Relaxing Time in Mineral King

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. By now you know that I go to Mineral King almost every week, balancing time up and down the hill, consistently showing you Mineral King things on Fridays. Because this is the World Wide Web, I don’t publish my schedule, or tell you when I am away. (Of course I trust you, Faithful Blog Reader, but who knows how many bad guys might be waiting to steal my beloved Fernando, a ’96 Honda Accord with 240,000 miles on it, while I am in Mineral King??)

We finally had a few quiet days in MK, without scheduled events, cabin neighbors*, broken water lines, parking troubles, and hordes staring at our cabin as they tromped past.

Here is a peek into a quiet few days with my usual commentary.

This is Hoopes Sneezeweed, an odd name for a flower that looks blown out even when newly blooming.

The split wood was getting low.

The Honeymoon Cabin, a mini-museum for the Mineral King Preservation Society, has new steps, thanks to super volunteer and MKPS board member Dan V. and his capable assistants. (Hi R and A! Sorry to have missed you.)

Random people enjoy fishing below the Honeymoon Cabin. 

From left to right: hatchet, ax, bigger ax. Good tools for a somewhat peculiar and very practical hobby.

We walked up to Black Wolf Falls, which I think of as Monarch Falls because it is on Monarch Creek.

Trail Guy was ahead of me while I was oohing and ahhing over my favorite wildflower, Explorer’s Gentian.

There is a mining tunnel by the falls. I didn’t go in this time. Seen one dark dripping tunnel, seen ’em all.

This might be the very best Grass of Parnassus I have seen yet. It is the first time I’ve seen them at Monarch Falls. What’s up with that balanced rock? I resisted the urge to knock it over because I am very mature about such things. While in Oregon, I made a new friend who was struggling to knit this sweater. The instructions were ridiculous, so I found a way to make it for her without following a pattern. It is now on its way back to Oregon so my friend can have the joy of completion.

Please admire this beautiful arrangement of my tools, brought to you by Tool Guy. Oops, I mean Trail Guy.We headed up the canyon for an easy walk, and I got sidetracked by the light on this horse. 

There is an island in Crystal Creek where it crosses the trail that is a little flower garden.

This is Sierra Gentian, a cousin of my favorite, Explorer’s Gentian.

Trail Guy led us to a spot where there used to be a cabin. I found this nail to be intriguing, because it is a modern nail next to a historic site. Besides, the light was good.

Can you tell that this is a man-made platform? There are no log cabin corners, but it definitely is a place where a cabin once stood.

How did Trail Guy recognize it while looking at this view? He’s just good that way.

I think these are called Common Madia. However, yellow flowers do tend to look alike. (Anyone know of a good Mineral King wildflower book?)

This is a tiny pink flower I have never seen before. The blossom looks like Wire Lettuce (nope, not making that up) but the foilage is clearly different, more like a shrub.

Thus we conclude another random ramble through our favorite place, Mineral King. (The road is very very terrible, in case you were wondering, but 4-wheel drive isn’t necessary.)

*We love our neighbors but it certainly is quiet without them around.

 

Mineral King Without Me

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. Today’s post is photos taken by Trail Guy from last week and weekend. I was far far away at the time.

Some friends went with Trail Guy to Soda Springs. Do I spy my red pack?? 

Still green.

My very favorite wildflower, Explorer’s Gentian, is abundant right now.

Trail Guy went to Farewell Gap. This is the view from one gap to another—that is Timber Gap in the distance.

He met Charlie from Mammoth and Kentucky who was “bagging peaks”; this man came down from Vandever, which is the peak visible on the right when you look at Farewell Gap from Mineral King.

Fireweed.

Still green.

Still my favorite.

Still flowing—this is Franklin Creek.

Agreeable Customer, Disagreeable Weather

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. A swamp cooler doesn’t help in hot humid weather. When it is horrid out, I am able to paint a few hours before melting. So, I am thankful to have such an agreeable customer while working on his project in this disagreeable weather.

Because the sign is 20″, and will be outside, I am going to attempt to do this with my mural paints instead of oils. I might need oils for the detailed parts, but maybe the scenery can be accomplished with mural paints.

Rough start. I need a photo rather than the old sign. Good thing this is about Mineral King, because I have a couple of photos on my computer of Mineral King. A couple thousand.

This will work. I drew a partial circle around it to help me see which parts to include.

How did I paint before I learned to use photos on the laptop? Easy. I could see small things up close in the olden days.

Now we’re cooking with gas!

And that might be why I am melting. This project is going to have to wait for better weather. 

Hiking Nowhere in Mineral King

August is a busy month for cabin folks in Mineral King. The first weekend of the month is full of meetings and reunions. 

We also got rain, lots of wonderful soaking rain. Look how green it is!!

Since all the willows were pruned for fire prevention, I noticed new rocks that had escaped me for many years. This is Big Rock, so I guess that smaller one must be Little Rock. Or Small Rock.

The asters were thick along the road as I walked down to attend a meeting.

I saw a butterfly I’ve never noticed before.

I love this view at the top of Endurance Grade but either the water or the distant peaks are overexposed in every photo. This time I chose to let the water look all white so that you can see the peaks. Farewell Gap is out of the photo, to the right.

We listened to the superintendent of Sequoia National Park at the meeting. There were many many questions about fires. There were more people behind me and also to my right, but I like to protect people’s identities here on the World Wide Web. Some of these people we only see every handful of years, which makes it difficult to recognize faces and remember names. Good thing that Trail Guy and I never change, eh?

I rode up the hill with my friend Sharon, who drives fast, and down the hill with my friend Karen, who drives slow. Driving fast meant we got there sooner; driving slow meant we spotted scarlet monkey flower, something I’ve only seen once in memory. Both trips were fun, a time to visit with dear friends, friendships based in Mineral King which have grown closer through many years of occasional visits, layer upon layer.

Next Friday I will tell you a little bit about life as part of the community of Mineral King. 

Many Happy Returns (and some not quite as happy)

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. 

Three Returns

One advantage (and disadvantage) of being in the art business in the same county year after year after year, is that sometimes your art gets returned to you. Some are happy returns, some are hassley returns.

The circle is a sign, painted by me about 10 years ago. The customer was happy and now the disintegrating sign needs to be replaced, larger this time.

The citrus art was for sale at Farmer Bob’s World, and nothing sold. The customer wasn’t happy, apparently. (Who was the customer? No one.) I am happy that I can sell it in a place with greater visitation.

Many years ago when I began oil painting, a friend (because almost everyone in Tulare County is a friend, unless he is a friend of a friend) bought this painting. That friend has moved on to his reward, and the painting was given to the Mineral King Preservation Society. The MKPS brought it to me because it needed a little attention after all these years. This is not a happy return because my friend is gone, but it is a happy return because I can spruce it up.

Interruption: What is Pippin Doing?

If This Ever Gets Returned…

The customers presented this painting to the happy recipient, who got a little teary-eyed. He and I have many things in common, and we just chattered away about various aspects of this painting, such as how the idea was conceived, what exactly is in it, why I left some things out, and how much we love this view. He is sort of like anutter brutter from our utter mutter. (And if this painting gets returned, I’m hanging it in my house!)

No More Return

I returned to this colored pencil drawing. The original concept was to only use the 24 Prismacolor colored pencils in their limited set. Those stupid pencils kept breaking, so I started using lots of other colors too. It reminded me of one of the many reasons I quit using colored pencils.

I doubt if I will be returning to colored pencils any time soon.

Not Returning This Either

About a year ago after a whole lot of trouble, I finally bought a mini fridge for the painting workshop. The freezer is where I store my oil painting palette, a convenient luxury. The big box store was TERRIBLE to deal with. A few weeks ago when I retrieved my palette, it was HOT inside the fridge. Sigh. I unplugged it, pulled it off its pedestal, propped the door open, and now I have to figure out how to get rid of it. I am NOT going back to the extremely inept, incompetent, undertrained, understocked, understaffed, and apathetic big box store. Instead, I will consider it one year of luxury, now both a memory and a hassle. (Learned in June 2021, #10)

Look What I Tried Next With Colored Pencils

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. Sometimes I just live on the edge. In 2019 I took a plein air oil painting workshop, wanting to learn the skills of slamming out a painting before the light changed too much. It wasn’t easy for this studio artist who is used to a fixed environment, working from my own zillion photos. It wasn’t easy for this near-sighted artist who has fought to see clearly her entire life to enjoy painting loosey-goosey. Blurry on purpose?? Why would anyone do that?

Being somewhat adventurous with my art doesn’t come easily to me. However, I took a clipboard with a piece of good paper and my box of twelve (times two) colored pencils down to a spot along the creek in Mineral King.

First I photographed the scene so I would know what to do if/when the light changed or if it took too long and I needed to finish it in the studio. (Please, please, let me work in my studio, you mean bossy fake plein air artist!)

Then I began drawing, this time using Polychromos, because they don’t need sharpening as often as Prismacolor and they don’t break as easily. I chose brown for sketching, because the plein air oil painting teacher had us put our first layers down in a brown.

This is hard. Maybe I should just do the Honeymoon Cabin as it looks from this perch in the dirt.

Never mind. Focus, Central California Artist!

Forget all that brown. I want to start coloring, because I know it will take umpty-umpt layers to even vaguely approximate the colors I see.

This is hard. These colors are inadequate. My hiney is sore from sitting on this dirt perch. Other people are hanging out together having fun.

Why exactly am I doing this?

No good reason. Guess I’ll stop now and head back to the cabin. 

Maybe I will finish this, and maybe I won’t. I have several paintings waiting to be done, and there will be payments when I am finished. 

Sounds like an easy decision.

A Porch Kind of Weekend in Mineral King

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. When the weather isn’t favorable, we watch people trudge up the trails and think, “Nope, not us”. Instead, we stay close to the cabin, spending much time on the deck (sort of a porch, but without a roof).

There were plenty of things to do. First, we cleared out some unnecessary items from the upstairs.

I spent a little time by the creek, watching some little friends play, chatting with their dad, and photographing red clover.

Then, it rained. It rained hard without thunder and lightning. We used to enjoy thunderstorms, but now lightning makes us worry about fires. We got a little over 1/2″, always welcome.

I knit a lot. Just another green sweater that I don’t need, but I am 62 and get to do (mostly) what I want, and what I want is to knit, preferably in shades of green and blue, with natural fibers, using patterns that teach me new methods of design or construction.

A tree fell in the night. It sounded close. First I heard all sorts of debris (needles) hitting the roof, and then the crack, followed by a boom. As if I don’t have enough to be afraid of with lightning. . . now falling trees?? Off-Trail Guy went up the hillside behind the cabins and saw this newly fallen tree. It was a couple of cabins away, kind of far up the slope, and way skinnier than I expected. Why was it so loud? Why did I hear debris on our roof?

We also spent time with neighbors, read, and listened to the radio. A porch kind of weekend is fun once in awhile.

 

Hiking to Mineral King’s White Chief Canyon

If you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog. White Chief Canyon is the favorite hiking destination for both Trail Guy and me. This summer has been full of disruption, so I hadn’t made it there yet, while Trail Guy had gone several times. First point of interest is the Spring Creek bridge, with fireweed in bloom now.

That trail is STEEP, but you reach your destination in about 2 or 2-1/2 miles. (It is about 1 mile to this sign, and no one knows exactly which point is 1.8 miles from the sign.) In order to distract myself from the difficulty, I counted wildflower varieties. Before reaching the junction sign, I counted 29 different wildflowers.

After the junction, Trail Guy insists that there are only three steep grades. I insisted that he show me where each one begins and ends. That kept our minds off the difficulty, and although I believe there are actually four steep grades, now I understand what he is referring to. However, the lack of oxygen to my brain may preclude my ability to retain or pass on that information. 


See the cones at the top of those two red firs? We both hope that it portends a heavy winter.

Hello, White Chief canyon!

Hello, little pond!

Hello, weird ugly lichen!

Almost to our destination, but no plans to cross the creek and go see the mining tunnel. (Can you spot it on the white wall?)

Hello, Seep Spring Monkey flowers!I continued counting wildflowers and found 14 more varieties after the junction.  

My feet don’t hurt in my new “hiking boots” (Crocs All Terrain model) but it always feels wonderful to put them in icy water. (my feet, not my shoes)

That jagged-top peak is Vandever, the one on the right side of Farewell Gap. It appears much rougher from this viewpoint than from the Mineral King valley floor.

A marmot was quite interested in sneaking up on Trail Guy and inspecting his lunch.

Someone has made quite a pile along the trail to indicate where to head down to the creek crossing and head up to the mining tunnel. Can you spot the tunnel in this photo?

Obviously, there is a drainage of some sort here for the Bigelow Sneezeweed to run up the hillside. People are often discussing drought, but the truth is that we had twice as much rainfall last winter as the previous one.

Farewell, White Chief.

This is “everyone’s” favorite juniper. I have painted it quite a few times.

I painted it once from this angle, which isn’t quite as impressive.

We made it home, dusty, tired, and happy to have visited our favorite Mineral King destination once again.

Do you have a favorite Mineral King destination?

Still Painting Mineral King in the Heat

For those of you who subscribe and read the blog post on your phone: if you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog.

Again, I say that painting elevation while down in the heat has no benefits, other than in one’s imagination. Sawtooth, visible from Mineral King in this painting, is 12,343′ in elevation; Three Rivers (where I live) is 1000′. They say (“they”? who is this?) that the temperature drops 3 degrees for every 1000′ gained in elevation. You can do the math if you’d like; I’m too overheated.

This isn’t quite finished. When it is dry, I will do some nitpicking, careful evaluating, and then will make corrections and plant wildflowers. Of course I will plant wildflowers—do not doubt me on this! 

P.S. The color looks washed out here – does heat affect photography too??

Links to other posts about painting Sawtooth:

  1. Department of Redundancy Dept.
  2. Lots of Sawtooths (Sawteeth? Nah)
  3. Almost finished with the Sawtooth paintings
  4. You just won’t believe this one
  5. Back to Sawtooth
  6. Really Painting Sawtooth Again

Painting Sawtooth on a Very Hot Day

For those of you who subscribe and read the blog post on your phone: if you can’t see the photos, go here: cabinart.net/blog.

July is very hot in Tulare County, unless you are at elevation. One hot afternoon, I was not at elevation; however, I painted elevation. This did not help the temperature. Neither did the swamp cooler, but it was more comfortable after I blasted my head and face with a hose. (Yep, got hosed.)

Remember this mess? Probably not, because I haven’t shown you yet. This is yet another oil painting of Sawtooth, this year’s winner of Most Popular Mineral King Subject Matter. (for the whole year, but not yet for the Silver City Store, which is selling steadily for me this summer, yet again, thank you Silver City Resort!)

I had an unexpected block of time on a hot afternoon, and after a bit of procrastination, followed by a pep talk (“DON’T BE SUCH A WUSS! YOU USED TO DO FARM LABOR IN THE SUMMER, YOU LILY-LIVERED SQUISHY-MINDED HOT-HOUSE PLANT!”), I went to work.

This is 12×24″, because I was out of 18×36″ canvases. It is destined for the Silver City Store, where  an 18×36″ painting of Giant Sequoias currently hangs, aptly and cleverly titled “Big & Tall”. My cowboy logic tells me that this painting is more likely to sell in that location.

P.S. I highly recommend blasting oneself on the head with cold water from a hose on a hot afternoon. It made it possible for me to work until the light was too poor to see, once my bangs stopped dripping in my eyes.

Links to other posts about painting Sawtooth:

  1. Department of Redundancy Dept.
  2. Lots of Sawtooths (Sawteeth? Nah)
  3. Almost finished with the Sawtooth paintings
  4. You just won’t believe this one
  5. Back to Sawtooth
  6. Really Painting Sawtooth Again