Drawn the Road Again

Category: City Mouse

  • Little Giant

    Little Giant

    Just a couple of blocks from Mission Dolores is a tiny, inanimate hero—one that saved the Mission District from ruin over a century ago. The story of San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake is a famous one, but not everyone knows that it’s actually the fire which immediately followed that did most of the damage. With the…

  • Pillar of the community

    Pillar of the community

    This is the nineteenth 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. Mission San Francisco de Asís (or Mission Dolores, if you prefer the nickname) is the centerpiece and…

  • The long view

    The long view

    On the morning I did this sketch, I was supposed to be sitting in a darkened lecture hall, listening to a bunch of scholars talk about art. But I just couldn’t do it. On a day like that, it seemed criminal to pass up such a beautiful place. So I jumped in the car and…

  • Campus mission

    Campus mission

    This is the seventeenth 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. Like its neighbor in Santa Cruz, Mission Santa Clara de Asís is one of those missions that’s…

  • Model mission

    Model mission

    This is the sixteenth 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. After the splendor of Carmel and San Juan Bautista, I have to admit that Mission Santa Cruz…

  • Neon queen

    Neon queen

    If you’re into neon signs or period architecture, Fresno is something of a wonderland. But truth be told, I planned this entire leg of my trip around this sign alone. I mean, look at her! She might have seen better days, but to me she’ll always be a masterpiece.

  • Pink picnic

    Pink picnic

    Well, the pastel picnic tables clashed spectacularly with my lunch this day, but they proved to be the perfect example of why a table setting should include a paintbrush for the first course.

  • The jewel of SLO

    The jewel of SLO

    This is the tenth 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. Unlike last week, where we were smack in the middle of the California countryside, this week’s mission…

  • The road overhead

    The road overhead

    We got stuck in some serious traffic on our way to the game yesterday, which had me wishing we had taken the Viaduct into town instead. That made me remember this sketch I did a couple of summers ago—one of several I’ve done over the years, knowing full well that the Viaduct’s days are numbered.…

  • On the ball

    On the ball

    Today the Tailor and I had the chance to go to a Mariners game with friends, and spend the afternoon in the cushy comfort of one of the box suites. In terms of watching the game, it was the best seat in the house. We were in the front row of the box, with a…