I finished the quick sketch above by the bank of the river early in the morning calm. Just me and the river. Oh and a few people walking past on the Drake Park path including one guy who was riding a bike, smoking some pot and lamenting the girlfriend who left him.
I was in Bend on a road trip with my Dad. Wonderful to have time driving, enjoying the scenery and talking. He found a great place to drink beer watching kayakers and paddle boarders pass by on the Deschutes.
This watercolor was finished once I was home. You don’t see fireweed where I live. I have appreciated these scrappy plants and flowers that remind me of time in Alaska. Somehow the flowers are more beautiful knowing they thrive in areas scarred by fire and recent roadwork.
I fell in love with Bend Oregon and the Deschutes River that runs through it. The only that kept me for hunting for property on Zillow was finding out from a weather app that Bend has short summers. Oh … that may not work. Just as well, I’ve heard that Oregonians are getting tired of Californians moving north.