From The Sol

Sunday, February 8, 2026

Sunday in the Art Room ...

Sunday in the Art Room

So much for Bird Feeders in the Winter :(

Andrea @ From the Sol

Friday, February 6, 2026

This is Pip ... he was a favorite at the Raptor Rehab Facility because he was raised from an egg by the volunteers (sadly before I started volunteering there). He was a first from a long term plan to increase the Barn owl population in the area as they had dropped to a possible extinction level over the previous years. He was so successful that we(including me this time) began raising Barn Owls from eggs.

We fed them by hand initially. We had to wear Barn Owl Costumes so they didn't imprint on humans.

Then they were given to Mom & Dad Barn Owl where they learned to be real Barn Owls.

When they were ready to fledge, they were moved into a flight cage where they developed their skills in flight and also we would release live mice so they could learn to hunt. When they became proficient, we would release them to the wild. Some were released with telemetry attached to them so we could follow where they were ... interestingly, most of them ended up going south to the Texas, Louisianna area. Oh well ... there were still more Barn Owls out there :)

Hope all is well with all of you ... stay warm, we are inching toward Spring 😁

Andrea @ From the Sol

Friday, January 30, 2026

Friday Faceoff Challenge

FFO Challenge

This is my friend's daughter ... She is sweet and full of energy. She creates her own crafts and sells them at a store. She often comes to visit my daughter, who adores her. Below she is showing her crafts with her sister.

Grandaughter

Free hand ... then paint

Trace outline ... then paint

This is my beautiful Granddaughter. I have been trying for years to capture her likeness and I can't quite get it ... apparently I don't have an eye for detail. So I decided to trace an outline then finish the sketch and paint it. I think I finally captured her beauty ... even if I had to cheat :(

She is 16, but a senior in High School. She is taking flying lessons and her goal is to be a Commerical Airline Pilot. She is smart and beautiful (more beutiful than I can capture in my art). Much of her beauty comes from who she is ... a delightful, funny, caring , kind, smart young lady :)

Andrea @ From The Sol

P. S. Don't forget to check out my Friday FaceOff post just below this one. I know when there are two in a row, it would be easy to miss :)

Friday Faceoff ...

FRIDAY FACEOFF

A face that not even a mother could love :) Actually this little Tarantula was at the Raptor Rehab where I volunteered. She was quite friendly and not at all scary. She loved when we would take her out of her tank and would sit quietly on our hand, probably enjoying the warmth. And yes, that is my hand she is sitting on 😊

Andrea @From the Sol

Sunday, January 25, 2026

Sunday in the Art Room

Sunday in the Art Room

These are paintings and pastels done by my sister (above) and my Mother (below). They were both extraordinary Artists ... and the reason I never dabbled in art until I was muuuuuch older. Anything I did and or still do pales in comparison. But, as I have matured, I learned not to compete but to follow my own heart. So now I do art and try to appreciate it for what it is ... uniquely mine 😊 Simple but enjoyable ...

Andrea @ From The Sol

P.S. This neat and tidy art room is borrowed from Google Images ... believe me, my art space doesn't come close to "neat and tidy". In fact, if you were to see it, you would wonder where I find room to do any art. I often wonder that myself ... then I just scoot everything further down and "Voila" a space for my art😁

Friday, January 23, 2026

Frieday Faceoff ...

Friday Faceoff

This picture needs a caption ... Neither of these cats are with us anymore, but they were a joy for many years in our household. Fonzi has found his prey and Maggie thinks she is well hidden.

Andrea @ From the Sol

Sunday, January 18, 2026

DVArtist Sunday in the Art Room

Sunday in the Art Room

Art in Thailand

Most of the art in Thailand reflects the Buddhist Religion or the Royal Family. There are exceptions though, which you should be able to pick out among the pictures I have posted.