Backwoods Babble

Ever wondered what would happen if??? Or what was around the next corner, over the next hill and on the other side of the fence??? Have you ever wanted to try something, but were too chicken??? Me Too! Bored out of my gourd and inspired by the scene in "Breakfast at Tiffanys" where they do a whole day of things they never done before, I will also try new things and photograph my adventures. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do this daily at first, but I'm sure gonna shoot for at least once a week! Check back often to see what I'm up to!

I had another little drive over to Death Valley today. Rumor had it that the flowers were really starting to POP over there. I was not disappointed. It was more color than I've seen here in FOREVER! Love it! If you are faint of heart and have a deep seated fear of spiders - do not look below or close your eyes and have some let you know when it's over. I did not notice as I was half blinded by the sun and far enough away that there were little critters crawling all over the flowers. In fact, I discovered, they were on all of this particular flower! This lovely purple flower with the infestation of red spiders is known as a Desert Five Spot and is only around (so the lady at the visitor center told me) when there has been a lot of rainfall so this is a super cool treat! The name comes from the spots on the inside of the petals which is just visible on the right. I really wish the book or the nice lady had said something about the spiders.. eeek! This my lovely little gui...

The beets are boiling on the stove-top, the whole house is full of that lovely, sweet, earthy smell. I have always loved beets from the can and only recently discovered how easy it was to cook them fresh from the store. And the flavor - no comparison! They are very messy (and will stain things purplish), but with non-stick cookware and a little care, I have had really good luck. Our kitchen has not suffered any permanent damage. The best thing about beets is that you can eat the greens too! They are fabulous sauteed up with a little butter and garlic and eaten alongside their companion roots. We decided to save our greens and eat them another night - Yum! You can store them in ziploc bags in the fridge for a little while... I don't know that mine will last more than a day or two... yum! yum! yum! Courtesy of Martha Stewart's website , here is a quick way to get started enjoying this yummy veggie! Boiled Beets with Sauteed Greens Ingredients Serves 6 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus m...

I am still fighting tooth and nail with this back-up camera that, unfortunately, spent too much time with my dad. It likes to close for no reason, the shutter sometimes falls shut on its own among other things. The most annoying of its idiosyncrasies is that it refuses to focus close up consistently. I can be standing in the same spot and get 500 different variations of fuzz before one clear one comes through. It might have to do with a menu setting, I'm not sure. The menu also doesn't like to show up consistently - aaaaargh! Regardless, now and then a little gem appears. I rather liked how these random shells appeared in the backyard bird bath. Soon we'll be on the way to Death Valley - sometime in the next day or two. Hopefully, I can finangle my dad's camera away for the excursion. =)

Yup, it's atrocious... it is my first foray ever into watercolor (I'm not counting the just add water color books from back in the day). I'm pleasantly pleased with parts of it and looking forward to playing with the colors a bit more to see what happens. As you can see, I made a big, fat mess of most of it, but hey.. you can tell those are trees right??

I am feeling very floral lately. I guess it's all the flowers that are starting to pop up everywhere. Spring is the best time to be in the desert. The weather is fabulous and there is color! This is from the flowering plum in the backyard. My back-up camera and I are still learning the ropes together, but I'll take it.. Is it spring where you are yet??

I actually created this.. never ever ever would have thought I could do something that actually looked like what it was supposed to. I am loving this drawing class... it's amazing to be so creative!

For art this week, we are exploring the works of the master artists. We were to select a drawing done by a master - I chose Van Gogh - and copy the piece to the best of our ability. I chose "Melancholy" by Van Gogh. I have always loved the Dutch artists and grew to love them even more after spending a year in the Netherlands. Here is my sad little attempt to copy a master. The second part of the assignment was to choose your own subject and try to "mimic" the style of the artist from the first half. I spent Saturday out in Death Valley and selected a shot of some ruins to attempt my mimicry. Here is the result. Poor Van Gogh. I will bet he is rolling over in his grave. I do love this process though. And really enjoyed the time spent in appreciation of this amazing talent - Van Gogh!

I feel alot like this picture today - fuzzy around the edges. It might be allergies, exhaustion or who knows what. I am covered in charcoal dust, breathing a little funny, and having a fabulous day! Dig into something creative today! =)

I went out to Death Valley in search of some sketching today and instead did mostly photos. I will be going back again with a better game plan and some more supplies, but I had a ball! We drove out to the Devil's cornfield (those pics did not come out well at all) and wandered around back along by Badwater. There is a ton of green sprouting everywhere and we are so excited to go back to keep checking on the flower situation. The above pic was by an area called Mustard Canyon and is the remains, I think, of an old Borax mining town.

I have been having a running argument with a friend of mine about the turtles at the duck pond. I have been on the side that they ARE there. She says no only feathery creatures! Here is the pic I took (while she was with me) to prove her wrong! Take that!

Funny how spring just sort of sneaks up on us out here in the sticks. One day it's all dead, brown twigs and then suddenly - color! The color won't last long, soon the heat of summer will fry it all away. So, I'll just enjoy it while it lasts. In a couple of weeks, there will be a trip to Death Valley. Since there has been so much rain (for here) everyone is expecting a beautiful showing of flowers. Can't wait! I missed the last good one.

I don't know what the deal is lately, but I am the queen of the typo. I don't even notice them until much later. In large, part it is because I am too lazy to run the spell check. Of course, texting produces it's own challenges. While I ponder that, you can enjoy the latest pic with the Canon A350. Yes, it is random, but it's a random kind of day. On the bright side, it rained today. My favorite kind of day in the desert. It is the best time to open the windows wide and enjoy a lovely, cool nap.

So, I still miss my little Canon Elph, but this picture has restored my faith in my old Canon A350. I had begun to seriously despair that nothing good could come out of it, and while this shot is by no means perfect, I do rather like how the like looks and that gives me hope. The Elph goes in for camera surgery soon - hopefully it won't cost and arm and a leg!