I have a theory about summer’s heat: when a summer starts out gradually and kindly, it lasts forever. We are living out my prediction this “fall”. On our most recent trip down the hill, it was in the 90s and then the low 100s. So fun in the Botmobile without A/C. Not. The road construction […]
Fall Color in Mineral King
Fall color in Mineral King is fairly subtle. Things turn yellow and brown, and then fall off and leave gray behind. But we also have great aspen trees, and when the light is right and all sorts of mysterious factors combine, they can get bright. Reds are rare, so a strong orange is fairly exciting. […]
Another Work Weekend in Mineral King
To summarize this past season in Mineral King, the word “work” comes to mind. The summer began with neighbors coming to Trail Guy (and the Farmer) for help with a nonworking stove, nonworking refrigerator, multiple and various leaks, and a nonworking water heater. Some of these were multiples. . . many neighbors, many problems. It […]
More Doing Mostly Nothing in Mineral King
What is wrong with me lately? The inner lazy chick seems to be winning. A dear friend gave me a fantastic camera, one that she said she tried and hated. We are very different in that instead of returning the camera, she hung onto it. (I would have sent it back.) She is very generous, […]
Sort of Doing Nothing in Mineral King
Since I saw moving purple spots last time I tried to hike, the next time I went up the hill, I stayed closer to the cabin. Perhaps it was just an excuse to be lazy; on the other hand, maybe I was using my noggin. I left home around 8:30. It now takes me almost […]
Tryna Hike in Mineral King
On my last trip up the hill, my back hurt. I don’t know why. It just does sometimes, and after a week, it subsides. I never know if it is good for it to get taken for a walk or if I should just lie on the floor on ice. I decided to ignore the […]
Mineral King Road
The Mineral King Road is a doozy. 26 miles (I think, but maybe it is 25), much of it a cliff-hanger, no fog lines, rails, center stripes, and in some places, no shoulder. The lower 10 miles is under county jurisdiction, the upper part under the feds (national park). About 13 miles of the upper […]
August is my Worst Favorite Month
My longest running drawing student Mae borrowed a photo of this cabin from me and drew it when she was brand new to drawing (but experienced at watercolor painting). She put in in an art show where local history buff and old friend Alan George insisted that it had been drawn by me, despite her […]
Mineral King, (But it’s not Friday!)
In order to do my August calendar picture post and the Learned-in-July-List in a timely manner, this week’s Mineral King report is landing on the wrong day. Flex with me, Readers! It was a time of many people in our neighborhood, with much socializing and renewal of friendships. I felt as if I fit in, […]
The Mules of Mineral King
Book This is the title of a very good book about Mineral King, written by a cabin guy who began working at the pack station at age 12. Last Saturday Kevin Alltucker spoke at the annual Mineral King Preservation Society’s Picnic in the Park. Great storyteller, excellent speaker, knew how to reach the crowd and […]