Going Places | Cabin Art

Another Trip, Day Two–B

After seeing those many photos of Bodie yesterday, do you wish I’d stop posting for awhile?

Don’t answer that.

After Bodie, we stopped for ice cream at a wildly popular Mobil gas station/convenience store/deli where the Tioga Pass Road intersects 395 (the highway that runs North-South along the East Side of the Sierra Nevada.) Its big claim to fame is the chef from LA who has turned the deli into a great place to eat.

Mono Lake is weirdly wonderful. For many years, the LA Dept. of Water and Power has been using water from the 4 main streams that fill Mono Lake. The lake was dying, and after a long legal battle, an understanding was reached in 1994. The LADWP has to reduce the amount of water it takes until the lake reaches a certain level, something that will take a few more years. (Ten? I don’t actually know.)

Who cares? It is a bizarre body of water, and it certainly isn’t potable with 2.5 times the salinity of the ocean.

Well, it is the largest lake in all of California (Tahoe doesn’t count because we share it with Nevada). It is an important stop for migrating birds. It is where most of the sea gulls hatch. It might be the only place in the world with brine shrimp, so if they all die, I’m sure there will be some horrific chain reaction which eventually will come down to no more ice cream or some other unimaginable catastrophe.

Stop talking, Central California Artist, and show us some photos!

While I was wading in the lake, my people were watching from the shore, all probably a little grossed out by my description of the squishy mud.

I was grossed out by the alkaline flies.

The boardwalks are really helpful, and as the lake level rises, they will be easily removed.

I wasn’t ready to return to our vacation rental in June Lake, so we stopped by Silver Lake on the way back. The light was too low for good photos, so I deleted all of mine except this one.

Tomorrow we will see new weird sights. The East Side of the Sierra Nevada is certainly full of peculiarities of nature.

Another Trip, Day Two

Bodie was the first stop on Day Two of our trip to The East Side of the Sierra. It is a a mining ghost town, a California state park described as being in “a state of arrested decay”. This means they keep it from falling apart any further, but they don’t rebuild. It was finally abandoned in about 1942, due to the country’s needs for a different type of mining during the war. There were 20 years of looting, pillaging, squatting, and destruction before it became a state park in 1962. It is fascinating!

We passed two herds of sheep on the long paved-turned-to-dirt road into Bodie. The light was wonderful but there were no turnouts, so this is a drive-by-shooting.

Why is this all here? (Yesterday I told you my mind is flooded with questions, and I meant it.) This certainly isn’t beach glass. Ghost glass?

I have helped 3 different students with their drawings of this church in Bodie. It is the most noticeable building when you first arrive.

The fanciest house in town is also the most photographed.

Peeking in windows is the only way to see what’s inside. After a few inside peeks, Hiking Buddy said, “I can see that wallpaper doesn’t go the distance.”

These yellow flowers were everywhere we went on our road trip.

This exterior wall is sided with pressed tin, normally used in ceilings.

I helped one of my drawing students with this view too.

This is the stamp mill. If we had timed it right, we could have taken a tour, but we had many other places to see. Choices and consequences.

This is a leaf spring. I’ve heard the term but never understood it.

The wire fence keeping us out had holes big enough to put my camera through. (Ha ha, can’t keep me out.)

The wooden sphere is a globe inside the schoolhouse, last used in 1942.

How did this beautiful handle survive the looting??

The wooden facade is actually a museum and store. The brick building is a former hotel.

Inside the museum, I was drawn to the light coming through the glass, mostly because of the blue.

In conclusion, it was a great 1/2 day in a weirdly wonderful, somewhat melancholy, slightly creepy view into the mysterious past.

Another Trip, Day One

Hey Central California Artist, why don’t you stay home since you love Central California so much?

Great question. (That’s what most interviewees say to almost every question.) Central California has been my home for (gasp) six decades now, but that doesn’t mean I am a homebody. Well, I actually am a homebody, because leaving home almost physically hurts. But there is so much to see, and being in the center of this massive state means all of it is accessible with only a day’s drive.

Where did you go this time?

So glad you asked! (That’s the other thing most interviewees say to the other questions not answered by “great question”.) We (Trail Guy, The Farmer, Hiking Buddy, and I) went to The East Side.

What is “The East Side”?

Great question. That is how folks on the west side of the Sierra Nevada refer to the other side. Our side is gradual, with towns, irrigated farms, and layers of foothills (and lots of fat, poor, and uneducated people*, so I am very comfortable here). The East Side is deserty and dry, lined by massive pointy peaks.

To go to the other side, passing through Yosemite and then over Tioga Pass is the closest northern route from Three Rivers.

The valley floor is a bit like Cedar Grove, only much more crowded.

Tenaya Lake is the little blue strip off in the distance. I sort of wish my Mom had gone with her gut instinct and named me Tenaya instead of Jana Banana.

At the bottom of Tioga Pass is Mono Lake. We had planned to go there on Day 2, but I got excited to put my feet in, so we went off on some dirt roads, just exploring.

While exploring, we came to this sign. I thought it had been written especially for me, because that is how I live. We had to turn around there, because we didn’t want to see if Hiking Buddy’s car could float since we needed it to get around and then back home again.

*It’s true! Read the statistics about Tulare County, and you will be appalled at us (but don’t forget that food comes from farmers, not grocery stores).

Country Girl in the City #6

Hey Central California artist, don’t you work anymore?

Of course I do! After I finish telling you about my trip to Sandy Eggo, I’ll show you that I do still work. So there.

My resourceful sister found an urban hike for us. 5.5 miles around San Diego, crossing bridges. It is called the Seven Bridge Hike. (or walk, more likely, because there are restaurants along the way so a pack with food and water isn’t required.)

The first bridge in the walk is on the eastern edge of Balboa Park.

Balboa Park is full of beautiful architecture. I had forgotten just how many gorgeous old buildings are there. We lingered after the first bridge because there were many distractions.

The next bridge was a driving bridge with sidewalks. It is ornate when you drive beneath it on the freeway, but the details don’t show when you walk across, leaving the park on its western edge.

More about our seven bridge walk tomorrow. Then maybe I’ll get back to being a working artist.

Country Girl in the City #5

The Gaslamp Quarter was just beginning to be redeveloped when I lived in San Diego. I worked for an architect in a somewhat seedy part of town, in a fabulous building. My sister was game to explore, so we went looking for the Keating Building.

I boldly walked in and was asked if I was a “registered guest”. What? It is a hotel, and the desk guy graciously walked us upstairs and showed us some of the renovations.

The woodwork is the same; the office where I worked is now a hotel room, so we obviously didn’t go in.

My boss’s office was on the second floor in that corner. Our guide said that George Keating began the building in stone, and after he died, his widow finished the building in brick.

We walked down to the harbor to enjoy another sunset. I think we put in about 9 miles that day. Good thing, because there was a tremendous amount of very good restaurant food getting consumed on this trip.

Country Girl in the City #4

We visited Coronado Island, which isn’t exactly an island. When I lived in San Diego, it cost money to cross the bridge to go there, so I didn’t go very often. Now it is free. Hunh?

This is a beautiful beach with white sand that gets raked regularly.

The Hotel Del Coronado is the big draw here. When I was in college, sometimes people would go into the fancy lobby of the fancy bathroom and take pictures in there. That’s in the days when a “selfie” required a tripod. (We felt a bit weird carrying a tripod into the bathroom, but did it anyway.)

I wanted to go into the tower but couldn’t figure out how.

I did boldly climb stairs into areas for registered guests only and was delighted to see this mural on several walls (Was it wallpaper? I wasn’t bold enough to go touch it).

My people with Point Loma in the background. The last time the three of us were together at a beach, it was the Mediterranean in Israel!

It was so hot in Israel that we couldn’t stand close together for the picture. (And I am wearing the same clothes that I wore at the beach on Coronado.)

Country Girl in the City #3

While in San Diego, my sister, niece and I went to an unusual restaurant called “Farmer Nate’s” or something like that. It had a nursery and some farm animals on the surprisingly large property located on a canyon in the city.

This sign in the restaurant cracked me up.

These morning glories are considered to be invasive weeds by farmers in Tulare County, but in Sandy Eggo, they are sold as a garden plant.

My niece loves succulents, and these were some of the weirdest ones we have ever seen.

Baby goats are so appealing, but I prefer cats.

Apparently my niece and I both share a borderline Cat Disorder.

See? I told you we were having more fun than a human being should be allowed.

Tomorrow I’ll show you another trip I took down memory lane in Sandy Eggo.

Country Girl in the City #2

This country girl had more fun than a human being should be allowed to have in San Diego with family and friends.

I lived in Sandy Eggo for about 4 years in college. (Went to 3 colleges down there – after 5 years I ended up with a 2 year degree from College of the Sequoias in Visalia – sure made my folks proud. Sigh.) I asked my sister if she had ever seen Sunset Cliffs below one of the schools I attended, and she was game for some exploring in her new city, so we headed out to the beach one evening.

We could see people down there. What a mystery – all those warning signs about unstable cliffs, stay back, no access, and still there are people down there.

I think they go down this crack in the cliffs.

This is just as beautiful as I remember.

This is another sort of trail. No thanks!

What is this tile area? Was it someone’s patio and the house fell into the ocean?

Oh wow, I love the ocean and the beach and maybe even Sandy Eggo. (See? I done went to college.)

Country Girl in a City

Still running behind after my road trip.

Where did you go, Central California Artist?

So glad you asked! I went to San Diego to see a dear friend who was there for a class, a dear cousin, another dear cousin, my dear aunt, my dear niece, and mostly, my dear sister. Oh dears.

What did you do in San Diego?

Great question (all interviewees begin their answers with “Great question” or “I’m glad you asked that”, and in a misguided attempt to appear normal, I am parroting that habit.) We had more fun than a human being should be allowed to have!

The view in the morning from my friends’ beach house.

I finally got to meet this precious boy who still loves the blanket I knit for him before he was born! (no names or locations because this is the World Wide Web)

My oldest and tallest cousin met me at the beach for a long catch-up conversation. Our dads would be happy if they knew what good friends we have become.

Another cousin and I went for a walk together, and crossed this footbridge over a major freeway. That was a thrill for this Central Californian.

Isn’t this scary and thrilling? It sure was loud.

We ended up in this neighborhood. San Diego is made up of semi-self-contained neighborhoods with their own identities.

My cousin explained this peculiar sight to me. All over San Diego there are scooters to rent; if you have the app on your device (good grief, our language has certainly gotten weird), you can hop on a scooter anywhere, ride it wherever you wish, and leave it wherever you are finished. People are paid to collect them, charge the batteries, and return them to popular spots.

Would you look at this!! I’ve heard of Little Free Libraries but only seen one. They are specially built box cupboards for people to leave books and borrow books for free. This one matches the architecture of the neighborhood.

This cousin and I were so engrossed in conversation and my city education that we forgot to take a photo together. He’s almost as tall as my other cousin, and we have been good friends for most of our lives. (Our dads were very happy about that.)

Little Shavers

Does this title please you as much as it does me? Heheheh. (That’s me snickering).

After having a wonderful reunion with wonderful friends in a wonderful place (is Lawrence Welk around here somewhere??), I wanted to commemorate our time together. As a Central California artist, art seemed like the right choice.

(We went to Shaver Lake. I wrote about it on Tuesday.)

I painted 5 Little Shavers. See?

2×2″ paintings won’t take up much space in people’s lives.

Our hostess got the big oil painting of Shaver Lake (can’t call that a “little shaver”.)

This is actually Tunnel Creek, which comes into Shaver Lake via a tunnel from Huntington Lake, I think. Hence, “Tunnel” Creek. We are clever like that here in California’s flyover country.

Category: Going Places