Pat's House, Judi's House, and Tweets

Okay!  It's time for me to catch up on posting images.  I'm working in a small sketchbook these days, so the images are both small and span over two pages.  It's fun to do small tho this paper is thin and wrinkly.  The best part about these sketches, I must say, was the experience of being with such a fabulous friendly group of talented women.  I painted Pat's Clothesline because other sketchers did and I thought it would be fun to see how each of us do it differently.

Pat's Old House's Blue Iris

Pat's Old House's Clematis

Pat's Laundry

Judi's kitty "May"

Judi's kitty "You Little Beezums"

Mandy at "Tweets" in Edison, WA

FANTASTIC Skagit Valley Weekend in Bow/Edison

I rode up to the Skagit Valley with Susan to join the Whidbey Island Sketchers for fun and art. We garage-saled (well, Susan did - I read my book), we hit Starbucks, we navigated to Edison to meet the gang and have lunch at Tweets, we shopped at the fabulous "Make Art - Not War" Tri-D art store in Mount Vernon, had dinner at the Food Co-Op, scooted up the road to see "Insurgent" (FOUR!!!), then crept our way back to Mount Vernon in the dark and pouring rain to our funky little B&B. In the morning it was Big Breakfast time at the Calico Cupboard, then an expensive stop (for Susan's pastels, not for me!) at Dakota Art, then a cruise back through the valley to LaConner (where we opted to NOT join the tourista crowds for shopping). Then we made our way over the bridges, down the island, passing hundreds of cars headed to the fields. Funny, how cold we have that much fun in the Skagit and never sketch a daffodil, never see a tulip field?

Road Trip to Edison with Sue and Barbara

Another great day of sketching in Edison, WA   Sketching road trip with exploring great shops, galleries, restaurants and an amazing bakery.   These flowers were are the table at Tweets restaurant  great energy and the best food ever!  The owner was so welcoming to us as we sketched away.

We landed for happy hour sitting outside on picnic tables enjoying the view of the slough.   This building was in the distance.  Don't love this masterpiece but it's time to post and let it be.   Best part of the day was Missy from the Anacortes sketchers joined us.  

A Sunny Day in Edison

Garlic drying in the sun......

It was a beautiful fall drive to little Edison in the north Skagit Valley last Friday.

Our first stop was TWEETS, and I'm surprised we got any further.

The food was fantastic, and fall color was arranged everywhere. Open Friday-

Sunday, I definitely recommend TWEETS!

                                                     

Slough Foods was next with wine and snacks in their outback

overlooking the Slough. We didn't even hit the bakeries.....Next time.

A very relaxed sunflower...

Big Day of Sketching in Little Edison

We couldn't have asked for a better sketching day in the charming village of Edison, population 133. We found everything we were looking for and more. Great weather, great views, great characters, unbelievably great food, and even an outdoor sketching venue serving wine with view of a slough!

Tweets Cafe Co-owner and Chef David

David again

Tweets Cafe was the big find of the day. The food was SO good and the decor so artful and inviting and sketchable. Faye and I had both lunch and dinner there plus dessert AND sweets to take home... Faye gave hers to Truman. She's a better person than me.

View from Tweets deck.

Tweets Cafe deck

Eventually we explored the rest of the town and ended up at Slough Foods patio for Spanish wine and cheese (before we went back to Tweets for dinner of course!). Slough Foods is on the Edison Slough although the water doesn't show up in my sketch. We enjoyed chatting with artists Tom and Elizabeth from Sequim.

Slough Foods patio view

Todd on the patio of  Slough Foods

Don't ask me what is going on with the lower part of this chair. I think I got distracted by our conversations and got lost. It happens.

A Day of Sketching in Edison

The Langley Sketchers drove up the up and off the Island today to meet up with Missy and the Anacortes Sketchers for a day filled with art, good food and friends. We met in the tiny town of Edison, where is air is filled with the wonderful smell of fresh baked bread. The open door of "TWEETS" restaurant was filled with all sorts of signs of the season - apples, pumpkins, Indian corn - and the most delicious scents of yummy food being prepared wafted out to the chair where I sat and sketched. 

Out behind "Slough Foods" a patio opens up and chairs and tables are set out right down to the water's edge. As we sketched the sun dipped lower and lower into the sky until it turned the still waters of the slough metallic silver, and the reeds along the shore, golden. And through the tall grass I spied a tiny house, sitting on the edge of the still waters.

It was a great day!