On Roughing It at Big Basin National Park
It’s been quite a while, folks, since I last posted something. I was away on a 4 day, 3 night hiking/camping trip with my husband, his sister and her husband ( who only made it the last day as he was recovering from an infection from cat scratches and bites- yikes!) and two other friends.
How to make succinct what was truly epic. I am still trying to readjust to a real bed, a shower and a stove top on-which one can finesse the temperature with high, medium or low and everything in between.
I think I have about a billion photos. One of the perks of being the photographer is that you “have to stop” to take pictures, making me look less like a wimp and more like an artist. But truly, I was compelled to take photos because everything was gorgeous.
We hiked up from headquarters to a mountain ridge, camped there the first night and then took two days hiking to the ocean, and the last day hiking back. We experienced micro climates: warm and dry on the ridge, cold and damp near the ocean. We experienced moments of ” I don’t think I’m going to make it” and moments of ” I am rocking this so very hard-core!”
My one issue was a bum knee that decided to start twinging on the very first day. Lots of weight from our packs and a few badly placed foot plants and I was thinking I’d have to call it quits. It’s amazing how quickly one can go from feeling really fit and in the zone, to decrepid and like an old hobbled granny needing a walker. On the ups I could just hoof it like a pro, on the downs I had to slow down and limp the thing. But on day two I was loaned a hiking stick which made all the difference. As the days wore on, the packs got a little lighter and my knee a little stronger. By the end I felt like I could have gone at least another day…if not for our absolute longing for a shower to feel clean again!
Dehydrated food was our main fare. I was entirely shocked by how yummy some of that stuff is. The only time is was not thrilling was when too much water was added making for a sloppy mess. I dunno, could be that we would have eaten anything given our exhaustion levels at the end of each day.
Our little beer can stove came in handy. My hubby loves it so much he ended up boiling water for everyone in the group more than once. It’s not as efficient as some store-bought stoves, but man does it get the job done in a jiffy!
Here’s me sitting it out while everyone else does the 1 mile hike down to the creek to filter some much needed water:
We needed to fill our water containers about twice a day. Luckily there was many a stream along our hiking route.
This is one of many wild irises growing everywhere. Mostly white and a few purple ones.
And there were even trilliums!
Not quite like the ones in Ontario, Canada where I grew up. The petals are much smaller, but still the signature three leaf, three petal plant.
Check out this watering hole where we rinsed off and got more potable water (upstream of where we cleaned ourselves, of course!). Freezing but glorious!
Banana slug love. Eeew. I live in fear of actually slipping on one of these guys. Ugh.
The falls on our second to last day. At times we felt like we were in the Jurassic period and that a pterodactyl or some such ancient beast would appear to eat us whole.
Amazing Red Woods.
Below is our incredible camp site on the last night. It was like a little faerie glen, surrounded by luscious trees like a protective wall with a little bit of sky peaking through the middle:
As if getting to the last camp site wasn’t enough, a few of us opted to hike the 1.4 miles to the ocean.
Voila!
I was pretty stoked. And do you know what’s by the ocean?
Rocks.
You can see in the above photo that I have already acquired one rock and that was within mere seconds of stepping onto the beach. I’m a pro.
And I am perhaps the only back packer who has ever hiked rocks back out with them. Yes folks, that is exactly what I did. Usually the goal is to consume weight over the course of days and end up with a lighter pack by the last day. Uh uh. Not me. I added rocks to my pack.
I couldn’t help it. It’s a compulsion.
My hubby watched me silently as my gaze wandered from the beautiful ocean waves and sky, to the rocks at my feet. He didn’t even say anything. Okay, maybe he may have uttered, “really?” But then he humoured me and left it at that.
People, I used utmost restraint. That beach was a gold mine of amazing rocks.
I could have stayed there for hours. But that would have been decidedly anti social.
So, I tore myself away after a measly half hour or so.
I got home with this loot:
What made this trip so satisfying was the feeling of achievement upon reaching camp after hours of hiking and getting to throw down that heavy-ass pack. Exhaustion makes eating and sleeping that much more appreciated. And perhaps, it can also explain this conversation between my husband and myself as we linked arms and each bent one knee behind us to stretch ours sore calves:
Hubby: “We’re like a two-legged horse”
Me: “…..”
Hubby: “…only with a lot of differences.”
At which time we cracked up and couldn’t stop laughing for about five minutes as we tried to figure out in what configuration a two-legged horse might remain mobile. This illustrates the state of our brains after a 4 hour hike.
All said and done. This roughing it thing was amazing. I am rearing’ to go again. Next time around, I will know how to pack more efficiently, will know what to bring and what not to bring… and I’ll definitely be leaving room for a few rocks too.
S
A few days ago I bit the bullet and cleaned up the house. Yes, even used the vacuum. I was, of course, spurred on to this for a reason: guests were coming. That’s why I need a steady stream of guests if I want my house to be spa like at all times.
But now look at it!
My hubby, his sister and her husband and two of their friends and I, are all going on a three-day hiking and camping trip at Big Basin National Park. We’re pretty excited to be camping – even more so because I’m taking time off of work for this adventure!
Well, we both went shopping yesterday with a list of things for our camping trip, and wouldn’t you know, more came home than expected. Not only has this turned out to be expensive, it’s also ridiculous. You would think we were heading into this trip expecting to die of starvation, and the result is an extreme overcompensation. At this rate, the only things we’ll be able to carry is food, forget about a tent or sleeping bag, let alone clothes!
One thing I’m kind of looking forward to is trying out the dehydrated food I got at REI. We are only bringing the beer-can stove so whatever we eat has to be edible with only boiled water added, no simmering or cooking time required. We’ll either be impressed or really disgusted :
On to the “fluffing”. I’m still working on gathering together a bunch of art stuff for this art fair I’m going to be a part of in two weeks. I’ve already dragged out all available work and have been assessing what I’m going to take in terms of originals:
Then there’s the additional fluff required to fill it all out. I’m pretty happy with this:
It happens to be a frame I found at a thrift store (really good quality) which already had a mat board in it with pink trim I thought I’d have to toss, but turns out it goes perfectly with my “Alfred Yawn” print.
I’ve already designed 4 octopus cards that are currently at the printers – I’ll update you on that later. I’m pretty excited about them. And now I’m working on another idea: mini originals magnets:
It’s still in the experimental stage. I’ll draw little pictures and mod podge it to glass stones with a magnet also secured to the back. That way, folks who can’t buy the pricier stuff can still go home with something. What do you think?
And now for the “Oh stuff it!” part of my blog.
Our garden this year has been half-hearted. Not because we don’t care, but because we are in the process of looking for a house to buy and don’t know when we’ll be moving out. As a result, we’ve half planted and half let things go back to nature. One thing we did do was plant Bok Choi, and wouldn’t you know it, the pests are out and loving it! It makes me mad because in the past we’ve had no luck with Bok Choi and I really hoped that this would be the year. Oh stuff it.
But, on the bright side ( literally, on the bright side of the photo ) the romaine lettuce is doing just fine.
For that matter, our accidental garden is doing great as well. Check out my elephant garlic sprouting its flower:
And something unidentified ( in his half hearted haste, he neglected to mark any of the plantings) – we think peas, is growing quite happily:
And that’s the latest on roughing, fluffing and stuffing it!
S
A Cranky Creative’s Cogitations
I’m feeling cranky. You know, the kind of cranky that makes you want to do crazy stuff…like shave off your hair or something. The crankiness is coming from a feeling of lack of moving forward, a lack of creative outlet. Shaving my head would probably be the result of misplaced action and something I’d deeply regret…or maybe not…
Instead, I’m going to channel that frizzy energy into being pro-active. Part of being a creative person is the struggle with not only self-doubt but also with how to get your stuff out there in the world. That is where I’m perched. Ready to show my work and ready to sell some stuff but not sure how.
Today I’m filling out a form for the Angwin “Art in the Clouds” outdoor art show. It doesn’t cost much to enter, it’s only their second year, and the turn out will most likely be small, but I need to exercise some marketing muscle. I need to put myself out there just to see how it feels and get the ball rolling.
It’s coming up fast. That means I need to have stuff to show and small salable items that I stand a chance in hell of moving. The chances of originals being purchased are slim, so I need to head into the world of reprints…without breaking the budget to do so.
Can I do this? It’s coming up really soon : May 20th.
Pawing through the stuff I’ve already done, I found cards I’d had printed last year for Christmas. I have lots of extra I can package into card sets:
Would you buy a set of those? I’m also working on some octopus themed cards for thank yous and birthdays.
But therein lies a slippery slope. Do you make art for art’s sake, or do you make it to sell? Once you worry about your audience, the joy and the freedom of creating can quickly slip away.
I shall be navigating these waters in the next couple of weeks. Wish me well. I will keep you updated.
S
Update on Succulents and a Few Other Things
So last time I wrote about succulents I’d just been to the garden center and picked up a few new wonders of the succulent variety as well as a handful of loose succulent leaves. Well, I laid them out on a bed of perlite and left it outside under filtered light (my covered porch) and waited. It’s been what…two weeks now? Well, I am happy to report that they are now pushing out roots. Check them out!
I’m going to wait a bit longer until it starts to form a new plant, so I will get back to you on that. They still have a lot of juice in them. No watering is required. You know it’s ready to put into the ground when the leaves are desiccated and a new mini plant is formed at the end where the roots are.
I also showed you how you can propagate by just cutting off succulent heads, scabbing them over and putting them directly in soil. Well, I cut too many heads and didn’t have enough planters, so some of the heads I left sitting on the perlite. Well, wouldn’t you know it, they also started to push out roots. These should be placed in soil pronto as the leaves are getting really thin, indicating that it’s using all it’s juice to make those roots and needs water soon.
So that’s the most recent skinny on succulents.
The end of April brought the first BBQ of the year for us. Very exciting. Nice to have the longer days and the warmer evenings.
For our inaugural BBQ we grilled burgers. Not to be forgotten, sweet red onions drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt.
Look at its transition to absolute tastiness heaven:
Add to that my mother in-law’s home-made pizza…and we were so very good to go!
The accidental garden is doing well. Those petunias just keep on flowering!
And my hubby planted a lot of seeds that have been happily germinating on the window sills in our apartment. Look at this happy sprout greeting the vegetation outside our window:
Soon they’ll be ready for the outdoors.
Unfortunately pests have discovered my Bok Choi that was so happily flourishing in our planter boxes. I haven’t the heart to upload a photo. Have been experimenting with sprinkling cayenne pepper on and around them. So far no evidence that this has helped in any way. Does someone out there have advice for me? We think it might be earwigs getting to them. Booooo! Hisss!
That’s the latest. Will upload photos of recent artwork soon.
S
The Tank Be Empty
I’m in recovery mode. My weekend was so full of things to do I kind of lost it. As a result I was a mess on Monday, nearly got in a car accident (not my fault) leading to a broken carton of eggs in the back seat where all the groceries went flying. At home it continued with me having a case of the dropsies and breaking my most favorite glass bottle; smashed to bits on the concrete driveway as I unloaded the car. It was one of those days, you know, those days when you keep doing something stupid and “aw sh*%#” keeps slipping from your lips. That kind of day.
So this morning I just slept. It was the best thing I could possibly do. Now, I don’t have much time before I head in to work, but it was worth it.
Hopefully I can face the rest of my day with grace and calm.
Want to see photos from the weekend, the relaxing part of it? We went on an impromptu camping trip, just my hubby and I, to Boggs where he’s mountain bike racing next weekend. It was mostly relaxing, except for the part where when we got to the campsite the radiator fluid in the truck was boiling. We weren’t sure if we’d make it out the next morning, but we made the best of it.
We kept it simple – lot’s of food to get us through the night and morning! There’s something about camping trips that makes one fear starvation in the wild, and thus drives you to stock up on all manner of indulgences.
As you’re looking at the photos take note of the ones where we’re cooking. My husband made a cook stove from two beer cans. It uses denatured alcohol and works like a dream. The most lightweight camp stove ever. I’m not the only creative person around here!
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PS. We made it home without destroying the radiator. All’s well.
Spring Garden
I just wanted to share with you what I found in the garden this morning. Usually it’s under my husband’s purview to water the garden before work, but he was running late so I stepped in as pinch hitter. I wasn’t entirely sure why watering was necessary as a little bit of rain had fallen, but he insisted that I do it anyway. I was a bit grudging, but as soon as I got out there, I was loving it. One of my most favorite things is water droplets on leaves, and there was plenty of that, so I headed back in to grab my camera. Photos first, then watering. I didn’t want to disturb the perfect droplets :
This is my lambs ear patch growing in abundance and practically choking everything else in the bed out. But my hens and chicks are putting up a good fight. Check out the flowers it’s pushing out!
Just a side note..more like a note to self: next time I plan on taking close-up shots, refrain from coffee. These shots aren’t as sharp as I’d like, but you get the idea anyway.
I’d mentioned accidental gardening in one of my previous posts. Well, last year we had one mysterious petunia show up in our veggie bed. Check it out now!
They’re a little bit pale, but such fighters! In our three years here, we never actually bought a petunia, so this one sprang up from a random seed and keeps getting bigger. We don’t have the heart to take it out. We’ll enjoy it for a little bit longer and then see about transplanting it when we need the bed for more veggie plantings.
I’m happy to report that the bok choy is happily growing. Last year I put them in way too late and they bolted like crazy in the summer heat. These one’s are liking our spring weather. I am crossing my fingers that we’ll get a good harvest of bok choy. Last week the weather suddenly heated up for two days, so as long as there’s no more of that, the bok choy stand a chance. Looks like some thinning is in order!
Last but not least, my lovely little flowers…like mini carnations. Not sure what they’re called:
It turned out to be quite satisfying watering the garden, feeling needed by all of this lovely nature. The mother bird in our bird house was only slightly alarmed, calling out and flying by me several times to check out the threat. Pretty soon she’ll be used to us, just like last year, we’ll become permanent fixtures of the garden.
My heart skipped a beat as I went to open my front door. Locked? Phew. Not this time; and besides, I know where the spare key is kept now.
Happy Day everyone!
S
The Only Vacuum I Want to Use is the Zen No-Mind Kind
I am no domestic diva. As I sit here and type a sink full of dishes lie waiting. I think about two days ago I broke down and used the vacuum, but only because the carpet was such a mess even I could no longer over-look it. Often my hubby cracks first and goes through a furious whirlwind of a cleaning frenzy. Other times I finally wake up to the grotesqueness around me (usually when I realize I’m going to have visitors) and start cleaning.
Why is it so hard to keep a decent household?
I know plenty of folks who keep a regular schedule of cleaning, so that never is there a time when they look up to discover mounds of clothes on the bedroom floor, crumbs and detritus collecting around kitchen floor crevices, dishes in the sink, hair and splash stains around bathroom sinks and mirrors. No, they never let it get to that point. I do, however. It upsets me, but I guess not enough to reform me into a domestic do-gooder. I’m sorry honey, but I’m never going to be that kind of wifey.
Everything takes time. To divide that time between all my interests and then also slice off a bit for those nasty chores, leaves very little.
How to be a dreamy creative AND a conscientious house keeper? I don’t even have kids! What kind of wreck will I be then? What will I have to sacrifice?!! Not my art, SURELY NOT!!!
Okay, I’ve worked myself into a frenzy. One thing at a time.
Home is where the heart is. Home is where the art is. …
This is my little corner of creativity. Can you tell I’m either outgrowing the space…OR…heaven forbid I am just not that good at keeping it organized?! In the moment of inspiration, I’m just not that focused on where things should be placed neatly.
I’m a work in progress. In an ideal world, all rooms in my house would be a minimalist, zen-like space, brightly illuminated and clean. But first, I need to train myself.
Anyone have any suggestions? I’m looking for motivation here. I know how good it feels when everything is in order and clean.
I think I’m going to start with that sink full of dishes. Wish me luck!
S
For the Love of Rocks!
I love rocks. Always have. I come from a family of rock lovers. One of my most fond memories is rock picking somewhere in New Brunswick with my sister, mom and dad. I believe there were even signs at this one particular beach that said “no rock picking”. Somehow that seemed wrong. It’s not like we were going to take the whole beach full of rocks (though often times it feels like we’ve made a valiant attempt). As nervous as we were about breaking a law, we still couldn’t help ourselves, our jacket pockets were bulging. Pulling out of the parking lot, the car riding quite low to the ground, we felt like we’d done something illicit.
But a beach with such signage is rare, thank the gods. Rock picking is one of those free joys, it fills hours and hours, absorbs the mind and appeals to the aesthetic senses. Only you the rock picker know exactly what you are looking for, what the criteria for the perfect rock might be. Often it is dictated by the location, the type of rocks that have formed there. Some beaches are good for the round, smooth rock, others for the colours and textures. Some beaches have beach glass, or worn bricks. I love it all. My husband doesn’t get it. He has conceded to sit beside me for a little while, looking at rocks, but I far outlast him in terms of rock picking stamina. He also, strangely, does not feel compelled to take them home. He’s never said it but rather suggested through body language that he thinks I’m a bit touched-in- the-head, so to speak, when it comes to rocks.
Believe me, I felt vindicated when my family came to visit me for our wedding on the coast. This was the scene:
I know I am not alone!! When I’m with my clan, we know the business of rocks. I swear we stayed on our bellies for at least 2 hours straight if not more and had to tear ourselves away from that beach to go and “be social” and try not to be “antisocial rock picking maniacs”.
Luckily I have a decent camera, so now, instead of taking the entire beach home, I take pictures of ones that don’t quite make the cut but are still beautiful. The best ones come home with me.
And what do I do with those rocks, pray tell? They make beautiful arrangements in bowls, or around succulents. They have also managed to become the subject of paintings. There is an energy about rocks. I feel calm when I am looking at them and holding them in my hands. So, I decided to try to convey the feeling I get from rocks in a painted format:
This is the first painting of rocks I’ve done, and it was immensely satisfying.
Recently I got my hands on a piece of scrap bamboo board from my father-in-law’s wood shop. Here are the beginnings of my next rock painting:
What do you think? Loopy rock lover or a kindred spirit?
S
Kitchen Series
Hey there,
I’ve been distracted lately by succulents and knitting but haven’t been posting much about painting and drawing. I sat down the last couple of nights and reconnected with my love of drawing with simple colour (yes, I’m Canadian so I’m sticking with the spelling) pencil.
I fell back into one of my favourite subjects: my kitchen gadgets. A while back I started a kitchen gadgets series of paintings and had great plans for this work a.k.a. getting it shown at some of the local restaurants here in Calistoga. I have yet to build up to critical mass.
As I was drawing, though, I realized that maybe the series didn’t have to be all paintings, maybe it would do better as either ink drawings or colour pencil drawings. I’m posting the series here in hopes that you guys and gals might have some opinions.
Here are the paintings:
The ink drawings:
And the colour pencil drawings I did last night:
Lemme know what you think.
Thanks!
S
Never Go Near A Garden Center a.k.a. Human Magnet
I did it folks, I was led into temptation. I knew well in advance, as my legs took on a life of their own and carried me towards the alluring gates, that I should not enter the garden of Eden, because I would partake of the fruit. For a few moments I put on a convincing act of ’just looking’.
These were my finds:
Graptoveria Amethorum
Bear’s Paws
I couldn’t resist. They were $1.98 at Home Depot. I could say that it was out of the goodness of my heart – because though they look great on their abundant flats of succulents, they are not in the proper soil. Large stores like HD are all about the easy and express, so they just put these little guys in potting soil which is not prime for a succulent.
These two succulents are the juicy type, so they will not survive frost ( I learned that with last seasons juicy succulents, may they rest in peace. Juicy= high water content=freezes like water in an ice cube tray). These are definitely indoor guys.
As exciting as these acquisitions were, the most exciting were the freebies:
I did not unscrupulously take them off a plant, I happened to find them at the bottom of the flat between the potted plants where they had naturally fallen on their own. This is a fantastic development as I now have the subjects for my experiments with this method of propagation:
1. Take leaves from succulent and lay them on a bed of perlite or gritty soil
2. Leave in area of filtered light indoors or out. Do not water
3.Wait for new growth to form at base along with tiny roots
4.Place in gritty soil and water lightly
Now I’m at step 3: the waiting. I will let you know how things develop.
In the meantime, here are a few shots of me transplanting my lovely succulents to a good-sized pot full of 1:1:1 potting soil/ Perlite / Gritty soil ( lava rock is apparently best but hard to find. Sand is too fine)
You must not be afraid to manhandle the succulent to open up the root ball – often they’ve been confined to a pot for too long and they are quite dense. Remember you are showing them tough love and they will appreciate it in the end.
Lightly spritz them with water and place in the sun.
Cheers!
S
