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?

the base of the General Grant Tree
I think this is the General Grant Tree. I took so many photos that I got confused.

I discovered something surprising. The General has been stripped of his title, except on the few remaining old signs and maps. He is now called the “Grant Tree”. Hmmmm, mighty peculiar (but probably not pathetic.)

As The Cabins of Wilsonia takes shape, new ideas keep coming. Because Wilsonia is in Kings Canyon National Park (ugh – do you mind if I just type KCNP?), it seems important to learn more about the immediate area.

So, I went exploring and found the Manzanita and Azalea Trails. There is a well-marked trail system that goes up to Park Ridge Lookout in KCNP, connects to Crystal Springs Campground and also surrounds Wilsonia, in a large and general way.

azalea trail in KCNP
The Azalea Trail in KCNP does not lead through the big trees, but it does go through some azaleas, which are probably fabulous earlier in the summer.

In addition to these extracurricular activities, I worked on The Cabins of Wilsonia, talked to many cabin folks, and had an immensely productive week.

What about the pathetic part, you ask? Ummm, I got homesick and went home a day early.

 

How You Can Comment on This Blog

This post is instructional for you, my fine quiet readers, who may want to comment on the blog but don’t know how. It’s really easy. And, all blog entries by a California artist should show some art, or a photo of California, doncha think?? Here is one for you before I get into the instructions.

blue wildflower, now known to be Chicory
This is chicory. I know this now thanks to my friend Rebecca (and verified by Mr. Google, who knows almost everything).

If you would like to comment on my blog (and I’d love to hear from you!), it is really really easy. Really! Click on “No Responses Yet” or “Three Responses So Far” or whatever it says in blue at the bottom of this post. You will get a box that you can type in.  Say whatever is on your mind about the post or respond to another commenter.

If you have no email and it asks for one, use mine. (Really!) It is cabinart at cabinart dot net. (I wrote it out that way because smart internet people say not to put it in one’s blog using the normal method.)

The first time you comment, I will get an email allowing me to approve or delete it. I can also fix the typos, which I ALWAYS do. (the Typo Psycho – that’s me!)

Don’t put in personal messages to me about when you are going on vacation and leaving your house empty for all the bad guys on the internet to see. If I think you revealed too much in a comment, I will delete the personal stuff because I am looking out for you.

P.S. It isn’t hard to learn new things. I just learned that the earphones from an iPod work with my MacBook and now I can listen to tunes or podcasts without using the speakers!

And Yet Another Post About Oregon

This time the post is about Salem, Oregon. There are 2 main reasons for going to Salem for me. Yes, it is the capital city, but I care little about that. My reasons are family and blueberries. Going in mid to late July means there are you-pick farms with the fabulous fruit just waiting for your labor. At $1/pound, it is hard to resist! We came home with quite a haul.

Here is an interesting factoid: when I visit one of my sisters, we often walk along the St. John’s River. When my family visits me, we often walk along the Kaweah River. When I visit my sister in Salem, we walk over the Willamette River. And, this trip involved the Sacramento, Rogue and Willamette Rivers. Didn’t know I was such a river rat, didja?

piano over the Willamette River in Oregon
Salem Oregon is having a piano event. There are 11 pianos scattered about town, painted up, and inviting anyone to just sit down and play. These strangers didn’t know a California artist was photographing them for her blog.
2 sisters picking blueberries
My sister is a great blueberry picker. I kept eating them, but it wasn’t stealing because I ate them off the ground. No one would be filling his bucket with blueberries off the ground, so it wasn’t stealing, but gleaning!

Picking blueberries is a-may-zing, as the youngsters say. (Have you noticed that the word has replaced “awesome”?) It wasn’t hot or dusty or sticky or thorny. That is unheard of in any sort of fruit gathering in California!

cute baby girl
This is the world’s cutest baby. Her name is Brooklyn and she is my grand niece. If I were going to name a baby after a bridge, it would have to be Oak Grove. Doesn’t quite have the ring of “Brooklyn”, but I think her dad chose it because the Dodgers used to be in Brooklyn.
Retired Road Guy holds a pink baby
Who knew? This is Retired Road Guy, aka Trail Guy. Babies like him. I’m still recovering from dropping my cousin when I was 8 and she was an infant, so I’d rather hold the camera. (She survived; thanks for your concern.)

Leaving California, Enjoying Oregon

Temporarily, of course. Although, whenever I visit the Pacific Northwest, I wonder why I have never moved there. Oh yeah, I’m never moving again. Sometimes I forget that very strong conviction.

The coolest thing I’ve done lately is to ride a jet boat up the Rogue River in Oregon. The company is called Jerry’s Rogue Jets, and it is The Best! Get your tickets soon, and request Kevin for your pilot. He is a grandson of Jerry and has been on the river since he was a wee lad. He knows everything about it, just everything. And, his dog Emma rode next to me the entire trip. Took the edge off missing Perkins, my sweet cat.

on a jet boat on the Rogue River
At the mouth of the Rogue River in Oregon, riding a Jerry’s Rogue Jets boat, going underneath the Patterson bridge. It is designed like my favorite bridge but instead of one arch, it has SEVEN!!
Patterson Bridge over the Rogue River, Gold Beach, Oregon
It was cold, foggy, the boat was very fast, and I was flipping over this wonderful piece of architectural beauty.
Another bridge across the Rogue River, Oregon
I can’t remember what this bridge was called, but we were thrilled to break into sunshine upstream from the very cold Gold Beach.
Rogue River, Oregon
All my river photos sort of look the same, beautiful scenery, eminently paintable. (“Eminently” is a cool way of saying “very”.)
a cabin along the banks of the Rogue River
Too bad I couldn’t get in touch with the people who own this place along the Rogue River. I just know they’s want a California Artist with a business called “cabinart” to draw or paint this!

 

To be continued. . .

Sometimes I Leave California

I hope it isn’t too shocking to you, my fine readers, to learn that the California artist sometimes goes out of the state. She has a penchant for the Pacific Northwest. (“Penchant” means a strong habitual liking.) She also blogs while she is away so that the bad guys on the internet can’t tell that she is gone. Tricky, eh?

While visiting these other places, she takes photos that she hopes to paint one day. She hopes to have a show called “Going Places” to show and sell these as of yet unpainted pieces of art.

And, while she is away, sometimes she gets on a weird roll and begins writing in third person.

unknown blue wildflower
How exciting – lots of these along the roads in Northern California and Southern Oregon. What are they??

 

natural bridge on Oregon coast
Here is some of the Oregon coastline. Figures I’d show you a bridge, albeit a natural one. (“Albeit” is a cool way to say “although”.)

 

blue hydrangea
The hydrangeas are blue in the Pacific Northwest because there is so much acid in their soil. I was in blue flower heaven. The acid is also what makes them able to grow blueberries. Acid = blue??
driftwood structure on an Oregon Beach
There was a TON of driftwood on the beach where we stayed. There were also many of these structures, probably built as windbreaks. That is Trail Guy on the beach, in case you were wondering who I went to Oregon with.
pebbles on an Oregon beach
Are these pebbles on an Oregon beach? They look like river rocks to me. This Oregon beach was difficult for walking because a beach walker was trying to not freeze to death, clumping along over rocks, or negotiating through driftwood. I loved it anyway.

To be continued tomorrow. . .

 

Trip-toe Through The Tulips

Sorry. That was just dumb. Sometimes I am just a real chucklehead. Honestly, I will try to come up with an appropriate title for this triptych, one worthy of the beauty of the scene.

tulip oil Painting by Jana Botkin

tulip oil painting by jana botkin

tulip oil painting by jana botkin

Once again I ask, “WHY is a California artist painting the tulips fields of Washington?”

Because:

1. They are beautiful

2. I love them

3. It is my hope to one day have a show called “Going Places” and finally paint and show work from my (somewhat limited) travels. I take many many photos, want to paint them, and wonder how to find a market for those subjects. Perhaps putting them all together in a show would really make a great visual impact. (Perhaps it would look like a mess of unrelated images. Maybe I’d even get arrested for visual assault.)

Meanwhile, I will continue to slowly build up my collection of non-central-valley art.

Do you think a show of China, Washington DC, Washington state, North Carolina, Oregon, and Lake Tahoe would look like a mess?

A California Artist Goes to Washington and Gets Inspired

When I went to Washington (state) in April, the tulips were in bloom. That is the reason I chose April for my visit. They were stunning.

While at the Redbud Festival in Three Rivers, I saw a lady wearing a skirt with a tulip print. The tulips were progressively larger as they got closer to the hem.

It gave me the idea to paint the tulip fields as a triptych. Triptych is Artspeak for three paintings that are meant to be seen as one scene. I have no earthly idea why this looks so cool, but it does. (It is pronounced “trip-tick”)

Turn your head sideways, squint a bit, and imagine these as a triptych. The top piece has more layers than the other two, but you probably figured that out all by yourself. And pay no attention to the gingko leaf in the upper left.

Occasionally this California artist has to take a trip. On this one she got a tych. But not a tick.

Ever seen an entire field of the same flower in bloom at once time? You can share it here.

A California Artist Goes Coastal

I said “coastal”, not “postal”. Living in rural Tulare County in the foothills of the Sierra in Three Rivers is great. But, I’m 50% beach girl, and the ocean calls to me.

A dear friend and neighbor just graduated from a college in Santa Barbara. We stayed in the lovely town of Ventura, enjoyed her campus and graduation in SB, and stopped by the beach again on the way home.

Just wanted you to know that this California artist gets out and about in her state on occasion. These may or may not become paintings. More will be revealed in the fullness of time.

The beach in Ventura has a very sloped surface. If you walk far, one of your legs might shrink. (Perhaps it will rebalance when you walk back.) Would this make a nice painting? Probably has too much sand and not enough water.

The harbor had perfect light in the early evening. Would this make a nice painting? Probably. Not sure I have a market for this subject.

This beach was across the street from Santa Barbara City College. How do those people get any studying accomplished?? If there were little kids playing in the sand, this photo would almost have it all! Lovely lovely town and beach and day.

A California Artist Goes to Washington, Part Five

While I was in Washington working diligently on the upcoming book The Cabins of Wilsonia, I had the delightful companionship of Penny, a little black dot of a dog, whom I called “Pen Dot”. She took the edge off missing my three cats.

And here is an average view on an average morning on an average walk in Carol’s area. Those are the Olympic Mts. in the distance. (I knew you were just dying to know.)

In addition to slaving away at my upcoming book, The Cabins of Wilsonia”, we went on a yarn crawl. It is sort of like a pub crawl, but it involves yarn shops. (Bet you figured that out on your own.) Have a peek:

This had the most yarn, the most samples, the most customers, and was the friendliest.

And just when I thought there couldn’t possibly be any more new and exciting adventures, Carol pulled this out of her bag of tricks – a scooter! I laughed and laughed until my teeth hurt from the cold wind.

This was my view. The helmet didn’t make my hair nearly as horrid as the ferry. (Thank you for your concern on this matter of extreme importance.) We went off to a place to take in this view.

There might have been a tiny amount of trespassing involved. I’m not sure, and I’m not admitting anything. Just speculating.

When it was time to go home, it got sunny! This is first time I have ever had the thrill of seeing Yosemite from the air. The pilots often point out the various peaks along the way, but no one has ever mentioned Yosemite before. I just happened to look up from my knitting at the right time! Half-Dome and El Capitan show up if you study this photo.

And thus we conclude the five part series about a California artist in Washington. Working, of course. It was a business trip.

The end.

A California Artist Goes to Washington, Part Four

My trip to Washington was to learn Adobe InDesign so I can put together the upcoming book, The Cabins of Wilsonia. It was a business trip, of course. I worked very hard, of course. You’d expect nothing less of me, right?

However, it was necessary to take another ferry ride to another town to visit some of the dearest people on the planet to me. Their names are Ron and Ruth, and they have had a special place in my heart since I was 13 years old. Words fail me when I try to express my respect, love and appreciation for them, so you can just look at this photo and feel the love. Almost makes me go crybaby to see it. (bad hair, but not Ferry-hair yet.)

I was so overcome by getting to spend time with them that I spent the entire ferry ride back just marching around the top deck, around and around and around.  It got sunny again, really brilliantly sunny, freezing cold, but fabulous.

Carol taught me to make little origami stars. She taught me many things in addition to Adobe InDesign, which was the reason I went to Washington. (I have to keep saying this in case you think I was just messing around. Adobe InDesign wasn’t something that makes my blog look attractive so I have to supplement this report.)