Howdy Neighbor Days

During the first week of the school year, it has been a tradition to host Howdy Neighbor Days in Pierce City.
I spent the late afternoon sketching this as the lines formed and people showed up for the rides. This was a difficult sketch in some ways. I was planning the panorama from the right to left, and wound up further right than I had expected. This overlapped the bird cage Ferris Wheel on the left more than I wanted. But, I sketched through. Also, I was hoping to do the arms of the rides in form rather than line, but the nature of the overall work didn't lend itself to that.

After this epic run of sketching, I joined the festivities and caught some rib dinner. A few good friends were among the crowd, and a nice evening was had by all.

#SketchHiker #UrbanSketcher #PencilandPaper

Jolly Mill Dry Dam

Hello folks,

One of my favorite places is Jolly Mill, the remnants of the small community of Jollification located just a couple of miles off of Hwy 60 near Pierce City (South on Wallaby Rd). The former town is now land managed by the Department of Conservation. However, the old grain mill still exists on the north side of the road. It's now part of a private park, and it costs $5 per carload per day for visitors. This expense goes to maintaining the grounds.

I had the opportunity to sketch the falls area while the dam was being drained before a heavy rain prediction. The area is prone to flooding, so opening the dam was a precaution to overflow. As I sketched, blue herons, dragonflies, butterflies, and darners swarmed me. I sat near the creek and watched the fish swim by.

This sketch is the first of a series of panoramic sketches documenting my travels and various hikes.