Goodbye, Steve

fire chaplain

1961 – 2015

STEVE was charismatic, confident, intense, competitive in many sports, and my brother-in-law for almost 30 years. It’s hard to imagine our family without him.

Trail Guy Tee Shirts

mineral king tee shirt mineral king tee shirt

Remember the Mineral King tee shirts, AKA Trail Guy Tee Shirts?

We have almost run out completely.

However, I messed up by not removing them from my website. It was set up so people can do a backorder. Someone ordered 2 shirts in a size we do not have.

Lucky you!

This means I have to place another order for tee shirts.

Would you like to order one? Go to the tee shirt page and place your order so I can include it in the tee shirt order, which I will place during the week after Labor Day.

This is the Mineral King scene on which the tee shirt embroidery design is based:

mineral king

This photo is current, and you will notice that the tall tree is now singular. In our tee shirt, there are two.

Does this make the tee shirt a “collectible” or perhaps “vintage”? Time flies, and the strangest things get called “vintage” or “retro” these days.

Dang. I’m middle-aged and that’s a sure sign. Another sign is that I’d rather hike up-hill than down-hill. Pretty soon I’ll be muttering, “Kids these days. . .!”

 

Lazy List of Hardworking Artists

Today I am sharing a list with you of some truly gifted and amazing artists. (Lists are a lazy way to post to a blog.) Because the internet has shrunk our world, I have had the pleasure of corresponding with and becoming virtual friends with these four women.

Diana Moses Botkin (no relation – we looked but did not find) – this link is to her website. Look down the side menu for the blog link, which reads “The Latest at my Blog”

Laurel Daniel – this link is to her website. Look down the side menu for the blog link

Nance Danforth – this link is to her blog. She also blows my mind with her knitting!

Ann Walker – this is linked to her website. To see her art on her site, click the word “Works” on the menu on the left side of her home page.

I didn’t ask their permission to post any of their work, so you will need to click their names to go to their websites. Diana, Laurel and Nance have blogs; Ann does not. Each is an outstanding painter, each painting in a different style; all are outstanding artists and wonderful people.

Lists are lazy, but they can be helpful. Hope these friends’ work brings beauty to your day.

Thank you Mr. Google for giving me the ability to connect with these inspirational and encouraging artist friends!

 

Jumping the Gun With Paint

Do you ever wonder about the origins of sayings such as “jumping the gun”? That is an easy one – it refers to racers (horses? people?) who take off before the starting gun.

In commissions, the “starting gun” is when the customer pays 1/2 down and we decide exactly what she wants. A conversation alone is not the starting gun.

I have had a recent wonderful reunion with an old friend (we are actually middle-aged, not old, and think we met in 4th grade but can’t remember). She expressed an interest in some fruit paintings. We didn’t decide anything for sure, and I didn’t even have the right sized canvases.

But, I’m having a hard time focusing and pushing through and following up. Sometimes life is hard, and it robs one of the ability to do everything one normally would do. Sometimes when life is hard, one just takes the easiest route.

(LBWR, feel no obligation for these 3 paintings – I just felt like tackling the project even though the canvases are thicker than the ones you saw and we didn’t cement the final look. If they don’t suit you, I’ll schlep them around to my fall shows, and I will still paint yours however you would like.)

IMG_1549First pass – wow, these are thick canvases. IMG_1562Next, effort into the orange because it got short shrift last time.

IMG_1563Looks good, and the colors are easy to morph into lemon colors. IMG_1564Wow, that pomegranate looks awesome, if I do say so myself.

“If I do say so myself” – where did that ludicrous saying originate? I did say so, myself.

LBWR, what do you think of these? I will be painting the sides dark green so they won’t need frames.

Cabin Communities Matter

the Cabins of Wilsonia

In order to sell books, I need to take them to groups and talk about them. So, I will begin with the Tulare-Kings Genealogical Society on Thursday evening, this week.

My entire point of the book, The Cabins of Wilsonia,  is that Cabin Communities Matter.

There isn’t much to brag on in Tulare County in terms of architecture. There’s my favorite bridge (on the Mineral King Road), the Fox Theater in Visalia is quite handsome, and there are various homes around the county that are respectable. What I think is truly remarkable is our cabin communities, particularly Wilsonia.

You knew that already because I spent 4 years making a book about it.

So, it is time for me to begin promoting my book. Here is the first event of that nature:

 

Tulare-Kings Genealogical Society

Thursday, September 3, 2015, 6:30 p.m.

Tulare City Public Library, Olympic Room City Council Chambers

475 North M Street, Tulare, California

FREE!

Relevant Links:

The book

My favorite bridge

Fox Theater

Tulare City Public Library