North Instead of South Today

Well, change in sketching plans today.  Had planned to sketch with the group at the Zen Monastery but didn't finish my work for a Monday morning meeting in time to head South.

So I threw my sketching stuff in the car and headed North instead.  After looking at carpet samples and flooring in Oak Harbor for a client, I headed out to the beach at Mariner's Cove.  Solitary sketching instead of with the group.  Sure not the same but better than nothing on this sunny summer afternoon.

Sketchy Ornaments

This rainy Sunday afternoon was spent in a new sketching adventure - making two ornaments for the Whidbey Artists tree at Oak Harbor's 15th annual Festival of Trees.  After a couple of hours, two watercolor sketches on Aquabord + silver wire + beads... voila!  Two ornaments for the tree! 

This was fun, plus the proceeds from the festival benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Island County.

  



And here's the tree!





 

Sketching on a Fall Afternoon

Nursery Plants on the Sale Table

Beach at Windjammer Park, Oak Harbor

Windjammer Park

It was great fun to join the Whidbey Island Sketchers on Friday in Oak Harbor! Sat by a hedge that blocked the wind and tried to sketch the windmill. Here it is!

oak harbor windmill

An Oak Harbor Afternoon

In honor of Oak Harbor's Holland Happening this weekend, we gathered at Windjammer Park to sketch the ochre windmill and tulips.  I loved seeing the windmill sketched in so many different styles by all the sketchers.

But Windjammer Park got windy so we reconvened at Flyers for great gab and sketching.  One of Whidbey Island Sketchers' best days.

Beautiful Faye

Marathon Sketch Meet

It was one for the record books, I think. Great turnout of fun sketchers yesterday. Driven indoors by the cold and wind, we each managed one sketch of the windmill at Windjammer Park before repairing to Flyers Restaurant, where the real sketching began. So much fun!

Windjammer Park

Mike, Kris, Lisbeth

Beautiful young boy sitting at the next table.

Cowboy

I am a sucker for curly red hair.

It doesn't get much looser than this!

Couple at Flyers

Our apple tree...and a very fun sketch session

                                                Our backyard apple tree is in full bloom!

And it's spring at Windjammer Park in Oak Harbor. The wind was a little cold so we moved on indoors to Flyers.  Much fun sketching and catching up over food and wine.  So much to draw there....

Big Bite!

Fellow Sketcher

And more of us......!

Windjammer Park

Tried to add shadows that weren't there (a la Mike). Not sure it worked.

Windjammer Park and Flyers

Oak Harbor's Windjammer Park delivered on it's name today. Yep, it was windy. Regardless, a fun time was had by the sketchers. After one attempt drawing the windmill we opted for more comfortable conditions at Flyers, an Oak Harbor sports bar. More fun of course! Here's my sketches...

Catherine

Elmer the Wooden Shoe Carver

Kinda fun.  The Whidbey News-Times used my sketch of Elmer, the wooden shoe carver, on their Holland Happening wrap on this week's paper.  Elmer Veldheer in 82 years old and he has been coming from his home in Holland, Michigan to carve wooden shoes during Oak Harbor's Holland Happening for 20 years!  This is his last year because his arthritis is making it harder and harder to handle his carving tools.  He's been a beloved fixture of Holland Happening and is being honored as the grand marshall of this year's parade. 

Whidbey Gardening Workshop

It's March, daffodils are starting to bloom and I've got Spring Fever.  Yesterday it was great fun to sketch during the annual Whidbey Gardening Workshop while learning new tips. Ready to get out in the garden!

Ben and Willie

Dan and I spent a relaxing afternoon visiting with friends Mary and Al at their magnificent Soaring Eagle Lodge on north Whidbey. This place is in the "must see to believe" category, but I ended up sketching their dogs, Ben and Willie.

Beautiful Ben, an elderly Australian Shepherd

Sillly Willie, a playful and energetic Standard Poodle

Willie was one of those energizer-bunny dogs who would bring you his Frisbee to throw over and over until the end of time. Getting it back from him was not for the faint of heart. That was one SLIMY Frisbee! But Mary and Al have trained him to settle down with the command "Time to relax," which had to be employed several times in order for me to finish his sketch.

Missy's Cornet Bay Sketches

 A couple of our good pals from Anacortes Sketchers joined us at Cornet Bay this week. Here are some of Missy's sketches.

In the General Store at Cornet Bay Marina (before we got booted out!)

Happy Hour at Flyers in Oak Harbor

WW2 Flight Suit at the PBY Memorial Historical Display

This is an electrically heated WW2 era flight suit. There are  attaching points for electrically heated gloves, boots and, on the chest, for an oxygen mask heater. These suits were developed for patrol and bomber crews who routinely operated at high altitudes above 30,000 feet, where air temperatures could get so cold that flesh could freeze instantly to any metal it touched.

This spiffy little museum really is the best kept secret on Whidbey Island. Housed on the Seaplane Base in Oak Harbor, there are beautifully displayed Navy uniforms and artifacts, a gorgeous old Wurlitzer jukebox playing tunes from the big band era on 45's, a PBY flight simulator that you can try out, and of course, the magnificent PBY plane itself -- sitting on the hill outside. The enthusiastic and knowledgeable volunteer docents are ready, willing and able to tell you about it all.




You may be asking yourself at this point, "What the heck is a PBY?"  Here's a teaser from their website:

Throughout the history of aviation, only a few aircraft have excelled to become legend . . .

Learn all about the PBY and the PBY Memorial Foundation Historical Display here.

In keeping with the Naval aviation theme, we stopped off at Flyers' Restaurant and Brewery for one last sketch.

The XO's Desk and Uniforms

The XO's uniforms and desk at the Aviation History Museum, NAS Whidbey. The PBY Memorial Foundation docents were so knowledgeable and helpful and I especially enjoyed viewing their DVD of the beginnings of the base in Oak Harbor. Then later, we captured some of the locals bellied up to their "desk" at Flyers.

The PBY on the hill

 

This is the PBY plane that greeted us at the top of the (cold, windy!) hill at NAS Oak Harbor at the Memorial.  It, and all the other memorabilia in the building, is quite stirring.  We were given a WARM, friendly royal welcome by the Docent volunteers and it was an altogether enjoyable experience. 

Whidbey's Best Kept Secret - on the Seaplane Base

Oh my gosh!  What a great afternoon we Whidbey Island Sketchers had at the PBY Memorial Foundation Historical Museum on the Seaplane Base in Oak Harbor.  This is an amazing museum and I think few on the island know about it.  Trust me - it's worth a trip... NOW!  Thanks to the great team of curators who filled us with knowledge about the PBY as well as the info in exhibits.  Really - you must go see this place!!




Command Display at PBY Memorial Museum



Left - Vietnam Room (Jet Jock); Right - 1930s Navy Uniform

WW II flight helmet

After sketching - appropriately we went to Flyers for a glass of wine.

Oak Harbor's Holland Happening

It's just a coincidence that the first day of this year's Holland Happening in Oak Harbor falls on Queen's Day in the Netherlands, but perhaps it added to this year's festivities a bit.  Took in the crowd, the wooden shoe-making demonstrations, and kid's canal racing.  Beautiful day to share in Oak Harbor's celebration of its Dutch heritage.

Making wooden shoes.



Afternoon on the North End

Easter Sunday.  Everything's closed.  Wind's blowing hard but sun is out.  Not a good garden day but a great sketch day.  Decided it was a good afternoon to explore the North End of Whidbey Island. 

Started in Oak Harbor at Holland Gardens Park,  Then went to the Sea Plane Base.

Kept meandering north.  Stopped in Mariner's Cove to sketch this great pile of floats while looking over to north end of Camano Island.  Lots of white caps on Skagit Bay/Saratoga Passage.

Then caught a quick sketch of alpacas on farm at the intersection of Taylor and Silver Lake Roads.  My "mobile studio" - aka my 2000 Miata - served me well on this windy day.