When You're Bored

Ant Beauty

Posted on April 11, 2013 by joanienaz

Ants tend to show up in an army, with flags unfurled. They invade every crevice and surface of your kitchen, or any other place they feel at home. Sometimes they appear out of nowhere. You walk away from a sinkful of dirty dishes, and the next morning the food-encrusted plates and cups are animated by insects. On other occasions, one or two show up here and there, and you might ignore them. Don’t. You can never be sure there aren’t more on the way to join these scouts.

bathroom ant

The ants here in the Sierra foothills aren’t the puny ones we have out on the North Coast. These are hefty. They remind me of the ants of Southern California that used to bite me on the toes when I was a kid. I discovered one on the bathroom vanity the other night, and before I removed it (I won’t go into the details of its demise), I photographed it. It was a beautiful creature, don’t you think?

Posted in art, DIY, home, nature, photography | Tagged ant, art, California, nature, photography | 2 Comments

A Poppy Paradise

Posted on March 30, 2013 by joanienaz

The poppy is the state flower of California, and a symbol of the good life. We have an ideal climate here. There is a lot to be thankful for in the way of natural resources and mild weather, not to mention beautiful scenery.

What could be more fitting than a celebration of the season that includes poppy portraits? These flowers are commonly seen along the side of the road, whether a single lane winding through the foothills or a massive interstate freeway. The poppy also shows up in fields, vacant lots, and sidewalk cracks.

A pretty determined survivor, it is among the first spring flowers to arrive. Hooray for Spring. Hooray for the California Poppy.

Posted in DIY, nature, photography, travel | Tagged California Poppy, nature, photography, travel, wildflowers | 5 Comments

The Not-so-plain Oak Titmouse

Posted on March 20, 2013 by joanienaz

In honor of the first day of spring, I sketched an Oak Titmouse, formerly know as the Plain Titmouse, from a photo I took last week here in the Sierra Nevada foothills, when the weather was warm and clear. Today it is raining, so I needed to remind myself that the birds in my yard will be back soon.

This Titmouse is a dull gray bird, but the one that I found hopping around in a bare oak tree was animated and quite charming. It posed for me in an interesting way, so I will celebrate this not-so-boring bird as a harbinger of the season.

I seem to have reduced the size of the noggin of this big-headed bird, and it appears to be smiling a bit in my drawing. Please forgive the artistic license. Chalk it up to a case of Spring Fever.

Posted in art, DIY, home, nature, photography | Tagged art, bird watching, California, drawing, home, nature, Oak Titmouse, photography, Sierra foothills, Spring | Leave a comment

What’s So Great About Egrets

Posted on March 11, 2013 by joanienaz

The Great Egret is one of my all-time favorite birds. It is both primitive and elegant. Like a giant raptor of ancient times, it rises over its aquatic habitat with majestic dignity and expansive wings. It stands guard at the water’s edge, a silent sentinel in its patient search for food.

I interrupted this bird as I drove past the pond where it was the only visitor. It settled down onto a nearby rock, and when I approached on foot too quickly, it flew away across an adjacent field. It was magnificent in flight!

Posted in DIY, nature, photography | Tagged bird watching, California, Great Egret, nature, photography, shore bird | 4 Comments

North Coast Music

Posted on March 6, 2013 by joanienaz

It’s a blustery day here in Northern California as a cold storm with the promise of snow blasts through the area. So curl up with something warm wherever you are, and check out this indie band from Humboldt County. The banjo player is my son.

http://www.reverbnation.com/gunsafetheband

photo copyright Chuck Johnson

Posted in DIY, music | Tagged band, banjo, California, entertainment, Humboldt County, music, North Coast | Leave a comment

A Pair of Bufflehead in the Pines

Posted on February 27, 2013 by joanienaz

This pair of wintering Bufflehead was diving and scooting around the pond at the Nevada County fairgrounds when I stopped to take a walk yesterday. I enjoyed watching them swim and dive for half an hour. They were moving around a lot faster than the Mallards and Canada Geese. There were a couple of other Buffleheads on the pond as well, but I noticed that they were staying on the opposite side of the pond, which was about fifty yards wide.

In this photo you can see how very small these ducks are compared to this Canada Goose. They also have a large head relative to the size of their body. I think they are the cutest duck, and worthy of modeling for a child’s stuffed toy.

Posted in nature, photography | Tagged bird watching, Bufflehead, California, duck, nature, photography, taking a walk | 3 Comments

Bryant’s Savannah Sparrow at MacKerricher State Park

Posted on February 24, 2013 by joanienaz

My first love was the Pacific Ocean. Then I discovered the Sierra Nevada. So although I enjoy living in the foothills, I was thrilled to spend an afternoon along the coast last Sunday.

I spotted this Bryant’s Savannah Sparrow at MacKerricher State Park just north of Fort Bragg as we joined a number of others strolling the wooden walkway. It was a cool, breezy day, but mild for winter. The trails that lead down to the water and through the coastal grasslands from the parking lot near the campground were sprinkled with families enjoying the false spring.

Here is an interesting blog with a sketch of this bird that helped me to identify it. The sparrow was on the move. I was fortunate to capture it at the moment it paused.

Posted in nature, photography, travel, Uncategorized | Tagged bird watching, California, coast, MacKerricher State Park, nature, ocean, photography, Savannah Sparrow, taking a walk, travel | Leave a comment

A Snow Day in the California Foothills

Posted on February 19, 2013 by joanienaz

After spending the long weekend on the coast enjoying a false spring, we returned to the Sierra foothills in time for a day-long snow frenzy. After a rainy fall it’s been a dry winter, so the precipitation was welcome. I was hoping to wake up to snowflakes this morning, but it was just cold and gray. An icy rain was trying to amount to something and not quite succeeding, so I went back to bed.

By noon Sam called to say it was snowing like crazy a few miles away at the school where he teaches. Several inches of snow on the ground by early afternoon shortened the school day as students headed home before traffic got any worse on the steep, narrow, winding local roads. California snow is a big deal.

Where we live southwest of town there were only flurries. I was disappointed until Sam arrived home with his truck bed lined in the fluffy white stuff. So of course I had to make a snowperson. I lugged buckets of snow to the front of the cabin and built my small but robust figure. What fun!

Posted in art, DIY, home, nature, photography | Tagged art, California, exercise, home, nature, photography, snow, snowperson | Leave a comment

Heart Art

Posted on February 14, 2013 by joanienaz

In honor of St. Valentine’s Day today, I was inspired to create heart art. After I colored several hearts by layering Prismacolor pencil, I cut them out. Then I used them as stencils for a watercolor painting.

Several layers of Prussian Blue and Alizarin Crimson later, my painting still needed something more. I collaged the heart stencils onto the painting with clear acrylic paint, and then added some more hearts that I cut out of both transparent and opaque textured handmade papers.

The final product is my way of saying that love is the answer. We don’t always need the words to say it: I heart you!

Posted in art, DIY | Tagged abstract, art, collage, heart, inspiration, painting, Prismacolor pencils, valentine, watercolor | Leave a comment

Late for the Party

Posted on February 8, 2013 by joanienaz

It is a blessing for which I am grateful every day that I have the privilege of living in a rural area. I enjoy an uncluttered setting with fresh air, abundant scenery, intimate views of wildlife, and a sense of peace. Evidence of this can be imagined by these sunset images.

What could possibly mar my Utopia? Occasional inconvenience is my only complaint. This week I lost my Internet connection, and my routine was disrupted.

Routine is something that we all depend on to function with efficiency and maintain a sense of well-being and purpose. Habit keeps us on track. It can be taken to the point of inflexibility, but even in our advanced state of development, we depend on it for survival.

As an adaptable person, when I was finished fuming I considered my options, and although I am not a coffee drinker, I headed to a local coffee shop chain (which I have been known to mock) to avail myself of hot chocolate and free WiFi.

I am spoiled, and used to accessing the World Wide Web in the comfort of my own home. Due to my current state of partial employment, however, it is often a bit too peaceful there. The company of a multitude of hot beverage drinkers was a welcome change.

I found it amusing to watch those around me (trying not to stare) as they visited in person and on cell phones, as if no one else was in the large and crowded room. One gentleman in particular appeared to be having a series of animated conversations with the space across from him, and was ranting about his slow download speed to someone who was not in the room.

At last I got up from my nearby chair and walked over to let him know that it wasn’t his computer. My connection was also moving with snail-like speed. He gave me an absent look, packed up his things, and left.

He was replaced by a couple of other visitors a few minutes later. In fact, when I became engrossed in what I was doing online as my computer speeded up, and happened to look up again some time later, the characters around me had almost completely changed.

All of this is nothing new to those who depend on a public place to use the Internet. For me it was a unique social experience rather late in arriving. I have been known in the past to be late for the party.