Toe Truck - Seattle's Museum of History and Industry

My wife works for the Puget Sound Blood Center who had their annual awards and holiday dinner at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI). If you grew up in or around Seattle, you surely saw (on your way to the Seattle Center) the pink Lincoln's Toe Truck parked just off the Mercer exit.

That blast from the past now resides just inside the entrance to MOHAI and for this event, the backdrop to a no-host bar.

Pen and ink with watercolor wash.

Abslut Hot Dog Stand - Pioneer Square, Seattle

After the Seattle Urban Sketchers Gathering on the Seattle Waterfront - I walked south to Pioneer Square where there is a new (newer) food stand near the pergola and the Chief Sealth statue. Every half an hour of so I would have to take a break while all the people doing the Underground Seattle tour stood in front of me listening to their guide go over the story of the great Seattle fire of June 6, 1889.

South Dartmouth Marina

On a recent trip to Boston we got to hang out with a good friend Rick Piekos in New Bedford. This sketch was done from Knowles Beach looking back to the nearby village of South Dartmouth.

Pen and ink with a watercolor wash in a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook.

Boston Commons- The Oldest Park in the US

Wow, what a long day, or days. We caught the red eye from Seattle to Boston, getting in at 7am and we hit the tourist streets running in an effort to get on Eastern time. This sketch was done late in the afternoon of the second day without sleep. Let's face it travel to a rarely visited city makes up for the lake of Zs'

Universal Studios - Orlando

Spent a relaxing day at Universal Studios or not...Tamra and I did have a good time with a 100,000 of our closest friends. The lady at the ticket office said 'you could definitely see both parks in one day it was designed for that'. That is of course if no one else shows up.

It was an expensive good time and we unwisely chose to do a bunch of water rides just as the sun was starting to set, burrr.

Florida Vacation - Reunion Resort - Kissimee

Kiersten and the Kentridge High School Wind Ensemble took part in the Heritage Music Competition in Orlando, Florida, so using frequent flyer miles and time share points we took our first real vacation in a number of years.

We stayed at the Reunion Resort with its three golf courses (designed by Watson, Palmer and Nicklaus), ten pools and a water park. Lots of money here, makes one with no money feel a little out of place.

This sketch was done on our last day while the girls were at the water park. It turned out a little cartoony for me, but it had to be quick because the temp was in the mid 80's and as humid as a steam room.

Watercolor wash, pen and ink in a Moleskine sketchbook.

Kennedy Space Center - Vehicle Assembly Building

This sketch was done just outside the Saturn Rocket exhibit at the Kennedy Space Center. The taller building is the vehicle assembly building and is the world's tallest single story building at 525 ft and covers 8 acres. This is the place where space shuttles and Saturn rockets were assembled. The weather was partly cloudy, windy and warm and in the time it took me to do this sketch I managed to get a painful sunburn, hey I'm from Seattle, we won't see the sun for two more months....

Emerald City Trapeze Arts - Seattle

Last Sunday was the March gathering of the Seattle Urban Sketchers group and we found ourselves sketching at Emerald City Trapeze Arts - a teaching and practice facility for all things trapeze located in a classic old industrial building just south of downtown Seattle. They kindly let us sketch while a class was going on overhead and there were many interesting objects decorating the interior.

When you walk in you are ask to remove your shoes and it was the variety of foot wear that initially caught my eye. That and they weren't swinging back and fourth and doing back flips.....

Pen and ink with a watercolor wash in a Moleskine.

Port of Tacoma

Kiersten had back to back orchestra days in Tacoma which gave me the opportunity to sketch this one day and color it the next. Mother Nature also was kind and though she spared the rain, she did provide some finger numbing temperatures - well, it is still January.

I don't know what building this is, it's old, boarded up and is in need of someone's big wallet to get her back into shape. Let's hope that happens, it's still a grand building even in it's current condition. 

There are a number of mills in the Port of Tacoma and most all have their steam/smoke stacks going. They provide their own cloud system even on the nicest of days.

Don't know if I would do this tall format again, doesn't bode well for computer viewing.

Pen and ink with a watercolor wash in a moleskine sketchbook.

Tully's - Tacoma

This Tully's resides in a triangle shaped vintage building in the theater district of Tacoma. Hope they can keep this location despite the companies money problems. This isn't the first time I've drawn this point of view but the end of the coffee shop seems to showcase a new eccentrically (or is that fashionably) dressed patron.

Pen and ink in a watercolor moleskine sketchbook.

South Park New Year's Day Tradition

This is the second sketch I've done on New Year's Day from the industrial area just south of downtown Seattle known as South Park. 

Pen and ink in a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook.

The Canyon - Ryan Ranch

This sketch was done shortly after my cousin's wedding which took place in this beautiful canyon that sits just north of the Ryan Ranch in Chelan, Washington. This was an October wedding and Mother Nature cooperated providing a crisp sunny day for the event.

Watercolor in a Moleskine Watercolor sketchbook.