MORE WEATHER (Instead of Art)

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When there is an event, everyone is a photojournalist. I am your photojournalist reporting from the middle fork of the Kaweah River in Three Rivers. There is a lot of action in other parts of town, but it is fairly sane in our neighborhood. I continue to be thankful that we couldn’t afford riverfront property when we moved here, and thankful to have a house that was here pre-1955 when The Big Flood happened.

Middle Fork

This is also known as the main fork of the Kaweah. We live about 1/2 mile above it and often walk to the Dinely Bridge to see how it looks.


Lots of snow is still hanging in there, in spite of the warm rain.

We took a walk, and Trail Guy carried a big rake. He tried to free up some gunk clogging a culvert so that mud stops flowing across our road.

Moro Rock is visible up the canyon while the Alta Peak elephant hides behind clouds.

Back to the Dinely Bridge, looking upstream

Looking upstream to the Dinely side of the bridge (makes me think of Olivia Newton John’s song “The river’s too wide now for crossing. . .”)

Looking upstream to the Sierra (Hwy. 198) side of the bridge

Looking downstream

Looking downstream toward the highway

Looking downstream with Comb Rocks in the distance

Back home for a brief moment of sunshine (hi Pippin!)

East Fork (also known as the Mineral King Road)

We got a call from an adventurous friend who rode his bike up the Mineral King Road. (He likes to do things like that. . .ride to Mineral King, run to Eagle Lake, and ride home in the summer). He took many photos for us where the road is “gone-zo” (his term) about 4.5 miles up.

These are some of his photos of various washouts and blowouts and gone-zo-outs. I’m not sure where each one is, but know that the county has a ton of work ahead.

He also sent videos, but those don’t work here. Many similar photos were posted on the Book of Faces by one of his traveling companions, and several friends sent me screen shots. Our friend called us before they went public. Thank you, Dennis V!!

 

Big Water Update from Three Rivers

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Many friends have checked in to see if we are okay. We are definitely okay, and touched by the many inquiries.

We took some bags to a friend who lives along Salt Creek so he could fill them with sand. The creek flowed over his bridge so he needed to prep more for the next wave, or “atmospheric river” as everyone loves to say these days. Looking upstream

Looking downstream

Looking down

Looking across It didn’t rain during the day yesterday and there was much to appreciate.

My neighbor wanted to go for a walk again.

Looking downstream at the Dinely Bridge (on the Middle Fork).

Looking upstream

The water is lower than yesterday.

Someone didn’t want to get her feet wet.

Equipment was working on that washout.

Looking upstream

Moments of sunshine, appreciating the early wildflowers and green.

Did I not notice those cones on our way toward the washout? I did notice the puddles. . .

If I lived by the river, I would waste an enormous amount of time just staring at it.

Looking downstream off the Dinely bridge one more time.

Yesterday we had thunderstorms around 5 p.m.

Town is still mostly closed, no church today, but people are allowed to leave town and return now.

Fearsome, Ferocious, Frenetic Water Report

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Thursday night brought 4-1/2″ of rain.

My neighbor asked if I wanted to go looky-looing on Friday morning. Her car is higher than mine, and I immediately replied YES.

She manages a vacation rental on the North Fork. This is the view from the backyard at the normally mild fork that often dries up in the summer.

This is the North Fork flowing over the top of the Airport Bridge (there used to be an airport nearby). The whitewater is where the water hits the railing that the county used to remove when floods were predicted. Now they prefer to leave the railings up, which causes the water to flow around and wash out the approaches. This happened in January. Here we go again.

This is by my studio and workshop.

Later in the afternoon I went walking with another neighbor to survey the ongoing excitement and damages. This usually dry drainage was roaring over the road by her house, so we went another direction.

Same drainage, farther down, closer to the river.

Looking upstream from the Dinely Bridge.

Looking downstream on the Dinely Bridge.

No, really, LOOK AT THIS!!

Pretty little drainage coming off Edison Road.

In a friend’s yard, where the water is usually a bit of a distance away. Not so today.

This is a spot where lots of people trespass at the river on this little beach. We could hear boulders banging around beneath the current.

Another little drainage along Kaweah River Drive. This is where overflow from the flume occasionally flows.

A yard where the flume flows is very exciting right now.

Well, oops. This is where we turned around. There was a roaring stream across the road. I tested it with a stick, and it was about a foot and a half deep.

Looking upstream at this drainage, wondering where it came from. A man who lived above was out walking and explained that someone built a pond incorrectly, the dam on it broke, and the result is that many people are trapped on the other side.

Walking back, you can see that the water is very close to the road. In the early 2000s, I saw it closer. I was scared then, and I shouted at my neighbor who was driving, “GO FORWARD, GO BACK, OR LET ME OUT, BUT DON’T JUST STOP HERE!”

What’s this??

Mandatory evacuations.

This is the view upcanyon from the Remorial Building. I said “Remorial” because another neighbor thought that was the correct pronunciation when she was a child. She is getting married in 21 days, but we still pronounce it that way.

A sheriff was going through the neighborhood around 7 p.m. last night to tell us about evacuation orders. But Trail Guy met him at the bottom of the driveway and said no, we aren’t going anywhere. The sheriff gathered our name, phone numbers, address, and went on his way. Our house was built before the ’55 flood, so we feel fine.

February 2023 in Three Rivers (before the snow)

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The first daffodil opened in my yard on February 17.

A neighbor’s flowering quince bloomed sooner than ours.

Yes, I know you have seen this many times.

There are some new steps at the gate to the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) area above our house.

This is the top of Case Mountain. When people talk about the BLM land, they call it Case Mt. but one would have to walk very far and do a tremendous amount of trespassing to reach actual Case Mt.

Fiddleneck are the first flowers of the season, often starting in January.

Redmaids ought to be called “magenta maids”.

That bank on the right will have some blueish purple flowers in another month. I can’t spell the name.

Hi, you little misnamed blooms.

We’ll conclude today’s tour with another fiddleneck.

Three Rivers Weather Report

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Several friends asked if we got snow last week. We hadn’t on Friday when I sent out a newsletter stating no snow.

Then, it snowed on Friday night and Saturday morning.

Not very much (we are at 1000′), but it stayed cold all day so the parts that weren’t dissolved by rain stayed around.

Pippin wasn’t interested in being an outdoor cat on Saturday.

On Sunday, snow was still visible on the foothills around our house.

Because it was a little bit sunny, we took a short walk. All the little drainages were flowing.

I was thinking about flowers and cold: flowers are kept in refrigerators at florist shops, so this can’t be too bad. These daffodils will probably bounce back. 

The rosemary is certainly flourishing.

More snow and rain is coming. 

Don’t you just love wet winters in California??

A Little Work, A Little Walk, A Little More Work

While I am waiting to begin the murals at the giant church in Visalia, I have time to paint. However, I don’t have any deadlines, no upcoming shows, no commissions (there are a couple, but they are still in the conversation stage), and it has been BEE-YOO-TEE-FULL outside.

So, I work a little, walk a little, and work a little more.

When I am thinking about walking, it is a little bit hard to focus on detail. So, the detail on this 6×18″ oil painting of Tulare County’s best will have to wait. 

Let’s make like a tree and leaf.

Nothing in particular to photograph, just the same beautiful scenes of February in my Three Rivers neighborhood.

The elephant on Alta Peak is very clear, with a shadow making an ear and a rocky place making an eye. His back leg is significantly larger than his front. And there is Moro Rock.

A neighbor’s narcissus are in bloom. Mine are too, but I don’t want you to get too bored with the repetition here.

Back to work, Central California Artist!

This is 10×20″. Sawtooth is the peak on the left, and Homer’s Nose is visible on the right. 

I photographed this at an angle so you could see a bit of the reference photo minus the glare.

Nothing is finished after today’s disjointed painting attempts, but there was progress made, and February was enjoyed. Such a short month. Sigh.

Procrastination, Not Anticipation

Remember that song by Carly Simon “Anticipation”? I was singing that in my head the other day, but instead of “Anticipation is making me wait”, the words were “Procrastination is making me late”.The day was both cold and beautiful. I worked in the house where it was warm, wondering if anything was important enough to be in the workshop or studio where it was cold. If I was going to be cold, it was more appealing to go for a walk.

So, I did.

Then, I painted.

This one needed the mid-range hills detailed and a crop of oranges added, along with a wind machine.

This one needs everything.

Oops. Now it is dark and cold, time to go back into the house for the evening.

Procrastination would only be making me late if there were deadlines. 

A Little Walk and A Little Paint

The end of January gave us some brilliant days. Instead of just planting myself in front of the easels, I went for a walk first. I haven’t been on this walk for many months and was thrilled by all the greenery and flowing (and standing) water. When we moved to Three Rivers 24 years ago, there wasn’t much traffic here, either bicycle or foot. Now it is rare to be alone out there, and usually we run into someone we know. There are many more trails, added steps on steep areas, new corrals, and a few maintained bridges.

When we got home, I was very pleased to see some bulbs sprouting out in the afternoon sunshine. The ones in shade haven’t yet emerged.

GET TO WORK!!

I painted until I was almost frozen. It was a fine fine day of enjoying the beauty of January in Three Rivers, the best place to live in Tulare County (unless you prefer conveniences).

 

Waiting Around, Chapter One

Last October, I met with the project manager and the priest of the Catholic church under construction in Visalia. They chose me to paint 2 outdoor murals, to complete them by the end of December. Now it is January and I am still waiting for them to sign the contract and allow me to begin.

So, I am just enjoying life at a slower pace, getting little things done, hanging around while waiting. We finally had a day of sun and Trail Guy and I went for a short walk around the neighborhood.

First we stopped by a neighbor’s house where I stashed a ziplock of old documents on his front porch, took a photo and texted him. You are curious? My 4th-grade best friend married a guy whose dad built that house; he recently found some old papers that pertain to the place. (Yep, still friends with my 4th grade best friend!)

This is such a perfect view of Moro Rock and Alta Peak with another neighbor’s flag that I am sure I have taken this photo and shown you in previous posts.

Here is another great view of those two landmarks.

Sometimes I look Northwest toward Comb Rocks, because it is so very green. Maybe in a couple of months it will be bright orange. Don’t be alarmed: I am thinking about poppies, not fire.

We walked up to the Catholic church (nope, not the one where I hope to be painting murals—that one is 36 miles away). I remembered a joke my dad told me, one that involved a merger of 4 companies, 2 of which I had never heard of, so the joke was wasted on me. The 2 companies I had heard of were Mary Kay and Fuller Brush. The punchline to the joke was “Hale Mary Fuller Grace”. Does anyone out there know about those other two companies, Hale or Grace?

My mural on the water treatment plant doors has a weird spot where I must have used the wrong color of teal and thus, the yellow faded away leaving just a strong cobalt blue. Can you spot it?

Looking downstream on the middle fork of the Kaweah River

Look—a gift from the high water. We went down below the bridge to retrieve this thing: a Christmas tree stand bolted to a chunk of wood. Good thing there is a dumpster near the bridge.

Looking upstream.

And thus we conclude our Walk While Waiting.

 

Big Water in Three Rivers (with random questions)

The recent storms in Three Rivers have been very exciting. Water can do damage, but it isn’t scary like fires. Fire is capricious and random, but water flows downhill and in obvious channels, so one can simply use caution and enjoy the power. Many friends have called or emailed to ask if we are doing okay, because Three Rivers was in the local news and even made the weather channel (causing my aunt in Arkansas to call to check up on us)! But we couldn’t afford riverfront property 24 years ago, and thus, we are doing just fine in the “rain events”. (When did rain stop being just rain or perhaps a storm and become an “event”?) 

Today I will simply show you a smattering of water photos. I walked to the Dinely Bridge in the rain several times, and we took lots of walks around the neighborhood. Trail Guy, formerly known as Road Guy, usually carried either a shovel or an iron rake, his waterology work a gift to the neighborhood. (When did people stop giving one another things and start “gifting” them?)

The photos are not identified by date, water flow, or location. There will be some redundancy, because after awhile, it became hard to tell when each photo was taken. Yes, I know there are dates on photos, but sometimes I just want to coast a little bit. (Have you ever tried writing a blog 5 days a week for almost 15 years?? If so, you know that sometimes a  blogger just wants to slide a bit.) They are just here for your gawking pleasure, minus the wet feet and shoulders. (When did raincoats and jackets stop being waterproof?)

Maybe next week I will do some work. Maybe next week I’ll learn when I get to start the murals at the big Catholic church in Visalia.