When I think of solitude on the road, I’ll admit the last place I’d associate with it is Zion National Park. In the twenty years that had passed since I first visited the park (when it was a sleepy secret), word had definitely gotten out. Nowadays Zion is a lot like the Grand Canyon: there… More
Category: Before & After
Forgotten canyonZion National Park, UT
Quarantesima from quarantineMount Saint Helens, WA
Posted 4 years ago
Sorry about the non-English post title—I realize it may need a bit of explaining. Italian is my other language, and since we’ve all heard the word “quarantine” a zillion times lately, this title just popped into my head. “Quarantine” comes from the Italian word quarantena, which means a period of forty days. It comes from… More
Fox talesSan Juan Island, WA
Posted 7 years ago
Every time I visit San Juan Island, my collection of fox sketches grows. They’re inescapable there, as much a part of the landscape now as the treeless prairies they prowl at Cattle Point. They’re not native to the island, though. In the 1890s, settlers introduced rabbits here for game, and apparently failed to foresee the… More
Major beefAmarillo, TX
Posted 7 years ago
This post is part of an ongoing series called 66 Fridays, which explores the wonders of old Route 66. Click on the preceding “66 Fridays” link to view all posts in the series, or visit the initial overview post here. The Mother Road has no shortage of good steakhouses, but nothing quite matches the spectacle… More
Sleeping with the fishesSeattle, WA
Posted 7 years ago
When it comes to Seattle, it seems like an increasing number of my sketches and posts are about things that are going away…or already gone. I already can’t keep up with my “wishlist” of sketch destinations—but in the fastest-growing city in the country, my race to draw disappearing things is a constant losing battle. By… More
Four-wheeled farewellAstoria, OR; Tacoma, WA; and others
Posted 7 years ago
If you’ve been reading here for awhile, you’ve seen this picture before—and others like it. My car, Wild Blue, has made many appearances here over the years, because she’s as much a character in my stories as any place I’ve visited. In fact, she’s sometimes the star—though even when she isn’t, she’s never far from… More
World’s largest pie fillingSeguin, TX
Posted 8 years ago
Green to goldPalouse region, WA
Posted 8 years ago
Earlier this year I received a grant to travel to the Palouse region of southeastern Washington and sketch the changing seasons there. I’m sure I’ll be posting more about this in future, as there’s a lot to say and one post can’t possibly hold it all. But just as my sketching trips were my introduction… More
Rereading the mapUnited States
Posted 8 years ago
I finished this map before the airwaves were inundated with red and blue election maps—and today it’s a good reminder that America is more than its electoral divisions. That there is good in every state, and that there is so much to love and celebrate in every nook and cranny of our nation. This is… More
Criss-cross cornerAlbuquerque, NM
Posted 8 years ago
This post is part of an ongoing series called 66 Fridays, which explores the wonders of old Route 66. Click on the preceding “66 Fridays” link to view all posts in the series, or visit the initial overview post here. In downtown Albuquerque is an unassuming corner with a curious distinction. This is the place—the… More