Sketching report

Anytime it is sunny (and warm!), I get outside to sketch, and this past weekend was sunny and warm.  On Sunday I took my supplies to the Montlake Fill, where I piled them into Truman's stroller and had a lovely walk around the Loop Trail, watching birds, and pausing here and there to sketch.

As you can see, Truman likes to take over the stroller while I'm drawing.  I am lucky that even though he is a young dog, he has no inclination to bound and romp all over the place, and thoroughly enjoys relaxation.

This is a willow in a small cove near the crew house at the southwestern end of the Fill.  Green Herons sometimes hang out here, and Great Blue Herons like this spot a lot, as do the coots.  A pair of Pied-billed Grebes has been resident for several years, and I got to see their nest last summer and watched them raise a couple of youngsters.

Our second stop was at one of the memorial benches scattered around the Fill.  This one has a view of Mt. Rainier in one direction (clouded over that day) and the UW Husky stadium the other way.

Truman enjoys relaxing on benches, too.  Here you can see the proper accessories for a sketch outing:  binoculars, water bottle, container of snacks and (not shown) the camp stool for when there's no handy bench about.  (And don't forget the sunscreen!)

I tried to sketch the stadium, but part way through I realized I'd not planned my time well.  It was 10:30am, and I was planning to be home by 11am to go on a dog walk with Michelle and Winston (photos tomorrow!).  I had arrived at the Fill at 8am, but had dillied and dallied too much and spent more time looking at birds than sketching, and I also ran into birder friends to chat with.  So I rushed through this sketch to finish up.

Advice for outdoor sketching:  take food and water, bring a camp stool, and don't plan anything afterwards for hours and hours!