Truly Awesome!

Are the Northern Arizona sunsets always this glorious? Thanks to the jet stream suddenly moving south, the sky was churning with all manner of clouds in shades of crimson and gold against deep blue. The show lasted all the way down the highway from the Grand Canyon park to the town of Williams, where we spent the night on another section of historic Route 66.

Elk by the Grand Canyon

"I was raised as a Quaker," he says, "and they always talked about going inside to greet the light. I was interested in that. Not only in the visible

but in the light seen with the eyes closed, the light and color in dreams."

I'm reading about Roden Crater in Arizona, trying to find out if it's finally open to the public. Absolutely fascinating story. http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/2008-09-04/calendar/maya-lin-and-james-turrell-art-from-earth-and-sky
Click on the old article below the photo of the crater. Also, Google has a satellite view and there's an old NYT article describing how hard it is to get an invite. Best I can tell it's still not open.

A long and winding and dusty road

Like fools, we rushed right in where only all-terrain vehicles should have tread and found ourselves on a hair-raising ride over a rocky, wash-board mountain pass. Eventually we met up with the paved road and arrived at the town of Patagonia, in southern Arizona, where we seem to be the only guests at the Stage Stop Inn. Across the road is the Velvet Elvis, where we had an excellent dinner and had the place to ourselves. Loved the colorful Navajo blankets hanging on all the walls and yes, the velvet Elvis painting over the bar.

Road Trip 12/10

In our search for sun, we've arrived in Barstow, CA after four days of driving. Tomorrow -- Arizona! Just posted a bunch of photos on Flickr. This shot was taken this morning as we were leaving Isleton in the California Delta, where ultra rich farm land was created from the labor of Chinese workers who built hundreds of miles of levees to channel the Sacramento River (? -- I should fact check). We had stumbled upon this unusual little town and a fantastic place to spend the night -- the Delta Daze Inn -- just as I was imagining sleeping in the car.

No photo, but what a sight!

Last night after the wood stove was really putting out some heat, I stepped out on the deck for some fresh, frigid air and heard a funny rustling sound, and out of the mist came a big antlered buck. He's probably the one who rubbed so much bark off the willow trunks. I made a little what I hoped to be encouraging sound but he skittered off into the darkness.

Lots of Baking on a Snowy Day

Molasses turkey and bell cookies, sticky icky hard to handle dough. Two loaves of whole wheat bread, gorgeous lovely to handle dough. We made BLT's for dinner and found the Two Vines cabernet was a perfect match. I have a votive candle going in case the power goes out, but so far, just lots of blinking off and right back on again.

The other day, before it snowed, I was out doing some pruning and discovered a very strange thing. At first, I thought someone had run into this very shrubby willow with a truck and scraped off a lot of bark, but then I realized it had to be done by an animal. No beavers around so it must have been the deer, nibbling away at the bark. I checked with Joe, our very excellent and knowledgeable neighbor, who just had to come over and take a look. He said he'd never seen anything like it before but it must have been the deer who had been around recently. Then suddenly he knew! It was the one with the big antlers! It's rutting season and they like to rub their antlers on trees and get the scent from their sweat glands out to attract the females. Apparently, they don't ever do it so close to a house, but these critters feel right at home around here. After all, we've planted all these special tasty treats in our gardens just for them!

Cliff above Jefferson Beach

12" x 12" acrylic painting

A very old embarrassing canvas impulsively being covered in tinted gesso.




Titled Waltz in the Woods (or something similar). On display at Front Street Gallery.

"Molly's Bread" version 1

All I have to say is that "no-knead" crusty French type bread is awesome, but there's nothing that compares to a handmade, fully kneaded loaf. Look what I made tonight! The recipe came from the world famous food blogger, Molly, who became doubly famous with the launch of Delancey, a tiny restaurant in an obscure spot in Ballard in Seattle. I haven't been there yet -- word is it's always packed -- but I take a peek at her blog every now and then. That's where the recipe came from for this dense, moist whole wheat/oatmeal bread, perfect for toast and general enjoyment. Still warm from the oven, we cut big slices and indulged in butter and my homemade blackberry jelly. I can hardly wait for morning and toast!

http://orangette.blogspot.com/2010/08/it-is-called-toast.html

Beach Bums

What a crowd on this Lincoln City, Oregon beach! The gulls were enjoying the late afternoon sun as much as I, after a long car ride. Must recommend the wonderful Black Fish Cafe right on Highway 101.

Smooth Sailing in BC this Summer

"Pax", from Olympia, Rod and Susan's trimaran

Peaceful sunset off Montague Marine Park

Our boat at anchor

The high cliffs of Galliano Island

I wonder if this will work . . . . . .

That works now that I cut the width in half!

Hazy BC Sunsets

Smoke from interior forest fires blending with normal ocean haze made for an unusual sunset at the Cowichan Bay Regatta margarita party and steak dinner on the beach. The sun actually turned red-violet but the camera didn't capture the color.



Our last night in B. C. we witnessed a glorious sunset in heavy haze that turned the sun an intense orange that reflected onto the water like molten gold. As it dropped closer to the horizon it just disappeared into the mist.

Around 3 am lightning lit up the sky followed by heavy rain that washed the dirt from our boat. We were looking good when we landed at the US customs dock in Friday Harbor the next day. Three limes got confiscated, but no worries, we were out of tequila anyway.

Lotsa Lettuce

One of the pieces I'm showing at the Front Street Gallery this month.

Spotted in Las Vegas

Sea creatures of all sizes and shapes have a cool home of their own at Caesar's Palace on the Strip. Land creatures of all sizes and shapes roam the Strip in sweltering heat.

Fresh from the Easel

Number 3 in the new series of birds, luminous egg shapes and other nature images. It will be showing at the Front Street Gallery starting tomorrow. I've priced it at $400. (20 x 16 Acrylic on a deep canvas)

Before and After

There HAVE been bears spotted in the neighborhood -- a mother, two cubs and a yearling, roaming in broad daylight! Tonight, the biggest thing I see is a full moon hanging over Seattle, across the water. Or, looking down, my stomach, full of pasta, eggplant and fresh mozzarella. Dinner was mediocre restaurant leftovers, transformed into something altogether more delicious and satisfying. Two nights ago, with visitors from S. California, we went to our favorite restaurant in Poulsbo. Amazing appetizers, great wine and then a disappointing bowl of Pasta Puttanesca. Way too much heavy intense sauce for the portion of penne pasta, but it had potential, so home it came in a box. (See above.) Tonight I broiled slices of eggplant and zucchini, separated the penne from the sauce, sauteed half an onion and a big clove of garlic, mixed together everything but the penne and added some chicken stock. While that was slowly warming up, I cooked some more pasta and diced up some fresh mozzarella. When all was done and combined, I had enough for 2 or 3 meals, the sauce was still very spicy but not overpowering, the mozzarella melted a bit on top and after snapping the photo above, I devoured a bowlful. Very nice with a glass of red wine. A young raccoon was just on the deck, peering in the window at us. I think he wanted some pasta.

Out of the Woods, onto the Deck

There was a bear on the deck last night. I was up late, heard a noise, turned my head and saw a big round black shape go by. Was it a bear or a really big racoon, I wondered, so went out in the pouring rain with an umbrella to have a good look. I didn't see any creatures but the suet feeder was not hanging from the eaves. This morning David found it on the path to the beach, all bashed in. Definitely not a racoon!

Private Fireworks Last Night in Seattle

Another Microsoft gazillionaire birthday party? Perhaps. Whatever, we were mesmerized by the spectacular display that seemed to go on forever. Thanks to whomever and congratulations on whatever from here on the Kitsap Peninsula! (More photos on Flickr)

Twilight Rainbow

Amazing view tonight as we ate dinner.

Ready for Show

Acrylic painting 36" x 24"
Acrylic painting 8" x 10"

Acrylic painting 16" x 20"

Reminder of a Master

Reading about Turner on an artist's blog just now made me realize what an influence his work has been on me and why I'm so dissatisfied with the best I can do. His genius is unmatchable but seductively inspirational.

My Favorite Polenta Dish

Here's a show n tell about how to make a wonderful layered polenta dish that I've made for dinner parties a few times. This time I made the polenta itself in a slow cooker and it turned out the best ever, only had to be stirred two or three times. Amazing! Don't ever do the nasty stove top version. There's a version you can do in the oven, too. As you see in the photo, it's pretty thick because it's going to cool off, set up, and get cut into squares then triangles. (Isosceles!) Then it gets sprayed with olive oil and goes under the broiler to lightly brown.

I make two sauces: tomato and spinach/gorgonzola. Originally a vegetarian dish, lately I make it with Italian sausage in the tomato sauce.

Build it up in layers and bake for about 45 minutes @ 350. Sprinkle with grated parmesan when it comes out of the oven.
The before baking view. Sorry, I didn't get a photo when it came out of the oven, we were so ready to eat, but it looked good, all bubbly and browned. (I covered the top with foil the last 10 minutes or so.)

Gleaned from Zoroastrianism:

Art is of the universe, involved in conflict between forces of truth and order and forces of chaos and falsehood. I choose applying paint to canvas and wood, working through chaos to something resembling truth and order, making my tiny bit of the world a more comfortable place for at least a brief instance.

My New Pet

All the way from Mexico, surveying the sights of Spring in the Pacific Northwest, this dog is low maintenance!

"Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." Steve Jobs

This is Major Tom to Ground Control I'm stepping through the door And I'm floating in a most peculiar way

Solitude of living in the country, out of touch with friends and neighbors for days on end, working alone and loving it in my studio--then suddenly the needs of the co-op gallery demand I change my ragged jeans for better ones, fix my hair and dash out to the car. Plunging up and down twisty back roads I feel like Major Tom deciding to come home after all. Human connections are a thing of joy.

Paul(Pah ool)'s House

While we were gawking at and photographing this remarkable new house in La Manzanilla, a young man came by and with a big smile claimed it was his house. Lucky for us this was our intro to a very talented architect and he invited us in for a tour of his home. I liked the way he brought some of his exterior design elements into the interior and onto the furnishings.

High on the Hillside

Driving your own car into the maze of narrow cobblestone streets and tunnels of Guanajuato is a dubious venture. We snagged a guide as we realized we would never find our B n B otherwise and as he pointed left, right and straight ahead, David followed his hand signals and we sped thru the maze and up the hill to the Casa Azul. We quickly unloaded our bags while cars piled up behind us on the steep and narrow street and then the guide got in the driver's seat and drove David and Gerry to some remote parking place that neither one of them can find again. Oh well, we certainly would not want to drive while in this town! It's like a stone roller coaster.

La Manzanilla, Jalisco, Mexico Ole!

What could be better than this! Sitting on a shaded patio at the local internet cafe/restaurant with my friend from Seattle, Nancy, catching up on email while the guys labor away back at the house doing gas plumbing so we can take showers with warm water. (I really don't mind using cold but it is a shock when it first hits the warm body.) The house that our friend in Guadalajara so kindly offered is not really set up for guests but we've been adding towels, dishes and other essentials to make it better for us and him and any future guests. It's up on a hill, a short walk from the center, surrounded by trees and birds (saw parrots today) with a peek a boo view of the ocean.

We had a gorgeous week in Colima with our semi-ex pat friends there but as we were preparing to leave, the weather changed. Arriving in La Manzanilla, on the coast, under cloudy skies, we expected rain but the electrical storm was something we had never before in our entire lives witnessed. Hours of spectacle in the sky -- lightning as bright as strobe lights, blinding in fact. When the rain suddenly came pouring down, the gutters couldn't handle it and the house flooded. We were mopping up til 1 am and fell asleep with the sound of water dripping into every available pot and bowl. Now all is well and beautiful. Having a wonderful time.

We woke up to the very loud sounds of the drum and trumpet corps that has been parading through the streets of this little town for the last few days, celebrating the annual fiesta, feast and rodeo that happens this time of year. Right now there is Mariachi music off in the distance and soon we'll go to the big communal meal featuring goat stew that precedes today's bull riding events. It's perfect summer weather for us but a little chilly for the local people!

Victoria Harbour

Victoria Harbour
Originally uploaded by JuliMil

Our New Year's celebration started with a sailing trip by Black Ball ferry "Coho" across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Victoria, BC. Continuing up Vancouver Island by car, we arrived at Nanaimo just in time to catch the small ferry to Gabriola Island, where we joined our Canadian family for the annual get-together. A midnight walk by the light of the full moon on a long sandy beach was magical.