Author Archives: RyanMcGurl

Introducing Otto!

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We adopted a third dog, Otto, previously Bear, this weekend. Its only been three days, but so far he is fitting into the family great. The most difficulties have been with Panzer accepting that he is in charge, because previously he had been quite happy to be the beta dog, and of course everyone getting enough attention, and Otto learning the rules of our home. But overall, its been pretty easy. He really is such a sweet, happy affectionate dog.

Before coming to us, Otto had a tough life. He was kept tied up in the back of a used auto yard, before the owner decided he wasn’t a good guard dog and intended to let him loose near a highway. Fortunately, someone at Shepherds Hope heard of him and was able to convince the owner to turn Bear over to her instead. Although he was not physically abused, he was neglected. Even after several months with the rescue organization he is still very thin and has tested positive for low levels of heartworm. Amazingly, the rescue organization had a difficult time finding a home for him. He has alot of energy will be big when he is finished growing. Also, the rescue organization wanted to place him in a home with other dogs, and many people only want one.

We got him from German Shepherd Rescue Association, we also got Sasha from them. If you are in North Carolina or Virginia, and looking for a dog, I highly recommend adopting from them, or Shepherd’s Hope in North and South Carolina.

Sketchbook: Cathedral Ruin

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First, I started with the basic layout, I even used a ruler. This does have perspective and a vanishing point, sort of. I eyeballed it, and mostly just tried to keep it somewhat symmetrical.

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Next, I colored the walls black, and added a second story of windows so it wouldn’t be too dark and imposing.

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I added color! I used to use these prismacolor markers all the time, and I had fun playing with them again.

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Finished! Used a fine pen to make any edges nice and crisp, and to darken the design of the rose window.

Craggy Gardens, Spring and Fall

During the last week of October, I once again took a trip out to the Blue Ridge Mountains, to see the fall foliage. Below are two photos taken at the same location, Craggy Gardens, elevation above 5000 feet, on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. I love the bright pink rhododendrons and the green foliage in the spring. But I also love the red berries in the fall.

What do you think? Do you prefer the spring or fall (or maybe you like summer or winter) best? Where is your favorite place to see the seasons change?

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Craggy Gardens, Blue Ridge Parkway, October 2016

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Craggy Gardens, Blue Ridge Parkway, June 2016

Edinbrugh Castle

I’ve been meaning to post the rest of my photos from Scotland, but I’ve been having trouble accessing my website admin. After way to long on the phone, it turned out to be an easy fix, I started using Chrome as a web browser, instead of Safari.

I got to visit a castle, a real one! I’d never been in a castle before. It was really interesting to walk around, no hidden torture chambers though (or they are still hidden, at least from the public). It is actually still an active military base though.

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The castle sits on top of a hill that towers over the city.img_3743

I loved all the thistles decorating the castle, like this one carved into the stonework.img_3757

I was surprised that the castle was mainly a military installation. I guess I expected more of a luxurious home for royalty. And while there were some very grand parts of the castle, such as a massive dining hall, for the most part it was clearly built for strategic purposes.img_3768

From the castle, the view of the city, and the Firth of Forth was amazing.

Hurricane Matthew

We were pretty lucky in regards to damage from hurricane Matthew, by the time it hit us it had mellowed to a category 1, or maybe even just a tropical storm. The worst of it was this tree down across the driveway. It actually happened before the storm really hit, and with the help from our neighbors we got it cleared in about an hour. Other than that, we had a lot of tree branches down, but no damage to our house or other structures. We did lose power for about 16 hours, but we had prepared for that, so really it was just a minor inconvenience.

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And this is a drawing of the storm, while it was still a category 4, that I did in my sketchbook.

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Hiking in Edinburgh, Arthurs Seat

I’ve been to several cities that have nice parks to walk in, but never actually hiking, like Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh. We had fine scottish weather for our hike, meaning it was foggy and drizzly, but not raining hard enough to ruin the day. And the rocks looked pretty in the fog anyways. Also, since the fog obscured our view, we didn’t feel any guilt about not getting to the top. I think we did enough walking up and down hills just around the city anyways.

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Thistle! Because you can’t go to Scotland and not take a picture of thistle.

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It was a really pretty park, and we got to see some of the natural environment without leaving the city. And when were were done, the pub was pretty close.