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.  

 

 

Chasing the Sun in Three Rivers

So far, we are having a most welcome wet winter in Three Rivers. This results in Trail Guy and I chasing the sun. In the past handful of winters, we could walk around on the lake bottom (Kaweah Lake, formed by Terminus Dam on the Kaweah River when I was about 4 or 5 years old).

This year, it is flooded. The dam was built for flood control, irrigation storage, and recreation. Right now the focus is on flood control. Before it was built, Visalia, about 30 miles west, flooded. The last big flood was 1955. (I wasn’t born, so I don’t remember.)

This is looking west, walking along the road that used to be the main way in and out of Three Rivers, until the dam was built.

Looks like our short walk ends here.

Looks nice and green, but most of the ground around the lakebed is thick with cockleburs. They love socks and frayed hems and gortex shoes.

Turning back, this is the view. That’s Alta Peak, also visible from home. Yeppers, that’s the peak with an elephant in profile, visible when there is snow.

Is this lake or river? How about both. It is where the river meets and becomes lake.

Here’s one last big view of Alta. Can you see the elephant? I showed you in this post back in January last year..

Tomorrow, we will chase the water (damage) in Three Rivers and up the Mineral King Road.

Three Rivers in January

THREE Rivers? It is the Kaweah River, with four forks that flow into the main fork. They are called the Marble Fork, East Fork, Middle Fork (that’s the main one), North Fork, and South Fork. When the area was becoming a town, I think the Marble and East Forks were considered to be out of the area.

We live closest to the Middle Fork, so that is the area you will be seeing in today’s photos, all taken in early January on a rare sunny day. The rain has been abundant and regular. No complaints!

Moro Rock and Alta Peak as seen from our yard

Moss, as seen from our driveway

The Middle Fork of the Kaweah, as seen from a place of trespass

A road, where we trespassed

A water release from a place of trespass

A bridge over the water release

Patriotic chairs, as seen in our yard in the sunshine

Thus we conclude our little tour of Three Rivers on a rare sunny day after many welcome big rainstorms.

 

 

Winter is Confusing in Three Rivers

Three Rivers sort of has four seasons; spring is my favorite, summer seems to dominate, fall stays hot and is sometimes smoky, and winter is sunny and green, so it feels like spring very soon. It is confusing, when you hear and see snow, rain, ice, freezing temps all over the country.

This is what I mean about it being confusing.

I took all of these photos on Christmas Adam, Christmas Eve, and maybe Christmas Day too. 

Sunny Three Rivers

Often in winter when it is cold and gray down the hill, it is sunny in Three Rivers. On a sunny day in mid December, Trail Guy and I took a walk in the foothills of Sequoia National Park.

First, we had to go through a gate.

The whole walk was on a dirt road.

That bump on the left is Moro Rock; next to the right is Alta Peak.

I was going to remember the names of these ridges/peaks, but I already forgot. 

We turned around at Sycamore Creek. It was a short walk.

Those pokey rocks are Castle Rocks. 

If you live down the hill and get tired of the cold and gray, come to Three Rivers in the winter. We don’t have much winter here. Tomorrow I will show you a few more photos of how confusing winter can be here.