10 years ago, The Cabins of Mineral King was published by Jane Coughran and me. Last week I found one on eBay presented very very well (thank you, Whoever you were!). I bid on it, and didn’t win. The winner of the book paid $77! That makes me smile. In a coming blog, I will tell you about the book.
More happy trails
See what I mean?
Trail In Fall – oil on wrapped canvas – 8 x 10 – $80 You can see this and more on Friday and Saturday, November 28-29 at the Three Rivers Arts Center from 10-4. Go East on 198, turn left to cross the Kaweah River on the North Fork Bridge, and the Arts Center is the first building on the left.
Happy Trails
One last weekend
This was our closing weekend in the Land of No Electricity. It is a time of mixed emotions – it is difficult to be divided between two places, and it is difficult to leave a place we love. When we close the cabin, we cease to worry over freezing pipes, and leaving the cats alone at home. When we close the cabin, we also miss Mineral King like crazy and can’t wait until next summer. Isn’t that just how life is? You get one thing and lose another – it is the old “can’t have your cake and eat it too” dilemma. So, the appropriate response is gratitude for each wonderful thing, no matter how fleeting.
The colors were dull – almost everything took a hit from the unseasonably low temperatures in the previous weekend. The leaves mostly turned brown and crunchy instead of becoming more colorful.
However, if one was willing to walk a few miles, there were rewards!
Telephony pole
Remember this painting? I started it back in July or August, and I promised that there would not be a telephone pole in it, despite its beginning appearance.
Out of the Valley – oil on wrapped canvas – 11×14″ – $154
Into the Valley
There are 2 valleys in my life: one is the Mineral King valley, and the other refers to the San Joaquin Valley. When we are in the mountains, we talk about “heading down the hill”, or “going to the valley”. This can mean driving to Three Rivers, Visalia, or points beyond. When we are in Three Rivers, we also say “heading down the hill” or “going to the valley”. This can mean Woodlake, Lemon Cove, Exeter, Visalia, or points beyond. This painting is titled “Into the Valley” and in this case, it refers to the trail leading from Farewell Gap down into the Mineral King Valley.
Into the Valley – oil – 18 x 24″ – $432
Borrowed camera
My friend, whom I shall refer to as (the other) JB (she says that brings to mind images of someone chewing on a cigar!), expressed a desire to hike to a lake out of Mineral King. Because we would be driving up from the flatlands and hiking on the same day, I chose Monarch Lake for its well graded trail. That is a lake I rarely visit. It has no trees, and in my memory it isn’t as attractive as other lakes up there. So, it seemed like a good time to compare my mind’s image to reality. 
Wow! If this is ugly, a pretty lake would strike me blind! So here we were in this beautiful place with its fall colors coming on and I HAD NO CAMERA! Fortunately, JB had her point and shoot (forgot to ask how many megapixels!) and she was more than willing to share. I’m sure her generosity was not affected in the slightest by the slightly wild look in my eye and bulging vein in my forehead. I confess: I filled her memory card and drained her battery. She continued to be gracious about it all, because that is the kind of person JB is. It was a wonderful time together, and an altogether terrific hike!
All but the final details
In case you were wondering, oil painting happens for me from top to bottom and left to right on the canvas, while at the same time trying to paint from the furthest away to the closest. Sometimes this doesn’t coincide with color usage, but I continue to learn as I paint. These 2 paintings need to dry so I can put the final touches on them without wrecking the parts in back. The first is the bottom part of the trail leading to Eagle and Mosquito Lakes in Mineral King. The second is a super secret swimming hole on the Kaweah River.
What I Did On My Summer Vacation
After careful consideration, I decided to not take my paints with me to the land of no electricity. Instead, I gathered new experiences and information (and photos, of course) so that the time would truly feel like a vacation. (Why does one need a vacation from a wonderful life? I dunno. . . because that’s the way it’s done??) So here are some images from that time for you to enjoy:
This is a flower I have never seen before – it is called Western Monkshood
This might be my favorite wildflower – the color isn’t right here, but it is still fabulous! It is some sort of Gentian – Explorer’s? Hiker’s?
Here is the yellow flower that seems to stand out more than any other – it has the unfortunate name of Bigelow Sneezeweed!
Here it is in its setting – doesn’t it pop??
I was graciously shown a wonderful new place – this is a view looking OUT of a cave! (No I can’t tell you where – very very top secret!)
This is a view as we were leaving the spot – despite the rain, it was a fantastic hike, an invigorating 12 miles of new visuals!
One morning I actually got up early and went in search of sunshine.
View from Timber Gap
8 x 10″, $99 framed SOLD
This is a fine view of Farewell Gap, as seen from Timber Gap. Timber Gap is not as high, and it is only about 2 miles to the top. It is a good warm-up for the trip to Farewell Gap, because looking across the valley makes one want to visit the other places! i think the blue flowers were Flax. Some painting notes: this was from about a year ago when I was experimenting with a looser style. My tendency is to draw with the paintbrush and then be very frustrated when the results are less refined than my pencil drawings. On this one, I was determined to look like a Real Oil Painter instead of a Pencil Artist Who Paints. Some days I have to put down the paintbrush and deliberately walk away from the easel because I WANT TO DRAW!!! more accurately, I want my paintings to look like drawings, and that is not the nature of the beast. (Okay, fine, TAME THAT BEAST!!!)