It;s all been said before

All that I know I learned after I was thirty. Georges Clemenceau

.... and none of that sunk in until after I was 50. Unocchio

Do you know the difference between education and experience? Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't. Pete Seeger

.....and for those of us who do not read the fine print ..... Unocchio

Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again. Andre Gide

With that said, we might as will tip back a cool one ......

Oil on canvas board 9x12

A Mind Stretched by a new experience

Where we stand is not as important as the direction in which we are going.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
Mark Twain

A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

An Asian vase makes a great centerpiece for a still life so here it is.... there was a lot more to this one than just the vase :-)

Oil on a panel 8x10

As long as you can start

As long as you can start, you are all right. The juice will come. -Ernest Hemingway

The difference between good and great is just a little effort.-Duffy Daugherty

While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior. -Henry C. Link

So today we prepared for a presentation ... then painted a picture. Both were adventurous ....

Makes me think of the Springtime when the apple blossoms are on the trees. We may not get any this year since the warm winter hung in there so long.

Oil on canvas  9x12

Create an exciting circle

Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must first set yourself on fire. - -Fred Shero

It is known that happy people think more happy thoughts than unhappy people. If we think happy thoughts... we create happy perceptions... we create a beautiful aura of light around ourselves... which leads us to happy events. And so we create an exciting circle (where we become even happier).

Still working with a limited pallet ..... we always like a friend cow 8-)

Oil on canvas board 6x8

If you don't get everything you want

The difference between good and great is just a little effort. -Duffy Daugherty

A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort. ~Herm Albright, quoted in Reader's Digest, June 1995

Wherever you go, no matter what the weather, always bring your own sunshine. ~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book


If you don't get everything you want, think of the things you don't get that you don't want. ~Oscar Wilde

Continuing studies on composition and values    ....  a quick study of a friend of mine :-)

Oil on canvas board 6x8

Purple and yellow

If you're not failing now and again, it's a sign you're playing it safe. -Woody Allen

Today's class was on color and values .... lights and darks .... warms and cools..... we were given 2 colors to paint a picture .. + white. The colors were yellow and purple.
So here is what happened......
This is a knife painting.

Oil on canvas panel 6x8

The saddest thing I can imagine

The most imaginative people are the most credulous, for them everything is possible.  - Alexander Chase

 The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury.  - Charlie Chaplin

Yea... fat chance here :-)

Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things that escape those who dream only at night.  - Edgar Allan Poe
 
Thankfully for that.

Still painting flowers over here .... dreaming of Spring already .... heading for Arizona tomorrow....

Oil on canvas board  8x10

Plain, Honest and Upright

Turn your stumbling blocks into stepping stones. -Anonymous

All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers. - Orison Swett Marden

If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking.- George S. Patton

"Flowers have an expression of countenance as much as men and animals. Some seem to smile; some have a sad expression; some are pensive and diffident; others again are plain, honest and upright, like the broad-faced sunflower and the hollyhock."
~ Henry Ward Beecher

You can't get too much of a good thing

Oil on canvas board 8x10

A Great Beginning

A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water. - Carl Reiner

Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while. - Kin Hubbard


Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds, stars and flowers, stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes - every form of animate or inanimate existence, leaves its impress upon the soul of man. - Orison Swett Marden

I'm very gregarious, but I love being in the hills on my own.  - Norman MacCaig

So what better way to introduce the new year than wander through High Sierras, ponder reflections in mirror lakes, study ice crystals on frozen water's edge, breathe the fresh mountain air and stroll through the marsh-land trails watching the ducks feed on the stream bottoms?
I could not think of anything better so that's what happened. Follow along.........

I don't know if you can read these signs but the advise that Fallen Leaf Lake in California is several miles long and about 400 ft deep. Today, the sky was bright blue and the sun added warm rays.... one of the mildest New Year's days the locals can remember in a long time

Fallen Leaf Lake is a little over 6000' elevation and a couple miles off the highway down a long narrow road. As you approach today you will not see a ripple on the water... it is smooth as glass.... notice the reflections in the next several pictures .... awesome... have you ever seen anything like it? It takes your breath away.

Climbing a little higher is Glens Falls with a frosting of glistening ice. The locals say that this is a rare occassion because usually one can not see this without plowing thru deep snow. It is a gorgeous sight !

Proceeding even higher there is Lilly Lake nestled high in the hills amount the pines and firs.

It would have been nice to continue up the wilderness trail but there was this very intimidating sign ... stopped me in my tracks.....

Meanwhile on over at Lilly Lake other visitors found it to be frozxen over with a thick layer of ice .... again, something a person does not usually get to experience without trudging through deep snow this time of year. Did they enjoy this good day?

Upper part of Lilly Lake... yup, frozen deep!

Lots of tall grasses at the edge of the lake... inlets frozen...... under the ice out there in the middle is running water which fed the falls we saw earlier then ran on down into Fallen Leaf Lake.

It was truely a great day.... hope yours was too.

Not Afraid of Heights

A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I'm afraid of widths.- Steven Wright


A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.- Paul Dudley White

A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same. - Elbert Hubbard
... and I thank you all for that :-)

It takes a long time to grow an old friend.- John Leonard


Further studies on sunflowers .... they are so bright and cheery

Oil on canvas panel 8x10

Mind over matter

Some misfortunes we bring upon ourselves; others are completely beyond our control. But no matter what happens to us, we always have some control over what we do about it. - Suzy Szasz

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.- Mark Twain

I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it. - Jonathan Winters

A sense of humor is the ability to understand a joke - and that the joke is oneself. - Clifton Paul Fadiman

To be polite is to do and say
The kindest things in the kindest way - Sophia Bronson Titterington

OK... so it looks like yesterdays post... but it is not ... I am still practising sunflowers so you may see more of them here from time to time ... this one is actually on a larger canvas

Oil on canvas board 12x16

Keep on Dreaming

There are no great people in this world, only great challenges which ordinary people rise to meet. -William Frederick Halsey, Jr.

Also, sometimes somewhat trivial challenges may seem great to the ordinary person - Unocchio

A man is not old until regrets take place of dreams - John Barrymore

May you never get old.... dream on my friend

There is no duty we do so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world, which remain unknown even to ourselves, or when they are disclosed, surprise nobody so much as the benefactor - Robert Louis Stevenson

Always do your duty ... be happy ... spread good cheer.


We are planning a painting class for the benefit of home schoolers. This is the picture we plan to paint.

Oil on canvas board 9x12

Hiking above 7000 ft

A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones that need the advice.
Bill Cosby

A stockbroker urged me to buy a stock that would triple its value every year. I told him, "At my age, I don't even buy green bananas." - Claude Pepper
I understand this one very well :-)

Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other.... same as hiking up a mountain trail is a series of short walks and stops for taking fotos

Yesterday we went hiking in the High Sierras ... beginning at Spooner lake and heading on up to Marlette Lake. It was a great day to be out-of-doors enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. We hiked about 8 miles. Take a look at some of our views:

Kris & Baron at the beginning of the hike .... those coats will soon come off ... we all way overdressed.

The trail to Marlette Lake from Spooner Lake

There were numerous rest areas .. this one had a chair cut from a tree stump.

We came upon several aspen groves along the way.

Near the top of the trail we looked back .. those distant mountains are on the other side of Lake Tahoe

Higher up the trail we found some lovely meadows.

Along the trail were several crystal cleat mountain streams ... the higher ones had ice on the top ... thick ice ... but we could hear the water flowing underneath.

At the top of the trail, just before descending to Marlette Lake there was a convenient rest spot. The ol geezer parked on a log in the warm sun and ate his sandwich while the kids went on down partway to the lake side. the last mile was on a north slope and the trail was covered with ice and snow.

Here we see the appraoch to Marlette Saddle with the high ridge to the East.

This was our first peek at Marlette Lake

Had to take a closer look.... awesome.

Kris coming back up the trail from the lake.

Hope you enjoyed this short tour ... wish you had been with us.
Best to you all.









http://www.spoonerlake.com/tahoeskimaps.htm

Anyone can start today

We have to believe in free-will. We've got no choice. -Issac Bashevis Singer

Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending - Maira Robinson

Sometimes artists paint something then put it away or hang it on the wall to look at every day... then they see things to improve, take it off the wall and paint more on it,,,, then hang it back on the wall and look at it every day .. only soon to realize that something more may be added to it to enhance the pleasure of the view .... life is like that .... if we continue to observe we will find things to make it better... to add improvements ... to make it better.




Oil on canvas panel 9x12 framed improved over time

Dream on

Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death. Albert Einstein
Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.  James Dean quotes 

It is winter. There may be some snow flowers out there... the sun is shining brightly ..... it is a good day
We were just dreaming of those bright and cheery sunflowers that smile down on us at the end of the growing season. There are a couple of fake ones sitting on my desk to keep the memories alive ... I am going to paint a series of bright sun flowers... it's all about color and cheerfulness.

Smile. It's a good day :-)

Thanks for a great day

So many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind;
When just the art of being kind
is all the sad word needs. - Ella Wheeler Wilcox

It's good to take a day off and visit nature.

Today was an outdoors day... a day for hiking and exploring .... a day to smell the sage and the big pines .... today was a "trip to Lake Tahoe" day .. whoopee !!!

The sun was shining and the weather was mild for December ... even at the higher altitudes. Who could ask for anything more.

Please enjoy some of the pictures from the day:

Big Tree Country Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park

Spooner Lake - frozen

Snow on the edge of Spooner Lake

A little snow on the west side of Spooner Lake






 

Look close to see the beaver's house on the West shore of Spooner Lake

Rocky shoreline of West Lake Tahoe

Beautiful emerald Bay of Lake Tahoe

Happy tourists visiting the Emerald Bay area of Lake Tahoe recording memories of their visit






History of the Backcountry

Beautiful mountain vistas, stunning aerial views of Lake Tahoe, abundant wildflowers and over 50 miles of trails and dirt roads make the 13,000 acre backcountry a favorite destination for hikers, bikers, and horseback riders.

In the Beginning...

Prior to the 1850's the primary visitors to the backcountry were the Washo Indians.   For thousands of years the Washo lived a very mobile life, migrating in the summer from valleys east of the Carson Range to Lake Tahoe to catch fish, hunt small game, and harvest seeds, roots and berries.

The Washo lived harmoniously with nature, had strong traditions and beliefs, and were gifted craftspeople, creating some of the most beautiful and diverse baskets in North America.   The arrival of white settlers in the mid 1800's marked the end of the Washo's lifestyle.   Commercial fisheries were established at Tahoe and the surrounding mountains were stripped of wood to provide lumber for the Comstock.

The Mining Boom(1860-1900)

As gold and silver mining at Virginia City and Gold Hill grew, enormous amounts of timber and water were needed to supply the cities and mines. This insatiable appetite spurred the creation of Marlette Lake, Hobart Reservoir, Spooner Lake and an intricate system of flumes and pipelines (The Marlette-Hobart Water System)that today is a National Civil Engineering Landmark. The box flume that carried water (not timber) from Marlette Lake to Tunnel Creek Station is now the site of the popular Marlette Flume Trail.

This flume and another from the north combined and entered a 4000' tunnel which emptied on the east side of the Carson Range.   It then joined the key pipeline of the Comstock, the Inverted Siphon.   This high pressure pipeline brought water to a reservoir near Virginia City and could deliver up to 10 million gallons/day.   Amazingly, this pipeline still works, although the water supplied now primarily comes from Hobart Reservoir and the Red House diversions.   Red House is the last remaining flume maintenance station and was rebuilt about 1910 after a devastating flood that claimed two lives.  As the Comstock declined, limited livestock grazing replaced timber interests in the early 1900's.  The forest slowly returned but the environmentally disastrous activities of the Comstock years are still being felt today.

The Backcountry Today

Land acquisitions in the 1960's from the Whittell estate formed the bulk of the 12,242 acres currently owned by the State of Nevada.

The trail to Marlette Lake via North Canyon Road is the easiest access into the back-country.   A steeper access is available at Tunnel Creek Road.   The one time millpond, Spooner Lake, now offers fishing and is surrounded by a peaceful, attractive natural area that provides opportunities for walking and nature study in the spring, summer and fall.  The most sought-after trails in the backcountry are the historic Marlette Flume Trail and the Tahoe Rim Trail.






Camping

Hobart Campground is a new five site primitive facility with tables, grills, and a vault toilet.

Spooner Outdoor Company

Since 1986,our concessionaire,by permit, has been providing groomed ski trails, equipment rentals, ski lessons and backcountry cabin accommodations.   Spooner Outdoor Company is also now providing a range of summer services including mountain bike rentals, highway shuttle service and cabin rentals.

Tahoe Rim Trail

In 1981, a unique partnership was formed between the US Forest Service, Nevada State Parks and a volunteer organization, the Tahoe Rim Trail Assoc.   Twenty years later the dream was realized with the official completion of The Rim Trail in 2001.   Much remains to be done, however, and volunteers are urged to contact the Tahoe Rim Trail office at 775-298-0012.   The work of management, maintenance and enhancement of this wonderful trail is ongoing...