I wrote this post at the end of March and forgot to publish it. Will any of these photos translate into paintings? Maybe. No decisions yet. Just grabbing beauty when it is available.
The Lake isn’t actually in Three Rivers. The upper end is close; the dam end is closer to Lemon Cove. The lake level is even higher now, and the hills are mostly brown.
Some years there are fabulous lupine in great swaths at the water’s edge; they show in person, but not so well in these photos.
A popular turnout near the middle of The Lake (not out on the water—along the road 1/2 way between the intake and the dam) often has people pulled over taking photos. Me too. It is almost impossible to find a place to take the photo which includes Alta Peak and poppies. The poppies are excellent in the roadcuts where there is no shoulder, and the slopes are steep.
One day we were down the hill, we stopped by a friend’s orange grove and were probably 2-3 days early in terms of the blossoms being out. The oranges are fabulous. We expected to glean, but the grove hadn’t been picked yet. I gathered more photos for potential paintings.
6 Comments
All are beautiful, but if I had to pick one, I would choose the scene second from the top. The sun and shadow on the green hills, the high water mark, the fluffy clouds against a blue sky, and the calm lake. Truly a lovely view!
Sharon, I was just blown away by the light and color and clouds and bands of lupine, which don’t really show in the photos.
There’s nothing like a Central Valley navel orange! When I worked at the Farm Adviser’s office in Bakersfield 25 years ago, I remember picking some up off the ground (they were perfectly good) at an orchard nearby where I was scouting for pests, and bringing them back to the office to share. One of my co-workers ate one, and said that was the best navel orange he had ever eaten! Your photos reminded me of that—those fruit are beautiful!
Marjie, I agree with you 100%. Oranges off the tree are the best ever. . . when I was away for college, I bought oranges at a grocery store once, and they tasted like cardboard to me. I couldn’t eat them and just gave them away.
Simply gorgeous!
Thank you, Elisabeth! Things have already turned brown here, unless you go a bit higher or only look south at the north-facing slopes.
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