The Eastern Sierras

Sometimes, you just need to pack up the dog, some food and hiking boots and drive the VW camper van up to cooler climes. You drive until the air outside the car window comes in cool, and then you turn towards the mountains. You find a nice place to camp, and then hike up to the closest lake you can find. (Dogs must be cooled off.)

Aren't ya comin?

This is the part where Pono remembers how to swim.

Yeah!

We spent a few nights camping with friends where there was enough green to quench dehydrated desert eyes. Wildflowers lined the roadside, and a longing for our former home in Colorado was awakened. We remembered what it feels like to hike up a mountain at altitude with a pack. (pant, pant) We ate food grilled on a campfire. We lounged in chairs, filling nostrils with the scent of pine. Yes, it was a good time. It could have been longer, but then isn't that the nature of a getaway? I think so.

We're back.

Dog Door

I am in Bakersfield, California, at the very VERY exclusive Super 8 motel.  Children are playing in the pool, with shouts and laughter.  I will be heading for Metro Galleries soon for the First Friday event.  If you are nearby, I will be there from 5 to 8 pm with some new work.  Before I change clothes I thought I would write a short little message to all of you, my dear blog readers. 

Pono the fuzzy dog now has a new dog door.  We have played "fetch" with the ball through the door, so that he is accustomed to going in and out the door.  He isn't quite ready to use it on his own, just yet.  He still comes to find me when he needs to go out.  But I am confident he will learn.  Just a few fun Pono and the door photos to share:

He might be my angel, but he's still a dog.

I started another painting in the new series yesterday, but I was too busy running around, getting ready to leave to photograph it for you. 

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! 

Creature companions

I have planted salvia greggii (which is a pink flowering shrub) in our front yard that the hummingbirds are attracted to.  All day long, I see them feeding on the pink flowers.  Once they have fed, they will often fly into the palo verde tree and perch in the green branches.  They aren't particularly afraid of me or Pono, and more than once, they have flown right up to my face, as though they are telling me something urgent.  Everything about the hummingbird seems urgent, with their quick movements and buzzing wings.

The desert has been so gentle and mild the past couple days.  In the evenings, Pono and I have been in the habit of sitting outside at sunset, watching the bats catching insects.  There is nothing quite like the quiet, devoted companionship of a dog.  With my husband away, Pono seems to stick close by my side, and when I lay on the floor, he lays next to me and rests his head on my belly.  It is a comforting feeling.  Mr. Pono, I am grateful for you, even if you did roll in some stinky dead thing today!  I hope you all have a great weekend, my dear blog friends.  That is what I intend to do.