Summer Heat

Cooling Off

Several years ago, I purchased a portable water cooler for my upstairs, which wasn't worth much. I did a lot of searching, and found this unit. About four times as expensive as the water unit, and it needs to be vented out the window. But it does a good job of keeping me comfortable when I am upstairs. The rooms don't get too hot until late in the day, as there is usually a breeze and I can open all the windows. But in the evening when it gets really still, it gets hot.

This was delivered to my basement door, and I got it to the bottom of the basement stairs, and couldn't get it up. One day Bobbi called and said she was coming over with Matt when he came to teach the ceramics class at Rendezvous Point. I got Matt to help me. Bless his heart! He carried the thing up two flights of stairs for me.

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I started this watercolor painting of an old cabin some time ago, and finished it yesterday.

This pen and ink of a mountain lion was finished yesterday too. After putting it aside, I now see I need to do more work on his neck on the left side.

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Tracy has called me twice since they got home from Beleze, and missed me both times. She is working on getting pictures ready to e-mail me.

Trouble in the Rainbow Camp

Last night about 7:00, I heard 7 or 8 cops cars or ambulances go by fast out of town to the south with sirens. This morning I read that an incident occurred at the Rainbow camp in which FS employees tried to arrest a Rainbow person, and about 400 of them circled him and interfered, throwing rocks and sticks. Reinforcements showed up from Fremont County, Pinedale, and Sweetwater County. I guess they ended up making 5 arrests, one officer was injured, and one vehicle was damaged.

I also read that a temporary court with a judge has been set up at the fire station in Farson. They are processing Rainbow people there daily. From the information in the article, it appears they are bringing some people into court for some pretty insignificant reasons.

I would hate to be the person in charge of these people. I wonder if the law enforcement personnel may be over reacting to some of it. They seem to be issuing summons for every little infraction, like a driver whose licence plate light was burned out.

I think if I were in charge, I would station personnel around the perimeter of the area, and stay out of the camp. Let them go naked, overdose on drugs, kill each other, or whatever. As long as they stay in their camp.

I guess that's why I'm not in charge!!

Hopefully, they will all be gone in a couple of weeks.

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This is a pen and ink I did not too long ago - and a watercolor (my version of the cave art at Lascoux). I will never see the orignal artwork in these caves in person, or even the replica cave the French government built when they had to close the cave. But I love looking at photos of all the art.

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July 3, 2008 - Lilacs

Lilacs

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Lilac bushes are blooming all over town. What an amazing sight! I didn't know we had so many lilacs in Pinedale.

This bush is down by the fence, crowded in among quakies, caragana, and a blue spruce tree. I once pulled up a sucker from beside the bush under my living room window, and stuck it in the ground down there. My bush under the living room window didn't even get buds on it this year. It had grown up over the window so I couldn't see out, so I cut it way back a couple of years ago. It is a beautiful bush, but hasn't bloomed since I lopped it off.

The one on the south side of my house bloomed, but it has a hard life. When snow and ice slide off the roof, it gets bent and broken.

A mountain lion with colored pencils which I finished recently. As usual, I'm not happy with the colors I get with colored pencils.

Feathers on black paper with colored pencils. Using a very dark paper does make the colors pop out more.

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We didn't get much visiting done at our art group yesterday, as it was "video day". And they even watched two of them! I kind of missed the laughter and conversations we usually have.

July 1, 2008 - more signs

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I'm not sure why I find this sign humorous. It may just be my sense of humor, but it seems strange to have these two together. Just don't forget which you are doing!

This is a sign in front of a motel in Shoshoni. "Singel"?? I hate to even think what kind of room you can get for $27.95. And what is IR?

Cute old sign in Daniel.

I went to South Pass City last fall - it had been years since I'd been there. I was so disappointed in what has happened to it. It has become so "touristy", and doesn't look much like the old ghost town I remembered. All kinds of new wooden (varnished) sidewalks and ramps. You can't go into most of the buildings - they did have some neat displays, set up behind dirty and scratched plexiglass. It was almost impossible to take any photos.

Also, many of the buildings are being painted with fresh coats of white paint, which detracts from the image of a "ghost town".

I drove on over to Atlantic City, which really isn't a ghost town, but has some interesting structures.

Lander Cutoff

I was looking for a photograph to represent the word "trail" for a scavenger hunt for the photo group I am a member of. I stopped to take a picture of the sign up on South Pass, but there was no "trail" in the picture. On down the road between Farson and Pinedale, I realized that there are many little two track roads out there, so stopped and photographed one I liked. Who knows, maybe it used to be one of the tracks used by the wagons? Anyway, when I loaded the photos on the computer, I combined them to show the sign AND the trail.

Click on photos to see a larger version.

The sign on the South Pass Highway

The snowy track.

The two photographs combined

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I'm listening to the Pinedale radio station this morning. I don't usually even turn it on, but was hoping to hear some news aout Garrett Bardin. Nothing new.

Signs

I love signs and am always on the lookout for interesting ones.

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Every fall, the School District parks a bus somewhere in town with the "help wanted" sign.

This sign makes me smile. I don't think I ever noticed the "truck route" sign until I stopped to take a picture of the big sign. I sure never knew Farson had (or needed) a truck route!

Not a tree in sight!

Click on image to enlarge it so you can read the sign.

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Still no sign of Garrett Bardin. According to the news report, many of the Rainbows are organizing groups and are helping search. I feel so badly for Bardy, Carol and Taylor.

Aarrrghhh! A New Chair

I did a job yesterday I have been putting off way too long. I have had a new chair for my studio for a long time. About a month ago, I finally took it out of the box in the basement, and hauled the pieces, a few at a time, up two flights of stairs. I finally got it put together. I hate doing jobs like this. It always ends up being more work than it should be. The piece on the bottom of the chair needed two screws in a place that was hard to reach, and I couldn't get them started. I should have used my magnetic screwdriver, but couldn't find it. Well, it is finally all together, and is too tall for me. My legs go to sleep because my feet don't reach the floor. I think I can fix that. This chair has an adjustable back, which is nice (once I figured out how to adjust it).

Click on photos to see a larger version.

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Never mess with a moose.

There used to be an artist who lived here who painted moose - lots and lots of moose, and also pigs. Her animals were whimsical and comical, but they certainly had a lot of personality. My moose would benefit from hanging out with her moose and maybe develop some character. And now that it is finished and sprayed, I notice one of the tines on his left antler crosses over the right antler. Good Grief! I don't think I can fix it.

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June 27, 2008 - A year ago today . . . .

One year ago today, the fire was burning up Horse Creek, and I took this sunset photo from my back yard.

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Click photo so see a larger version.

Mission San Juan Capistrano

The old Catholic Mission at San Juan Capistrano was a wonderful place to explore. I took a lot of pictures, but should have taken more. There were lots of artists on the grounds of the Mission with easels, painting various scenes. I wish I could visit there again someday and spend all day photographing and painting.

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Candles inside the chapel.

In the courtyard behind the four bells

The original church, which was destroyed by an earthqake. About 40 Indian worshippers were killed, and it was never rebuilt.

The pond (full of Koi), and the front of the mission, showing the arches where the four bells are located. The ruins of the old church are on the right.

June 25, 2008 - California trip

The internet was down yesterday, and by the time it was back up, I was not in the mood to post to my Blog.

Last October, Tracy and Paul took me to Newport Beach, CA. It was not my first time flying, but it was the first time I had flown in a large jet. I loved it!

Although it was smoky from the wildfires, we did a lot of sight-seeing, we had fun, and the smoke cleared out somewhat in a day or so. We ate a lot of wonderful food, went to the beach, wandered around through Blaboa Beach, Newport Pier, and other places. We spent almost a whole day at the old Mission San Juan Capistrano.

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This is from the balcony of our rooms at the Marriott. Quite smoky,

but a pretty sunset over the oceon.

Gulls at Newport Beach.

A view of the Grand Canyon from 38,000 feet. I rode a mule to the bottom of the canyon years ago.