Washington State Ferries

These are pencil drawings that I did of ferries that worked or are still working on Puget Sound.

                                                                               

MERRY XMAS!

I have heard it said that the use of the word Xmas, takes the"Christ" out of Christmas, but the opposite is true.  The term has been used since way back in the mid 1500's.  X is a Greek letter "chi"  the first letter in the word  Χριστός   which means Christ and for hundreds of years X has been an acceptable representation of the word Christ.  You can find more on the story here.

That being said, the final letter, and the 24th letter in my "Elphabet",  the one that I skipped, is X.  This is for the "Jolly old Elf," the Merry Xmas guy, Santa Claus.  Even though he is often referred to as one, he isn't really an elf.  Maybe it's the company he keeps?  He is pretty magical, though, and has special powers that make even the elves jealous. I believe one of his greatest virtues is that he appears to each child differently.  Is Santa white? black? Asian? Hispanic?  Yes, he is. He is what we imagine him to be, because Santa is the spirit of Christmas. He represents love and kindness and giving. He is joyful and merry.

And so to all of you, thank you for visiting my blog.  I hope you have enjoyed my stories.  I wish you a very Merry Christmas, may all your dreams come true.

 

On the wind

When you are inside your house and the wind is blowing, sometimes you can hear a strange moaning sound. It seems to be coming from the windows. The noise can be a little frightening, but it is just Zephyr.  He accompanies the wind. Hiding behind the curtains, he sings an eerie melody. The more it blows, the louder he sings. Don't be scared.  He's just letting you know that you have company. When the wind goes away, so will he.

 

In the garden

In a corner of a secluded secret garden, sits a bearded elf named Yeats.  He is a poet.  Quill in hand, he takes note of the beauty in the ordinary things that surround him.  Yeats sits inside his own walled sanctuary quietly observing what nature has to show.  He examines the steady pace of an ant carrying its heavy load, and notices the glistening dewdrops on the leaves. He watches the ivy grow and the clouds change shapes overhead. Here, he contemplates nature's wonders and record his thoughts. He allows the magic to flow through his pen, creating beautiful poetry.

The entertainer

Gliding gracefully across a silken spider web, Webster displays his remarkable skills.  He is an entertainer,  who thrills the spectators with his daring feats. He is funny, too, making the audience laugh and scream with his hilarious, sometimes frightening antics. He is the perfect showman, a crowd pleaser, and look, he works without a net!

 

Being shy

Meeting new people is quite difficult for some. At times it's better to quietly stand in the background and check out what's happening. 

Violet is a very shy elf.  She hides behind the flowers watching and listening.  She knows it's all right to be quiet and a little distant until she believes it is safe to come out.  Violet doesn't know these new people, if they will like her, if they have the same interests, so she observes for awhile.  Once she feels safe, she'll join in.  She's very chatty once she feels comfortable.

Friendship

Making friends is sometimes a scarey thing to do. Ulf shows how easy it can be.  He is a friendship elf who enjoys keeping company with the toys. He might be found telling jokes to the teddy bears, or sipping tea with the zoo animals, which is really quite hard. Even though they are difficult to find, he plays hide and seek with the toy soldiers, because they enjoy it.  The dolls share all of their secrets, but he never tells.