The glass resists the water; the white china marker resists the paint.

Sunday night, and everyone is reading, except me. I take a break from books and the newspaper to draw for a few minutes. The rainstorm comes in waves of sound, good weather for quiet time inside, half-listening to the rush of water on leaves, roof, street, half-listening to the pages turn.

Decaf espresso at the end of the evening, in a mug glazed by the youngest member of the family. The clock ticks. I hear a distant train. Thunderstorms seem to have passed for now, leaving cool air behind for us to sleep in.

Color and light in the sky until just a few minutes ago, but other details began to darken. I love the long evenings at this time of year.

Not local, but now that the strawberries have been eaten, this is what scents the kitchen tonight.

Nothing - nothing - tastes like the tiny local berries we got today. Sweet and too ripe to travel far from home. They won't last long, but that's not a problem...

Leftovers brought home from our long walk today - took the kids on a four-and-a-half mile urban excursion, stopping for gelati and then dim sum en route. We also browsed at a toy shop, played the rhythm instruments at the fair trade store, updated my prescription for glasses, and bought a couple of belated birthday presents. Out of the house for six hours, all told.

At this time of year, orange cones seem to multiply in the streets.

Cumulus clouds - the thunderstorms waited until nearly dark. We walked all over town today, inventing errands for the excuse to be out and about in near-perfect weather. I looked at the sky and painted this while waiting for the others to finish at the supermarket.

21 June. Longest day of the year, traditionally, even if the exact solstice fell yesterday. We go to two different parties between summer rainstorms.

19 June. Looking at a stack of things to be done...

18 June. Empty glass. Squeezed lime.

17 June. Espresso fuels a very very late night drafting a grant proposal - we heard about the opportunity moments before the deadline, but it was a great match for our work with the Pittsburgh Signs Project, so we decided to try for it anyway. We'll find out if we got an award early in August. Writing up the idea was satisfying, even if I feel jet-lagged for a day or so.