Trunk Appreciation Day at Sunset Hill

 

4/4/25 Sunset Hill neighborhood

For Day 2 of USk Seattle’s pink marathon, we headed west to Sunset Hill and my favorite street of cherries. Since I had already sketched them earlier in the week, I used this second opportunity to try – ta-da! – gouache again. I was disappointed when I tried it last year, but this time I limited the paint to the blossom areas only (with a bit of Caran d'Ache Neocolor II for texture), and stayed with my tried-and-true Pentel Pocket Brush Pen for the trunks and shadows. I like this approach better.

That one done, I declared it Trunk Appreciation Day and spent the rest of the outing making small vignettes of some of the most amazing trunks. Many trees on this block are nearly a century old, and I always feel the need to honor and revere their beauty, whether or not they are in blossom.

It’s a good thing we went when we did, as the leaves were starting to sprout, and I could tell that the blossoms were past their prime. Although I had started out in my down parka and gloves, by the time we left at noon, I was ready to take the top down for the drive home!

Sunny sketching!

Blossom-Sketching Marathon on Capitol Hill

 

4/3/25 Capitol Hill neighborhood

Time’s a wastin’! With so many pink blossoms and so little time, USk Seattle offered a marathon of cherry tree-sketching opportunities on Thursday. First, in the morning, we met on a quiet residential block near Holy Names Academy. Petal peepers and sketchers alike could walk slowly down the middle of the street, where trees arched over from both sides. Although not as mature, these trees are of the pink (not near-white) variety similar to my favorites on Sunset Hill (above and below).

Near Holy Names Academy

Immediately following the throwdown outside Holy Names, some of us continued on to nearby Volunteer Park, where more sketchers met for the afternoon session. A few of us opted to walk just outside the park boundary to Lake View Cemetery (below), where we had heard about a large grove of cherry trees. None of us had sketched these gorgeous, mature trees before! Actually, I think I did when I sketched there years ago, but it was fall then, so I didn’t know they were cherries. You can bet I put this location on my perennial petal-peeping list!

4/3/25 Lake View Cemetery

It was a long, beautiful day of pink!

Just before the throwdown, I made a quick sketch of one of the two
dromedaries outside the Seattle Asian Art Museum.

4/3/25 A few more bits from my fun day on Capitol Hill!

A Joyous Celebration of Pink

 

3/30/25 UW Quad

Although USk Seattle meets at the University of Washington Quad every spring to sketch the glorious cherry trees, this year felt very different to me. Even the heavy crowds on a dry Sunday morning didn’t bother me as much as they sometimes do. With so much disgusting “leadership” going on in our country, and tragedy, horror and devastation elsewhere in the world, it was truly uplifting to be part of this joyous celebration of nature. Everyone seemed so happy! It was impossible to walk among those trees, even bumping into each other, without feeling a bond with humanity: All of us brought together by tiny pink blossoms.

Thank you, brilliant cherry trees, for giving us such joy.

At upper left, I tried to show some cosplay characters being photographed, but my sketch doesn't show them well. See photo below for what they actually looked like.

These are the characters I saw being photographed. In addition, several groups of choreographed teenagers were being video'd, probably for their TikTok channels.

So much exuberance everywhere!

So many cherries...so many people

Urban Sketchers Seattle had our traditional outing to sketch the beautiful, old, Yoshino cherry trees in the quad at the University of Washington.

It turned out to be the perfect day…but so many people! I sat on a low wall out of the way of most of the mayhem. There were so many more people than in this sketch. Several stopped to look as I worked and I gave out a few flyers to people who said they draw.

 

While there were less than 10 at our meetup in the morning, there were about 30 at the throw down!

More photos here.

360 at Third Place Commons

 

3/29/25 Third Place Commons, Lake Forest Park

Five other sketchers and I tried something fun during this morning’s USk Seattle outing. Sitting together around a table, we each sketched the slice of view directly in front of us, forming a 360-degree view of Third Place Commons. When I’ve participated in 360 sketches previously (once at the downtown public library and another time at the UW Quad), the participants sat in a circle facing out. For this one, we all faced each other toward the center of the table, which meant we all included fellow sketchers. Fun!

After I finished my first sketch that included Kim (at right), I turned around in my seat 180 degrees to sketch whatever had been directly behind. I like that sketch better (below) because I could see further out into the distance.

During the last half hour before the throwdown, I walked around a bit and sketched a few more people enjoying the Commons on a Saturday morning.

Our 360 throwdown was incomplete because a couple of participants had already left by the time we remembered to photograph all of them together!

Sketchers Give Life to Empty Wallingford Center

 

3/23/25 Wallingford Center

Even before the pandemic, Wallingford Center was a reliable but quiet mainstay for USk Seattle during the wet, cold months. If the weather cooperated, we had all of the Wallingford neighborhood to explore. If not, the Center’s cozy historic building kept us comfortable. After the pandemic, it never really recovered, but at least we had Trophy Cupcakes to keep us caffeinated and sugared. Unfortunately, Trophy recently closed, so there’s not much left there except a couple of retail shops and one restaurant. It’s a good thing we sketchers showed up this morning to liven up the otherwise ghost town vibe!

Although a few hardy souls sketched in the cold drizzle, I opted for the warm and comfy. Wallingford Center has enough window views that I could still capture one of the neighborhood’s classic bungalows, trees and street furniture. I also got snippets of the few remaining retail spots and some other sketchers, of course.

A great turnout in an otherwise empty space!

The Caravelle Saigon and Beyond

 

The Caravelle Hotel, Saigon

I stood in Lam So’n Square in the middle of Ho Chi Minh City, or as locals call it, Saigon. Urban Sketchers Vietnam had organized a sketch outing on my behalf, and the leader, Chien Bau, told me a bit of history. He mentioned that the Caravelle Hotel had been foreign journalists’ headquarters during the Vietnam War, NBC, CBS, and ABC were among the American networks that took up residence in the hotel. The roof was especially significant. Journalists could see all over the city and famous videos of the last American helicopter leaving Saigon on April 30, 1975, were shot from the roof of the Caravelle.I teared up remembering those turbulent days.

The Vietnam War played a significant role in my history. The Kent State shootings took place in the spring of 1970 when I was a freshman in college. My husband-to-be was awarded a “CO”, conscientious objector” status because of his moral objections to the war. We marched on campus and freeways and watched as the war was revealed on our televisions —reported and broadcast from the Caravelle Hotel. 

The past was very present when I was in Saigon. People referred to former time as “before or after 1975”. Chien told me his father was a South Vietnamese Soldier, and his father-in-law was a Vietcong soldier. A rickshaw driver told me he lost his father in the war — I think he wanted my business. 

Being there was a complicated experience—sketching lovely buildings, and knowing the history and America’s role. I had protested our going into Vietnam, and the South Vietnamese were angry that we left. 

Still, almost everyone was friendly and amiable. Especially welcoming were the USK Vietnam sketchers. I had a delightful time with them all. Thank you USk Vietnam! 

Caravelle Hotel photo

Graduation Day at the Opera House Lam Són Square

Ho Chi Minh City Central Post Office 

Designed by Gustave Eiffel  

The Central Post Office has been a landmark for a long time. Built from 1896 to 1991, it is an architectural treasure. During the Vietnam War, it played an essential role as the communications hub for civilians and the military. I wish I had sketched the inside as well. 

Street Vendors Lam So'n Square

Chien Bau, leader, USk Ho Chi Minh City
and host extraordinaire! 

USk Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

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Sketch of me drawn by @kyhoasongdong (Toby)

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