Yesterday I walked the Lake Tahoe 1/2 Marathon. I’ll tell you about that after I finish going on and on and on about our very long road trip. Today is more about Sandpoint. These could all be considered sources of inspiration, because an artist needs to be continually on the lookout for subject matter and ideas.
I had to do a 10 mile walk while in Sandpoint in preparation for the Lake Tahoe walk. It was very difficult without my walking partner, but the scenery helped as did the level bike path. (The 11 mile bike ride on the previous day probably didn’t help.)
Never eat white berries, according to our friend’s dad.
We had planned to do this road trip last spring so that Trail Guy could ski at Schweitzer Mountain. It didn’t work out for the spring, so we rescheduled. During this late summer trip, we visited Schweitzer.
Fancy place, that Schweitzer. And such a view of Lake Ponderay! (Nope, I am not French, can’t speak it or spell it.)
The last morning in the Sandpoint area, we went touring on foot around our Very Very Nice Neighborhood in Dover Bay.
The little wire cage dealio is an elevator down to the docks. This is NOT the house where we were staying; our place was nice, and this was extravagantly nice.A church and community center with fake flowers in the window boxes.Firebush? AWESOME and definitely not fake.These people were sneaking apples. Trail Guy and I did too, but I don’t know if we appeared quite as furtive. We actually had permission, since the trees were on the railroad right-of-way and not in anyone’s yard. Bye-bye, bicycles. Bye-bye, Seattle friends. 8-(
Another personal post not about art or Mineral King.
We took a bike ride into Sandpoint. Turned out to be about 11 miles round trip. Not bad for the first time on a bike in several years. Probably the last time on a bike for several weeks. Ow.
The catalog company Coldwater Creek used to be located in this covered bridge. We went there in 2001, so it was fun to see it again. It is now little shoppes. There are many shoppes and shops in Sandpoint, including at least 2 that sell yarn. (My severe yarn diet was on vacation; besides, if I buy yarn for someone else, it doesn’t really count.)We rode along this path by Lake Ponderay (nope, not spelling it the French way). The blur is the result of taking a photo while riding.Still following those bikes. . . such great bike paths in Sandpoint! And everything is flat. Whenever I ride in Tulare County, I am just sure that every place is uphill and against the wind, but Sandpoint was perfect in every way for bike riding.
There were many berries. Our friend told us that his dad taught him that if berries are blue, they are usually safe, if red they are sometimes safe, and if white, NEVER safe to eat.
These blue berries (look carefully) are actually Oregon Grape. Couldn’t prove it by me – looks like holly.
The long way was behind us once we reached Sandpoint. This was the view from the porch of the Very Very Nice House where we stayed, actually located in Dover, just three miles north of Sandpoint.
The house next door was very similar to the place we stayed. This might make a nice drawing with the flag in color. It might make a nice oil painting.
Since I am in training for the Lake Tahoe 1/2 Marathon (October 9!!), I took a fast walk around the neighborhood. I had to retrace my route the next morning with a camera in my pocket, because it was so very beautiful.
Any one of these would make a nice oil painting. Does that make this a business trip?
Another entirely personal post, not about art or Mineral King; however, several of the photos shown could possibly become oil paintings or pencil drawings.
The third day of the very long road trip took us from Salem to Seattle. Seattle has a traffic problem. There is also a signage problem south of Tacoma – the freeway splits into 2 parts without warning or explanation; if you stay left, you can see a sign off to the right that says I-5. This is worrisome if you wished to remain on 5 but find yourself in the lanes going left. This worrisome condition continues for several miles without any reassurance whatsoever. Eventually, you are gifted with the knowledge that you are still on I-5, in spite of the signage showing that I-5 went right. It helps to maintain a sense of direction, and hope that everyone speaks English should you need to ask for directions. A working steering wheel also provides a sense of control during these times of freeway construction and confusion. Maps would help if you had any idea which freeway you got dumped onto.
In northern Oregon or southern Washington, I am always struck by the trees with no branches on their lower trunks.
Here are a few photos of the place we landed, once we arrived at our destination for that day.
If you want to watch Penny go nuts, just say “SQUIRRELS!”Fantastically beautiful backyard. It must be awesome to live without deer, gophers, bugs, excessive heat and a lack of water.
We left the next day for Sandpoint, Idaho, caravan style with our Seattle friends. Had to wait until 10 a.m. to avoid traffic. We may have deer, gophers, bugs, excessive heat and a lack of water, but we can leave on a trip whenever we want without considering traffic.
It poured while leaving Seattle and its nasty traffic.This isn’t considered to be “traffic” when you live in or around Seattle. As long as we could see those bicycles, we knew we were on the right road.Eastern Washington, still following the bicycles.Eastern Washington and southern Idaho are open, without excessive traffic, but with lots of ag and the occasional train.Yes, I juiced up the colors a bit. So much rural scenery, so much open space.Crossing the Ponderay River into Sandpoint with another bridge and a train in the distance. (I know that’s not the correct way to spell Ponderay, but it is actually spelled that way a few times in the area for the non-Frenchies.)
This post will be entirely personal, so feel free to skip it if you only come for art or Mineral King.
Did you know that Israel is 236 miles from north to south?
Recently, Trail Guy and I drove the equivalent of that distance 11 times over, and we only saw parts of 5 of our 50 states.
We live in a HUGE country, people. HUGE.
The first day of the road trip took us up Interstate Five. The further north we went, the easier the traveling became, due to diminishing traffic. (We avoid 99 because it seems as if everyone on that road is trying to kill us.)
The most interesting thing we saw that day was just south of the weird town of Weed: a lot full of rainbow colored water trucks. It is so remarkable that I looked it up online. They don’t have a website, but I found that their name is Truck Village. You can see a photo here.
Weed is quaint. It was named after Abner Weed, not after pot. Mount Shasta dominates the town, but I don’t have photos because the sun was directly over it when I took my morning walk. Here are a few photos showing the quaintness:
Our second day driving took us to our first real destination of Salem, Oregon. That leg of the trip was the shortest driving day and the prettiest. We saw wind machines in a few orchards, something we only associate with citrus in the Central Valley. So, we went exploring to see what needed frost protection, and this was the surprising answer:
Then we detoured to a landmark that I have been enjoying for years as we burn up the petrol along I-5.
It is called “Grave Creek” because of something sad a very long time ago, not because people are serious here.
Salem was all about Golden Delicious apples and making fruit leather. Had to do something while it rained; we had a very enjoyable time with family and apples.
The day after tomorrow I will continue to show and tell about the very long way there, and where “there” is.
This post is entirely personal. If you are only here for art or Mineral King, please return tomorrow.
Perkins was part of our lives for 17 years. In his time with us, he saw 14 other cats come and go. He survived tomcat attacks, rattlesnake bites and countless coyote and bobcat visits to the yard. He was a master gopher-getter, very accepting of all new cats into his territory, a chirper who didn’t meow much or make a fuss, content with his place on the front porch in summer or by the woodstove in winter, and a couch-destroyer.
We are now catless for the first time since March of 1987. We aren’t interested in getting more cats – we need time to adjust to the emptiness and to figure out the right situation for our 2 household lifestyle. And we need time to replace or recover the couch.
yellow eyes, pink nosevery tallPerkins with Jonespink toeschecked tail
It is an interesting phenomenon of a seasonal community like Mineral King that friendships can be formed on the basis of a few days a year over the course of many years.
A prime example is our relationship with the Sawtooth Six, our neighbors for 4 days a year over the last 30-something years.
It took me quite a few years to learn their names. We used to find out when they were visiting and plan to be gone that weekend. Now everyone has grown up, and we anticipate the Sawtooth Six’s visit with pleasure.
Kurt and Scott are fascinated by the repartee of their host, AKA Cabin OwnerJon gathers hiking wisdom from Trail Guy.Scott defends the “or derves” (nope, not spelling that word) from the voracious meat bees, always a threat in August.Ted wonders how he got mixed up with such a motley crew.The gracious and kind Cabin Owner is a wonderful neighbor and friend.Hey Jon, I know you are reading this! Thanks for cooperating for this very cute photo.A professor wears his clean socks in the dirt and no one knows why. Eccentric, perhaps? Provocative? Hard to say with this one.
This will be an entirely personal post. Skip it if you came here for Mineral King or art. Return tomorrow for Mineral King.
“The Captain” is how I refer to this fabulous birthday girl. She is my closest friend (one of several that I consider my BFFs, although how can there be more than one “best”?), who knows almost everything about me and loves me anyway, and is a blessing to everyone she encounters.
Together at a prayer retreat in Cayucos, 2007 (before I cut bangs to hide the eleven between my eyebrows)At the cabin with Dancer, a Jack Russell terrierModeling a shawl in Mineral King that she helped me finish because she is fantastic at weaving in ends.She may have an even bigger Cat Disorder than I (me? I’m supposed to know these things).Retiring CaptainMay you ride again, Captain.The Captain and her CowboyAt a Mannheim Steamroller concert in 2007In Chicago in 2013 (we both had dear relatives in the same area, now both gone)
WARNING: This post is very long, entirely personal and has nothing to do with my art or Mineral King.
Darrell Heinrichs, 1956-2016
When I was in third grade, a new family started attending my church. I became friends with Deanne, a first grader. We are still friends, with layers and decades of history and experiences binding us together.
Deanne had two older brothers. The oldest, Darrell, was 3 years older than me, so I mostly ignored him. When we were in our twenties, we were both living in Visalia, and we starting hanging out together. He was cool, charismatic, fun, friendly, and good-looking, an important feature among people in their twenties.
Last week we lost Darrell. I wrote up some thoughts to share with his family, and decided to share an abbreviated version with you, Faithful Blog Readers. These are life lessons that I learned from him.
Lesson #1: Help people when you are able.
When I needed to pack up my apartment and put everything in storage. Darrell helped me do that, and a sub-lesson I learned from him was how to efficiently pack a storage unit. He was a hard worker and showed me how to take advantage of every available inch. I was a little shocked to see him turn my brand new couch on its side, but he knew what he was doing.
Lesson #2: Find fun, make fun, and enjoy life every place possible.
Darrell had a distinct laugh, one that another friend described as “stuttery”. If it could be spelled, it would truly be “heh-heh- heh”. While shuttling my possessions to the storage unit, he made a shortcut across a vacant lot. I said, “Where are you going??” and he said, “I’m not driving the long way around, heh-heh-heh!” So we bounced across the vacant lot and across the sidewalk and down a curb in a borrowed pick-up.
At a high school youth retreat, the youth sponsor’s door came off the hinges, and the bell tower mysteriously played “Smoke on the Water” instead of a hymn. I remember a TPing incident that involved a lot of shouting and laughter and fast driving away. If there was something that was on the edge, scary, or risky, Darrell was usually involved.
Lesson #3: Be a gentleman, regardless of the circumstances.
I lent him a car at a time when I had two, and it was a mistake. There was a lot of chaos and upset, but the car was returned, and nothing bad happened. Later, Darrell apologized to me for causing trouble. I was touched by his concern.
When we were hanging around together, it was often with another girl friend of mine. Darrell was concerned about our reputations, because we were “good girls” and he was a “bad boy”. We both reassured him that we weren’t worried, because if he needed good girls in his life to help him get on track, then we were there for him.
Lesson #4: Always work hard.
No matter what adverse circumstances Darrell created for himself, he managed to find work. He liked to be outdoors, and to do physical labor. He was never afraid of work, and usually chose farming. There was that tomato project at his parents’ place early on. . . I don’t think it turned out well, but he didn’t seem to get discouraged.
Lesson #5: Often our choices cause difficult consequences for more than just ourselves.
Life is all about choices and consequences. We all make good and bad choices, and the final lesson I learned from Darrell is that our choices definitely affect other people. He didn’t use discernment when he generously offered a room to someone he barely knew, someone who killed him without mercy. The consequences of that decision are affecting all of us who cared about him.
I believe that Darrell is now with Jesus. We were baptized at the same time, when I was 8 and he was 11, along with his brother, my sister and another friend. We all were young, but every one of us sincerely believed at that time. A number of years later, I learned something important from a wise Bible teacher, who happened to be Darrell’s own mom. She said in reference to John 3:16 that “Eternal means eternal. How can something be eternal if it can be taken back?”
So, in spite of him not being a current part of my life, he was part of my past and will be again in the future.
Never eat white berries, according to our friend’s dad.
Bye-bye, bicycles. Bye-bye, Seattle friends. 8-(
The house next door was very similar to the place we stayed. This might make a nice drawing with the flag in color. It might make a nice oil painting.
