Wildflower Wednesday - July in Kings Canyon and Sequoia

It may not be springtime but wildflowers can still be found blooming all through Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.  In fact, they're just about everywhere you look.  The variation in shape, size and color is amazing.  I even found some I'd never seen before.  They're all so beautiful! 

As usual, I took a lot of flower pictures.  Unfortunately, there were a few flowers I saw that I never had an opportunity to photograph...they were always in places along the road where there was no place to turn out and park.  I kept looking and trying but never found a chance.  Maybe they're a little camera shy.  The flowers I did photograph more than make up for it though. 

This one reminds me of orchids and snapdragons.  It's actually a Meadow Lotus.  Quail and small rodents like them for their seeds.  So pretty!

These Western Azaleas were a bit challenging to photograph because they seemed to always be growing in thick, bushy and wooded areas that made it hard to get close to.  I did my best.

The blooms were surprisingly large.  I love the soft yellow in each one.  It almost looks like they were spray painted or airbrushed with the yellow.  They grow in such large clusters.

I have no idea what this is but it's cute.  It reminds me of curly caterpillars.

We didn't quite make it in time to see the Mountain Dogwood at it's best.  I was happy to see it nonetheless.  It was a treat to see them because they don't grow where I live.  Even the foliage is beautiful.

Here's one of the blooms as it's beginning to fade away for the season.  It's still pretty!

I found these on Morro Rock.  They might be the same as one of elusive flowers that I kept seeing alongside the road...at least, it's the same fuscia color.  It was still a bit far away to get a close look and picture.  The color is striking.  I'm pretty sure it's a California Fuschia.

I never tire of seeing Lupine.  It turns out that there are over 80 species of Lupine in California.  They can vary in size, shape or color but they're always beautiful. 

Growing in the forest and around the bases of the redwood trees seemed especially pretty.

I think they're happy in this forest...they were extra tall and bushy.

This is another flower that I see quite often.  It's Indian Paintbrush.  It turns out there are at least 11 species of it.  That explains why I've seen variations in size, shape, and it's red color.  I also found out that the red isn't the flower but bright bracts or leaves that surround a tiny flower.

This one is quite appropriate for the holiday we spent in the park, Fourth of July...it reminds me of fireworks.

These are very common throughout the park.  They grow on bushes that are sometimes quite large.  It's Littleleaf Ceanothus but it's also known as Whitethron, Deer Brush, and Wild Lilac.  I love the soft look of it and the delicate color.

This was surprising and interesting...and, I wasn't about to touch it!  It's the Sierra Gooseberry.  It starts out with rose colored flowers and the spiney fruit turn brilliant red in late summer.  They're mostly skin and seeds but are loved by wildlife.

These carpeted large areas of the forest.  The blossoms kind of reminded me of flowers you'd see on a strawberry plant.  But, check out the foliage...it looks like fern.  It turns out they are called Mountain Misery or Bear Clover.  It's said that on warm days it can smell like Witchhazel.  Indians used parts of the plant for medicinal purposes.

Buck Brush grows on large bushes and grows in various forms throughout California.  They can be seen in white, blue, or lavender and are very fragrant.  They've been used for medicinal purposes and when rubbed in water they create a cleansing lather.  A bee is enjoying this one.

I'm not quite sure what this one is called but I couldn't resist taking a picture.  I wasn't able to get close enough for a good picture but aren't those fluffy white cones cute on their delicate little stems?!

These remind me of strawberry blossoms too.  But, unlike the Bear Clover with it's ferny leaves, this one has big leaves and actually grows fruit.  Birds like their seedy berries.

I'm not completely sure, but I think these are Cow Parsnip.  They're huge!  It turns out they are part of the carrot family.  I never would have guessed that!  They've been used for food and medicinal purposes.

They have large leaves and tall stocks grow several feet tall.

The flowers are inside large, fuzzy pockets and slowly unfurl.

 

The intense yellow on this is pretty.  I'm not completely sure but it could be California Goldenrod.

The Crimson Columbine are actually pretty intense in color and really pretty.  However, they quiver in the breeze so much that it can be difficult to get a really clear photo.  Here's my most successful attempt on this trip.

I can never resist a butterfly photo opportunity!  This butterfly was so heavy that the Balsamroot flowers always tipped down when it landed on them.  So, I was only able to take pictures of the bottom side.  But, it's almost as pretty as the backside.

I'm amazed at the intense burnt orange color of this little butterfly.  Even the body is fuzzy and orange.  So cute!

These teeny little flowers could easily be missed but a closer look provided a cute little surprise..alternating little white petals and green leaves.  So cute!  The one on the right looks like it has some fur on it...maybe, from a wild animal?

So delicate and precious!

These are easy to figure out...Wild Iris! 

These were the most surprising and exciting wildflower find on this trip.  They're Leopard Lilies.  We only found them one time and in one spot during the entire week.  They're small and very spotted.  They hang upside down and had to be held up for a good photo.

They only grow in shady, wet areas.  Notice all the beautiful fern surrounding them.

We found a few of these tucked down, low to the ground.  It reminds me of a morning glory.  It could also be a Jimson Weed but they are usually a lot larger.  If it is, it turns out they have other names too...like Sacred Datura, Moon Lily, and Thorn Apple.

These started popping out like crazy the last couple of days we were there.  There was a nice little trail near the "Princess" campground we stayed at and each day that we walked on it, there were more and more of these.  They're Harvest Brodiaea.  They grow in the full sun.  The plant is almost invisible in the dry grasses but the flower is vibrant blue/purple.

One of my favorite flowers in the Sierra Mountains...tiny roses.  Isn't this bud precious?!

They carpet large areas of the forest.

Thistle!  Pretty but don't touch!

Pretty, little, yellow daisies.

Thanks to a little booklet I bought in the visitor center, I was able to identify and learn about some of these beautiful plants and flowers that grow in Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.  It's"Wildflowers of Sequuoia and Kings Canyon National Parks" by Stephen K. Stocking and Jack A. Rockwell.  It's thin but worth every penny of it's small $6.95 price.

I saw other flowers in the park that I wasn't able to take pictures of because of their locations, I didn't have my camera at the time, or I decided to skip because I had made so many stops to take pictures already and I just wanted to breath deeply and enjoy the fresh air and beautiful scenery.  These parks are filled with spectacular things to see, from tiny flowers and huge trees to grand and magnificent landscapes.  Much of which is impossible to capture in pictures and can only be enjoyed in real life, in that moment.  I did, however, take a lot more pictures and will share more in the coming days...wildlife, waterfalls and rivers, and, of course, HUGE trees.  I hope you'll stop back by for another visit.

Vacation in Kings Canyon

We spent Fourth of July week in Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park.  It wasn't the long vacation we had hoped for but it was relaxing...which we really needed.  We had reservations but what we heard was true...there were spaces available in the busy season...even on a holiday.  That's amazing considering how hard it is to get reservations at many places at any time.  Even more amazing was how uncrowded, peaceful and quiet it was.  Our little home-away-from-home/trailer was the perfect little cabin in the woods/getaway.

We always like to go somewhere pretty and new places are always fun.  This was both.  But, another thing we really wanted on this trip was relaxation.  We got a lot of that.  We spent time everyday under the trees, enjoyed the tranquility of the woods, listened to the birds sing, read, knitted, crocheted, played cards, ate, and sipped on some yummy drinks.  We ate pretty healthy and never ate out once.  It helped that we were pretty far from even a small town.  In fact, we were so far out that we didn't have a phone signal...except under a tree, in a far corner of a parking lot at the entrance, if we faced the right way, and held our phones just right.  Actually, we would have had a full signal if we'd had Verizon instead of ATT.  That will be changing very soon because we've run into that problem a lot.  But, it did make for a more peaceful week.

I have a stash of dish cloths that I've made in a handy little tilt-out cupboard under the sink. They work great and I have fun to using them. I love the colors too...there were several others but I used them before I took a picture.

I had to get a little creative with cooking.  We had tamales one day but I realized that I didn't have a steamer. Hmmmm?  I started rummaging around in the drawers and came up with something that worked just fine...some rolled up aluminum foil and a few knives.  Ta da!

We had a marshmallow craving while we were there and bought some marshmallows and firewood at one of the little park stores.  But, the evening bugs were a little too irritating for evening fires.  So, we got creative with that too.  We had afternoon fires for roasted marshmallows.  Mmmmm....they were so good!

We figured out a way to take showers/baths as often as we wanted too...without using water from the trailer or filling the holding tanks.  And, without having to drive 12 miles to pay $1.50 for three minute showers that were only available from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.  The spigot across the road, water jugs, a big pot on the stove to warm the water, and wash tubs worked great.  We washed our hair over the sink and used another tub of warm water and a washcloth in our bathtub/shower and it worked great.  Ahhh...and it felt great!

Salsa enjoyed the trip too.  Especially, when we pulled out this chair that she has come to like and wait for whenever we go camping.  She likes it better than laying in the dirt.  Yeah...she's a little foofoo.  But, she did get plenty of napping time in the dirt too.  You should have seen the dirt wash off of her when we gave her a bath at home!

Such a cutie!

We have a handy little folding crate for Salsa that she likes to sleep in at night and that she stays in when we need to go somewhere.  I'm not sure why but it's starting to lean.  lol

The weather was perfect..in the 70's during the day and just slightly chilly at night...perfect for sleeping.  We slept pretty good most every night.  And, we slept later than normal just about every morning...something we've found happens whenever we stay in the Redwoods. 

There weren't quite as many giant redwood trees in the Kings Canyon side of the park that we stayed at as on the Sequoia side but there were some here and there amongst the many other kinds of trees.  There were also BIG stumps left from giant redwood trees that had been cut down many years ago.  My daughter thought it would be fun to take a picture on top of one with her camping harp.  It's HUGE!

There were still a lot of camping spaces available by the final weekend but there were more people than we had seen all week.  That meant there were more campfires.  But, that made for a pretty view of sunlight streaming through the trees and smoke as we packed up to leave.

We left on Saturday to avoid the rush of traffic from everyone going home on Sunday after the holiday.  The plan worked pretty well.  But, the drive home still took a little longer than we had planned because Salsa wasn't feeling well and we had to stop fairly often to let her get out to take care of business.  Luckily, she seems to be feeling a lot better. 

She must have nibbled on something she shouldn't have.

 I have more pictures to share.  Tomorrow...Wildflower Wednesday!

Magic!

My daughter is a harpist and will be transferring to a conservatory/university this Fall as a music major.  The excitement about the school she will be attending is already high.  But, then, you add on the opportunities that are already coming her way because of it and....WOW!  It's incredible!  She's thrilled!  We're proud!  Sometimes life can be better and bigger than dreams!

She found out about a month or so ago that she would have the opportunity to perform in the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.  She was super excited!  This is a place that she wanted to visit and only dreamt of playing there...maybe...in the far future.  She and some of the university students were asked to perform with a local...and I must add...VERY talented...youth symphony for a music festival.  She received her music, quickly learned it, bought a new gown, attended some rehearsals last week and we were off to LA early yesterday morning for the BIG day.

I thought the concert hall sounded interesting but seeing it in person is amazing!  It's beautiful!  Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera because they aren't allowed inside.  So, I had to settle for taking photos with my cell phone.  Some of them are were taken at an angle in an attempt to get as much into the photo as possible.  They aren't bad but I'm not sure that any photo could truly convey the magic of visiting this place in person.

It was smaller than I had imagined but the lines were so beautiful that I couldn't stop looking at it, taking pictures, and saying..."WOW!"  It's truly a work of art in every way.  Even the accoustics inside were amazing!  They didn't need microphones of any kind.  In fact, we were told that if everyone was quiet and a pin were dropped, everyone would be able to hear it.  We've noticed in other concert halls and theatres that it's often difficult to impossible to hear some of the instruments...especially the harp.   Not here!  We could hear every instrument...beautifully.  During the concert, I kept catching myself in such amazement at the music, the talent and the concert hall that my mouth was open...it was jaw dropping! 

Here it is from across the street...

This is the main entrance on the corner. If you look carefully to the right and just above the top of the stairs,

you can see tiny holes for lights that spell out, "Walt Disney Concert Hall"...

More photos looking above the entrance...

Every where you look is beautiful.  And, with each step you take or tilt of your head, the lines

 and beauty change to create another view that's hard to resist photographing.

Stunning!

I love how the pictures I took in the morning look blue.  So pretty!

The music hall is nestled in the middle of downtown Los Angeles, amongst skyscrapers and freeways.

I honestly did not expect to experience so much magic yesterday! I absolutely want to visit this place again for another concert...maybe the LA Philharmonic! If you ever get a chance to go...don't miss it!

Of course, a lot of the magic was because my daughter was a part of it all.  She looked goreous in her new gown (pictures are still on her camera) and she did a fabulous job. The orchestra and conductor she performed with were amazing as were the pieces they played. We're so proud of her and so excited for her. We're looking forward to what's next and attending more orchestra performances that she will be a part of.

Feelin' Fancy

I've been working on trying to find new clothes to update and spruce up my wardrobe.  It's not an easy task.  I often shop for hours and leave with nothing.  So many of the styles in the stores are awful!  The prints, the looks, the colors...ugly!  And, often, when I do find something, they don't have it in my size.  I'm remaining hopeful though.  I keep believing that somewhere out there is a store that has things I'll love, in my size, and in my budget.  It may be unrealistic but it's my only hope!

I have a special event coming up...my daughter will be performing at the Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.  Very exciting!  But...what to wear?!  I'm a casual, jeans kind of girl.  I have very little in the way of fancy, special event type of clothing.  And, my one pair of fancy shoes died at the last event.  The heal broke on one of them.  Not bad, considering I had them for over 12 years.  That meant I needed clothes AND shoes!

I couldn't let the difficulty I have with finding clothes and shoes get to me.  I was on a mission and I had a deadline!  Believe it or not....I got lucky!  I hit our local Ross store at just the right time...they must have just gotten a new shipment of dresses.  I found about a dozen possibilities to try on and ended up bringing two of them home.  One is perfect for the upcoming night at the symphony.  It's a nice little black dress.  The color is perfect for a night time event.  The length is just right...the bottom of my knee.  And, it's comfortable.  Oh...and, it was only $15! 

Next...shoes!  I'm amazed that I had luck with that too!  It's a miracle!  It's also a little weird...I bought heels!  I haven't done that in soooo long!  But, they fit perfect and they're sooooo cute!  Luckily, I won't have to walk or stand very much so they should be fine. 

This outfit is very different from what I wear day to day.  I'm going to be feelin' quite fancy tomorrow night!

My daughter recently hit the jackpot too.  Being a harpist means she's always on the lookout for gowns to perform in.  They need to be both beautiful and affordable.  And, for orchestra, they also need to be black, long and have 3/4 length sleeves!  That's not easy!  We went shopping a couple of weeks ago to see if we could find something for this special event.  We popped into a David's Bridal store to see if they had something.  Well, they not only had something...they had several possibilities and they were on the clearance rack.  Three dresses went with her to the fitting room.  Two of them looked great!  Then, the sales lady told us that not only were they on clearance but the sale would take another 40% off!  What?!  Really?!  We bought two!  So, she'll be feelin' quite fancy tomorrow night too. 

I love the luck we've had with these fancy clothes....now...if I could just find some great new jeans and cute tops to go with them!  Oh...and some new casual shoes!

Adorable Doggy

Our Airedale, Salsa, went with us to San Diego for our family reunion. 

There was so much to see and do that she got a little tired.

In fact, she was having a hard time keeping her eyes open.

But, I'm pretty sure she was still listening to everything!

Eventually, it got the best of her and she couldn't stay awake anymore.

Back to the RV for a little shut-eye.

I think her nose was even tired from all the extra smelling she did

to catch all those new and interesting scents.

I just couldn't resist a close up of that cute nose!

Sippin' Sangria

We just got back from spending a few days in San Diego.  We went down there for a family reunion and had a great time with family members who drove in from various parts of Southern California and flew in from Washington, Oregon and Texas.  We enjoyed lots of food, drink, and visiting.  And, the weather was wonderful! 

On Saturday night, I made a pitcher of Sangria.  I've tried a few different recipes in the past and they've all been good.  This time, I decided to wing it and it turned out to be the best one so far!  It went quickly and I went back to our RV and whipped up another batch.  I'll definitely make this one again and again!  Here's what I did...

Into a large glass pitcher, I added...

1/2 bag of frozen organic raspberries from Trader Joe's
1/2 bag of frozen organic strawberries from Trader Joe's
1 bottle of Merlot (I used 2 buck chuck from Trader Joe's)
1/2 cup of brandy (also from Trader Joe's...Raynal VSOP Rare Old French Brandy...It's really good!)
1 thinly sliced lime
Half of a lemon, thinly sliced and seeds removed
Half of a juice orange, thinly sliced
1 single serving bottle of Raspberry Juice Squeezer for some fizz

Gently stir and enjoy!  It can be served right away but the longer it sits the better it tastes!

Sangria is so much fun to make because there are so many possibilities and it's so delicious to sip on hot summer days.  I saw a recipe last week that included a Serrano chili.  Hmmmm?  That sounds interesting!  I might give that a try. 

Fresh Out of the Kiln

I popped over to the college this afternoon to see if the latest kiln firing was done, cooled and unloaded.  It was!  Yay!  I was able to pick up the last of my projects.  I'm really excited about some of them and can't wait to share...

One of my goals for the semester was to make a large bowl.  I definitely made progress toward that.  This is the biggest bowl I've made so far and it's quite an accomplishment.  The larger a piece is, the harder it is to throw on the wheel...and to get it to be round and not lop-sided.   It shrunk a bit in the kiln (which always happens) but it's still pretty big. If I take ceramics again, my goal will be to make one even bigger! 

This clay must have had a lot of iron it because the bowl developed lots of freckles when it was fired.

I love the yellow and rust color in Winokur Yellow glaze.

It's not as big as I'd wanted but will be plenty big enough to make something in it to serve my family.

It's 8" tall and 4" wide.  I placed a regular sized garlic head next to it to give an idea of it's size and scale.

Before the semester was over, I had to try throwing on a kick wheel.  It's powered by my foot only.  No electricity.  It worked better than I'd expected.  To get better at it I'll have to remember to let go of my clay whenever I kick to get the speed back up.  I learned that the hard way.  If I kick while my hands are working with the clay, it immediately sends it off center and I end up with wonkey, lop sided pots.  They're also a bit thick on the bottoms because I wasn't able to lift them up much more after they lost center.  But, I'm pretty proud of them for my first try.  And, what fun!  I love that I made them with human power.  It was a quiet and peaceful, creative experience. 

This one resembles my honey pot vases.  It looks great with the other two and gives me a perfect set of three in various sizes.  I plan to put some flowers in them very soon and try it out as a little grouping.

I took a picture holding it to give an idea of the size these two kick wheel pots are. 

My third attempt at a goblet went much better than the first two.  But, it still wasn't all that great...until I picked it up today.  The glazes I used transformed it into something pretty cool!

I used Teadust glaze on the outside. It's usually black in color with green speckles. Turns out it also red in it.  There are even some tiny blue flecks.  It's interesting and lovely.  I really like it.  The tiny greenish/yellow flecks remind me of lichen we see on rocks when we hike. 

I used a green glaze on the inside that I thought would tie in with the specks on the outside.  Turns out it would have been pretty light.  Luckily, I was inspired by another student and how she had experimented with mixing different glazes.  She had some fantastic results.  So, I grabbed my goblet and headed back to the glaze room and put a little splattering action into the project.  It turned out to be just what it needed to tie the outside and inside together.  I love it!

The stem fits and feels very nice in my hand.  It's very comfortable.  The goblet is almost 8" tall and holds exactly eight ounces of liquid.  I think that will make for nice sized serving of wine...to start with.  I plan on trying it out tonight.  Cheers!