Category: Sources of inspiration

Is Mineral King the Most Beautiful Place in Tulare County?

Mineral King is probably the most beautiful place in Tulare County that is accessible by car. “One of the most” is probably more accurate than “the most”.

Make up your own mind. Of course, I’m only going to show you my side of the story!

Trail Guy takes this photo every summer, several times. Each time we are convinced the the rock outcropping on Empire Mt. is the best it has ever looked in the last sun of the day.

Timber Gap remains green far into the summer.

Vandever Peak, the right side of Farewell Gap, shows up in most of my Mineral King paintings.

This mule string is National Park animals getting ready to head out over Timber Gap.

Thimbleberry blooms in June and might be an edible berry in August. You’d have to ask a bear, but they don’t have calendars.

The bright flower is “Pride of the Mountains”, which is a penstemmon. Most of what I know about wildflowers comes from Stephen Stocking and Jack Rockwell’s book, Wildflowers of Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks now in its 4th edition from SNHA. I wore out my copy from 30 years ago, and Stephen brought me one in Wilsonia 2 weeks ago! What a thrill! He said there are about 10 new flowers in this version.

Mineral King Mineral King photography

A Walk in Mineral King

Last week we took a wildflower walk in Mineral King. This week we continue up the trail.

It was just a walk – no pack, no water, no food. It was hot out in the sun chasing down those wildflowers, so I was looking forward to stopping by the Ranger Station for a drink of water.

First, Trail Guy found a dead bird. Normally this would be no big deal, but this was a special bird, one that he had seen a few weeks ago. He told me about it because of the color, and he looked it up in a bird book because he has a good bird book and is curious that way. It is one of the things I really appreciate in him.

This is a dead lazuli bunting. I had never seen one or heard of it before. What a color! Sorry, Little Bunting. And Trail Guy, I’m sorry you have a boo-boo on your thumb.

HEY! Here is a live lazuli bunting! That is so fun – never seen one before, and then BOOM! A dead one and a live one all close together!

Trail Guy suggested a short cut, heading back across the stream on a log. I told him I was wanting a drink of water, and he said he thought that could be arranged.

It was a little unusual, a little over our heads, a little splashy, but Trail Guy is resourceful and knew what he knew. I said, “How many other women would put up with this?” He said, “That’s why I married you instead of those other women.” So, we got our splashy drinks and then ventured across the log.

I’m not much good at rock hopping due to a depth perception problem but I can do log crossings.

And this scene? I think it is exactly the place that I painted for my friend a few weeks ago! I actually recognized the exact aspen trees. (Hi, L!)

Mineral King Mineral King photography

A Wildflower Walk in Mineral King

Happy Independence Day Eve!

Normally I post about Mineral King on Fridays, but this week I will be silent on Friday because you will be busy and so will I. So, you get to read about Mineral King on Thursday. Hope you are feeling flexible.

Trail Guy and I took a break from our labors around the cabin (Is knitting a labor??) for a walk. No packs, no water, no snacks – just a walk. He wanted to visit his favorite flower, which has popped into bloom a little early this year since spring came early to the mountains.

This is not his favorite flower – this is Crimson Columbine.

This is not his favorite flower either. I don’t remember seeing it before. I don’t know what it is.

This is not Trail Guy’s favorite flower either. The color is washed out here, but it is Wild Blue Flax. I took this photo because this was taken in June, and normally this flower doesn’t appear until August.

This Mariposa Lily might be Trail Guy’s second favorite flower. It is one of the few white flowers that I’ve bothered to learn, because usually I think white flowers are boring.

This is one of my favorite views, but it rarely photographs well and has never looked good enough to paint.

This is an almost invisible little bitty purplish blue flower that our friend Sue got all excited about. She called it an “Alpine something-or-other”. I’ve never seen it before and don’t think Sue had either.

LEOPARD LILY AKA TIGER LILY is Trail Guy’s favorite wild flower.

They smell very very fragrant. Trail Guy thinks if it could be bottled, the bottler would be a zillionaire.

Indian Paintbrush grows at most elevations. This is one of the best ones I’ve ever seen.

I love penstemmon, particularly this purply-blue version. I don’t know its real name.

This blog post got long. I’ll tell you about the rest of our walk next Friday.

Mineral King Mineral King photography wildflowers

More Spring in Three Rivers

A glorious time of year in a beautiful place – that’s spring in Three Rivers, and it brings me inspiration.

In Three Rivers, this is called “Karl’s Tree”. It is a group of 8 dogwoods, a variety called “Carolinus Florida”. It blooms around the first of April, give or take, based on the weather.

Did you know that locust trees come in pink? These are also in Karl’s yard. They are more purple in real life than in this photo.

Fiesta flower is common in my driveway in early April. Mid April too.

Here is a pink dogwood and a white one too, both in bloom at the same time.

But what is there to DO in Three Rivers? Oh, trespass along the flume, look at the flowers, see the views, you know, just boring stuff like that.

The poppies look yellow in this photo. Colors don’t always work out to be accurate in digital photography or on the computer. But, it is still beautiful!

Three Rivers

Spring in Three Rivers

February is my favorite month. No wait, it’s March! Hold on a minute – I think it might be April!

Salt Creek ought to be raging about now. Instead, we are pathetically grateful for a tiny amount of flow.

My cousin loves to watch birds. I learned a ton from him and his sister in just a few days.

Green doesn’t last long around here so I soak in as much as I can.

More bird watching cousins. I am a cousin watching my bird watching cousins.

Way too much inspiration around here – this will have to be continued next week.

Three Rivers

Drawing Sequoia

Sequoia Natural History Association has sold my work for many years. Great organization – they stock and man the visitor centers and ranger stations throughout Sequoia. They do a lot more, but this post isn’t about them. It is about a drawing I am working on in hopes that they will add it to their inventory in the near future.

This is how the bridge over the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River looked during my recent visit to Sequoia National Park. This bridge is in the Lodgepole Campground.

This is the pencil drawing and the photos I’m working from. The white spaces in the photo are unfinished or sunshine, not snow.

Just in case you were wondering. . .

And I think bridges are remarkable pieces of architecture. They are simple spans over space, but they can be so elegant. Stone work, rustic wood, flowing water – what’s not to like?

drawing pencil drawing Sequoia National park

Visiting Sequoia

When I was a kid and there were guests from out of the area, my folks would take them up to visit Sequoia National Park. I remember thinking, “Do we have to go to the mountains again?”

What a punk. A punk in the Park. A Park Punk?

Two very dear cousins of mine were here recently. We had family business to attend to, and then, we went to Sequoia! I wanted to go, and I really wanted to go with them. They had spent much of their childhood summers in Sequoia, and many of our memories were from times there together.

It had snowed several days before and the previous night. Our first stop was Beetle Rock, which involved some fun stories and binoculars for bird watching.

It was overcast and cold. Doesn’t matter. We were in the Park, and surrounded by Sequoia trees. I love this fence, even when there is no sun on it, even when the snow is tracked.

Cousin Joel seems tall to me, but not compared to a Sequoia tree. He has binoculars, because he sees a bird. Or maybe he hears a bird and is looking for it.

We walked up toward Tokopah Falls, stepping in the tracks of some previous hikers. Doesn’t this look cold? It was 34 degrees.

This is the Marble Fork of the Kaweah River. It flows through Lodgepole. Brrrrr.

It got so foggy we descended to enjoy the foothill part of Sequoia. This is the Middle Fork of the Kaweah River as seen from a suspension bridge out of the Potwisha campground.

Isn’t this a cool bridge? When I bounced on it, it was hard for my cousins to hold the binoculars still and identify their birds. I tried to not be a punk and mostly succeeded.

Isn’t this cool?

This is an old flume and provides water for hydroelectric power. Very clean energy, and nothing gets wasted. There were no birds in the flume, so the binoculars weren’t necessary.

For the record, this former punk really enjoys Sequoia Park. I am now a California artist who loves the special places of Tulare County, and that’s the truth! (Raspberry sound, but I can’t spell that)

California Artist Sequoia Sequoia National park Three Rivers Tulare county

Walking in Three Rivers For Inspiration

People: “Where do you get your inspiration?”

California Artist: “Everywhere.”

Here are photos from a recent morning walk in Three Rivers.

The Redbud tree is beginning to fade. This is the extent of the snow on Alta Peak that forms “the elephant”.

Popcorn flower under the oaks.

Nothing to say here except swing. Or “swang” if you are feeling Southern.

Spelled “loo-pine”; pronounced “loo-pin”. Go figure.

Lady Banks Rose grows like a weed. Looks best in yellow, also comes in white. The yellow is a bit amplified here on the screen.

These may be called “Fields of Gold”, “Pots of Gold” or “Gold Fields”.

I keep taking this same photo, year in and year out and year after year. If you are sick of it, stop looking.

These are fiddlenecks, common as dirt in the spring.

For not having any flowers, this is a rather colorful shot.

Thus we conclude today’s walking tour of Three Rivers. Hope you too feel inspired! What does it mean to feel inspired, anyway??

Three Rivers

Beautiful Images from the Pacific Northwest

These are not necessarily things indigenous to the Pacific Northwest, but they are beautiful things I encountered while there. Beautiful things, views, places, all here for you to enjoy.

Puget Sound (AKA “The Sound”) as seen from Mukilteo, Washington.

The Mukilteo light house in what passes for sunshine in February in Washington.

An old architectural detail salvaged from a torn-down building and reused in a sign in Mukilteo, Washington.

Carol loves sea glass. I like it, she LOVES it. We took a little trip together for that purpose a few years ago. You can click here to see it on another page.

It isn’t very uncommon to see people decorate with lights in the Pacific Northwest. Helps alleviate depression. That, and coffee of course.

pacific northwest sea glass Washington state

Overly Excited in the Pacific Northwest

Yesterday I left you at the cliffhanger of Better Living Through Coffee in the Pacific Northwest.

Carol and I visited Port Townsend. It is a beautiful little town on the water with very stately architecture and art galleries and shops full of unnecessary items to enhance life and coffee and restaurants.

As the daughter of a citrus grower from Ivanhoe and the wife of a Trail Guy from Mineral King, cities and towns and beautiful buildings just THRILL me. It is a little embarrassing to take me anywhere because I am just THRILLED. THRILLED, I say.

Excuse me while I calm myself here.

There is a yarn shop in this building. With great restraint I did not go inside. I was already a bit overstimulated by the ferry ride and the beautiful buildings and the fantastic coffee.

No more caffeine for you Young Lady.

Get to the point already.

The point was to see Bob, my former drawing student! He and his wife and their horse (RIP, Porky Doc) and dogs (one less now, RIP Rose) moved there 4 years ago. Mrs. Bob loves it. Bob misses the sunshine and the drawing lessons. I miss Bob.

We had a wonderful visit. He drove us around town a bit, and treated us to a wonderful lunch at a very nice restaurant in a very old building. I could hardly eat from the excitement of it all. (Yeah, I know, I don’t get around and out much.)

We visited several art galleries, and the highlight was dropping by Don Tiller’s studio. Who is Don Tiller? I’m glad you asked. He paints what he calls “contemporary acrylic landscapes”. His work is whimsical and colorful and unusual. Bob took private lessons from him, and Carol took a workshp from him last month. Here, click on this to open his website in another page.

Tomorrow I’ll share some photos of beautiful things I saw while in Washington, the beautiful (and wet cold and rainy) Pacific Northwest.

Washington state