Nothing says summer around Healdsburg more than Tuesday night’s concert down on the Plaza. People gather on blankets in the grass and share fruit, local wine, bread, and cheese with family members and the newly made friends sitting close by.

But yesterday’s weather attempted to dampen the fun as clouds rolled overhead threatening rain and kept everyone bundled up in jackets for warmth. The crowd was noticeably thinner too as people chose to stay indoors. But in spite of the strange weather, yesterday’s band, Roy Rogers and the Delta Rhythm Kings kept people dancing on their toes and forgetting about the cold.

 

The Healdsburg Future Farmers Twilight Parade happens on the Thursday before Memorial Weekend and every year the whole town shows up to mingle, nibble, and share a bottle of wine with a neighbor. This year was no exception as a huge number of people crowded the downtown area. This is serious for locals. Serious fun, that is. On the day of the parade, lawn chairs start appearing as early as six am to stake claim to the most desirable places to view the show. Throughout the day, vintage cars and trucks carrying livestock and partially assembled floats can be seen whizzing around town showing off and preparing for the evening’s event.

This year my wife and I chose the easy way out and instead of claiming our turf earlier in the day with lawn chairs, we went to a friend’s house who lives on the street where the parade passes by. This is a great opportunity because not only do we not have to worry about finding a good place to sit but we are also invited to share in a pot luck and surrounded by great company. At 6 pm the fun begins as jazz bands, floats, pet parades, jugglers, acrobats, and oh yeah, veiled women on horseback make their way through the city streets to the cheers and roar of the crowds.

After nibbling on sausages, meatballs, fruit, cheese, and crackers I reached for my art supplies so I could do what a sketch artist does, draw. But a lack of still objects made the event difficult to capture on paper. I attempted several drawings only to have the subject move shortly after I had started. Then a string of similar vintage cars made their way through the parade and I added a little more to my drawing as each vehicle passed by. After I finally completed a drawing, I decided to rejoin the group and get a glass of my friend’s homemade wine, Barking Dog Petite Sirah.

 

I always enjoy driving across the Healdsburg’s Memorial Bridge as I come into town. Even though I live on the north end of Healdsburg, I sometimes exit highway 101 two stops early just to drive across the bridge and see what’s happening in town. The bridge is both an historic landmark and a gateway into town for those heading north. Starting this summer, the first phase of construction will begin to rehabilitate the historic 1921 bridge. I’m happy that the bridge is going to be saved since there was so much talk about replacing it.

What I remember most about this bridge happened about 10 years ago when a powerful, wet storm blew in over the course of several days. One day in particular the rain was coming down in cats, dogs, even horses. We had heard through the grapevine that the Russian River had reached flood stage in Healdsburg and it had exceeded its banks in some areas on the south end of town. When the rain abruptly ended, I suggested to my wife Marilyn that we take a drive down to Memorial Bridge and check out the water level around the bridge. When we got there the river was so high that it was just a few feet from the bottom of the bridge. There was a line of cars driving across and checking out the raging Russian River along with us. We drove over, with our fingers crossed along with everyone else. But the bridge held strong and I feel certain it will carry us across the river for many storms into the future.

****The Healdsburg Museum’s curator, Holly Hoods contacted me about adding this painting to the Memorial Bridge exhibit at the Healdsburg Museum. I said yes, of course. But I did have to pull the painting out of my sketchbook (thankfully it was spiral bound) which I don’t normally like to do, and then framed it. This show will be up through August 14, 2011. The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 am – 4 pm. 221 Matheson Street, Healdsburg.

 

Every year I look forward to the first Saturday in May because that’s when the Healdsburg Farmers Market opens. It’s the first outdoor event of the year that signals summer has arrived.

The Market is held one block east of the downtown square and that Saturday morning, my friend Phil and I arrived at eight-thirty to sketch the vendors setting up their booths. Phil shares my enthusiasm of plein air sketching and we often get together to draw around town. I pulled out my sketching supplies as trucks backed into their spaces and unloaded boxes of colorful produce. Umbrellas began popping up one by one, canopying the market in a rainbow of colors. At nine o’clock the market bell rang, followed by a flurry of activity as the market opened for business. Then a traditional bluegrass band, The Mountain River Valley Boys, began to play.

Throughout the morning, shoppers arrived wearing summer hats and carrying hand baskets loaded with dinner goodies as they meandered the aisles. As with most small towns, this farmer’s market is both a marketplace and a social event where locals catch up with friends. While moving to a new location to draw, I bumped into several friends including Louise at the Healdsburg Historic Home Tours table, and Jenine, who was selling heads of lettuce and fresh eggs from her own backyard chickens. Jenine opened a carton of eggs, showing off their unique colors of beige, yellow, brown, and green-grey.

Carrie Brown, who owns the Jimtown Store, was at the market with her old Ford F-250 truck. The Jimtown Store is both a store and a cafe and is well known in Sonoma County. Located just outside of Healdsburg, the store has been profiled in many magazines, newspapers and TV shows, including Guy Fieri’s recent profile of “Pork” on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins & Dives. Which when I think about it, is kind of funny because the Jimtown Store is neither a diner, drive-in, nor most importantly, a dive.

 

New York Times best selling author Lisa Lutz teamed with Healdsburg editor Dave Hayward to write a murder mystery Heads You Lose. Their book is unique in that Lisa wrote the odd numbered chapters and Dave wrote the even ones, with neither knowing what the other was going to write and unable to change what the other had written. Heads You Lose is a fun read and a recommended purchase at your favorite book store.

Both writers were present at a book reading this past Saturday at Copperfield’s Books in Healdsburg. The authors bantered with each other, imitating the author tensions that are included in their book between chapters. I sat in the front row to get the best view to draw. After the book reading and signing, a group of us friends of Dave and Lisa sat out on the grass on the Healdsburg plaza and drank coffee. This is where I had the opportunity to add watercolor washes to my fresh drawing.

 

Marilyn and I went out to have a picnic today and to do some sketchbook drawing. We first stopped at Big Johns market to get a sandwich and a really cool new sparkling water beverage with cucumber essence. Then we wandered downtown to the Plaza and parked ourselves on a bench near Foss Creek to have lunch but it was way too cold and windy to stay long enough to draw. We finished our sandwich as fast as we could and then headed indoors to a local Coffee shop, The Bean Affair. I ordered a cup of tea which warmed me inside and loosened my cold hands enough to draw Marilyn while reading a good book.

 

Early last Sunday morning, I pulled out my sketchbook and sat on a curb across the street from the Healdsburg Museum and started drawing. The air was cool and crisp, but the sun shinning on my hat and jacket kept me warm.

The building was built over 100 years ago in 1910 and originally housed the Healdsburg Library. The Healdsburg Historical Society moved into the building in 1976 and has occupied it ever since.

The bells of the nearby Catholic Church broke the morning silence, calling its followers to Mass. People anxious to get to church parallel parked all around me and eventually blocked my view of the lower portion of the museum. Thankfully, I drew the base first, so I was still able to finish my drawing.