Rain at last! Some like it, some don't.

Finally! After more than 50 days without rain and smoky, hazy air with ashes from forest fires falling on our heads, we had measurable rain for a few hours today. What a relief!

The fields still look dry after our new record for most consecutive days without measurable precipitation (55 straight), Seattle’s combined rainfall tally the past two months of just 0.02 inches ties 1914 for the driest July-August on record.

About 40 miles north of Seattle.

I hopped into the "mobile studio" and drove to a spot across the road from an old barn, shoulder deep in dry grass and right on the flight path to the local municipal airport. Here's my initial pencil line work, just one, in my Pentalic Aquajournal and my watercolor set up. I'm testing the new color dots watercolor sampler from QoR, a gift from one of our generous sponsors at the Chicago Urbansketchers Symposium. The colors are great!

Here's my mobile studio setup, trying out the little QoR sample palette.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, er, suburbs.

You tend to forget a few things about rainy weather after taking sunshine for granted:

1. No matter how diligently you water your plants, they don't appreciate it as much as even a few drops of rain. (That's "Knucklehead" the potted pumpkin. Look at those big leaves reaching for the raindrops!)
2. Not a good idea to  use water soluble ink, even if you're sketching under the eaves on a dry patch of the sidewalk. Instant specks!
3. A cat can forget that its secret nap lair leaks in the rain.

Our neighbor cat emerged from her secret nap lair, VERY disgruntled and soaking wet.

I was inspired. Rainy days always put me in the mood to draw and paint.

My two page spread from a rainy Saturday in September.