Drawn the Road Again

Author: Chandler O’Leary

  • King of the missions

    King of the missions

    This is the second installment of my Mission Mondays series, exploring all 21 Spanish Missions along the California coast. You can read more about this series, and see a sketch map of all the missions, at this post. I thought my travel itinerary allowed myself plenty of time to tour and sketch each mission—but I…

  • Words with friends

    Words with friends

    This was the day I got to play Scrabble with a master. Good thing I was more absorbed in sketching than winning—because even if I didn’t have a sad collection of letters all game, I never would have stood a chance against these guys. Triple Word Score isn’t worth much when you just have a…

  • Designated drawing

    Designated drawing

    You already know that if I’m riding shotgun, I’ll end up doodling while the scenery rolls by. And my travel companions know that if they take a road trip with me, they’ll end up in the sketchbook eventually.

  • Mission: Impossible

    Mission: Impossible

    This is the first installment of my Mission Mondays series, exploring all 21 Spanish Missions along the California coast. You can read a recap of all 21 missions and find a list of all 21 posts in the series at this link. Remember earlier this year when I took my big California trip? Well, a…

  • Desert welcome

    Desert welcome

    Well, since I posted my sketch of “The Palm Springs of Washington” the other day, I think it’s only fitting to show you the Palm Springs of…uh, Palm Springs. I have to admit, I don’t like this welcome sign quite as much as the charming ho-made white lie in Yakima, WA, but I guess the…

  • A reasonable facsimile

    A reasonable facsimile

    Just across the Cascades from Mt. St. Helens, in the middle of all that Washington fruit…is apparently a California desert resort town. Or something.

  • Blown away

    Blown away

    At precisely 8:32 am local time, 35 years ago today, Mount Saint Helens erupted. I wasn’t around for it—I wasn’t even quite born yet. But I’ve had a thing for volcanoes ever since I moved to the Northwest, so St. Helens has never been far off my radar. The funny thing is, it’s taken me…

  • Pea-cocktail

    Pea-cocktail

    I’m not generally into bars, but the Northwest is full of vintage cocktail lounges that are often a hoot in the theme-decor department. The Peacock room at the Davenport Hotel might just take the kitsch cake. The stuffed albino bird and sensory-assaulting wallpaper greet you at the door, but that’s just the beginning. Not pictured:…

  • Milking it

    Milking it

    Remember my post about Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle? Well, it might be the best giant milk bottle in Spokane, but it’s not the only one. Built in the 1930s, the bottles served as neighborhood satellite stores (read: ducks!) for the Benewah Dairy Company. After Benewah folded in 1972, the bottles came to serve different purposes.…

  • Rose bowl

    Rose bowl

    In my travels over the years, I’ve stumbled upon (and sketched) a lot of games and sporting events in public places. Pick-up hockey games in Minnesota. Bocce tournaments in Italy. Hula hoop contests in New York. Surfing in California. Boat races in Seattle. Ice skaters in Boston. Golf in Nova Scotia. Even a game of…