Donkey Barrier

This is a sketch I did with one of my Elite Animation virtual students to demonstrate one point perspective. I am always encouraging my students to sketch the simplest of scenes.

This is a view from my desk and shows the entry to my studio space. My sketchbook bookshelf can be seen to the left and books are stacked on a table in the mid ground since each time a sketchbook goes on a shelf another book has to loose it’s spot on the shelf. Even my childhood bible has lost its spot on the bookshelf and been demoted to tabletop storage.

You might notice that the entry to the studio is blocked by plastic storage bins. I step over those bins every time I exit or enter the studio. Stepping over those bins has probably been my best exercise all year during the pandemic. The roll top desk against the far wall was acquired by Pam and was once owned by a renowned local syndicated cartoonist.

Pam’s pup, Sprout, got upset every time Pam went to work each morning. She thought it would be a good idea to get Sprout a play buddy, so we ended up adopting a pup named Donkey. The first day Donkey was in the house, she decided to enter my studio and immediately poop on the carper. That dog never again entered the studio since I blocked the entry with storage containers. Donkey is evil incarnate.

Sprout used to huddle under my Disney Desk while I was working when afternoon thunderstorms rolled in. He felt safe there. Unfortunately he has to deal with the fear of thunder on his own now that Donkey is in the house.  Donkey also chewed the hell out of a coffee table in the living room. All four legs are half chewed off. They look like they were splintered by lightning. She also chewed up an antique wooden Monopoly game board. I suspect that is irreplaceable.

Donkey chews Sprouts face and legs incessantly. He growled to assert his dominance but she had outgrown him and literally stands dominant over him. He still pouts any time Pam leaves for work. He probably gets exercise trying to survive Donkey’s attacks but I am not so sure he his happier than before she arrived.

Outside the window, a dark silhouette is visible of an outdoor bar with bar stools stacked on top of the counter. Those seats are covered in rat poop since a rat discovered he could chew his way into plastic storage bins outside filled with seed. He got fat and happy and pooped all around the bar. I managed to catch the rat so he is no longer causing havoc around the bar.

Top 10 wipe outs on the Mission Beach Flow Rider..

Mission Beaches Belmont Park  in San Diego has a large flow rider wave that curls into a tube. Our intrepid group sat for several hours at dusk watching beginners and experts tackle the wave. It is most fun watching beginners attempt the wave. They are let out holding a tether to keep their balance. As soon as the life guard asks them to let go of the life line, they wipe out and are thrown over the top of the wave. The perpetual wave is created by jets of water that flow up a plastic ramp. One experienced surfer wore Groucho Marx glasses as he surfed the wave. His every move was relaxed and confident. He would disappear inside the tube and then burst out in a flash of spray just when you started to wonder if he had wiped out. It is possible to lie back on the wave and bounce back upright since the wave has a solid base.

Watching the flow riders is an infinitely entertaining way to spend an afternoon.  It became even more relaxing as we sipped margaritas. When we had our fill we walked back down the beach to our apartment where we played card games to pass the time. Up until I was ten years old, my family always rented a bungalow at the Jersey shore. Spending this much time at the beach brought those childhood memories back. My family would play Monopoly late into the night and I remember creating my own boogie board out of plywood. I never graduated to surfing unfortunately. The little kids that rode the flow rider wave always seemed to learn quickly since their center of gravity is already low.