55. Ron

While I was drawing this nothing much happened until I was finished, when I got into a conversation with a person who came out of the house next door.
‘His name’s Ron,’ the woman had said when I asked who it was who lived in the house, ‘and he’s the best. He walks with a cane but he still insists on taking out our trash cans.’
‘Nice,’ I say.
‘Yeh,’ she said, smiling ‘he’s been married to the same woman for like 50 years.’
‘Woah,’ I said, ‘good effort.’
‘He told me that on their first date he bought her flowers,’ she told me, ‘but she told him she hadn’t asked for them and threw them into the back seat of his car.’

Today’s podcast: This is Love- Anna and Massimo

54. A woman parked her car in front of the house

53_small

While I was drawing this a woman pulled slowly up to the curb and parked in front of the house.
I put my pastel down and hoped she would look over at me so I could ask her to move on.
But she didn’t.
Instead she opened the back door and took out a small white folding chair, and then walked into the house next door.
I sat there for a while, slightly annoyed, but then went back to work, drawing from memory what was behind the woman’s car.

Today’s podcast: The Daily- Corroborating E. Jean Carroll

52. Sacramento

CSIMG_578327500370A

While I drew this nothing much happened.
A postman delivering mail said hello.
A man collecting his mail from the mailbox said hello.
A woman and a man passed by with a stroller and the man, who was wearing sunglasses, smiled and said hello.
And then later a man went up the red steps and spoke to a woman who came to the door holding a baby.

Today’s podcast: Stay tuned with Preet- What’s Life Worth with Ken Feinberg

51. Suspicious

While I was drawing this I heard a noise (through my earbuds, over the sound of the podcast I was listening to) and turned to see a man with an unhappy look on his face standing on the grass of the house just behind me.
‘Sorry?’ I said, removing my earbuds, ‘What was that?’
‘What is it you’re doing there?’ he called out.
‘I’m drawing.’ I called back to him.’
What are you drawing?’ he asked, walking toward me.
‘I’m drawing that house across the street,’ I said, ‘that one there, the pink one.’
‘Oh okay, well…’ he said.
‘I know it can look suspicious, someone sitting in the street like this.’
‘Yes,’ he said, ‘it sure does look suspicious.
The man said nothing else, just turned and walked across the grass toward his house.
I watched him walk away.

Today’s podcast Bear Brook, Episode 1.

7. Bright Red car

While I was drawing this a man pulled up in a bright red car, got out of the car and without acknowledging me, passed close by on my right and walked up the driveway of the house behind me.
The man, who was dressed in a tidy shirt (open at the neck), slacks and brown shoes, then came back out of the house, crossed the street and got back in his car and drove away.
Then for about 45 minutes nothing of note happened and I continued to draw and listen to my podcast*, until about 40 minutes later when the man in the bright red car came back again.
And this time he had a woman with him.
And this time they both got out of the car and passed by me, walking up the driveway of the house behind me.
And this time the woman ignored me too.

*Today’s podcast: WBEZ Chicago- Making Obama Part III