On the Waterfront

 

6/18/25 Pike Place Market and waterfront

When Seattle’s Waterfront Overlook opened last fall, a key part of that major renovation project was still in progress: the new Waterfront Park itself. In time for the summer season, the park is finally complete (or almost; some pieces still looked unfinished). Roy, Mary Jean and I decided to check it out last week.

Beginning at Pike Place Market, we walked along the Overlook down to the waterfront and kept going south all the way to the newish Pioneer Square Habitat Beach, “a man-made beach supporting the waterfront ecosystem, including enhancing the salmon corridor by adding rocks and nearshore vegetation.” The beach is landmarked by the historic Washington Street Boat Landing, which has also been restored – and is now the home of a Molly Moon’s ice cream shop!

Although I tell you all this, ironically, I didn’t sketch any of what I mentioned! We’ll be having a USk outing there later this summer, so I saved all the highlights for then (but you can see photos below). Instead, I sketched other things along the way, most notably the bricklayers who were repairing part of a Pike Place Market street. All of us were fascinated by how the workers applying mortar between the bricks used a cone that looked just like bakers piping a pastry with frosting.

The three of us have started another round-robin using single-sheet sketchbooks that Roy made. We switched books at the end of the day, and next time we have a play date, we'll use that book to sketch in, then continue the rotation.

Sketchbook note: The past year, I’ve been using A5-ish “wide” landscape format Uglybooks at outings when I want more space than my daily-carry A6-ish size Uglybook. But often I find the landscape format awkward to use, especially when I want to work across a spread.

Thinking about this as I was heading out, I grabbed a Stillman & Birn Zeta sketchbook for this outing. I wanted the same A5-ish size but in portrait format, which I find to be more flexible. Indeed, I like working with this format better, especially with my comics style, but then I missed the colored page. Sure wish Uglybooks would make some larger portrait-format books!

A George Tsutakawa fountain, formerly elsewhere on the waterfront, has been restored and reinstalled in a new location.

These giant swings (with the most comfy seats I've ever sat in on a swing) are made of reused materials.

Still incomplete and behind fencing, this interesting structure seems to be some kind of playground attraction.

Perhaps the most exciting attraction of all are the brand new, much-needed public restrooms -- first time ever on the Seattle waterfront! My tax dollars put to good use at last!

OK, the restrooms are exciting, but we all know what the MOST exciting thing is -- a new Molly Moon's ice cream shop! The shop is under this historic Washington Street Boat Landing, which is the former ferry landing.

Proactive Fridge

6/15/25 Buh-bye, old fridge

Without warning, our fridge croaked. Greg was out of town; alone, I had to live out of a cooler for several days while I waited for a replacement to be delivered. It was the hottest week of the year (of course it was – that’s when fridges break).

That was 15 years ago, and I recalled the inconvenience vividly. When that now-15-year-old fridge started giving me signs of its impending demise, I knew it would happen on the hottest day of the year (this summer is expected to be a sizzler). Inquiring about the possibility of repair, I was told it was already past its life expectancy and probably didn’t have much longer, even after repair (which would have cost $1,000). 

I had never really liked that fridge. Without the luxury of time, I had only a few in-stock models to choose from then, none of which was ideal. For example, we didn’t want or need an ice maker (the space isn’t plumbed for that), but the old Whirlpool came with one, so we lost some freezer space to an unused function. I didn’t like its modern “invisible” door pulls; I like old-school handles. It made a lot of sporadic, loud, clanky sounds that often startled me. Finally, the space in that old fridge was poorly designed, and I was constantly cursing as I shuffled things around just to accommodate the space. Good riddance!

6/16/25 New fridge (Not crooked as wonkily sketched!)

In proactive rather than panic mode, I had many more options this time. The new GE model I chose is a bit smaller in capacity, since I don’t need as much space now. That means it’s shorter, making it easier to reach things I store on top. Slimmer and shallower, it also fits better into the very limited space available for a fridge.

It was very satisfying to clear out the freezer and fridge with the same scrutiny I used to downsize and declutter the rest of the house. You know what I’m talking about: Those condiments I tried that I didn’t really like but didn’t want to “waste,” even though I had no intention of using them again. And the stuff that gets pushed to the back of the freezer with stalagmites of ice growing on it. And oops – I forgot about that. Out they all went.

Then when the new fridge came, I could arrange and organize and use the spaces more efficiently. And my fridge will never be as clean as it is today!

Floating!

The most impressive part of all? Watching the Albert Lee Appliances crew haul away the old fridge and bring in the new – all without the appliances ever touching the floor! Wearing a harness supporting the bottom of the fridge, two men “floated” it down my two flights of stairs safely and efficiently. (My jukebox movers would have had an easier time had they used that method!) I obviously don’t purchase large appliances often enough – I had never seen that before! (If you’re curious, check out the short video I posted onInstagram.)

Portable Neocolor IIs

Several years old but little-used Rickshaw Sinclair

Last winter when Mary Jean, Roy and I had several art playdates indoors where I could work on a table, my interest in Caran d’Ache Neocolor II was reignited. As much as I’d like to use them more in the field, they’re difficult to use while standing. The main issue is that, unlike colored pencils, they are too short to stand upright inside my bag, so they sink to the bottom, and I spend more time digging around for them than using them. That frustration keeps them out of my daily-carry bag. In addition, my small bag doesn’t have enough space for both crayons and pencils.

A couple of weeks ago when I was prepping to sketch at the ravine, I was really in the mood to use Neo II. Since I was bringing along my auxiliary tote bag anyway, the crayons could go in it. But how to use them standing up?

Digging through my (previously huge, now manageably downsized) collection of bag accessories and cases, I found my Rickshaw Sinclair pen case, which I had used only for a short time a few years ago. I picked out a selection of Neo II colors I thought would be right for the ravine and popped them in. Although the crayons will stand upright without falling, I wish the pockets were just a bit shallower, which would make them easier to remove. Still, it’s much better than falling to the bottom.

Sketcher's-eye-view of the Sinclair propped up inside my bag.

While sketching, I just prop the open Sinclair into my bag (at left), which is hanging from my shoulder. It’s not ideal, but it’s working for now. I used it that way at the Urban Sketchers outing in Fremont, too.

A Food Retail Morning

 

6/12/25 TJ's in Greenwood

Two popular chains opened new stores on the west side of the city – H Mart (an Asian food store) in Ballard and Trader Joe’s in Greenwood. Each chain has a store in the U-District, which is much closer to my ‘hood, but those are both small and have non-existent or difficult parking areas. Excited to welcome it, I’d already shopped at the new TJ’s a few weeks ago, but H Mart had just opened the prior week. I decided to hit both last Thursday morning and sketch them from their respective parking lots.

TJ’s has a somewhat unusual enclosed shopping cart area outside the store that people can’t see as they use the street-front entrance. A cheerful staff member was stationed near the carts to remind people to grab one before entering. She was also very helpful in retrieving carts after people loaded their cars. Inside, the equally helpful staff were as chatty and friendly as they usually are at TJ’s. It’s one reason I like to shop there (and now this better Greenwood location will make me want to shop there even more).

H Mart in Ballard

H Mart still had a festive red and white balloon arch from their grand opening in front of the entrance. That was the extent of their friendliness, however; the staff seemed dour and overworked, even though the store wasn’t crowded at all. Still, I enjoyed leisurely walking up and down each aisle to see the offerings, listening to K-pop music (a nice break from the ‘70s or contemporary pop music I typically hear at most food stores). I don’t need many things from H Mart, but it’s nice to know how close and easy it is to shop there now when I do need them.

Ballpoint at Stone’s Throw

 

6/10/25 Stone's Throw Coffee and Market, Wallingford neighborhood

I recently heard about a coffee shop that opened just a couple of months ago in the Wallingford neighborhood. Ever searching for my ideal “third place,” I like to try every nearby venue. In addition, it was National Ballpoint Pen Day, giving me another reason to check it out, Bic in hand.

I should have known by the address that Stone’s Throw Coffee & Market would be noisy – it’s right on the busy intersection of North 45^th and Stone Way North (Get it? Stone’s throw?). The spacious, shady patio has a decent sketching view that I would have enjoyed, if not for the traffic noise (amplified by the leaf blowers working on the adjacent sidewalk). A pity on an otherwise lovely afternoon.

The interior could be promising, as the coffee shop is also a small store of gourmet-ish, picnicky foods and such that could be sketchable. I’ll give it another try on a rainy day.

Sunshine and Shave Ice in Fremont

 

6/15/25 Fremont 

Last Sunday was one of those days I think of as ideal sketching weather: Not cold, not hot, not windy and perfectly blue-sky sunny! Anticipating good sketching with USk, I arrived early in Fremont to take advantage of the Sunday Market for lunch. Then I spent most of the afternoon sketching on the shore of the Lake Washington Ship Canal and the Fremont Bridge.

Delicious brain freeze

When I started running out of steam, I headed back to the Market for an espresso shave ice to perk me up. Along the way, I spotted a strange view: A rig hauling a huge covered boat was trying to squeeze past a barricaded construction area. The driver got out several times to rearrange the cones. It was a hasty sketch, but it was too tempting to pass up.

For a sunny Sunday afternoon, our turnout was relatively light, but it was also Father’s Day, so I’m guessing some sketchers were busy with family. On the other hand, one first-time participant brought his whole family: He had requested the USk outing as his Father’s Day celebration! They all sketched along with him. Hearing that made my day!

The Season’s First Farmers Market

 

6/11/25 Wallingford Farmers Market

June is when all the neighborhood farmers markets start opening, and last Wednesday I went to my first of the season. Although Wallingford is one of the smaller ones, I like it because it’s held at Meridian Park (one of few city parks that don’t use pesticides) with big shade trees all around.

Of course, my favorite subject is buskers, and this young man sang and played a fiddle with a bow as well as by strumming. When I got home, I sketched a few of the fresh local strawberries I bought. Ahhh – summer at last!