Taking it for Granted

4/5/13 Platinum Carbon ink, watercolor, Stillman & Birn Alpha sketchbook

As a native and lifelong resident of Seattle, I sometimes take for granted how close we are to mountains and water (both fresh and sea). My spouse-man, who grew up in the Midwest, does not: He points out the beauty of the snowy Olympics every time we drive home toward Maple Leaf after grocery shopping in Wedgwood, or he compliments the Cascades as we approach Lake Washington from the International District.

After filling my gas tank on Fifth Northeast a few blocks from home, I turned west onto Northeast 85^th, a street that ends at the barrier wall between the neighborhood and I-5. Beyond the wall is a glimpse of Phinney Ridge and the deep blue Olympics still topped with snow. A humongous fir tree happened to dwarf the view, but it, too, is part of the scene that makes Seattle home. Sketching it once in a while keeps me from taking it all for granted.