Even in digital art, there is still a "learn to see" as in traditional art. I think this can be transfered to painting, graphite, lettering, etc. Or even cooking! I think I'm addicted to doing this, esp. with Lofi Girl playing. #AffinityDesigner

I never thought I could create the illusion of 3D with 2D vector art. Work in progress 😀 #AffinityDesigner

Kinda weird to see #SketcherFest Edmonds is happening in here and the upstairs of the Edmonds Waterfront Center instead of the other places in the last three years.

“Some people think our problem is that everyone owns two cars, so we should just make more parking spaces. Or we could switch our investment that we’re already making so that people don’t need two cars.” ~ Mountlake Terrace resident Corey Cross, July 9, 2026 MLT City Council meeting

Several meta-analyses have reported that women have similar relative muscle mass & strength gains as men following resistance training, despite women having a 10- to 20-fold lower testosterone & up to 200-fold lower free testosterone concentrations than men. massagefitnessmag.com/fitness/mech...

Coming to Victoria, BC, is a great idea on July 4th season. I normally don't do or experience this in the States.

So that's where the phrase "Beautiful British Columbia" on B.C. license plates comes from "Splendor Sine Occasu," (Splendor Without Diminishment), according to the Legislature tour guide yesterday.

Victoria, B.C. infrastructure has already become more like Europe than the U.S., as it once was. There are far more cyclists than I've seen in the Greater Seattle Area. Plenty of e-bikes and very few e-motos. What few e-motos I've seen are ridden by adults, not little kids or teens.

"To live is to move toward death, to love is to move toward loss. This is the underlying reality of both life and attachment, not an unfortunate outcome from which one might be spared." aeon.co/essays/what-...

Today, the Mountlake Terrace City Council recognizes MTHS graduate Tyler Eske who will be part of the Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training program in Texas. Eske worked as a BMW salesman in Lynnwood after HS & later enrolled in Edmonds College as a launchpad for his military career.

Most of them are from our coverage areas, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace.

We're looking to fully fund the work of our news fellow, Angelica Relente, who has been doing an awesome job covering housing & homelessness in South Snohomish County. We'll have our summer matching campaign to raise enough money to cover our housing beat. myedmondsnews.com/2026/07/from...

According to 2023-24 Donne Report, women composed just 7.5% of scheduled works compared to 7.7% in 2022-23. Among women, 5.8% were composed by whites; 1.6% among other women. Black women: 0.59% Asian: 0.50% Mixed-heritage: 0.40% Indigenous: 0.07% Middle Eastern: 0.02% thenickng.com/blog/unbound...

Our monthly Snohomish Pie meeting in Mountlake Terrace with our new reporter Ruby Storey, who will not only cover Lynnwood and bits of Edmonds & MLT, but also our social media reach.

After Snohomish County bought a hotel in Edmonds on Hwy 99 in 2022, it is finally opened as New Start Center opens, a bridge housing facility for people experiencing homelessness. By @a-rlnt.bsky.social myedmondsnews.com/2026/06/toda...

Mountlake Terrace's July 4th celebration seems to have drawn a larger crowd last year than the current "250 state fair." This year it might draw just as much or bigger crowd in this 2.2 square mile city in Washington state. Photo by David Carlos.

An editorial in Nature Neuroscience argued that biological tests, such as brain scans and biomarkers, does not prove or disprove a person’s pain. However, a responding researcher said that doesn’t make biomarkers “futile or conceptually flawed.” massagefitnessmag.com/massage/scie...

Men still dominate roles of conductor, composer & CEO in most orchestras. “Anytime there’s a lot of men or they’re in a dominant position, there’s always a threat of violence. You can never feel 100% safe w/ your guard down.” ~ Unbound Symphony Founder Bhavani Kotha thenickng.com/blog/unbound...

Seattle’s Unbound Symphony debut at Folio: Seattle Athenaeum Monday evening. The show included 2 pieces & one double bass demo. The group officially launched on March 8, 2026 on International Women’s Day as a new women orchestra performing music written by women. thenickng.com/blog/unbound...

Anything more than 5 reps is cardio. Squatz ☝️

This child, age 10-12, was tailgating me the whole way on his e-moto, NB Lake View Dr. near Lake Ballinger. Vehicles ahead of me & I were at 25 mph (speed limit), but he kept glancing back & tried to pass me a few times. In addition to distracted drivers & DUIs, now we have to deal w/ this.

The old Edmonds Boys & Girls Club building is no more. The demolition makes way for a new B&GC building scheduled to open in September 2027. The original building was built in 1968. Photos by Larry Vogel. myedmondsnews.com/2026/06/scen...

Finished this afternoon. 100% vector with Affinity Designer. I started a tutorial series w/ Affinity Revolution last week. Rather do a "final" tutorial, I decided to do one of my favorite classical guitarists, Zoe Barnett. It's like all the skills I've learned in the '90s flooded back in a week.

What does local journalism in Washington state look like in an AI era? Three panelists took a swing at this question at the 2026 Washington Local Journalism Summit. First in a series that I am summarizing of most of the panelists. thenickng.com/blog/washing...

Looking back at the photos & jotting notes from my recordings of last month's WA Local Journalism Summit at the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Mallory Kruml's presentation of her coverage of the Port Townsend's spending made me think of my own coverage of City of Mountlake Terrace's spending.

Worked on details on her left arm and hand. Refined shadows on her neck and face. Wednesday, June 17.

Added face and hair details, jewelry, and shadows on her face. Monday, June 15.

Started with a foundation but later got obsessed with drawing the guitar. Sunday, June 14.

I didn't think I could do last week. After two weeks of self-paced lessons with Affinity Revolutions, I decided to challenge myself with an illustration of one of my favorite classical guitarists Zoe Barnett. I'll start on the background this evening.