Coyote Games

Pono has something against coyotes. I am not sure exactly what it is, but he really really doesn't like them. He will bark like mad when they come anywhere near the house, and if he sees them through the window, I always think he is going to smash through it to get to them. Once, I had him on the leash,  he saw one that I didn't see and pulled me off my feet to chase it. I literally flew through the air, and landed face first in the sand. (Pono did apologize when he realized what he had done by coming back to me, licking my face and sitting next to me with a droopy head.)

Today, I think I may have discovered part of what bugs Pono so much about coyotes. We had just started our morning hike. Pono was off to one side in the bushes, sniffing some fascinating thing or another, when I spotted a coyote ahead, right in the middle of the trail. Fortunately, Pono hadn't spotted it yet, so I was able to get him on the leash. This young coyote actually followed us. At first, Pono didn't see it. We were down lower than the coyote, and it must have been downwind of us. It crept closer and closer, until finally it got Pono's attention. THEN, the darn thing began to tease Pono. It did everything short of sticking its tongue out and saying "nah-nah-nah....come and GET ME!" It was almost as if it wanted to play. I feel pretty good about these photos, considering I was holding onto a leash with a 75 pound, trembling, excited dog on the other end. I did suffer a bruise or two, plus a leash burn. This is the price we pay for coyote photos...

This moment almost did Pono in...(and me, when he suddenly lurched forward towards the offending 'yote.

I have heard that coyotes will lure a dog away from the owner in order for several of them to gang up on the dog, and perhaps that is what the coyote was trying to do. I don't worry much about Pono, since he is well fed and getting older and slower, but I was happy I had him on the leash today. After I was tired of playing tug-o-war with Pono and we began to walk away, the coyote actually trotted down onto the trail behind us and LAY down, as if to say, "you two are no fun at all."

Looks like my next desert animal paintings will be coyotes...

The new bobcat painting, now on display at Metro Galleries in Bakersfield until the end of the month:

"Autumn Bobcat." Oil on canvas, 20 x 20 inches. ©Karine Swenson2013

The coyotes

This morning, just as I was about to open the door to the van for Pono and I to take our morning walk, Pono climbed into the passenger seat, looked intently out the window, and began to quiver. I directed my gaze in the same direction as the excited dog when I saw three adult coyotes and two coyote pups!!! How exciting! (I quivered, too, but for different reasons than Pono.) I am glad I was paying attention, because if I had let Pono out, I am certain there would have been trouble. Pono would have wanted to go after those coyotes, and with pups to protect, those three adults would most likely have attacked my dog. I kept the door to the van closed, and proceeded to watch the coyotes for about 15 or 20 minutes.


I only have a small camera, so these photos are not the best quality. Even though the adult coyotes got pretty close to the van, the pups were much more cautious. So the only good shot of a pup is from a distance that my tiny camera couldn't quite cover. I am including it anyway. That is the first time I have seen coyote pups before.



After a while, I did drive further down the road, so that Pono could enjoy his morning walk/run.

I am re-doing my website, and I hope to have it up and running by the middle of the week!!! I will post the news when I finish it.

Another cactus in my garden bloomed a couple of days ago. I love these cactus blooms! They don't last long, but they are so brilliant. You can also see a portion of the courtyard area in front of our house.


I leave you with a small painting I finished before my Colorado trip. It is oil on board, measuring 8 x 10 inches. I titled it "From the Past." It will be available for sale on my new website! (you can also email me, if you can't wait that long.) The larger painting I have been working on over the weekend did not turn out the way I wanted it to, so it is drying. I will re-work it once the paint dries. I hope to have another big one finished by the end of the week. Stay tuned.



Happy Monday, everyone!

The desert is fun

We had another rainstorm the next day after the last one I told you about. It is so exciting!! Two days of rain, IN A ROW. We now have .85 inches of rain for the year. One inch, we are almost there! The road outside our house looks like a washout, but I am not complaining. I have enjoyed every minute of our 15 minutes of rain. ha ha ha. I took another photo of it, this view is out our back patio door.

Since I have already posted about the coyote melon, I will not go into too much detail about this plant. If you want to read about it, click here. I have one a bit further down the street from our house that is in an earlier stage than the one right out the front driveway. I took some photos of the blooms this time. The blooms obviously come first, and then the little melons are after that. Aren't they a lovely color? I think in person they appear a bit more orange, but it will be hard for you to tell, since I know every one's screen is calibrated differently. This vine is an unexpected plant for the desert, I think.

I also passed a coyote, laying in the shade of a Mohave yucca on my way home from the grocery store this afternoon. I stopped the car to take a photo, but the minute I rolled down the window, He (she?) got up and trotted to a safer distance. I did get this photo, but you can see my camera can't really handle the distance. Still, I think these are beautiful creatures.

The other exciting news I have is that I finally found the missing watercolor paintings!!! I cannot tell you what a relief that is. Of course, they were in the drawer, right where they were supposed to be, buried under a bunch of other paintings. Go figure. May you all enjoy the upcoming weekend!

Another neighbor

Before you say anything about this photo, I just want you to remember that my camera is only about 2 1/4 x 3 1/2 inches. It is a good camera, and I love it, but you can't expect the same results someone with a large, fancy camera will get. Despite the inadequacies of my camera, I had to share this photo with you, mainly for Priya's sake. She commented about the roadrunner, and talked about the cartoons with Wile E. Coyote and the roadrunner. I remember those well, and it really wasn't until I moved to the desert that I got to meet the inspirations for those two characters. Now they are my neighbors! I think that is pretty cool. This young coyote came to visit yesterday while we were eating dinner. I was so absorbed watching it, that my food got cold. I didn't mind. How often do you get to look out your window at a young coyote, anyway? (Now, Lee, I know you aren't fond of coyotes, but I really think you should give them a second chance. Look - he's smiling at you!)

I also thought you might like to see one of my new oil paintings. This one was a small watercolor that I blew up big, and painted it in oil. Now if I could just find those other missing watercolors, I could paint another one...


Early this morning, we were awakened by thunder and lightening! A rarity in these parts, for sure. It tried to rain all morning, but we only got a few little sprinkles. Still, it has made the air feel cool, and has been a nice change of pace from the usual hot desert sun beating down. I won't complain.

Curiosity and the Coyotes

There are quite a few coyotes here in the high desert. Yesterday, Pono and I seemed to be surrounded by them. While I was brushing my teeth in the morning, before our walk, there were two coyotes running across our property. I know this, because Pono was barking like crazy. He rarely barks, so when I hear him bark, I always have to go and check it out. He was standing on his hind feet, with a front paw on the window sill, looking avidly out the window. There they were, casually galloping along. I could see why Pono seemed so bent out of shape, since those two coyotes acted like it was their yard, and not his. (Which I am sure, not long ago, it probably was!)

We then got in the car and drove to one of our favorite hiking spots. A white car had turned onto the dirt road ahead of us. After about a minute or two on the dirt road, I saw a coyote enter the road behind the white car. The coyote ran after the car, just like I have seen dogs do when they chase cars. It was a strange sight, seeing this coyote chasing a car. While this coyote was still following the white car, another coyote crossed in front of us, but this one did not follow its friend down the road behind the car. After a time, the white car turned off, and the coyote went on its way.

Pono and I proceeded to our usual parking spot. It seemed coyote-free, so we went ahead on our walk. When we were finished with our walk, driving back on the dirt road, there were the two coyotes once again. Lingering along the edge of the road, they slowly and leisurely got out of our way. I was able to stop the car, roll down the window, and snap a couple of photos. That is, until Pono couldn't stand it anymore, crawled into my lap and tried to jump out the window to chase the two renegades. That was pretty much the end of the photo shoot. The two coyotes seemed just as curious about us as we were about them. They showed no fear, even though I know they could smell Pono.

I suppose the photos would be much better with a regular camera, but all I had with me was my tiny little digital camera, which I take with me everywhere. At least you get an idea.

I'm no expert, but this second coyote looked like it might be pregnant - compared to the other one, it did have a pretty poufy tummy.