A few years ago I painted a gingko leaf. A friend saw it and asked if I could paint the same for her, but make it green instead of yellow. I did. The background didn’t please her, because the darkness that I thought showed off the leaf looked depressing to her. This was her opinion, […]
Only in a Small Town Like Three Rivers
Last week I experienced some things that only happen when one lives in a small town. Three Rivers in Central California qualifies as a small town, with a population around 2600, and many of whom are weekenders. (The Kaweah Post Office in this pencil drawing isn’t my post office, but it isn’t very far from […]
Trail Guy Leads A Hike
Retired Road Guy loves to hike. He is particularly fond of loops, which ALWAYS include some off-trail stuff. The man really really knows Mineral King, and he knows how to choose the best hike for the right people at the optimal time of year. Dude’s just gifted like that. He is an introvert, but put […]
First Saturday, Three Rivers, September First
First Saturday Three Rivers has been happening for 3 years now. On the first Saturday of the month, merchants and artists in Three Rivers do something special. They have sales, open houses, new products, refreshments, or anything out of their normal procedures for the day. It gives you a reason to come up the hill. […]
Productive and Pathetic in Wilsonia, Part Two
While in Wilsonia, the private cabin community in Kings Canyon National Park, I visited the General Grant Tree. It is about a mile from Wilsonia in a spectacular grove of giant sequoias (sequoia gigantea not to be confused with California redwoods called sequoia sempervirens). Of course, what grove of Big Trees wouldn’t be considered spectacular? I […]
Productive and Pathetic in Wilsonia
I spent a very productive week at a cabin in Wilsonia, a private community within Kings Canyon National Park. The idea was to talk to lots of people, to learn and write down their stories, impressions, memories and thoughts on cabin life there. I was fairly certain that I had all the photos I needed […]
Mineral King Paintings and 3 Reasons Why They Are Selling Well
Mineral King is the second most popular subject that I paint. Oranges are first, pomegranates are third. Thanks for asking – does me good to know you care. Many of the artists I know have taken to creating small paintings in this crummy economy. Since Tulare County’s economy is usually crummy anyway, I was […]
White Chief, Part Two
One way you can tell that you are middle-aged is when hiking downhill is more painful than hiking uphill. (Can I get an “Amen”?) Last week I left you wondering how we were going to leave White Chief if not by the same trail we used to get there. Trail Guy loves loops – I […]
Honeymoon Cabin in Mineral King
The Honeymoon Cabin in Mineral King sits at the beginning of the Eagle/Mosquito/White Chief trailhead. It was part of the resort, back in the days of a store and rental cabins in Mineral King. That era ended in 1969, when an avalanche took out the store. By then, Walt Disney owned the place, and […]
Orange You Glad You Live in California (or Sorry That You Don’t)?
Orange you glad you live in California? Or perhaps you aren’t so glad – the state is way over its head financially, we have both sales tax and state income tax, our gas is almost the most expensive in the country, and it is stinkin’ hot. But we can grow oranges, and we can paint […]