2:10 p.m. [Click on sketch to view larger]

I have to thank the owner of this bizarre Volkswagen Beetle, an authentic piece of art on wheels, for providing a unique sketch opportunity this afternoon. Walking by it, I couldn't miss the saw wheels coming out from the roof. Can you guess where I was?

See my previous 'where's the sketcher' posts here, here, here and here.

New to the blog?
Read my first post, where I introduced myself. You may also follow the sketcher on Twitter and Facebook.

Nov. 18, 11:40 a.m. [Click on the sketch to view larger]

After dropping my food donation at the Brenden Foster Food Drive in Bothell, I stopped by the Ballard Food Bank, one of the organizations that will be putting the food in the hands of the people who need it. This food bank alone served more than 4,000 people in September, said executive director Nancy McKinney as she showed me around.

It was almost time to open and the line of people waiting outside wrapped around the block at the corner of 24th Avenue and 70th St. In addition to food, the nonprofit organization also offers financial advice, a mail box service, clothing and a hygiene bar where people can get shampoo and toiletries.

Over in the food area Ken Cluckey was handing out cartons of eggs and fresh fruit. "I have had such a good life myself, I should be doing payback," he said about his 16 years volunteering here after he retired. Next to him was Deb Stewart, helping people get what they needed from the meat freezer. "You can have two of these sweetheart," she told a customer as she pointed to a tray of frozen meat. There's a limit of items per person or family, but that's the only restriction. Everything else here looks just like a supermarket; only the cash registers are missing.

"We give food to everybody who comes," said McKinney. "If we can help people with food, then they don't fall behind paying their rent or their utilities. The food bill doesn't come in the mail but everybody needs to eat."

This time of the year McKinney is especially happy if they have turkeys to give out. "Last week a woman drove by and dropped six frozen turkeys," she said. "Most everyone around here grew up having turkey on Thanksgiving. It's one of those things that makes people sad if they can't keep that tradition".

• For information about how to donate visit the Ballard Food Bank's website.

9:49 a.m. [Click sketch to view larger]

Marty Wood, a trucker with local hunger relief agency Food Lifeline, was at the Fred Meyer at Bothell-Everett Highway this morning loading up big boxes full of donated food inside his truck.

In just a few hours he had already collected almost 5,000 pounds of food as part of the Brenden Foster Food Drive. "It's a good feeling to see the response of people," he said.

The food drive is organized by KOMO4 News in partnership with Food Lifeline and Northwest Harvest. The local broadcast station reported the story of 11-year-old Brenden Foster a few weeks before he died of cancer last year. The boy's dying wish was to feed the homeless.

I was touched by Brenden's story and brought my food donation this morning. More information about the food drive at the TV station's site.

11:02 a.m. [Click on sketches to view larger]

It's the new Swift transit system coming to a 17-mile stretch of Highway 99 on Nov. 29.

Community Transit offered a media ride-along on one of their new Swift buses this morning and the sketcher was there to document the occasion, just as I did with light rail.

The Swift is billed as a cheaper alternative to light-rail that provides a similar experience. Off-board payment, lower boarding platforms, wider doors and more standing room help in that regard. There are also bike racks inside the bus. A priority signal system keeps the traffic lights green longer when the bus is approaching. "It's only going to make 12 stops. It's going to make the trips quicker," said Community Transit spokesman Tom Pearce.

The Swift won't help me in my daily commute to downtown Seattle but it's going to help everyone who travels along Highway 99 between Everett and Shoreline. "This is our highest ridership route," said Pearce. "More than one million a year use Community Transit on this corridor."

Driver Tim Lynch, a 15-year veteran with Community Transit, said he'll miss the interaction with the customers, who will be paying the fares off-board at the especially designed Swift stations. But he likes the new buses. "They're the leading edge for bus transportation," he said.

I'm still partial to light-rail and can't wait for the rails to arrive further north, but I like these Swift buses too. Any improvements to public transportation in our region are welcomed in my book.

For a map of the route and more information about the Swift visit this Community Transit web page.

The weather was not an ally on Saturday, but I went on a day trip with my family anyway -- an early celebration of my upcoming 40th birthday. We chose Port Townsend as our destination -- we've crossed the Sound to Bainbridge and Whidbey islands before, but this was our first time going to the actual Olympic Peninsula.

I learned that early settlers in the mid 1800s were expecting Port Townsend to become a major city. Its geographic location made it ideal as a major seaport. But it didn't become what Seattle is today because the railroad never reached that side of the Sound, as it was supposed to. (More on that at the Wikipedia and History Link entries.)

I'll have to come back to do justice to its beautiful architecture. The Victorian buildings along Water Street were screaming to be drawn but the weather was terrible and we all wanted to stay indoors. We were lucky to know a few good places to go that my sketcher friend Teresa had recommended.

12:01 p.m. We had brunch at The Hudson Point Café.

1:39 p.m. Ice cream at the Elevated Ice Cream & Candy Store was followed by more sketching, by me and my daughter. My son played his Nintendo DS.

2:30 p.m. Since it was too cold outside, I sketched this view from inside the car. My family has a lot of patience with me and they didn't mind waiting in the car for 20 minutes. The courthouse building is pretty striking, with a 124-foot tall tower. Built in 1892, it's the second oldest government building in the state.

4:09 p.m. Back on the ferry from Kingston to Edmonds. Despite the bad weather, nothing beats spending a day with the family and getting to do a few sketches.

10:07 a.m. [Click on the sketch to view larger]

This may be a well-kept secret that everyone knows: a place where you can enjoy this fantastic view of our city for free. Can you guess where I was this morning?

If you know other good spots please let me know! But I'm talking places that are open to the public and free, not the Space Needle and other observation decks that charge a fee.

See my previous 'where's the sketcher' posts here, here and here.

New to the blog?
Read my first post, where I introduced myself. You may also follow the sketcher on Twitter and Facebook.

2:05 p.m. [Click on sketch to view larger]

I was a bit surprised to find out that Santa is already in town. But it's never too early to put in some extra work for a good cause. "Thanksgiving and Christmas are both a good combination. It's the season of giving," said John K. Hart Jr., the commercial manager at the Quality Inn & Suites near Aurora Avenue. Today was the first day of their holiday toy drive. Hart, who likes to make people laugh, is their official Santa this year.

"If I wasn't dressed like this I would make you smile anyway," he said as he waited to have his photo taken with some kids who were just coming down the stairs.

"I want Nintendo DS games," said 6-year-old Tehya with a big grin when he asked her what she wanted for Christmas. Her sister Bridget, 5, hopes to get a "robot cat."

The girls' parents, Narelle Morris and Stephen McGarrigle, had just checked in after flying from Brisbane, Australia, "to get away from the heat," since it's summer Down Under now. They said the stores have had Christmas decorations out since October where they live. So no big surprise to see that Santa is already at work in Seattle.

"It's really nice to see an initiative like this, supporting the local community," said McGarrigle about the toy drive. After the obligatory photos with Santa, the Australian visitors were going to Pike Place Market and planned to have coffee at Starbucks.

The toys are being collected for the Ballard Boys and Girls club and Toys for Tots.

Nov. 10, 11:46 a.m. [Click on sketch to see it larger]

We can thank Dick Spady for all the burgers and milk shakes that we can enjoy at his drive-in restaurants in Wallingford, Capitol Hill, Ballard, Lake City and Queen Anne. But being Veterans Day, we should thank him for his service as well.

I met the founder of Seatte's most famous drive-in Tuesday. He drove his Audi station-wagon to the Wallingford restaurant, where I had just finished a couple of drawings. I sat in the passenger seat to do this sketch and listen to his story. People were already waiting for the drive-in to open at 10.30 a.m. The flow didn't stop the entire time I was there.

Dick served in the Navy from 1943 to 1946 and with the Air Force during the Korean War, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During his WWII deployment in Japan he supervised three warehouses, and was in charge of storing and accounting for the food supply of more than 10,000 troops. "I learned a lot," he said. "I was only a 2nd lieutenant but I had more responsibility than a college graduate working for a corporation at the same entry level."

After his service, Dick, who grew up in Portland and is now 86, earned a degree in Business and Technology at Oregon State University in 1950. He explained that his minor in architecture helped when it came time to open the restaurant. For the sign, he first thought of a big rotating milk shake, but "that wouldn't do anything," he said. Instead, he chose the current design that still stands tall at N. 45th St.

That's where the first Dick's drive-in opened on January 28, 1954. The day after the restaurant opened there was a big snow storm, recalled Dick. "We spent two days shoveling snow." The restaurant in Capitol Hill opened in 1955. Drive-ins in Ballard, Lake City and Queen Anne, which opened in the 70s, followed.

He said that opening the drive-in was risky. Drive-ins were becoming popular in California, but "Seattle didn't have many cars and it rained a lot," he said.

But Dick's business philosophy has made the 55-year-old restaurant brand a favorite of Seattleites. He said that to build loyalty you have to offer "highest quality, fastest service and lowest price."

Dick shared a lot of interesting insights about running a business."Businesses have a responsibility to the common good," he said. He also told me about his book The Leadership of Civilization Building, and sent me a signed copy by courier later that afternoon. "To Gabi Campanario, The Seattle Times news artist, with warm appreciation, of your sketch of Dick's drive-in on Veterans Day 2009. Best wishes. Dick Spady."

After I stepped out of the car and Dick drove away, I joined the line of people at the drive-in and ordered a Dick's Deluxe, a first one for me.

Thanks for your service Dick, and for the burgers. You have earned another loyal customer.

Note: All day Wednesday, Dick's drive-ins are providing free burgers to veterans showing their military ID or in uniform.