Colusa, California

Recently, we spent two nights away, watching the last of the migratory birds in Colusa, California, part of the wetlands of the Sacramento River and home to Colusa National Wildlife Refuge. Short little breaks like this, away in nature, have kept us sane through a year of being at home.

Here are a couple of little sketches from the town. The twin water towers.

This storefront in the historic Chinatown, just across the road from a bend in the Sacramento River is now an airbnb.

A plaque tells of the history of Colusa’s Chinatown.

The wildlife refuge is beautiful, but I didn’t sketch inside it.

I did, however, take lots of photos so it will be interesting to work from them and see if I can capture the beauty and power of what I saw and felt. Here’s a first attempt at the wetlands. In liquid watercolor, brown ink and wax crayon.

Note to self: to catch the peak of the migratory birds, go earlier. November to January is peak season.