Wordless Wednesday 04-26-23

 

       

#   #   #

Springtime 04-17-23

 Just a few wildflowers.

Super Bloom, California Poppies - photo by Sherry Davis Kleinman

2008 super bloom on Carrizo plain, California.  I think this is below McKittrick Summit, San Luis Obispo County.

And here is a quilt based on that photo made by a student in Ruth B. McDowell's landscape class.  Sorry I don't have the name of the artist.  

And everywhere growing wild mustard along with some wild radish in white to lavender. 

Morning Glory vines are not native, but will spread widely if not cut back. 

And Mexican primrose - once planted it is always with you! 

#   #   #

California Wildflowers 05-04-20

There were poppies on the hills around Gorman, CA  at the top of the Ridge Route.  Also some small yellow flowers that may be fiddleheads, but that is a guess.  

At one point KoKo had to look out to see what was blooming.  He is a good traveler, but does get restless sometimes.  

#   #   #

An explanation of Wordless Wednesday 05-01-20

First, Happy May Day!  When I was a child just outside of Portland, Oregon, May Day was the day we went around to our neighbor's and left paper cones of spring flowers hanging on their doorknobs.   I sometimes think I will do that in my current neighborhood, but fear that everyone would think I had just gone over the edge and call the guys in the white jackets to take me away.   Times and traditions change. 

I feel the need to explain this week's Wordless Wednesday.  On Tuesday KoKo and I drove up to San Juan Bautista to spend a few days with our friend Mary.  Mary also lives alone, and doesn't even have a doggy for company, so a houseguest is a treat for her.  We didn't leave Placentia until 4pm and made an amazing trip in 5 1/2 hours and that included two half hour stops for potty and gas.  So, the actual driving time was 4 1/2 hours.  There was almost no traffic except for the big trucks and, to my surprise, people were driving the usual 70 to 80 mph.  I expected some speed demons to be hitting the 100 mark, just because they could.  None of those.  So, it was a very pleasant drive except for the last hour over the Pacheco Pass in the dark.  Usually there are a lot of other cars and trucks to sort of light the way, but not this time.  Some of the time mine were the only lights on the road.  Weird and creepy.  Anyway we arrived about 9:30pm and we all went to bed pretty soon after that.  

The first picture on Wednesday was the wildflowers on the hills around Gorman, CA, at the top of the Ridge Route.  Only poppies and some short yellow flowers I can't think of the name of right now.  No lupine in sight.  The middle two pictures are of Mary and KoKo and Froggy.  Mary didn't want me to post her face, but I couldn't resist her gorgeous white hair.  Like most people in the world she is yearning for a haircut.   The last picture was taken from the end of her road where her new house is in a new development on the edge of San Juan Bautista.  Right now the hills are a bright green and so lush and beautiful.  The old barn is part of the original farm the development is built on.  I'm not seeing many people as KoKo and I do our walks - two or three other dog walkers in the morning.  Many of the houses here have a gold colored card in their window with OK written on it.  These are distributed by the town and the fire department drives around to check that none of the signs have been changed to a red sign, which I suppose says NOT OK.  Nice to know that people are watching out for the residents.  

We will drive home on Sunday in isolation in our car with only one potty stop and then get gas after we are back in Placentia.  Social distancing by car.  

While here I have been working on the Little Houses. 

#   #   #

Wordless Wednesday 04-29-20

#   #   #

Wildflowers along the road 05-07-19

Not great pictures, but these are a few of the blooms along the road up to Mary's in the hills above San Juan Bautista today.

Sweet Clover grows everywhere in the West along the roads and in fallow fields. 

It has a lovely fragrance. 

Wild mustard - this variety is called rocket. 

A member of the mint family, but I don't know which one. 

These are the leaves of the milk thistle - but no blooms right now. 

But there are several kinds of thistles blooming now. 

Here is another kind. 

The wild radish flowers are violet and pods are good to eat, they taste like radish!

Curly dock turns deep rusty red in the fall. 

Wild sweet fennel grows very tall, this is way over my head, maybe six and a half feet tall. 

This is what happens when I don't check that the selfie button is on OFF.

#   #   #

South on I-5 to Oceanside 03-18-19

Today I drove south on I-5 to have lunch with friends in San Clemente and afterward south to Oceanside for an errand.  I thought I would take pictures of the wildflowers on the northward journey home, but a dense fog rolled in from the ocean and everything was blurred or blocked out completely. 

Here are a few pictures I took on the way down.  I have been "playing"  with them for an hour and managed to do some editing and to get them this far.  They are not great pictures, so I figured if I lost or ruined them it wouldn't be a big deal  So, at last I know there is a way to post pictures on my blog now, but will I ever be able to do it again?  Dunno!

View toward ocean (the medium blue in the middle of image) over the training "town" at Camp Pendleton.  Fields of wild mustard. 

But mostly sage/scrub with just a few flowers.  The ocean is the medium blue between the sky and the land. 

Looking to the northeast near San Onofre.

There are many electric towers coming out of San Onofre, but the nuclear power plant is inactive. 

Wild mustard is prolific in this area on both sides of I-5.  The lighter triangle at bottom right is a reflection on the side window of the car.  

Not a very stimulating post and some lousy images, but I DID IT.  Now to see if I can do it again.  ….and again.    ….and again! 

#   #   #

Weather and TCQC quilts 02-21-19

Guess weather is the news tonight.  There was snow in Pasadena and Santa Monica today.  Of course, it was quickly melted, but the last time there was snow in those areas was 1060, according to one online report.  And I remember that little bit of snow, it was such a surprise.  

With all the rain we have enjoyed we will apparently also have a "super bloom" in various locations.  If you go to see one of these amazing wildflower displays, please don't walk on the flowers so that other can enjoy them and the blossoms will return in future years.  
Here is a site with info on where to go to see the sights. 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/california-wildflowers-where-and-when-to-find-them-during-the-super-bloom/ar-BBTUpDF?ocid=spartandhp

Today we hung the exhibit of quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection at Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove, CA.   One of the joys of collecting is sharing the quilts with others.  This exhibit is titled "People and Critters" and is all the quilts with one (or more) of those depicted.   Hope you all will be able visit the shop and enjoy the quilts.  Most are made by USA quilt makers, but there is one from Bodil Gardner in Denmark and four small ones from Olga Norris in England.  

#   #   #

Catch up photos 05-23-18

Guess I might never catch up.  Wonder how I did this on all my past Road Trips.   Here are pictures from 05-20-18 and 05-21-18. 

When I drove into Alturas the first thing that caught my attention was a Starbuck's sign.  A Starbuck's out here in the "wilderness"?  Yes, it is located in a very old hotel right on the main street.  Of course, I stopped and ordered a venti latte to carry me through the miles ahead.  

Diagonal across the intersection is this wonderful mural of sandhill cranes flying in front of the snow capped peaks.   Unfortunately this guy parked his car in front of it and had to be in the picture!  One odd thing, notice the raggedly corner of the building in upper left.  Odd. 

One street over is this elegant Modoc County Courthouse.  In the past this town must have been much larger, mostly closed up now. 

In Alturas and further on in Lakeview, OR, there were many lilac bushes/trees in bloom.  And someone had planted red poppies in between the highway and their fence. 

The wind was giving them quite a whacking, but they seemed to be holding up.

Lilacs in pale lavender....

... old fashioned lilac color.....

...and pure white.

Whenever I am traveling in the springtime and see lilacs blooming along a fence line, not in someone's yard, I stop and pick a few to perfume the car.  I use a water bottle for a vase and put a stone in the bottom to weight it into my cup holder.  What a heavenly fragrance!  We cannot grow lilacs in SCalifornia where I live, but a sometimes I find them for sale at TJoe's and buy some to perfume my entire house.  

They cheer my entire self. 

There are places along the highway where many large rock formations are exposed, this was probably blasted away in the early 20th Century. 

I have never seen a road cut that is an actual cut, but I think this had to be cut rather than blasted.  What kind of a saw would they have to do this?  Very startling, I turned around and went back for a photo, but there was no place to pull off so I just slowed down to a creep on the highway and snapped this one.  Couldn't see a vehicle in front or behind.  

I hadn't passed any towns or buildings for quite a while when this greenhouse structure appeared.  Wondered if it is a "weed house".  There are lots of bug spots on my windshield. 

I believe this is Arnica growing wild.  A medical plant used for pain relief for centuries. 

The very long and large Goose Lake.  And the clouds are looking threatening. 

Even worse out the other side of the car. 

 OOPS!

Uglier and uglier. 

But still blue sky to the west. 

Oh, no!  Here it comes. 

A downpour near Lakeview, OR.

And then NW on Hwy 31 - the start of my low gas experience. 

And more rain, but not as heavy. 

Ahhh, the clouds moved SE and the sky cleared. 

And finally checking in to the Hampton Court in Bend where these pinks are planted along the foundation.  Very bright and very fragrant. 

#   #   #