A Little Painting on a Big Painting

 

English is a strange language. In the title, the first “painting” is a verb; the second one is a noun. This makes for a fun title, and perhaps it incites a bit of curiosity on the part of you, O Blog Reader.

I painted “Yokohl Oak” in 2020 and showed it in two separate solo gallery shows. People liked it, particular local bike riders, who told me, “Hey, that’s the Bike Tree!” To me it was simply a beautiful oak tree along Yokohl Drive, and I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to recognize it if I drove past it again.

Alas, it didn’t sell. I put it in the 3 other galleries that regularly and steadily sell my work, and it didn’t sell. One astute friend told me it was lacking in my normal amount of detail. Really?? This looks excessively well-detailed to me.

Oh. He meant on the tree itself. It is too smooth for an oak tree. My drawing students agreed when I took it back home for a touch-up. I often run things past them, because they always tell me the truth. Besides, it lets me know if I am teaching them to be discerning, to truly see things accurately.

This got called “The Bike Tree” by a few different people, so I figured I’d just go with that theme.

Then I started adding more texture to the bark on the tree.

After that, I tried to photograph it.

The light was wrong, making shiny spots and making the color wrong. I rotated it multiple ways, cropped it, edited it with the photo program on the laptop, and finally decided it will have to wait to be photographed another time. 

In the meantime, this is the new and improved “Yokohl Oak”, after I did a little painting on this big (24×24″) painting.

P.S. Yokohl is the name of a valley in the foothills just east of Exeter in Tulare County. For awhile, there were big plans to turn the area into a self-contained town, but the combination of local protests and drought shut that down.

If you came here for Mineral King news and are disappointed, you can check the Mineral King website to see if anything new has been posted.

 

Hume Lake Annual Reunion

My sixth annual friend reunion at Hume Lake was a week or two ago (time flies). It was a little odd to go to someone else’s  cabin before spending time at my own. It was also the first time we didn’t rent some sort of watercraft, and the first time I actually wore long pants. Summer has been slow in arriving this year in the Sierra Nevada.

The Generals Highway is closed, but I normally don’t go that way. I went my usual route of Dry Creek Road to 245 to Hogback to 245 to 180. This is one of the iconic scenes along the classic foothill road of Dry Creek.

The Park entrance station was very backed up, because going through Kings Canyon is the only route open to Sequoia.

Then I went through Grant Grove and turned toward Hume Lake at the Princess campground by the closed Cedar Grove road. Too bad, because it would be a terrific year to see the big water in the Kings River on the road to Cedar Grove.

Walking around the lake is a tradition. We have always thought it was a 3 mile walk, but the phones (so smart, eh?) tell us 2.5 miles. Ten-mile Creek was roaring as we crossed it on the footbridge. (Incidentally, the road called “Ten-mile” is only 9 miles.)

We got caught in rain walking around the lake the first day.

The dam release was roaring.

The grounds at Hume’s conference center are beautifully landscaped. I flipped over these columbine. We saw a few deer but only away from the main activity areas. People the area get all excited about seeing deer; I try to keep my disgust for the flower-consumers to myself. (Jumped up to respray some geraniums while typing this at home.)

There was a ton of snow on the distant peaks. Hume Lake gets me geographically confused, because it drains to the east.

Here is Ten-mile Creek in sunshine, still rip-roaring along.

Someone got creative with a downed tree below the dam. This walk was after it rained hard so the water is coming over the spillway in addition to the normal release pipes (channels? culverts? tubes?).

Every year I count on seeing wild iris around the lake. There were zillions in the meadow by the Princess campground, but no place to pull over and be a looky-loo.

We took a “back-stage” tour at Hume, where we got an in depth look at the inner workings. The place is self-contained like a city, with its own charter school (under Fresno Unified School District), auto shop, metal fabrication shop, sewage treatment, and fire department. They didn’t disclose the source of their water or discuss garbage, and I was a little short on time because I had to hustle down the hill to teach drawing lessons.

They showed us the ropes course, where apparently there are quite a few come-to-Jesus moments. (I already came to Jesus, so won’t be testing my faith on any of this stuff).

I learned that they bought their own coffee roasting equipment and in 9 months it paid for itself in savings. (I didn’t try any of their coffee because we were self-contained in my friend’s cabin). This is a photo of one of the dining halls. I was gobsmacked, since I served in the former building as the hostess of the dining room in 1978. That building burned down, and this huge elegant multipurpose structure has replaced the one I knew.

Besides walking the lake, there was a craft project. I observed and appreciated the results, but the method doesn’t work on Crocs, so I knitted instead.

The morning I left, it was brilliant, just fabulously brilliant.

This is Ten-mile Creek from the bridge. The Google told me that Ten-mile road was the quickest way to Exeter, along with the same roads I used to get to Hume, but coming down 245 into Woodlake rather than Dry Creek. Such a beautiful drive, if one has air conditioning. Fernando’s A/C still works—thanks for your concern.

If you came here for Mineral King news and are disappointed, you can check the Mineral King website to see if anything new has been posted.

 

Extended Yardening Season

 

At the time of this writing (a week or so before you see it) it hadn’t gotten hot like normal summer yet, and  our cabin wasn’t yet opened. In addition, I had nothing pressing on the work front, so these conditions provided plenty of time for continued yardening.

I sprayed all the pomegranate blossoms with Deer Out, and then I saw a deer eating on the tree, so I sprayed it again. Too bad I didn’t count the blossoms when I sprayed the first time, but I was more intent on thinning and spraying. So, I don’t know if the deer was eating leaves or blossoms. One of the reviews I read for Deer Out said that deer might try to eat something sprayed but wouldn’t return for more.

Then I sprayed the hollyhocks, which the deer hadn’t yet bothered this year.

Finally, I sprayed the roses that haven’t yet croaked.

I caught a deer in the act of biting off a fully bloomed geranium, but it hasn’t returned for a second course.

P.S. I have actually sprayed all these multiple times because I just can’t seem to believe the claims. Time will tell…

If you came here for Mineral King news and are disappointed, you can check the Mineral King website to see if anything new has been posted.

A Little Bit of Design “Work”

 

“Work” is in quote marks because this was simply a gift for a friend. She has had just one too many cars come flying up her driveway instead of following the curve of the road and is ready for a gate.

I drew a few ideas, then we looked at them together. She picked one she liked the best, and together we worked on it, adding a tree here, a rock there, moving a line, adding a line. Then we looked at her second favorite and did more of the same.

First favorite:

Second favorite:

After studying them, the second favorite became The Favorite. I sent it to the gate builder, and next we will learn if it is a design that he can build. I think some parts might need a bit of modification for strength. I also wonder if perhaps I shouldn’t have used the back side of something printed (but I bet you can’t read it).

It will be thrilling to see this as an actual gate.

We did get things a little bit backward, because if her driveway is so wide that it requires a double gate, we will have to redesign it. 

She mentioned to me that gates in Three Rivers are so interesting that she has thought they might make a fun calendar. I have often thought it would be possible to do a photo (or drawing or painting) book of the gates here, and simply call it “A Gated Community”. 

It might be fun. Speaking of fun with gates, check out this photo.

If you came here for Mineral King news and are disappointed, you can check the Mineral King website to see if anything new has been posted.

A Day Trip to Mineral King

In the olden days (last year), it took about 1-1/2 hour to drive to Mineral King from our house in Three Rivers. This was going slow, stopping to talk to friends encountered on the road, maybe stopping to photograph something.

On Thursday, it took almost 3 hours* to get to Mineral King. This involved a stop to visit with the crew working on the lower section of the road.

I was prepared for a long drive with knitting.

There is a lot of greenery on the way up. Lots of wildflowers too, but I didn’t want to add to the time by asking for photo stops.

This was on the county section. 

Although there wasn’t any active road work after going through the lower gate, Road Guy wants to keep this sign in place so that people who drive the road will be alert. Besides, there could be some road work. There certainly needs to be.

We stopped to talk to a couple of walkers, to rake out a few drainages, and to pick up many traffic cones. Why were so many knocked over? We don’t know. And we stopped at the maintenance barn to visit with the two guys working in MK this summer.

The knitting grew.

This is the background that is overexposed in the knitting photo. It is just above High Bridge, where we stopped for more raking.

There are lots of narrow spaces along the road, but not so much in the upper sections. There is a lot of water running along, under, and across the road, just seeping from the hillsides, running down drainages that aren’t normally running at this time of year. The water is mostly on the paved sections.

Standard photo of the Crowley cabin and Farewell Gap.

The weird piles left from the 2021 fires remain. Road Guy thought the fire crews would return to remove them last summer because they appear to be piles of kindling. Of course they didn’t return.

The juniper tree escaped. It appears in many old photos and was marked to be removed, but better sense prevailed, and this piece of living history remains in the last parking lot.

The daffodils I planted last fall are struggling upward.

Looking alongside the back of the cabin.

I meandered down to a neighboring cabin and was so happy to see all the green growies and flowing water.(Almost said “water flowies” to rhyme.)

The knitting grew.

We walked up to the pack station. Clearly there had been an avalanche, with trees snapped off and bent over, along with a lot of debris on the road.

Chihuahua was running, so I did a little waterology to get it off the road.

Finally, on the way back down, we stopped just above Sky Hook to see the gabion baskets begin to rebuild a major road failure. The construction crew is doing a fabulous job with temporary repairs on the county’s section of the road.

A final thought: if the Mineral King Road normally makes you nervous or jittery, this would not be the year to drive it. (And we still don’t know if/when the Park will open it to the public).

*This wasn’t actual driving time. We stopped to unlock/open/close/relock the two gates, to visit with people, to pick up knocked over traffic cones, to take a few photos, to rake a few culverts . . .

Tomorrow I will return to posting about my artwork. If more Mineral King news occurs, I’ll do my best to post the information. You can also look on the Mineral King website, although the writers there are not as chatty, opinionated, or actually taking photos (but I let them use mine whenever they ask).

 

Mineral King Road, Part 3

Road Guy and the Farmer headed up past Silver City while The Wives (Hiking Buddy and I) got in the Botmobile and headed for home. Road Guy gave me lots of helpful instructions as we went up, such as “keep it in compound low”, “no need to lock in the hubs”, “watch those rocks—they can pop a tire”, “stay in the tracks”, etc.

First weird sight.

Second weird sight.

Now, I will be showing you all the scary parts as we head down. (If the drop-off appears on the right side of the photo, it means I photographed it looking back after we got through.)

This drops off steep and far; it looks mild here, but it is not mild in real life.

Just your basic deep crack in the road.

This is Slapjack, looking back.

I stopped getting out to take the photos and started shooting through the windshield.

Nature is doing her best to reclaim the asphalt.

There were great wildflowers, but we were focused on the other thing (getting down the road intact). Hiking Buddy rolled her window down so I could take this picture of lupine and blazing star without getting out again.

Narrow but passable. Sometimes these aren’t marked because there just weren’t enough traffic cones. Those mainly get used when you could go off the edge and land in the East Fork of the Kaweah River. Otherwise, pay attention! (Pay attention no matter what)

Here are the 2 boulders just above Lookout. The first one is from that notch above the road where it had been precariously perched for decades.

I don’t know these yellow flowers.

Farewell-to-Spring was blooming right through a crack in the asphalt.

The potholes were roaring. 


I stopped taking photos, we got ourselves down safely in the Botmobile, and Road Guy and the Farmer continued their work up.

Bottom line: if you were uncomfortable about driving the road before, you won’t want to drive it this year. (IF it is even officially open).

Mineral King Road, Part 2

Yesterday’s post took us to Cabin Cove, a mile below Silver City, where the backhoe was waiting for Road Guy to continue making the road passable, and mark the narrow parts. The Farmer followed in his pickup, with a rake, traffic cones, and various other necessary items. It is far too dangerous for someone to work there alone, and the Farmer willingly took several days off work to volunteer along with Road Guy.

Let’s admire the skillful handling of this massive yellow machine by our hero, Road Guy.

The Cabin Cove sign lost its hook.

Sometimes the only way to unclog a culvert is with rakes and shovels.

There is a cabin in Cabin Cove named “House of Falling Water”. It was many years before I understood the name, but this year there is no confusion whatsoever.

Thank you, Farmer, for being Road Guy’s ground crew.

Finally, lunchtime.

For some reason, Road Guy turned the backhoe around in front of the Silver City Store. 

Hiking Buddy and I left the guys here and headed down. On Monday you can ride down with us.

Mineral King Road

This will be a long blog post in two or three parts, because there is much to show and much to tell. The main thing you probably want to know is if you can drive to Mineral King. If you have a cabin at Silver City or Cabin Cove and have a smallish vehicle and are a careful driver, then yes. Otherwise, no.

On Friday, June 9, Trail Guy (currently Road Guy), the Farmer, Hiking Buddy, and I went up the Mineral King Road. Road Guy and the Farmer spent 3 days working on the road, and they invited The Wives to accompany them to see how things were progressing.

The assignment for these two determined and intrepid volunteers was “passable and marked”; this was a little hard on Road Guy who took pride in keeping that road in top shape before he was retired. However, the road. . . sigh. Never mind. “Passable and marked” is a tremendous improvement over washed out, collapsed, piled with boulders, tree messes, mud slides, etc. 

They couldn’t begin until the County had the lower parts passable. Once that was done, the Farmer and Road Guy made their way up to the rented backhoe which had been stranded at Lookout since the February storms.

Lest you forget, Road Guy and former roads supervisor volunteered the first 2 weeks of February working with that backhoe to clean out culverts, establish some berms, and get the road somewhat passable. Then the February and March storms came, and it was a very good thing that they had done that prep work. It saved the road. (DO NOT TELL ME I AM EXAGGERATING—instead, pat those guys on the back!)

Alrighty then, let’s begin our tour.

The County Section

Remember the blowout at mile 4.5? It now has a wall and a bridge of planks.

Here is the second washout at SkyHook. The fill has begun; those are gabion baskets on the left and the road will be filled up to the level of the top of those.

The Park

This is above Lookout: passable and marked.

Road Guy said they had been watching that boulder above the road for many years, speculating that all it needed was a little nudge to drop to the road.

See the notch where it was?

Narrow and scary but passable and marked.

It rained very hard the night before and there were new deep mud slicks across the road. Road Guy had his doubts for a brief moment about whether or not we would be able to cross those messes. The trick was to lock in the hubs, then keep rolling, don’t stop.

Narrow, but passable and marked.

A closer look.

Coming to Redwood Canyon, narrow, passable, marked, and look at the next mess!

A “tree mess” is a tangle of multiple trees and roots, unlike a single tree lying across the road. 

The creek at Redwood is roaring. First time I remember ever actually hearing it.

 

These are redwood cones (not to be confused with pine cones or traffic cones.)


Look how many trees were involved in this tree mess.

The mountains beyond, in case you were wondering how things looked.

It is rare to see what the needles of a sequoia tree look like because they are usually many feet above one’s head. (Sequoia=redwood=Big Tree)

We finally made it to the backhoe where it was parked the day before at Cabin Cove. Fancy!

And I got a little demonstration of all the levers and tricks. Road Guy is skilled, experienced, knowledgeable and capable.

Of course I climbed up and sat in the throne. Intimidating piece of equipment.

This has gone on long enough. Tomorrow I will show you what this impressive machine did under the guidance of the very capable Road Guy, all for no pay, all to serve the needs of the Silver City Store and all the cabin folks, and we hope (but do not know yet), the public.