The panel isn’t made out of sequoia wood; the panel is made out of ?? wood, and I am painting a sequoia tree on it. Sequoia gigantea is the official name for the redwood trees in Sequoia National Park, not the redwoods of northern California, called Sequoia sempervirens. Those are tall; ours are thick.

Two wooden panels with sequoia trees sold quickly this summer. I poked around in the garage and found a larger panel with a sky blue background already painted on it. It seemed too big, but then I figured, “Why not?” After inquiring with the manager of the Silver City Store whether or not she had room, she said to paint it and bring it up the hill.

I opened the big doors to the painting workshop and propped the panel against my two easels. This was great in theory, but the morning sun is very strong and very hot on this area. Oh well, I’ve soldiered through heat many times in my life in Central California, AKA The Central Valley, AKA the San Joaquin Valley. Let’s just git-‘er-dun!

Here is the sloppy beginning.

Shade is creeping down the top of the panel, providing hope that perhaps I didn’t begin too early in the day.

Never mind. I was hotting to death out there, so I went back to the house for some cold water and a cooling break. Even the deer were smart enough to be in the shade, and I was too hot to yell, “GET OFF MY LAWN!” (Yes, that is my lawn, which is more like a meadow since, per my request, it doesn’t get mowed all summer in the hopes that it will become thicker; it might be working, now in year 5 of this unconventional landscaping approach.)

Slightly refreshed, I returned to the job and painted until I couldn’t stand the heat anymore. Besides, I had a lunch date with 3 friends in Three Rivers, which is a bit of a big deal to me. Eating out isn’t a regular part of my life.

Infomercial

My friends chose the River View. It has been about 7 or 8 years since I was there, and it is now on owner #3 since then. It always puzzles me to see how crowded it is, with cars lining the road, more cars than it seems they will have tables and chairs for. A driver needs to creep very very slowly past that place, because of the great crowds. Well, River View AND Reimer’s Candies. . . almost next door to one another.

We ate outside, where there were misters, fans, and shade. It was noisy (the fans). The food was fine, but it wasn’t Sierra Subs or Tony’s Taverna. The service was good. And I was shocked by how expensive lunch was—I spent $26 just for me. A turkey melt (I ended up pulling off the non-descript white bread and setting it aside) with sweet potato fries, the only fried food I like. Had to really load up on vegetables later that day.

Yikes. No wonder I don’t eat out much. (Sierra Subs is my go-to choice in case you were wondering.)

Thus we conclude this infomercial for eateries in Three Rivers.