Today I photographed a pair of orioles in my daughter Katie’s yard in Trinity County, California. I had the wrong lens on my camera, and when I returned to the oak tree where they were feeding, they decided to leave. Here is a glimpse of them in the emerging foliage.
Another look at the apple blossoms humming with bees provided a glimpse of two insects sharing the same blossom. Spring is definitely here!
This week I am visiting my daughter Katie, who lives in a mountain valley in northern California, at an elevation of about two thousand feet. It has gotten quite warm during the day, but is still cold at night.
She wanted me to help her plant a vegetable garden. Because the growing season is relatively short here, we decided to plant starts as well as seeds. The morning after we put the starts in the ground, there was frost.
Some of the plants made it, and some didn’t. I planted more seeds today, and although there was frost again, the air was even warmer in the afternoon. The soil is warm, so I think we will have some success.
There are also apple trees in the yard, and they are full of bees. The trees haven’t been pruned lately, but hopefully there will be a decent crop of fruit. It certainly is an inviting place to play!
OK, today I’m back on the topic of pears, but I also have some mixed fruit to share. After I had drawn pears the traditional way, I decided to change-up the shades, and put my pears in the company of other odd-colored fruit. Here is my trio of purple pears, of which I am fond.
I added some other fruit in this next medley. I love the idea of a blue orange. It’s strange to look at a blue orange and call it an orange, is it not?
Sometimes adults need yummy birthday cakes. Before I went to visit my daughter for her birthday, I decided to make my Rocky Road Cake from last December again, but I used a different recipe, and gave it a twist. This cake has a distinct flavor of bananas, spice, and chocolate!
Banana Rocky Road Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 9 inch round pans.
In large bowl, mix together 2 cups sugar, 1-3/4 cups unbleached wheat flour. 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
Add 2 eggs, 2 mashed bananas, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/4 cup oil and beat 2 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup walnuts, 1 cup chocolate chips, 3 cups mini marshmallows, and 1 cup boiling water. Batter will be thin.
Pour into pans, distributing marshmallows evenly, and bake 40-45 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool and frost as desired.
Happy Birthday, Katie!
My 6×6 inch art is in the mail now. Today I sent off five pieces to RoCo: two drypoint prints from my 2006 edition, two watercolor landscapes I painted last month, and this soft pastel pear, my most recent fruity work. It’s art for a good cause!
Now I am off to my daughter’s house for a visit. Stay tuned for my continuing adventures!
Today was another one of those showery days when the sun finally comes out and it’s still raining. I ducked outside a couple of times to check on things in the garden, and couldn’t resist this soggy but still brilliant iris.
Later, a rainbow appeared. I only caught part of it, because I grabbed the wrong lens in my haste. Oh well. Just imagine it stretching all the way across the sky, a view from the front of my house. Wonderful!
Awhile back, I decided to create a sampler of 6×6 inch art using a variety of media. I was not completely satisfied with my first project – a Prismacolor sketch on Arches watercolor paper. Oh well. Nothing ventured.
I have worked on several other pieces since then. Two of them are watercolor landscapes that I think turned out fairly well.
I started with a wash, and layered from there, using my somewhat fickle imagination.
Two other pieces that I have added to my 6×6 collection are the drypoint pear prints that I posted the other day. Only two more days until the postmark deadline for 6x6x2012, sponsored by the Rochester Contemporary Art Center.
OK, here we go again. My pear hobby really took off three years ago when I began drawing pears using Prismacolor pencils. I just couldn’t seem to stop! Here are some examples of my work during this period.
I was concerned with light and shadow to show form, and techniques with the pencils.
I also considered different groupings. Here I have used a pair of D’Anjous and four Bartlett pears. Sounds a bit like a Christmas carol…
Today is the last day of Script Frenzy, a marathon of script-writing sponsored by the Office of Letters and Light in Berkeley, California. It is a FUNdraiser and motivational event to get people writing. The goal is 100 pages in 30 days.
I chose to turn the novel that I started during National Novel Writing Month last November into a screenplay this month. Today, while my husband interviewed for a job, I sat in the car waiting for him. With my trusty laptop in lap, I finished my 100th page!!!
Now all I need to do is finish the script and polish it up. Maybe by the end of the summer? That is my goal. In the meantime, here are some photos from our trip during the last couple of days.
When I was growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, we had two almond trees in our back yard. These laden trees in Colusa County, California, on the edge of the Sacramento River Valley, reminded me of my childhood.
My raised bed is finished, and planted! Here is a diagram with my crops labeled. I already have some lettuce sprouts after only a few days.
It’s a tiny garden, but I optimistically planted crops that require more space than I have. We’ll see what happens. I don’t mind miniature veggies. A ladybug is already visiting. I hope to see more of them in the near future.
When You're Bored 