A Boston Sparrow...and a Boston Freedom Trail Sampler

...on Sunday Matty and I planned a last-minute trip to Boston to walk the Freedom Trail. Rick had to work, but we really wanted to walk through history, so we went for it, and I'm so glad we did! Boston was amazing. We stayed in the North End and walked everywhere, burning up tons of calories so we could eat tons of incredible Italian food...

...of course, wherever we are, birds are part of it, and Matty and I loved all the Boston city birds. When we first arrived, we took a water taxi to our hotel, and as soon as we set out into the harbor cormorants flew by...up close and gorgeous. Lots of gulls and a few terns were along the docks...and among the city buildings and in the parks, sweet little English House Sparrows were everywhere. This little sparrow was just a few feet from me in the King's Chapel Burying Ground...

A Boston Sparrow from Kelly Riccetti on Vimeo.

We got home early this evening, so I thought I'd throw a Boston Freedom Trail "Sampler" up quickly. I didn't take my big camera with me, opting to travel light, so I used my little Panasonic Lumix and my iPhone. They both worked out well...

Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

Longfellow

...Matty walks towards Quincy's Market...across from...

...Faneuil Hall...

...where that very famous grasshopper has been perched for a very long time...

...tombstone art...always a favorite of mine.

...and there's lots to go around in Boston. This design is a little different from the norm...

The Paul Revere memorial in the Granary burying Ground...

For making such a large mark on history, Revere's tombstone is remarkably modest.

"Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes..."

Bunker Hill Monument (...located on Breed's Hill where the battle was fought on June 17, 1775.)

...more to come.

Painting #19, Painting #20, and Painting #21 - Studies of an English House Sparrow in the Snow

English House Sparrows foraging in the snow on our deck for sunflower seeds.

In an effort to catch up on my challenge paintings, I knocked off three little English House Sparrows foraging in the snow today. Yikes! That sounds terrible, doesn't it? Especially when you consider there are lots of people who really would like to "knock off" English House Sparrows because of all the havoc they have wrought on our native cavity nesters, but I actually have a soft spot in my heart for them. After all, they can't help they were brought to another continent and then flourished. My Grandma B used to call these little guys “Chippies,” and in the summer we would sit on her front porch and watch them take dust baths in the dirt by the driveway. To this day, every time I see one flapping around in the dust it melts my heart, and I think of summer evenings at Grandma’s house.

These paintings are part of the 100 Paintings in a Year Challenge.

Three English House Sparrows in a Paris Alley -- Painting #10

Three English House Sparrows in a Paris Alley

This painting is doing double-duty because it's part of my "Imaginary Trip to Paris" class I'm taking with Laure Ferlita. If you're looking for an online art class, check out Laure's Imaginary Trips series. It's a great way to meet other artists and have fun! The assignment started as a planter in a parisian alley behind a bakery. I added the little House Sparrows because they are common city dwellers and could easily be found in an alleyway. In my mind, I saw these little birds eating bread crusts thrown out for them by a soft-hearted baker--their little chips and bird chatter blending with soft music drifting out of the open back window of the bakery.

...and that brings me to this painting's second purpose--painting #10 in a 100 Painting Challenge. At the first of the year, I decided to take the painting challenge, but me being me...my 100 paintings are bird-centric. By the end of this year, I hope to have completed 100 paintings of our sweet, sweet birds! If you'd like to take the challenge, check out the 100 Paintings Challenge blog. You can join at any time...and paint whatever you'd like!