Erik Brooks's Blog, page 62

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 69 - 1.21.16

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 68 - 1.20.16

What I love about today's bear -- as opposed to yesterday's more subdued and somber version of a similar pose -- is that this is a bear of hope! It may indeed be a bit more naive - and yesterday's "delayed gestation" a bit more realistic - but holding on to that shred of hope and relishing in a bit of joy is sometimes the only thing that keeps us moving forward. Cap that methane leak in California. Up those CAFE standards. Set some lofty goals for zero carbon emissions. Keep on keepin' on!

Harts Pass No. 283

It's still January of course, and not yet Valentine's Day, but it feels like time for a little comic series on love it its many varied forms. Enjoy!


PS This is what our house looks like as of Tuesday morning, and I DO have a certain affinity for shoveling the driveway!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 67 - 1.19.16

Delayed gestation or delayed implantation is a natural adaptation of the polar bear to its harsh arctic environment. This assures that the cub is born during the best time of the year for survival and allows the female to achieve optimal physical condition and to use her energy for nursing her newborn cubs.
In a metaphorical stretch of sorts, I can imagine unsuitable conditions due to global warming that basically put all future developments into a state of permanent delay. Not my most uplifting post, but there you go...let's not let that happen!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 66 - 1.18.16

For Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 65 - 1.16.16

Finally catching up with the last of my Austin, TX Polar Bear Postcard posts :) I still have a summary of the school visit days to do, plus some continued info about Laura's Iditarod Teacher on the Trail, but here you go with my Austin City Limits bear! I didn't quite make it out for music in the evenings, but hopefully next time!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 64 - 1.15.16

When the school visits were done, the bears in Austin spent some time with Jeff Paine, a friend of mine who (with his wife Melanie) started a recycling and composting business in 2009 -- before the city of Austin had any such service available for local businesses. Seven years later Break it Down is going strong -- and it's pretty sweet to see someone doing some good and making it work as a viable business. Tons on new ideas on the horizon as well, so thumbs up and keep in coming! GRRRattitude as well to Jeff for sharing a few hours at the end of a long work day - and to his awesome kids for getting me up to speed on all of the new transformer reticulations!

While I was in Texas...

The illustrator copies of Beluga Whale, Grizzy Tales, and More Alaska Kidsnacks arrived from Sasquatch! It's ALWAYS fun to see the finished product for the first time, and these babies'll be  cooking up a storm at a bookstore near you in March :)
Excited about lots of the images and the Alaska-themed patterns and borders in this one, but I've included two of my favorite page combinations below... plus a little "hidden Mickey" in honor of my dog Max.
Thanks to Alice for the great things to illustrate and to Tegan and Christy and the whole team at Sasquatch/Little Bigfoot for brining it all together!

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 63 - 1.13.16

LOTS of drawing this week for the traveling Post Card Project! Bears drawing gators here, and the students at Eanes Elementary did a pretty great job as well! 

Presidential Polar Bear Post Card Project No. 62 - 1.12.16

Wild things in unexpected places! Austin's Barton Spring Salamander is an endangered lungless salamander that lives only in this unique Barton Springs habitat. A special find for a traveling bear.(An OK scan... and this is what I'll have for posterity sake. One more of these subpar scans to post but will scan/upload the last two for the week I get home. Sorry to keep the President waiting, but so it goes.)