An afternoon in Sequoia National Park

A pair of friends backpacked from Mineral King to Crescent Meadow. Michael (my husband) brought their van down to Three Rivers, and I drove up to Giant Forest to pick them up 6 days later.

Much has changed in Sequoia National Park over the past 10 or 15 years. I followed Clueless Clive from Illinois for the entire trip up. He was clueless about the fact that if someone catches up to you, she is driving faster than you are. He was clueless about the purpose of turnouts to allow the faster follower to pass.

We waited for 15 minutes at this lovely view spot for the light to turn green.

Light? on the road to The Park? Yep, road work is now a regular part of a trip to The Park, and it includes delays, torn up road, single lane stretches, and no view from Amphitheater Point because it is full of construction equipment.

Then, when the downhill traffic has passed, the light turns green and everyone proceeds in a pack for the rest of the drive.

Despite the delays, I arrived early so I thought I’d just drive out to Crescent Meadow to meet the hikers there, instead of in Giant Forest as previously arranged. Nope. The road is closed on weekends unless you are a bus.

Waiting is rarely a problem for me.

There are huge redwood benches where you can wait for a bus or shuttle, breathe exhaust and cigarette smoke, and listen to idling diesel engines and many languages. The many languages part hasn’t changed. I recognized German, Spanish and Chinese. Okay, I figured out those were the languages, but only recognized specific words in Spanish.

“OSO!” Since I had a close encounter with an “oso” last week, I remained on my giant redwood bench while people ran toward him. (When the oso stepped a foot into my cabin last week, I was less than hospitable toward him, and wasn’t interested in meeting his cousin.)

It was 9/11 and there was a flag at half-mast in front of the Sentinel Tree. This is the same place where I met President Bush #43 in May of 2001. Security was looser then. We were all less worried, and younger and more innocent about bad things happening to good people.

Quite a bit of knitting was accomplished before my friends appeared from one of the shuttle buses. I enjoyed the time without demands, phone, computer, or clocks. A good time was had by all.

Isn’t this a precious father-daughter photo?

Why I Make Art, #2

His Other Car

Reason #2: I make art because I feel compelled to do so.

When I was a child, I would get this overwhelming urge to make something. “Mom, I feel like making something.” She probably dreaded those words. She’d send me to Highlights to find a project. We NEVER had the materials, even if the finished result was something I wanted to own, which it rarely was.

Sometimes I would get out the doll-sized sewing machine, go through Mom’s scraps and sew something sort of functional, a little schlocky and definitely slightly weird (hmmm, sounds like my knitting).

Other times, I’d draw.

Often I’d look for something to do until the urge wore off in a fit of frustration and just go read.

Regardless of the outcome, the desire to make something has never left me. Drawing, painting, making tile mosaic stepping stones/tables/steps/drinking fountain/light pole, origami boxes, tatted doilies, crocheted afghans (that was in the early ’80s), knitted anything. . . it is the way I am wired.

Since deciding to earn a living with by making something, it seemed wise to choose one method that I never tire of – drawing in pencil. Drawing brings the most satisfaction of anything I do. I think it has to do with skill level; the ability to do something well removes the frustration.

Why I Make Art

This is the first in a series.

Reason #1:

My art freezes a beautiful moment of time. The camera is my best friend, because my visual memory isn’t photographic and my techniques in drawing and painting are slow, slow, slow.  When I see something beautiful, I feel compelled to capture it, to relive it, to revisit it, to examine it and to share it.

A California Artist Explores Tulare County

There are 4863 square miles in Tulare County. Really! I read it on the internet, so it must be correct, right? Although a great deal of it is un-roaded mountains, there are many roads to explore. And, there are roads to re-explore, because I forget stuff.

This summer I’ve made 4 trips to Kings Canyon National Park. Although it is in Fresno County, the bulk of the travel happens in Tulare County. Each time I have taken a different route, sometimes by choice and sometimes by accident. I wasn’t lost, because I still had my sense of direction and a working steering wheel.

On my most recent trip, I tried 245 out of Woodlake. There are a number of roads that resemble one another along the foothills. They have enough variety to make it worth the effort to change my routes. Besides, I like knowing how they connect. The traffic is usually light, and mostly I see pick-ups or out of state license plates. This is because the roads look reasonable on a map, rather than the remote serpentine almost-endless routes that they really are.

As I drove, I wondered why I couldn’t remember one road from another and why they get so intermingled in my head. In addition, I had lots of other thoughts:

1. There is the road where Bob used to live. I wonder where the sycamore that he drew is. . .

Roble Lomas, oil on wrapped canvas, 14×11″, $175

2. OH! There is that stone gate and barn I painted from a 20 year old snapshot! Shoot, wish the light was better so I could photograph it again. Either they built some new structures, or I did some serious editing!

3. Hey! There is the 2-1/2 acres of avocados that Dad used to farm. Now it has a crummy looking mobile home sitting in the middle of the property.

4. That must be Baldy. Michael and I skied there. It’s not the one that slides in the winter – that is Little Baldy.

5. When did the Badger Store close? I remember getting mail there for Hartland Camp, misidentified on the map as “Hartman”. Don’t these folks actually travel to the places they are mapping?

6. THERE’s the Badger school I remember!  I’ve passed Sierra School on my last several trips. How can an area this rural support 2 elementary schools??

7. AHA! Hogback Road. I knew if I just kept trying different routes, I’d be able to find it from the lower end.

I love Tulare County, and I love exploring! Do you explore areas around your home? Do you look for differing rural routes? Do you have any recommendations? Please share!

List of unrelated thoughts with one semi-related piece of art

  1. I see only one movie in a theater a year. It has to do with the time, the distance, and my pickiness high level of discernment.
  2. This year’s movie was The Help. I would gladly see it again. It is the best movie I’ve seen in longer than I can remember!
  3. The theater was at a mall, and there weren’t many parking spaces. I find that puzzling in this county, in this economy.
  4. 90% of the cars in the mall’s parking lot were newer than mine. That also puzzles me in this county, in this economy.
  5. My new custom orthotics feel good, and I KNOW this stupid plantar fasciitis will be healed soon. Maybe I should sign up for a walking 1/2 marathon so I have a training goal.
  6. Ellen,  the Best Knitter I know, saw my wrist/thumb splint and said, “I have De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis too”. She is left handed with an affected right hand. I’m right handed with an affected left hand. Hmmmm. . .
  7. Such a wild and reckless life I lead – injured from walking and knitting. Good thing I am not a sky diver or skeet shooter!
  8. Three people have asked me about portrait commissions. Portraits are even harder to me than murals. Perhaps that is why I sit at the computer instead of returning those phone calls.
  9. There is a 2″ watermelon in my garden. Grow, baby, grow!
  10. I have begun a Huge HUGE new project. So far it has involved 9 nights away from home, and it is currently covering my dining table in the house and the work table in the studio. In the fullness of time, more will be revealed.  Meanwhile, my lips are sealed.

Arbitrary Alliterations, part 2

Kaweah Kitty

(fearless feline)

Friend’s Fruits

Food Fiend

(Killer Kitty)

Wrecked Wrist

(Spica Splint)

Gopher Getter

(Precious Perkins)

Arbitrary Alliterations

With thanks to The Pioneer Woman for the idea. . .

Critter Catcher

Possible Painting

Cottage Collage

Cute Cabin

Sad Shack

Stunning Sequoia

(Possible Painting!)

General Grant (Gigantea!)

Bridge Brotherhood

Orange Orange

Knitting Knut

11 Reasons to Buy Art

Buckeye Bridge,  16×12″, oil on wrapped canvas, $250

Tulare County is poor. We have high unemployment, even in better times. We aren’t very educated, and people buy inexpensive posters and cheap prints for their homes and offices. But not everyone. . . I have been earning my living with art, a full-time occupation, a business with art as my product since 1993. How?? By God’s grace, for sure. By not giving up. By building my skill and my reputation as a reliable business person who works well with customers, has fair (read “cheap”) prices and meets deadlines.

My good friend and I have been discussing art, business, and all variations of same.We know it is a luxury rather than a necessity. We know it continues to sell, people continue to buy it, even in a place like Tulare County, even in crummy times.

Why do people buy art? I thought of eleven reasons.

  1. It reminds us of good times.
  2. It reminds us of good places.
  3. It transports us back to those good places.
  4. It keeps our walls from being bare and boring.
  5. It brings color to otherwise dull decor.
  6. It absorbs sound. (Don’t believe me? Take all your stuff off the walls and listen to your room!)
  7. The flowers don’t wilt.
  8. The fruit doesn’t rot.
  9. It can be any season we want it to be.
  10. It can show you a scene the way you remember it, without all the junk that shows in photos.
  11. It is easy to rearrange the look of a room by rearranging the pictures – they move more easily than furniture!

Have you bought art? Care to share why?

Summer fun – 13 things I live by

Thank you to Cheryl Barker of Cheryl’s R&R blog for this idea. Today in the interest of summer fun, here is a list for you about me, the only subject in which I am really an expert.

  1. If it isn’t chocolate, it isn’t worth the calories. (Milk chocolate is for children, and chocolate is never white.)
  2. The more stuff you own, the more stuff breaks. (and gets lost)
  3. In decorating, choose what you love rather than what is in style.
  4. In clothing, choose what looks great on you and what you look great in rather than what is in style.
  5. Life is too short to dry dishes, iron jeans, or paint nails.
  6. I’d rather drive a used Honda Accord than a new anything else. (‘cept maybe an Acura!)
  7. ditto for Mac
  8. Spend less than you earn.
  9. Never pass up an opportunity to travel.
  10. Always bring knitting.
  11. Have your colors “done”, and use them.
  12. It is better to be really good at one thing than mediocre at many. (That is why I used pencil as my only medium for years.)
  13. Never stop searching for the perfect denim skirt. (Where are you, O Perfect Denim Skirt? One day you will be mine!)

Now it is your turn! What are some of your personal maxims? Hint: If you comment here on the blog instead of emailing me, everyone else will get to learn from you too.