California – Small Town Sketchers

Bodie, CA – A Ghost Town

January 28, 2018jessica 2,778 Comments

Bodie, California (pop. 0)…watercolor sketch
Located in the eastern Sierra Nevadas, now it is a ghost town.
1876 saw it as a boom town after a historic gold strike
Designated a State Historic Park.

Sketch © Gloria Osterloh

Graton, CA

January 18, 2018jessica 9 Comments

Graton, CA (pop. 1707)

Sketch © Vivian Aldridge

Red Church

January 11, 2018jessica 40 Comments

Watercolor sketch of St James Episcopal Church in Sonora, CA. It’s the oldest Episcopal church in the state. Sonora (pop. 4823) is a charming gold rush town about 130 miles east of San Francisco.

Sketch© Diane Perin

I used to bicycle through Pescadero, a small town (pop.643) all the time. Fall or early winter is the best time to visit if you want to enjoy a day without fog. If you like a delicious piece of pie, antique shopping, or browsing a very fine art gallery called Luna Sea, you ought to stop by.

Sketch© Vivian Aldridge

Duncan’s Mills Country Store

January 8, 2018jessica 7 Comments

Duncan’s Mills is a tiny town (pop. 150) in Northern California, about 4 miles from the ocean. It started as a mill and railroad stop. Now it’s a fun stop for some charming shops, a few restaurants, and an annual rodeo.

SKetch© Diane Perin

Upper Lake

January 7, 2018jessica 10 Comments

Met a friend for lunch at Upper Lake and found this unusual holiday “decoration.”

Upper Lake, CA (pop. 1052)

Sketch© Vivian Aldridge

Sattley Cash Store

January 5, 2018jessica 7 Comments

Sattley, California (pop.49) located on Highway 49 in the Gold Country.

Sketch© Vivian Aldridge

Needles on Route 66

January 5, 2018jessica 6 Comments

Needles (pop. 4988) is located very near where I-40 crosses the border into California. Being on I-40 in these parts, usually means you used to be on Route 66. Needles is a nondescript town of sun baked colors and not much contrast of any kind, so imagine my surprise to find this very colorful sculpture along the I-40 Business Loop.

Moss Beach Distillary

January 4, 2018jessica 6 Comments

This is the Moss Beach Distillery, a restaurant in Moss Beach, California (pop.3103), where the ghost known as the “blue lady” floats around. However on a sunny warm day I am sure she would be impossible to spot.

Vineyard Barns

January 3, 2018jessica 12 Comments

When you take Highway 88 off Interstate 99 in California, you enter a different world of tiny towns and bucolic scenery. This vineyard is just outside of Lockford, CA (Pop 3233). The Shenandoah Valley in The “Gold Country” foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, is being called the next “Napa” with its 51 wineries.