up your sketchbook, pencil in hand, your mind goes blank. No matter how hard you try, you can't come up with a single thing to draw. It happens to the best of us. Sometimes, it's not that you can't think of anything to draw. Every once in a while I fall into the "I want to have something new in my sketchbook, but I just don't feel like drawing" doldrums.

Well, I have come up with a list of things to do when evil Artist's Block strikes.

1- Look at other peoples' art. Art museums are a great place to do that.  My family went to a few the other day, and I have tons of new ideas. Pinterest is also full of art in various forms. It encourages and inspires me to see what others are capable of creating. If they can do it, how hard can it be? Eheh. Art takes effort. But seeing how other people have poured themselves into it can be quite refreshing. However, often I need to remember not to compare myself or my own art to others.

2- Take a walk or go somewhere new. Fresh air does wonderful things to you, as do new places and sights. Walks are good ways to unwind and have a time to just think. Seeing new things can spark your imagination and lead to lots of new ideas.

3- Ask people for ideas. Seriously. Walking into the next room and asking a family member isn’t so hard. You can ask your friends too. I recommend doing art swaps. Find a fellow artist, and each of you request a specific drawing from the other. Then you draw what the other requested. It’s quite simple, and a great way to encourage friends in art as well.

4- Do something abstract and scribble a bit. Just grab a paintbrush and spread color over a blank piece of paper. Take your pencil and drag it in random directions all across your page. For one, it’s therapeutic, and you might even get something cool looking out of it.

5- Take time to notice the colors, lines, and shapes of everyday life. Train your artist’s eye, observe things. Look closer at things than you normally do. Just enjoy the things you see.

If you have any more ideas on how to overcome Artist’s Block, please leave a comment! :)

~Alexandra S. Grey

Our Travels so Far, Pt 2

Yeah, we're home. I am exceedingly delighted about this after three months, but I'm also feeling a bit sheepish for *cough* not posting pictures more than once. However, I am here to do that now! Hopefully it doesn't take forever to get them all on here.

We left off in New Mexico, I believe.

This is what most of NM looks like.

 We took a hike to see this stone. It's about four feet tall, and is inscribed with the Ten Commandments in Ancient Hebrew.

 On the hike there were also piles of rocks that could have once been houses.

 Another inscription in Ancient Hebrew.

 The view from the top.

 We met several Horned Toads on the hike.

 In California, we stayed with a couple who had ships like this one displayed all over their house. They also had a fabulous collection of random things in the room I stayed in.

All of the above pictures are from a beach in CA.
I still have more pictures to sort through, but another set of pictures should be posted fairly soon!

Our Travels So Far, Pt 1

Many of you know that I'm on a long road trip with my family. Since I haven't posted any pictures a month and a half after we left home, I thought it was high time. :)

 The view from the window in our first stopping place, TN.

In Memphis, we made a short stop at Sun Studios, which apparently Elvis Presley was affiliated with. (I'm not really interested in that sort of thing, but Dad wanted to stop)

 Little Rock, AK.

 Someone we stayed with had this cross collection.

 I was quite taken with these almost-black pansies.

This was in TX.

 On the way into Albuquerque, NM.

We're doing well enough, and don't worry, there are definitely more pictures to come. It's been interesting seeing the different parts of the country, although we've already been through most of them on previous trips. Still, there are always new places to see. I've also been inspired in various ways, to draw, write, and other things. I do miss being home though, and am counting the weeks until we get back!