Nostalgic in Leschi (and Not)

8/30/25 The house I lived in from 1958 to 1984.

The last time USk Seattle met in Leschi was before the pandemic, so it was good to be back in my childhood ‘hood with the group (read that post first for more context). Last time, I spent more time reminiscing about and sketching the Leschi Market, an old-fashioned community grocery store where my mom shopped. This time I had a different mission:

I’ve long wanted to sketch my childhood home, but whenever I’ve driven by, I’ve seen that the front is mostly obscured by trees. Realizing that the best view is from the back, I hoofed it over to the house where I grew up (above). (Although it seemed like a long, long walk when I was a kid, I realized last Saturday that the distance from home to Leschi Market is only about 10 minutes for adult me.) The large picture window looks out on Lake Washington and sometimes Mt. Rainier (see this post for my childhood context on that). Although the current owners rebuilt the back deck that my father had built (it had become hazardous from disrepair by the time the house was sold), I’m grateful that they have kept the house mostly unchanged on the outside.

Walking back to the market and marina area where the other sketchers were, I kept looking for familiar sights. It wasn’t exactly nostalgic because so much had changed since I lived there, but it was good to see that many of the tallest trees were taller still, and some of the old lakeside apartment buildings were the same (though now turned into condos).

When I got back, I had just enough time to make quick sketches of the marina and the market.

8/30/25 Leschi Marina and Market

 

Meetings and Reunions Under Overcast Skies

 

8/29/25 Gasworks Brewing on Lake Union

I don’t know if it was the weather (overcast and cooler), the location (Northlake), or that it was the Friday before Labor Day weekend, but USk Seattle had record-breaking attendance at our drink & draw!

The venue, Gasworks Brewing, is one that I had checked out several months ago for drink & draw potential. Although it is a fabulous location right on the north shore of Lake Union, it has one serious flaw: Very few of the plentiful tables have umbrellas. What were they thinking? Given some of the scorchers we’ve had this year, I had dismissed it as an option for most of summer, but the end of August cooled down enough to make me optimistic. It must have helped to keep my fingers crossed, because the day ended up mostly overcast and cooler – just fine for sketching the lake and each other without shade.

It was especially fun to meet Naoko, a sketcher from USk Tokyo, who has been traveling with her husband across the US the past couple of months and will continue on to further adventures before returning to Japan. I was thrilled when I found out Seattle was on their itinerary! It’s always special to finally meet someone I’ve followed for years on social media.

In addition, several sketchers who had not attended USk in quite a while (more than a decade for two of them) joined us at this drink & draw. It was a happy reunion for those of us who knew them back then. We also greeted several newcomers who made the drink & draw their first outing.

All in all, it was an ideal way to start the holiday weekend before saying good-bye to an excellent summer.

Naoko wears both a USk Japan T-shirt and a UW cap (her husband Nobie is a former Husky!)

We don't usually do a formal throwdown or group photo at drink & draws, but this one felt like a special occasion!

Good to see Jackie after nearly a decade!

Welcome back to Will, whom we also hadn't seen in at least a decade.

Naoko was on a mission to sketch every drink & draw participant!

Alice (foreground) is another sketcher we hadn't seen in years.

Home from Oregon

We've been away for several days. We stayed at a hotel in Salem while visiting a friend on the farm outside of Stayton.

I had only a little time to sketch. I explored Stayton and found this interesting home, dubbed the "Stayton Castle". A realtor's Insta account wrote: "This property has a rich history and was used for everything from a jail to a pirate radio station."

 

The Oregon Vietnam War Memorial is on the grounds of the State Capitol in Salem. I sketched the evocative statue "A Soldier's Return" by Libby Carruth. She wrote: "I endeavored to convey the “invisible wounds” of war with an expression of tension and angst in this young man’s face and hands. From most angles, he remains obscured: a symbol of anonymity and disregarded struggles. Approaching the sculpture face-to-face, as if looking into a mirror, invites a moment of true acknowledgement, interaction, reflection and empathy."

 

 

Bruun Idun at Lincoln Park

 

8/23/25 Thomas Dambo's troll Bruun Idun at Lincoln Park, West Seattle

Lincoln Park in West Seattle is one I rarely get to: It’s an inconvenient drive, especially with this summer’s highway construction projects, and parking there is an ongoing challenge. But I knew that one of the Thomas Dambo trolls is in residence at beachfront Lincoln Park, and I’d been wanting to sketch Bruun Idun for a long time, so I was happy when co-admin Kim initiated leading a USk outing there.

According to the legend:

"In the night, there was a storm, there at the beach where she was born
And Idun felt a feeling wrong, and so she walked there in the dawn
And in a flute, the magic horn, a tune so passionate and strong
She played for them an orca song to ask them where they all had gone"

Naturally, most of the sketchers that day were attracted to Bruun, and for more than the obvious reason: Although temps on Saturday morning were already in the mid-80s and trending upward, the dense shade around the troll made the beach nearly chilly. We all had a comfortable time even as the rest of the city sweltered.

After finishing my main color sketch, I had to waste some time moving my car from one time-restricted spot to another. That left time for only a smaller sketch of the troll with a sketcher and the serene and shady “fairy ring” of trees near the parking area where we did our throwdown.

After the outing ended, I needed to use the facilities down at the beach, so I used the opportunity for a couple more quick sketches: Cars boarding the Vashon ferry and one of many beach fishermen we saw bringing in an abundance of salmon.

A Media Moment on Beacon Hill

 

8/21/25 Beacon Hill neighborhood

In addition to a beautiful morning, USk Seattle had some special guests at our Beacon Hill outing last Thursday. Seattle Times writer Erik Lacitis and photographer Akash Pamarthy were with us to do a story about Gabi Campanario and how he founded Urban Sketchers! Putting on my investigative journalist’s hat, I surreptitiously followed Gabi and Akash from a half-block away so that I could sketch them. (Watch for the article in an upcoming Pacific NW magazine section!)

Akash Pamarthy photographs Gabi for the Seattle Times

For the rest of the outing, I caught other snippets around the area of the light rail station. Gabi had pointed out one of Seattle’s Last 6000 “majestic” trees (a designation of documented trees with a trunk diameter of 30 inches or greater), so I wanted to capture at least part of its trunk. It was completely dark underneath (thank you, majestic tree, for providing much-needed shade), so it wasn’t easy to see, but I squinted to get as much as I could.

The very modern Beacon Hill Branch Library has a distinctive aircraft sculpture on top of it. I sketched it years ago, so I already knew that the plane rotates, but of course, I forgot until I started sketching it. Then I walked across the street to get the whole front of the library. Its asymmetrical architectural design is fun and challenging to sketch.

As always, I like to capture ordinary street and sidewalk scenes, too, in whatever neighborhood I’m sketching. From the last time I sketched on Beacon Hill, I remembered seeing a huge of flock of pigeons hanging out in one area, but I didn’t know why. This time I saw a guy come out and scatter feed all over the sidewalk for them. I missed sketching that action, but I do like the patterns the birds form on the wire (the mess they make on the sidewalk below, not so much).

Our final exciting moment was when Akash took our group photo! How often do we get a professional throwdown photo?!

Another special guest was Dan (tall guy in back wearing yellow hat), a member of USk Detroit, who was visiting Seattle with his family. At his left in tinted glasses is Seattle Times writer Erik Lacitis, who also sketched. (Photo by Akash Pamarthy)

Whenever I snap throwdown photos, they don't turn out great because everyone is facing the sketchbooks, and sometimes it's hard to get around to the other side. This is how a professional does it!

Cool in the Shade at Lincoln Park

Don't you just wish you could have joined us? We do too!! What a perfect #USkSeattle meet-up, even with the heat and tight parking. Almost makes up for missing the #usksymposium in #poznań . . . . 

One sketcher came over on the ferry from Vashon, some came from Renton or Federal Way, and a bunch of us from Seattle proper. So it was quite the gathering!

Many of us focused in on one of @thomasdambo 's trolls Bruin Idun (it was almost chilly in the shade!) but a number of us also sketched some of the MANY fisherpeople hoping to catch some salmon - a great big long line of them! 'Tis the season.

#usk #uskseattle #urbansketchers #urbansketching #thisiswhywelivehere

It’s a Hot Rat Summer at Cal Anderson Park

 

8/17/25 Cal Anderson Park, Capitol Hill

Capitol Hill’s Cal Anderson Park was busier than usual last Sunday. In addition to the weekly farmers market, the park was also host to a flea market that I wasn’t even aware of until then. Both events gave USk Seattle plenty to sketch that morning.

I began with an homage to Hot Rat Summer, a piece of renegade art that appeared at the park last year (above). Not just graffiti or even a painting, it’s a mosaic installed on an historic structure. According to Wikipedia: “Widely interpreted as a symbol of queer and trans resilience, the mosaic gained cult status and sparked broader discussions around public art, graffiti policy, and civic engagement.” The city has been painting over the mosaic regularly, and local residents have been removing the paint just as regularly. I was unaware of it until I read a Seattle Times article about the controversy just a few days ago. People stopped by to pay respects to St. Rat as I sketched, and small offerings had been left on the ledge below the mosaic.

For the rest of the outing, I rambled through the farmers market and flea market, capturing some people and dogs. Not too hot, not overly sunny, the morning had a relaxed summer Sunday vibe, despite the crowds.

Flea market at Cal Anderson Park

Capitol Hill farmers market

After the outing, I had lunch with a few other sketchers at nearby Lost Lake Café, where I’d intended to sketch my French toast, but there wasn’t much left of it by the time I got around to it.

Waiting for the meetup to begin and lunch at Lost Lake Cafe

Unseasonably Wet at Third Place Commons

 

8/15/25 Third Place Commons parking lot through upper-floor window

Unusual for this time of year, an atmospheric river was headed our way. With heavy rain and wind in the forecast this morning when USk Seattle was scheduled to meet at a garden, we made a quick change to Third Place Commons, which is typically a wintertime mainstay for us. We were grateful to have this rare gem in Lake Forest Park, where a huge space of public seating is available for small meetings and other gatherings.

Grateful, yes, but I’ve also sketched there many times, so I walked around for quite a while trying to find a new angle. I spotted a small table tucked away next to large windows overlooking the parking lot (above). I recalled sketching from that same table many years ago, so I thought it would be fun to do it again. It was pretty comfy sketching with a hot cup of coffee through rain spattered glass as the atmospheric river got under way. (Here’s the blog post with that sketch from 2012 – my first time visiting Third Place Commons.)

After that, I wandered around again until I ran into Natalie. Sharing a table with her, I sketched a few people and lamps, happy to have my Urban Sketchers pals to hang out with on this unseasonably wet morning.

As is often the case, I can't spell and sketch at the same time. ;-)

Pier 58 Waterfront Park Finally Opens!

 

8/10/25 Pier 58 Waterfront Park

After many years of planning, designing and rebuilding, the much-anticipated Pier 58 Waterfront Park is finally open! The first part to be completed was the Overlook Walk, but that didn’t open until fall last year. The new Pier 58 renovation opened while we still have plenty of summer to enjoy it.

Statue of Ivar Haglund and a live human 
borrowing Ivar's chair

The USk Seattle meetup location was the eye-catching jellyfish climbing apparatus, which is the focal point of the new playground. It became a popular subject for many sketchers. Other highlights I had fun capturing were a bride being photographed on the Overlook, the giant swings (with the most comfortable seats of any swing I’ve used as an adult), a caricaturist (though her client got away before I could sketch him), and a man wearing a huge sombrero while singing in Spanish.

While I typically wouldn’t sketch a public restroom, this one seemed important enough to capture: My whole life, I’d heard (and have myself uttered) complaints about the lack of facilities anywhere near the long stretch of the waterfront between the Pike Place Market and Pioneer Square. At last, a clean, safe public restroom!

When I ran out of space in my orange Uglybook spread, I opened my smaller blue one to catch a couple more scenes: A weary human resting in the seat attached to the statue of Ivar Haglund feeding his gulls, and a magician dazzling his audience.

With temps rising toward the upper 80s on the mostly shadeless waterfront, I thought I would run out of steam quickly, but it’s funny how sketching can keep me going. I just walked from one bit of shade to another, covering several blocks and back again. As a native and lifelong resident, I’m happy to say that Seattle finally has a waterfront worthy of my tax dollars!

This organically designed throwdown occurred under the only tiny bit of shade we could find!