Anniversary Art Challenge: Picture #8, #14 & #15 - The Frog Piper's Tale

To celebrate our anniversary, my amazing artist husband, Phil, decided that he would do a 19-day art challenge, drawing one new picture every day for 19 days. And I thought it sounded like fun, so I jumped right on the band wagon and declared that I would write a silly, one-page story to go with each picture he creates during this challenge. I'm not writing the stories in order, because I got behind. And I wanted to finish by the end of March, but that didn't happen. So I'll just continue to post stories as I can complete them until they're all here. :)

One great thing about falling behind is that I'm not actually tied to just one picture each day. When I started writing the story of Hopper MacNamara, the Frog Piper Phil drew to celebrate International Bagpipe Day (day 8 of the challenge), I realized that I could weave his story together with the Fort Knight he drew for day #14 and the legendary warrior of Irish and Scottish myth, Fionn mac Cumhail (day #15).  I had so much fun mixing these very different characters (and illustration styles) into one story! (Now, I'm looking at the remaining pictures in my queue and trying to dream up ways to mash them together as well.)

The Frog Piper's Tale

Hopper MacNamara stood silently as the last notes from his pipes echoed off the stones. 

The king frowned. He beckoned to his trusted advisors, and conferred with them in a whispered conference. 

Hopper stood in the center of the great ring of stones and tried to resist the urge to fidget. Only the best and bravest pipers would be selected to join the king's elite pipe and drum corps. And there hadn't been a frog in the corps since Hopper's own great, great grandpappy had been asked to leave. 

No one remembered exactly waht had happened, but there were rumors. They said Grandpappy MacNamara lead the army straight into an ambush. They said he was following a great cloud of particularly tasty flies instead of watching for the enemy. They said the king would be insane to allow another frog into the ranks. Even one as talented as Hopper MacNamara.

But Hopper had trained for years, and he knew he was ready. He only needed a chance to prove himself. So when the king shook his head and dismissed the frog piper with a casual wave of his hand, Hopper made up his mind. He would find Fionn mac Cumhail. 

With the help of the legendary warrior, Hopper could restore the MacNamara name, and the reputations of frogs throughout the land, to their former glory.

For days, Hopper traveled over moors and around lochs, trading his songs for shelter each night. Finally, after two weeks, he came to a fortress sitting high atop a hill. But when he approached the castle gates, he was met by a fierce knight, who refused to allow him to pass. 

Drawing his gleaming sword, the knight challenged the frog piper to a duel.

Hopper gulped. 

A peaceful amphibian by nature, he had never dueled against a weapon more deadly than a banjo. But taking a deep breath, he filled his pipes and played the mournful notes of his great, great grandpappy MacNamara's favorite ballad. A tale of love and loss, and the heroic adventures of Fionn MacCumhail. 

The knight lowered his sword and listened in rapt attention to Hopper's song. And when the last notes had faded away, the great knight bowed before the frog piper. 

"Welcome, brave little one," he said, throwing wide the doors to the castle. "All who are friends of Fionn are welcome here. Won't you join us for the Feast of Fables?"

So Hopper followed the knight into a grand hall, where Fionn mac Cumhail himself sat upon a throne glittering with diamonds and rubies. And when the legendary warrior invited Hopper to be his own, personal musician, the frog piper accepted without hesitation.

Anniversary Art Challenge: Picture #6 - The Manti Temple

To celebrate our anniversary, my amazing artist husband, Phil, decided that he would do a 19-day art challenge, drawing one new picture every day for 19 days. And I thought it sounded like fun, so I jumped right on the band wagon and declared that I would write a silly, one-page story to go with each picture he creates during this challenge. I'm not writing the stories in order, because I got behind, but I'm determined to finish by the end of March. :)

The picture from Day #6 is the LDS Temple in Manti, Utah, where we got married. I felt like this picture needed a true story to go with it, but because my wedding day is a special memory, I couldn't bring myself to share the details online as part of a semi-silly challenge. Instead, I present to you another memory, from the summer before I met my husband, when I traveled with my church youth group to see the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti.

The Temple's walls gleamed in the fading sunlight as the bright blue of the sky transformed into a rainbow of orange, pink, and purple. I settled into my surprisingly comfortable folding chair and took in the excited chatter of voices all around me, as hundreds of people filled the available chairs and every open space on the lawn.

My bishop leaned across the girls sitting beside me and grinned. "So, Veronica, this is where you're getting, married, huh?"

I smiled and nodded. I didn't even care that he was teasing me.

"Oh!" The woman sitting in the row of chairs in front of us turned around and clasped my hand in both of hers. "That's wonderful, dear," she gushed. "When is the big day? Are you getting nervous yet?"

I blushed and pulled my hand away, turning reluctantly away from the Temple. "Um, well..."

The bishop laughed and winked at me. "First, she has to meet someone, right Veronica?"

The lady's smile faltered, and she tilted her head slightly, her brows furrowing as a slight frown pulled down at the corners of her lips. "But didn't you just say ..." Her voice trailed off, and she stared at me, waiting for my answer.

I ran my fingers through my long, blonde hair and pulled a section of it in front of my face, like a curtain I could hide behind. "Well ..." I looked back at the Temple and took a deep breath. Then, I told her all about how I'd decided, when I was five years old and my parents brought me to see the Pageant, that I was going to get married in this gorgeous building that looked like a castle fit for a fairy tale princess. "I decided, if a guy isn't willing to make the drive to marry me here, he's not the right one for me."

The lady smiled and squeezed my hand. "When you find him," she said, "make sure you request the sealing room at the top of the tower. It's beautiful, and you'll get to see the amazing spiral staircases*."

Then, the last of the sunlight faded away, and the Temple lights illuminated. Everyone turned their attention to the pageant about to begin, and I smiled. Just as I remembered, the Temple looked like a castle. And one day, I would marry my perfect Prince there. 

I already knew which room I wanted.

*Note: The spiral staircases in the Manti Temple are not only gorgeous, but they're amazing feats of engineering - freestanding without a central support. There were some pictures of the Temple interior in the Ensign (the LDS church magazine) several years ago ... and I found a website that had those pictures.

Anniversary Art Challenge: Picture #9 - Sparky McDuff, the Leprechaun

To celebrate our anniversary, my amazing artist husband, Phil, decided that he would do a 19-day art challenge, drawing one new picture every day for 19 days. And I thought it sounded like fun, so I jumped right on the band wagon and declared that I would write a silly, one-page story to go with each picture he creates during this challenge. Of course, I have to wait for him to finish each day's picture before I can write the story, so I should be one day behind him ... but I'm actually more than a few days behind. (Today, I'm once again trying to play catch-up! There will be multiple stories & pictures posted throughout the day, and eventually, all of the pictures & my stories will be posted on my website.)

The picture from Day #9 was a leprechaun, complete with a rainbow and a bubble pipe. (I kind of love this, because when we were in college, I used to keep a bottle of soap bubbles in my pocket, and I would blow bubbles while I walked across campus between classes.) It took me a few days to find the leprechaun's story, but here it is, only two days late for St. Patrick's Day. :)

Sparky McDuff tucked his pot of gold beneath the sprawling roots of a giant ash tree and leaned against the trunk to wait. He filled his pipe with the finest bubble solution and blew a long puff of air, sending iridescent bubbles shimmering through the air. Now, he only needed a rainbow to seal a lucky charm into his gold. This would protect it from any would-be thieves and bandits. 

He smiled at the clear blue sky and closed puffed away happily at his pipe. At least he had picked a nice day for it. When his older brother and sister had charmed their pots of gold, they hadn't chosen as wisely. Goldie had sat for three hours in a miserable, gray drizzle before the rainbow appeared for her. And Colin had endured a torrential downpour for forty-five minutes in order to find his rainbow. They had both been soaked and miserable by the time their gold had cured. 

But Sparky was smart. He checked the weather every day for a week until he'd found the perfect day. Blue skies and sunshine were much better for rainbow-watching than overcast, drizzly skies. There wasn't even a single cloud to ruin his wait.

He waited all day, happily puffing on his pipe, but the lazy rainbow didn't appear. And when night fell, Sparky had no choice but to remain with the tree and his gold. Without the rainbow charm, any random passerby could easily snag his treasure as their own.

For days, Sparky sat under the ash tree, but although birds sang merrily in the treetops and the sun shone brightly in the clear, blue sky, not a single rainbow appeared. Finally, on the ninth day, dark clouds rolled in and covered the sun. Sparky frowned and shivered inside his coat as fat raindrops splashed on his head. All of his careful planning had been for nothing. 

Tired, cold and hungry after more than a week of waiting for a rainbow that never came, Sparky now had to endure a rainstorm as well. But just as he was about to give up and go home, the clouds parted and a brilliant ray of sun burst forth, reflecting off the lingering raindrops. And suddenly, the brightest rainbow he'd ever seen arched through the sky and settled on Sparky's pot of gold.

Anniversary Art Challenge: Picture #3 - Darkwing Ducktales

To celebrate our anniversary, my amazing artist husband, Phil, decided that he would do a 19-day art challenge, drawing one new picture every day for 19 days. And I thought it sounded like fun, so I jumped right on the band wagon and declared that I would write a silly, one-page story to go with each picture he creates during this challenge. Of course, I have to wait for him to finish each day's picture before I can write the story, so I should be one day behind him ... but I'm actually more than a few days behind. (Today, I'm once again trying to play catch-up! There will be multiple stories & pictures posted throughout the day, and eventually, all of the pictures & my stories will be posted on my website.)

The picture from Day #3 was especially difficult for me. Although I absolutely adore Darkwing Duck, I never watched Ducktales, and I didn't know much about the characters. I had to watch some clips on Youtube to really get a sense of the ducks' personalities. I hope I got it right!

Darkwing Ducktales

Webby carried a bag full of party supplies to the table she'd set up in the garden. "Here we are." She set the bag on the ground and began unpacking her tea pot, cups, and plates full of little cakes and sandwiches. "A perfect tea party for two." 

She finished setting the table and sat back with a smile. But her Quacky Patch doll wasn't on the chair where Webby had left her only moments ago. 

Dropping to the ground, Webby searched under the table, behind the bushes and even in the bag she had just emptied. No Quacky Patch doll. 

"Now, where did you run off to?" Webby wondered. She searched throughout the garden, the kitchen, and even in Uncle Scrooge's treasure vault. But her Quacky Patch doll was nowhere to be found. 

Suddenly, a puff of smoke appeared next to her tea table, and from inside the cloud, a voice called out, "I am the terror that flaps in the night! I am the ingrown toenail on the foot of crime. I am Darkwing Duck!"

When the smoke cleared, a duck in a purple cape and mask, with a big, floppy hat, smiled at her. Webby stomped on his foot and called to Uncle Scrooge, who came running from the airplane hanger beside the house, his goofy pilot, Launchpad McQuack trailing behind him.

"Ouch!" The caped duck hopped on one foot, rubbing his sore toes. "What did you do that for?"

"You said you were going to give me nightmares," said Webby. "What did you do with my Quacky Patch doll?"

"No, I didn't," said the duck. "I --"

"Oh, hey, Darkwing," said Launchpad. He scooped the strange duck into a giant squish hug and twirled him around. "What brings you to Duckberg?"

Darkwing grunted and flailed his arms until Launchpad finally released him. He took a giant, gasping gulp of air before he spoke. "I've tracked the Bedtime Bandit all the way from St. Canard. He's been stealing baby dolls across the midwest, the southeast, and even a small corner of the north. No doubt for strange and nefarious purposes."

He glanced around the yard, and then took off at a sprint, shooting one smoke bomb after another from his gun. "Suck gas, evildoer!" 

He pounced on a shadowy figure in the bushes beside the house and emerged moments later, coughing and hacking, but holding the shirt collar of a bedraggled villain in one hand and Webby's Quacky Patch doll in the other. He handed the doll to Webby and blushed when she wrapped her arms around his legs in a grateful hug.

"Aww, it was nothing," he said. "Just doing my job." And with a flash of smoke, he disappeared again.

Anniversary Art Challenge: Picture #10 - The Adventures of Bug Boy

To celebrate our anniversary, my amazing artist husband, Phil, decided that he would do a 19-day art challenge, drawing one new picture every day for 19 days. And I thought it sounded like fun, so I jumped right on the band wagon and declared that I would write a silly, one-page story to go with each picture he creates during this challenge. Of course, I have to wait for him to finish each day's picture before I can write the story, so I should be one day behind him ... but I'm actually more than a few days behind. (Today, I'm once again trying to play catch-up! There will be multiple stories & pictures posted throughout the day, and eventually, all of the pictures & my stories will be posted on my website.)

Day 10 (Bug Boy) was really fun to watch Phil draw. He started by asking our youngest daughter for a shape, and she told him to draw something with a peace symbol. This became a face in a mask, and when our next-to-youngest daughter asked "are you drawing a bug boy?" the character fully came to life.

George strapped on his power belt and his cape. The evil Exterminator was up to his old tricks again, and it was up to Bug Boy to save the day once more! He slipped his mask on and tiptoed to the door.

"And where do you think you're going, young man?" A stern voice echoed through the hall.

George gulped and turned to see Major Mom standing in the doorway, arms folded and a frown pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"Never fear!" he announced in his bravest Bug Boy voice. "I will save the world from The Exterminator's evil schemes!"

"Not without a jacket," the Major said. "It's chilly outside, and you're just getting over a cold."

"Aww, Mom!" George sighed. "Super heroes don't wear jackets. That's why I have a cape."

The major shook her head. "No capes! It could get caught on something. Wear a jacket, or you can choose to play inside."

Bug Boy pulled on his exoskeleton armor and flame-proof gloves. His sources told him The Exterminator had a new, secret lair in the wilds beyond the back yard fence, but Bug Boy wasn't afraid. He would vanquish his foe, restore peace to the planet, and be back home by suppertime.

Anniversary Art Challenge: Picture #4 - Fox in Socks

To celebrate our anniversary, my amazing artist husband, Phil, decided that he would do a 19-day art challenge, drawing one new picture every day for 19 days. And I thought it sounded like fun, so I jumped right on the band wagon and declared that I would write a silly, one-page story to go with each picture he creates during this challenge. Of course, I have to wait for him to finish each day's picture before I can write the story, so I should be one day behind him ... but I'm also really flighty, so I'm a few more days behind than that. (Today, I'm playing catch-up! There will be multiple stories & pictures posted throughout the day, and eventually, all of the pictures & my stories will be posted on my website.)

Day 4 was inspired by Dr. Seuss' FOX IN SOCKS, which was our son's favorite book when he was little.

"Chicks with bricks come. Chicks with blocks come. Chicks with bricks and blocks and clocks come."

– Dr. Seuss

Mr. Fox’s greatest pleasure in life was making rhymes. But grumpy Mr. Knox didn’t want to play the Fox-in-Socks Rhyme Game.

“I’ll show him how fun it can be,” thought Mr. Fox. “Everyone loves to rhyme!”

He gathered a group of chicks together and set them to work building stacks of bricks and blocks. They agreed to help, even though the three little pigs were really better builders. But when the fox tried to balance Mr. Knox on stacks of chicks and clocks, they decided that enough was enough.

“You can make a quick trick brick stack!” the chicks yelled. “You can make a quick trick block stack! Take your bricks and blocks and clocks back!”

Mr. Fox yelped and ran, ducking flying bricks and blocks and clocks. “That’s okay,” he said. “My friends Sue and Slow Joe Crow will help me teach Mr. Knox to rhyme.”

And he set off with a needle and thread to teach Sue how to sew.

Anniversary Art Challenge: Picture #5 - The Swedish Chef

 To celebrate our anniversary, my amazing artist husband, Phil, decided that he would do a 19-day art challenge, drawing one new picture every day for 19 days. And I thought it sounded like fun, so I jumped right on the band wagon and declared that I would write a silly, one-page story to go with each picture he creates during this challenge. Of course, I have to wait for him to finish each day's picture before I can write the story, so I should be one day behind him ... but I'm also really flighty, so I'm a few more days behind than that. (Today, I'm playing catch-up! There will be multiple stories & pictures posted throughout the day, and eventually, all of the pictures & my stories will be posted on my website.)

Phil is taking suggestions for his art challenge, and day 5 was inspired by the suggestion to draw the Swedish Chef (from the Muppets).

Light reflected on the razor-sharp meat cleaver as he flashed it back and forth. 

Henrietta closed her eyes against the blinding light and gulped. Sweat pooled between her shoulder blades and trickled down her back. The madman crept closer, ever closer, until she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. 

This was not what she expected when she signed up to do a sketch with the Swedish Chef on The Muppet Show.

Anniversary Art Challenge: Picture #7 - Goldipunzel

To celebrate our anniversary, my amazing artist husband, Phil, decided that he would do a 19-day art challenge, drawing one new picture every day for 19 days. And I thought it sounded like fun, so I jumped right on the band wagon and declared that I would write a silly, one-page story to go with each picture he creates during this challenge. Of course, I have to wait for him to finish each day's picture before I can write the story, so I should be one day behind him ... but I'm also really flighty, so I'm a few more days behind than that. (Today, I'm playing catch-up! - Eventually, all of the pictures & my stories will be posted on my website, but for now, here's the story I wrote to accompany yesterday's drawing.)

Phil is taking suggestions for his art challenge, and yesterday (day 7) was inspired by the suggestion to draw "fairy tales as told by goldfish."

Goldipunzel

 

Once upon a time, a goldfish princess named Goldipunzel lived in the top of a tall tower with no doors. The princess was kind and beautiful, but she was terribly lonely. Her only visitor each day was the old hermit crab witch who had imprisoned her in the tower when she was only a guppy.
 

Every day, the old crab would come to the base of the tower and call “Goldipunzel, Goldipunzel, let down your hair!”
 

The princess would shake her head and sigh. “Goldfish don’t have hair, mother.” Then, she would lower a fishing line and hook out the window and pull the witch up to visit her.
 

One day, a handsome goldfish prince swimming through the seaweed forest heard Goldipunzel singing. He stopped at the base of the tower and gazed up at her, mesmerized by her beauty. Before long, Goldipunzel realized that she had an audience and stopped her song.
 

“Hello,” she called. “Are you here to visit me? I’m terribly lonely here in my high tower, and I welcome your company, sir.”
 

She lowered the hook to pull the prince up to her window.
 

“You’re kidding, right?” the prince asked, swimming to the top of the tower. “You realize that you can swim away whenever you wish, don’t you?”
 

Goldpunzel blushed and shyly reached out to take the prince’s fin. And they swam off to his castle together to live happily ever after.

Anniversary Art Challenge: Picture #2 - The Avengers of Poseidon

To celebrate our anniversary, my amazing artist husband, Phil, decided that he would do a 19-day art challenge, drawing one new picture every day for 19 days. And I thought it sounded like fun, so I jumped right on the band wagon and declared that I would write a silly, one-page story to go with each picture he creates during this challenge. I didn't post the first picture / story on my blog yesterday, because he drew a picture that perfectly fits with a picture book manuscript I'm already working on ... and I'm not sure if I want to share that story online yet. But here's a link to the adorable illustration. (Of course, because I have to wait for him to finish each day's picture, I am one day behind him. He's drawing picture number three today as I write story number two.)

Picture #2: The Avengers of Poseidon was inspired by a memory of my freshman year in college. Everyone in my dorm was supposed to go play capture the flag in the park, as a way to get to know each other and stuff ... So my friends, Will, Seth, Becca and I decided to form a third team. Armed with Super Soakers, we called ourselves The Avengers of Poseidon and ambushed everyone who tried to take the game too seriously. We made many enemies, but we also managed to convert several people to our side, and our rogue team tripled in size by the time the next capture the flag game happened. :)

I love this picture!! And here's my silly story to go with it. (I tried to capture the emotions of the real memory while making the events in my story fully my own creation... though I did steal names from actual participants!)

Adam crouched in the bushes behind Mr. Schaeffer’s tool shed. The red team’s flag flapped in the breeze on the other side of the garden, and Sheila was the only guard on watch. Piece of cake. He’d have that flag back to the blue team’s base before anyone even realized it was missing.
 
Slipping silently between the tall shrubs, Adam inched closer. He stopped at the edge of the bushes to wait for just the right moment. The three feet of open field between him and the flag might be tricky, but if he timed it right, Sheila wouldn’t even know he was there. He watched as she paced back and forth in front of the flag, counting the seconds each time she turned to survey the opposite side of the garden.
 
Ten seconds to sprint out, grab the flag and get back to the cover of the tool shed. No problem.
 
Adam took a deep breath and got set for the sprint of a lifetime. As soon as Sheila’s back was turned, he sprang forward, covering half the distance to the flag in one giant leap. Three more steps and his fingers closed around the bright, red silk.
 
And splosh! A stream of icy-cold water hit him right between the shoulder blades. He dropped the flag and turned to see Becca, Seth and Will, all with super-soakers pointed directly at him.
 
“Hey! No weapons allowed,” he said. “If you don’t tag me yourself, it doesn’t count.”
 
Becca smirked and grabbed the red flag, winding it around the blue one she already held. “Your rules mean nothing to us, mortal,” she proclaimed, and blasted Adam in the face with her super-soaker.
 
“What? Hey, who are you?” Sheila demanded. “Give us back our flags.”
 
“We are the Avengers of Poseidon!” Will declared, soaking Sheila with the entire contents of his water gun. “And we just kicked both of your butts.”