Cold in Mineral King

Sequoia National Park and Mineral King opened last week. It was a very pleasant weekend down the hill, which meant it was very cold in Mineral King. 28 degrees on Sunday morning, and only 42 degrees in the afternoon!

We didn’t hike, only went on a couple of short walks because it was overcast one day, rained the next, and we had numerous projects around the place in addition to spending time with friends and neighbors.

I don’t know this flower. It is very tiny.
This is a different view of the Honeymoon Cabin, which is a museum of the Mineral King Preservation Society.
This sign used to be about 8 feet up in the air. Someone with some common sense moved it to a more visible location.
That same sign as it appeared in 2017.
Languid Ladies are also known as Sierra Bluebells.
I don’t know this tiny flower. Its foliage is different from the other tiny white one above.
Forget-me-nots.
Crystal Creek is very shallow and very very wide.

 Mineral King Wildflowers: Common Names contains the Forget-Me-Nots but neither of the tiny white flowers. 

100 page paperback, flowers in photos, common names only, lots of chatty commentary, $20 including tax.
Available here
Also available at the Three Rivers Historical Museum, Silver City Store, from me if I put them in my car, or Amazon.

Mineral King, Still Early

If you made it through the last 2 days of technical instructions on subscribing to the blog or to my enewsletter, then you might be ready for some photos of Mineral King.

These photos were taken by Trail Guy last weekend. I stayed home in Three Rivers and mopped the kitchen, washed my car, hung out with my cats, helped my neighbor with yardening and WENT TO CHURCH! It was nice in Three Rivers, which means it was cold-ish in Mineral King. Besides, I am 60 so I can do whatever I want.

Fall down laughing. Never mind. Here are some photos for you.

 

Early Season in Mineral King

Once again, I am of two minds as to whether to show and talk about Mineral King when it is not yet open to the public. So, I’ll just show some photos, and if you want to know anything further, ask me in the comments or email me.

WAIT! Did I hear someone ask me what those wildflowers are? How about a book to help you learn them?

For further reading about Mineral King and its influence on my art, go to the Mineral King Preservation Society blog.

100 page paperback, flowers in photos, common names only, lots of chatty commentary, $20 including tax.
Available here
Also available at the Three Rivers Historical Museum, Silver City Store, from me if I put them in my car, or Amazon.

Summer Sales Ahead

That’s an optimistic title, wouldn’t you say?

Back when it was a simple mountain market called “The Silver City Store”. (photo 1985)

The store at the Silver City Resort below Mineral King has a projected opening date of June 5. (I still call the whole place the Silver City Store although it has become an almost swanky resort instead of a little mountain  store.)

My oil paintings sell very well there each summer. I have high hopes for this year in spite of the Shut Down. 

When the manager said they were ready for my paintings, I spread them all out, and then made decisions. Eventually I hope all will make it up the hill, but we only show about 10 at a time.

These went up the hill in round one.
These stayed back until some of the earlier pieces have sold.

It is always a guess – how many of which subjects and which sizes?

Every year I think I have it figured out, and often end up cranking out paintings mid summer because something popular has sold out in a certain size. This year’s paintings are heavy in wildflowers. 

This summer is full of more unknowns than usual. As always, more will be revealed in the fullness of time. 

 

Escape

Melvin the marmot

I want my posts to be encouraging, uplifting, enlightening, and a bit of an escape into the healing power of beauty, reminders that there are still plenty of good things to be enjoyed.

(This has nothing to do with anything, but did you notice all the E’s in that sentence?? Encourage. Enlighten. Escape. Enjoy.)

But, I hesitate to post about Mineral King, because it might be like showing off an expensive freezer full of fancy ice cream that you cannot have. 

It is my intention for these photos to encourage you that there are good times ahead. 

Looks the same, except the cottonwood branches may be leaning even lower than previous years, putting “twigs” in the top of the photo.

Everything is still brown and gray.

Plenty of water is flowing.

Monarch Creek
Chihuahua Creek
Crystal Creek

There is some green, but you must look closely to find it.

Dandelion, always first.
Unknown yellow
Unknown yellow – perhaps cinquefoil?
Green + purple = gurple (Will become Languid Ladies/Sierra Bluebells, an early flower.)
I brought my own green.

Are all slide shows supposed to end with a sunset? How about some alpenglow instead.

Take heart, friends. It makes life more pleasant than worrying about things over which we have no control.

Mineral King Wildflowers 4

Are you tired of these posts yet?

In rethinking these paintings, I realized that this view is probably from White Chief. Or it could be from the Eagle/Mosquito trail. So, not all of the little Mineral King wildflower paintings are from the Franklin/Farewell Gap trail after all!

Mineral King Wildflowers 4, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $60

Mineral King Wildflowers 2

Let’s try this again with Mineral King wildflower painting #2.

Mineral King Wildflowers 2, 6×6″, oil on wrapped canvas, $60

I wonder if I show a painting a day if people will stop reading my blog, or if I will sell paintings. 

More will be revealed in the fullness of time. . .

Mineral King Wildflowers

I finished 8 little oil paintings of Mineral King wildflowers and realized that every single photo I chose to paint from was from the same trail. Well, duh. That trail, the Franklin/Farewell Gap trail, is always the best place to find reliable wildflowers. There are other places that are off-trail, but I don’t want to put that type of information on the World Wide Web.

Okay, time for painting #1, titled “Mineral King Wildflowers 1” (Clever, I know.)

6×6″, $60, oil on wrapped canvas, ready to hang

 

Completed Wildflower Paintings

Sort of completed. There is always waiting to dry, scanning, titling, adding to the website, varnishing, more waiting to dry, and sometimes packaging and shipping. . .

Well, would you just look at that?

Every one of these paintings shows Timber Gap.

Why??

Because the best place for wildflowers in Mineral King is up the Franklin/Farewell Gap trail, which is across the valley from Timber Gap. 

There are other places with good wildflowers, but this is our favorite. (“Our” refers to Trail Guy and your Central California artist.)

Now is a good time to remind you of my book. (The museum remains closed for the time being and Silver City isn’t planning to open until June 5.)

 

100 page paperback, flowers in photos, common names only, lots of chatty commentary, $20 including tax.
Available here
Also available at the Three Rivers Historical Museum, Silver City Store, from me if I put them in my car, or Amazon.