On March 8 we took the Trackster to Mineral King. There was a little traffic on the road on the way in: 
It is a small convention of the unconventional! It was fun to see Sawtooth and Mineral Peaks after painting them so recently (albeit from a different view, angle and time of year). 
It was an uncommonly beautiful day with great snow so we skied a few miles up to the place where Soda Springs is in the summer (no visible sign of the rusty spring under the snow, but we may not have gone up far enough – hard to tell with the landscape so wintry!)
After we returned to the Trackster, we cruised around a wee bit so I could photograph the Honeymoon Cabin. Thought you might enjoy this starker view than my usual depictions. 
This is how Timber Gap looked on the way out – hard to believe I stood up above it to take all the photos for the mural last June! I had to take many photos of trees this time because it is easier to see the shapes against the snow than against the dirt, rocks and other growing things. Guess you could infer from that last sentence that this was a most unusual business trip. However, the Trackster doesn’t have an odometer nor do I want to include it on my tax forms as a work vehicle!
Mural, Day Seventeen
When I got to the mural this a.m. there was a beautiful sight to behold awaiting me!
Now I can paint without bars in my face or blocking my arms or casting shadows across my work. This is WONDERFUL! (Huge thank you to Keith!) Another wonderful thing: an angel named Susan brought me some of those little handwarmer things – Wow, what a lovely thoughtful thing to do! Thank you, Angel Susan!
Next step: re-detail these mountains and snow patches, add a detailed layer to the more distant trees, and then re-detail the closer trees. Isn’t this working platform grand? 😎
Mural, Day Sixteen
See how far away and small my completed work appears from the sidewalk end? Lest you despair, there is a bit of camera distortion!
Today I painted from Sawtooth to Mineral Peak and then put the base coat on the trees below the cabin “snapshot”. Note the changed roof on the center cabin, the completed chimney on the cabin on the right, and the ROAD that is not a STREAM!!!
Mural, Day Fifteen
From this angle and perspective, it might appear that I am quite far down the wall. That fits under the category of Appearances Are Deceiving.
Here you can see the subtle differences in sepia colors. You can also see how much happened today! “Snapshot” #4 is almost finished! The weird part is that the road looks a bit stream-ish, and the stream looks like a blur at the bottom of the scene. That will require some thought.
Lots of very satisfying detail work today!
Mural, Day Fourteen
It looked like showers were likely today, but I bravely commuted down the hill prepared to paint. It was a beautiful day with intermittent boiling brilliant sunshine and overcast chilly breezes. The sunshine let me really see the details in my photos; the clouds made it possible to see the paint on the wall – a perfect combination!
First, I finished this. (maybe. . . I never quite know when I am fnished!) This is on a slant, but I straightened it for this viewing. I added a shadow beneath it. 
Next, I mixed a new shade of sepia (notice the subtle differences in color from one “snapshot” to another?) and began the 4th “snapshot”. (Remember, the old Mineral King Store is finished on the east end.) Had to finish off the mountains above and do some taping. That weird tan spot on the bottom left will be the recipient of much detail later on. Again, it feels as if no real square footage was covered today, but today’s “snapshot” is about 6’x8′! (Didn’t want you all to think I am slacking off here!)
Mural, Day Thirteen
Does today’s work look any different from yesterday’s? Finished the porch washroom and added more detail and cleaner edges. Figured out how to use a square to make the angled “postcard” accurate in size and got a little closer to being finished on the Honeymoon Cabin. Painted all day and just recovered old territory. But, it is all improved, so that is forward motion. (You know it is improved since I am willing to show it to you closer than before!)
Mural, Day Twelve
Doesn’t look like very much in terms of the entire wall, but some square footage was covered today. And look at the sunshine! The day began in thick cold fog, quite a shock from sunny Three Rivers! 
Mural, Day Eleven
Today my plan was to paint on the scaffolding without moving it until it was time to photograph the day’s work. The plan worked!
I just kept going down to a lower shelf until I ended the day on the ladder. Can’t wait until tomorrow because I get to start on the Honeymoon Cabin! 
This is what Timber Gap looks like when you are standing above it on the non-Empire side.
Mural, Day Ten
On one of the rainy days, Inspector Gadget went to the mural and let me know that the old store and post office needed work. Today it received work, and here are the results. 
Because it was sprinkling and threatening rain all day, I worked from the ladder instead of the scaffolding. It is easier to grab my gear and run for cover when I am closer to the ground. Also, if I am working in small patches and it sprinkles on the wet paint, less is ruined or perhaps the ruination is more easily repaired.
Mural, Day Nine
When I paint at home, it is usually in silence and solitude. Sometimes I listen to the radio or to music. Sometimes I talk on the phone, but only if it rings or there are calls that need to be made. Some days the only person I talk to is the UPS driver. Sometimes there are no cars passing by for an hour or two at a stretch. When I paint in Exeter, there are people stopping by regularly. I may talk to as many as 20 people in one day! The noise is very interesting – diesel pickups, many different delivery drivers, the forklift from the Exeter Sun-Gazette, the train whistle, back-up beepers, the noon siren, the fire station’s outdoor telephone ring, one of the restaurants trundling their garbage to the dumpsters on a cart, and during the week before Valentine’s Day, a refrigerated truck’s compressor. It is a very different experience than quietly painting in oils at home. I hope I am able to return to silence and solitude with contentment!
Today White Chief got repaired, and many of the snowless spots had to be snowed on (erased)!
I worked my way toward the sidewalk end of the mural, and got a little bored with gray so there is a patch of dark green just because. (it will be trees later)
Then, I couldn’t stand it another minute, so I finished the old Mineral King Store & Post Office! Maybe. It was so fun to do detail that I began another “snapshot” (what should I call these things??) at the other end. Both sets of rechargeable camera batteries died, so you don’t get to see this unless you go to the mural in person. Rain is forecast for next week, so it may be a little while before I get back to “the city”!