Meanderings and Sketches

The Oregon Coast, a dog....and forty seven years.....

2012-02-07T14:02:00.000-08:00

A few days at the coast can be a wonderful thing, especially when it's shared with my husband of forty seven years and our dog of one and one half years! It was Lucca's first time stepping onto sand and seeing, hearing and smelling the ocean. Even though we live a little more than an hour's drive away, we had never taken him to the Oregon Coast. Having a wedding anniversary just shy of 50 years called for more of a celebration than just dinner out....so we opted to book a room on the beach and enjoy watching Lucca see it for the first time!

An extremely low tide and a gorgeous day in the 60's was an added bonus for early February! Our room at Cannon Beach faced the ocean and was also very pet friendly, providing Lucca with his own bed, treats, towel and feeding bowls. The town of Cannon Beach also appears to have more dogs than people...with all varieties and sizes represented. Since Lucca is over 110 lbs and overly friendly we played it safe and put him on a leash while walking through town or on the beach. He loved every minute .....

and met quite a few new friends along the way. Haystack Rock, the town's signature rock, looms above the endless stretch of sandy beach, and is always a draw for visitors....Lucca, included.

Later in the day , when there were less people on the beach....and fewer dogs to distract, we let Lucca run free. He loved chasing his favorite ball, but didn't like the mouthful of sand that he got when he tried to pick it up!

He also didn't like it when a wave surprised him by taking his ball away and then chased him back onto the beach!

After such a big day, a short nap on the balcony is in order...

also the perfect place to watch the sunset....

The next morning ....a Monday, was quiet ....and the beach was empty of walkers, runners, kite flyers, castle builders, ankle waders, and horseback riders. ( you don't swim here, even in the Summer, due to very cold water and undertows!) It was the perfect time for a sketch, a walk into town for breakfast and another outing with Lucca!

And the perfect end to a great anniversary celebration. Forty seven years ago... we were married forty miles from NYC in the town where I grew up. Two sons, two grandchildren, five dogs, and numerous cats later, we find ourselves living in Oregon....growing grapes, riding bikes....and most of all, still loving each other, and life!

Seeing...... a walk in the snow

2012-01-16T20:15:00.000-08:00

This week it was snow instead of fog.....and another walk that made me see things differently! What a difference a mere three inches of snow can make.

When the snow first began the grasses and ferns under the trees were painted with white.

Steps leading down to our lower woodland.

The calligraphy of the branching patterns comes into focus.

The large row of black walnuts outlined at the end of a vineyard row.

What's left of our grape crop ( mostly stems after the birds came through) is now covered in snow!

My grandson, Brayden, leads the way

Back on the deck after a few more inches have fallen....

Our Christmas pots of holly, and herbs

ADDENDUM: it's still snowing....

Woke up to six or more inches of additional snow...every branch is covered, and the air is thick with snowflakes.

Time for another hike!

Seeing...while walking in the fog

2012-01-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

I took a walk this foggy morning in early January... down our country road... past our vineyard and the lichen covered fruit trees ... past the neighbor's Alpacas ... past the barking dogs who didn't hear me on the way down ( but did on the way up!) ... past the familiar sloped forest with it's ghostly fir trees and fern-covered floor ... past the yellow signs that stood out in a colorless landscape of soft greens and grays ... and past the farmfield with it's ancient equipment hiding in the weeds.

It was a challenge to capture this moment in the fog!

It was a very peaceful journey, and the fog seemed to give more clarity to the small details that appeared to emerge from the once complex landscape. It was like walking into a watercolor sketch....watching the layers of color-tinted wash create depth....then adding, with a fine brush, the details in the foreground!

Reflections...and a New Year

2012-01-06T16:32:00.000-08:00

2012 is here! Such anticipation comes with it, along with all of the hope that a New Year brings ...especially after ending a year, that for many, brought heartache and pain. The world endured more natural disasters and conflicts than ever before, but also witnessed human resilience and creative solutions to match. It is an amazing time to be alive! I remember wondering as a small child whether I'd be around when the year 2000 came! It is also amazing to see that I have passed that milestone by more than a decade, am probably considered 'old' by many, but don't realize it!

Today I celebrated by visiting Portland's Lan Su Chinese Garden with my daughter-in-law. It was a cool, cloudy day with fog lingering on the valley floor and along the river banks. The garden, located on a city block near the Willamette River, was serene ...but filled with visitors enjoying the meditative experience. Details of texture and pattern were everywhere!

Scattered Winter blooms, colorful fruit, and contorted dried leaves appeared on the many curving and twisted bare branches... creating totally new compositions and colorschemes compared to my last visit in early Fall.

In contrast to the seasonal changes, one of my favorite elements in the garden are the beautiful bonsai pots planted with groves of 'miniature' trees that appear to be suspended in time. I finally succumbed and bought one at their garden sale a few years ago ....Just looking at one rests my mind!

We ended our visit with some Jasmine tea and almond cookies in the tea house

...and said good-bye to the shadowy koi on the way out.

And as a perfect ending to my morning....I finally took a picture of the White Oak trees that sit in a farmer's field near the bottom of our hill. I pass them almost every day and am always distracted by their beauty. Along with the Douglas Fir, they covered our valley hundreds of years ago...now only scattered groves exist. One day soon I will need to sketch them!

Addendum....a few days later.....

May you have both a serene and exciting New Year!

Eating Frenzy on Black Friday

2011-11-25T19:44:00.001-08:00

This year, for the first time since we planted our grapes in 1984, we were not able to harvest due to low sugars and a general lack of ripening. We had a very late cool, wet Spring along with a cool Summer. Most vineyards with an elevation over 600-700 feet were in trouble. Every vineyard was a month or more behind schedule on ripening, and since we normally harvest in late October, our window of opportunity was considerably diminished!

We normally put up bird netting since the migratory birds come in mid October and birds love grapes! Many vineyards who don't normally do this because of earlier harvest dates, were forced to net or use canons. By early October we knew we'd be too low in sugars to harvest , so we didn't net. Our sugars only got to a high of 18 BRIX ...not good enough.

As the leaves in the vineyard turned yellow and then slowly fell off with our first frost, it became more obvious that something this year was different! No nets to remove.....only rows and rows of beautiful, plump grapes! They would normally have turned a deep reddish purple ( veraison ) in September, but even that color change wasn't happening very uniformly. Many clusters were still green or only tinged with purple. The fruit was clean, but not ripening fast enough.

The day after Thanksgiving it happened.....thousands of birds ...clouds of birds ....descended into the vineyard! The noise was deafening. many roosted in the high firs and black walnut trees that ring our 12 acre property. As I write this a day later, they are still here....it may take a few days to eat, what we estimate, are 12-14 tons of grapes!

The air was filled with birds......

And then the vines were filled with birds....

And finally, the lawn!....

Can you find the birds ( six or more) in this photo?

A close-up taken by my husband....looking into the swarm as it passed above the vineyard block!

It is fascinating to watch them swoop and move around in large clouds across the vineyard rows .... they appear to be mostly Starlings, with some orange breasted Robins scattered in the mix. A few hawks have come to observe, causing the large masses of birds to divide and disperse, and then reform again on the other side of the vineyard.

Not just another day in the vineyard!

We just hope that next year we can bring our crop in at the normal 22+ sugar, and that the birds have a short memory!

In the mean time, you can taste Oregon Pinot Gris at www.oakknollwinery.com

The magical town of Sintra, Portugal Part 4

2011-11-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

Despite a busy cool Fall with the grapes still lingering on our yellow-leaved vines, my mind still wanders back to a fairy tale day in Portugal in July of this year. On a sunny, warm day we took the train from Lisbon to visit the World Heritage town of Sintra, located in the rugged hills not far North of the city. Walking a short distance from the station we glimpsed the twin towers of the Sintra Palace, otherwise know as ' Madonna's Bra' by the locals!

Walking further up towards the town, along a ravine that appeared to be a town park, we spotted several large 'animals' through the jungle-like foliage.

That's when I wished our grand children were with us! Along with the various critters were wonderful lush plantings of hydrangea and agapanthus, along with numerous plants native to Portugal that I wasn't familiar with.

After strolling around the small town of Sintra and getting our bearings, we headed up a steep side street and followed the signs pointing to the Moorish Castle and the wildly bizarre Pena Palace, both located on a steep hillside surrounded by a deep dark woods. From the town, we could see parts of the castle walls emerging from swirls of fog. It felt like we were walking into a fairy tale!

Leaving the streets behind us we found ourselves going through a turn gate at the end of a very steep dead end street .... and were suddenly on a woodland path that meandered for a few miles through large boulders and huge twisted trees! ( a great place to be for Halloween! ) We met few people on the path.... probably due to the fact that most people took tour buses to get to the various sites. Arriving through the woods was waaay better!

A view of the Moorish Castle walls suddenly appeared before us, as the path skirted around this massive ruin dating back to the 8th century. It fell to the first Portuguese king, Afonso Henriques, in 1147. Stopped here to watch an archeological dig taking place.

Trekking on and upward we finally reached our destination....the Pina Palace, a specimen of Romantic architecture dating back to 1840. It was built 500 meters above sea level by King Ferdinand II on the earlier 16th century ruins of an ancient convent. The meandering structure is a bewildering mix of many styles and ornamentation, with sections that go back to the original 16th century monastery. In later years his son created a huge park around the palace, and modern royals have occupied the Palace through the early 1900's.

The wonderful muted colors and fanciful Moorish-influenced decorations were amazing! I loved walking the ramparts and seeing the amazing views. I would also have loved to sketch this place, but it would have required staying there for days ...so my camera captured the moment instead. Many of the interior rooms were furnished so you were able to get a feeling of what life was like for a king at the time.

A much easier hike going down, and then a train ride home completed a very interesting day. I snapped numerous photos of endless graffiti that lined the walls along the train tracks! Then....back to Lisbon, land of cobbles, and another journey unfolds. Our last week was spent in the Algarve, along the Southern coast ... to be told in my next installment.

The Medieval town of Obidos, Portugal Part 3

2011-09-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

This isn't Oregon! From Lisbon, we took a bus to the Medieval town of Obidos, located a few hours North of Lisbon. An exquisite castle sits on the North end of the town, connected to the watch tower at the South end by long walls that encircle the small town of whitewashed buildings. The simple buildings are decorated with blue and yellow paint and the ever present Portuguese tiles. Moorish and medieval influences are present everywhere. The castle has been rebuilt and enlarged many times. In fact, parts of the town were destroyed by the famous earthquake of 1755. Reconstruction began soon after to preserve this important landmark... a town that goes back in the records to 308 bc !

Brave souls (my husband Fred and our friend, Jim Dauber) walked along the top of the wall encircling the town. No guard rails here!

The plants are gorgeous...and can handle the dry, hot climate. At one time it is thought that this inland town sat at the base of a sea inlet.

You enter Obidos through an archway that extends through a small decorated chapel. Beautiful blue and white tiles cover the walls and multicolored tiles depict flowers and plants on the ceiling. This elaborate introduction is in stark contrast to the simple whitewashed buildings that confront you on the other side.

Brilliant white in the bright sun, the buildings are often outlined with blue or yellow paint, and softened by numerous plantings of vines, window boxes and draping bushes of bright flowering bougainvillea and lantana.

It is a town that is fun to explore from every angle...

With hidden gems around each corner.

The church of Saint Maria was built in the 8th century and was at one time , a mosque. Tiles from the 17th century cover the interior walls. Such history!

I hope to do some sketches from the photos that I took!

Walking to the Faculdade de Belas Artes, Lisbon Part 2

2011-08-25T10:37:00.000-07:00

We had rented the top floor of the tall, yellow house just below the castle walls ( Castelo de Sao Jorge) It had exactly 74 spiral steps leading up to the remodeled apartment. Small balconies , a back patio and skylites gave us unparalleled views of the surrounding city of Lisbon.

The day after our arrival I walked down the cobbled streets and across the flat part of Lisboa called the 'Baixa', then up the hill into the 'Chiado' district ....around the corner to the Faculade de Belas Artes, where the sketching symposium was based. It took about 15-20 minutes, depending on how many times I stopped to take photos! What a lovely way to start the morning.

The sidewalks were a marvel in themselves.....each with a different pattern of black and white cobbles!

Trolley cars went by along the winding tracks and past buildings both sculpted or dressed with tile. ....like pretty packages waiting to be opened!

Looking up, you would often see a collection of plants growing along the roof lines , brought in from the constant winds that cooled the air on a warm July day.

Trolleys were a constant presence clattering up the steep hillside.....

Once down on the flat streets, a view off to the left brought into focus one of

the great plazas ... the Praca do Comercio, with its magnificent arch. At the end of the symposium, this would be the site of the sketch crawl where over 300 sketchers would congregate!

Along the way, the smaller details of the streets would come into focus...small alleys, doorways, balconies, street lanterns....and graffiti! As in many cities around the world, graffiti has become a common sight.....sometimes taking over all the surfaces below 6 feet!

A counterpoint to the graffiti were the occasional tiled panels or 'azulejos', that depicted various historical events.

My final destination was the college...where we all met to break out into the smaller workshops that fanned out across Lisbon.

After a full day of sketching I would often meet my husband and we would discover another wonderful viewpoint over the city before searching for a cafe for a late supper. What an adventure for this 'girl from the country'! Discovering a new city can be pretty exciting.

Time Travels....LISBON, Part One

2011-08-14T12:09:00.000-07:00

Time got away from me this Summer! In June we traveled back East to my 45th Cornell reunion and enjoyed the beautiful campus in Ithaca, New York. And just recently we returned from a wonderful trip to Portugal so that I could attend a three day sketching symposium in Lisbon. Between these two trips, and a few local excursions, we have accumulated thousands of photographs between us, and I've filled numerous sketchbooks! Once we got back, catching up with our normal home, garden, and vineyard chores hasn't given me much free time to spend blogging ... but here I am ... anxious to share all the wonderful sights that we saw while they are still fresh in my mind.

There are many stories to tell about Lisbon... hills .... cobbles ... trolley cars ...graffiti ... patterns ...color and light! Traveling around the compact city was an adventure! To negotiate the many hills within the city is a challenge.... steep cobbled streets and stepped pedestrian walkways are everywhere, but the most amazing solution are several huge exterior 'Elevadors' that connect people to the upper and lower areas of the city! One of the most elaborate is the 'Justa Elevador', a 150 ft tall tower designed in 1902 by a student of Gustav Eiffel.

From the top viewing platform you can see many areas of the city, including Praca do Rossio, a large square with undulating patterns of black and white cobbles and a beautiful fountain. This was one of the areas where many of us met to sketch the urban scene.

One day my husband and I took both trolley and subway across town to the famous Gulbenkian Museum and gardens. Completed in the 1960's, the museum complex is known for it's outstanding modern architecture and garden....not to mention the wonderful displays of art and artifacts.

The garden contained flowing paths that wound through dense plantings of grasses, groundcovers, trees and water. I loved the simple, but bold umbrella 'discs' that were interspersed along the pathways!

Large sculptures, such as this woven basket that was big enough to enter and move around in, were placed along the way.

Huge colorful pillows for people to lounge on were placed under this tent of brightly colored fabric strips....

Several meandering water streams culminate in a large pond that edges one of the two modern buildings.

Once inside the museum, views to the outer garden were softened with woven window coverings, making the garden appear as an impressionist painting.

It was the perfect adventure on a hot day in Lisbon!

For more info on the Urban sketchers, and to see some of the wonderful sketches that were produced, go to our blog.

Portland's Japanese Garden

2011-05-22T17:44:00.000-07:00

Last week I finally had a sunny, relatively warm day, so I visited Portland's wonderful Japanese Garden to try my hand at sketching. I think the garden is at it's best in Spring when the fresh new foliage emerges....with the various shades of green and bronze accenting the forms and textures of the plants. There is almost a glow radiating out from the landscape! Peaceful wanderings.....

Around the pond

Dancing branches play in the breeze....

Flower petals litter the moss covered ground .....

Nature's confetti!

Waterfalls create floating bubbles....

The pond is happy again with new Koi!

A smooth wooden bench beckens

to sit and gaze...

Perhaps another sketch is needed?

Mind and soul are at rest

Now that Spring is FINALLY here....

Bring on Summer!

A reluctant Spring

2011-05-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

Spring is arriving one day at a time here in Oregon. It has been slow coming....definitely green and lush, but also wet and cool! When Mt Hood appears it is shimmering under a deep white blanket from another freshly laid snowfall. Unfortunately our grapevines have yet to break bud, but at least the newly installed deer fencing has kept them outside of our 12 acres....so far.

It's been a busy time with quite a few new landscape clients wanting extended consults that include a site visit and then two sketches...a concept plan and a perspective drawing. I really enjoy both the immediacy of the process and the fact that the client is more involved. One of my clients who I referred to in a January entry finally had a window for the 7 large screening trees to be installed. There is more work to be done but at least they have a bit of privacy now from the huge new house that was built just feet from their property line. The people at 'Big Trees Today' did a great job of installing these 20 ft. tall Leylandi Cypress! A new pergola still needs to be built in the narrower section directly behind the house to give them the privacy they deserve.

A few of the other sketches I've done have yet to be implemented...mainly due to the weather! It's interesting to see if the drawings will actually match the final result....something I obviously hope to achieve.

I've also been teaching my Landscape Illustration course this term, and trying to get started on the garden cleanup. The blossoms and Spring flowers, although often damp from drizzle, have seemed brighter than usual this year. Daffodils, usually spent by May, are still lighting up the beds, and the Hellebores are in their glory.

Forget-Me-Nots dot the beds and bloom in the lower garden, which will soon be joined by two dozen tomato plants, and rows of newly emerging lettuce, kale, and beans. At our elevation most of the active growing doesn't start until June, when the soil finally starts to warm up. For now, fresh new tree leaves are starting to unfurl, often competing with the numerous types of lichen and moss that attach themselves to many of the branches.

When a sunny, dry day does appear we try to get out on our bikes to view the fabulous countryside extending below our hill. Our area is doted with farms and wineries so the visual rewards are many.

So here's to SPRING.... I pray that it will bring much needed hope and new life to so many people who have suffered this year due to the extremes of Mother Nature and our recent volatile weather. I hope it arrives soon, so that Summer can bath us in warm, dry days!

Solitude

2011-03-26T13:37:00.000-07:00

My husband and I recently returned from the Caribbean, where we were fortunate enough to sail around the islands of Antigua and Barbuda with college friends on their 40 ft Island Packet sailboat. Seeing the Caribbean from a private sailboat is very different from the typical resort type vacation that many people associate with the islands. On the boat, we tend to sail to quiet bays and seek out islands with only small villages or little development.

About a five hour sail North of Antigua is the very flat island of Barbuda. Most people have never heard of, or visited this island, but we have visited twice over the past decade. It has only 1500 inhabitants that mostly live in the small, not easily accessible town of Codrington. The other, more numerous inhabitants are wild donkeys, deer, boar, tortoise, and Frigate birds! The island's main export, believe it or not, is sand! We have appropriately nick-named the island 'The end of the Earth', which reflects the feeling one gets after being there for awhile. We have yet to visit Codrington.

Our sailboat usually anchors in about 7 -10 feet of the clearest aqua blue water that you have ever seen, inside the long curved reef that hugs the SE coast of the island. Only a few boats, if any, are anchored near us or within sight. Occasionally a local fishing boat will approach offering up the native lobster! On the other side of the reef the Atlantic Ocean whips up large waves and throws up assorted debris on the long white stretches of beach facing the ocean.

On the reef side, jagged, sharp rocks covered with swiss-cheese-like holes create a magnificent 'rock garden'. We often spend hours exploring all the nooks and crannies, observing the unusual plant and wildlife, and basking in the brilliant sunlight.

The holes in the rock often contain miniature plants, or worn, sun bleached branches of tiny, living 'trees' that miraculously grow in the rock.

While large Frigate birds circle overhead, groups of small birds dart in and out at the shoreline...all in unison, and looking like small windup toys!

After having a chat with some local fishermen who have landed their boat on the shore, we reluctantly get in our dingy and head back to our sailboat.

We spent two days here, enjoying the clear water along with the solitude and the sounds and sights of nature at it's best. I think that my favorite past-time was to swim to a nearby reef and gently glide over that underwater world. Unfortunately, I didn't have an underwater camera to capture the colorful fish and coral that snorkeling uncovers! It was all miles, and a world away, from my life in Oregon. Every night we saw another sunset, and this year, a bigger than normal full moon!

Part 2: A Winter walk

2011-02-12T12:43:00.000-08:00

Sunny, dry days grab me by the arm and force me outside...this time for a walk with my neighbor in the woods just to the South of us. I always take my camera...just in case.

The trees around here are dressed with the latest in Winter finery....besides the many varieties of lichen and moss, my favorite are the ferns. They often flow from the tree crotches like green waterfalls, or delicately hang from the branches like Winter scarfs! Nature has dressed the woods so beautifully.

Sometimes the branches are piled with such a myriad of textures that they invoke images of furry creatures who are extending their necks out to see who might be passing!

At other times, broken and downed branches have formed an impenetrable maze that leads us to change our direction. When my two sons were young that often played in these woods and created underground forts and lichen covered roofs. I'm sure that remnants of their play villages still exist down in the hollow where a stream still runs. It was a magical place to be!

Large stumps still exist where loggers from decades ago cut down the tall, majestic Cedars and Fir. Some stumps even retain the axed out niche where the plank board was jammed into the trunk. Now only a few giants remain...and they are impressive. Somehow Nature manages to create compositions that inspire... a branch falling here, moss growing there, decay and new life....all balanced and beautiful.

As we ascend out of the woods and up on an old logging road we meet the distant view of Mt.St.Helens...it's top flattened by the historic eruption back in 1980. It's white coat of snow hides the scars of a violent eruption. We were here then....and witnessed the ash and explosive plumes as they streaked across the sky. Our soil was enriched by that ash, and lingers still in the crevices of our buildings.

The Fir trees at the top of the ridge to our right were thinned, since they weren't large enough for clear cutting. We are thankful for that. Other slopes show signs of new Fir seedlings as they finally reach above the grasses and native vegetation. Another cycle begins.....

And it's time to get out the sketchbook.....

The serenity of the Winter Landscape

2011-01-28T12:58:00.000-08:00

My Winter garden knows no boundaries....it extends out into the rain forest to our South, and out across the valley, all the way to Mt. Hood, some 70 miles away. On an early morning walk a few days ago, I came across my favorite group of moss and fern covered trees. The sun was streaking through the branches, releasing drifts of steam that swirled up into the crisp morning air. Pure magic that lasted only a few seconds as I passed by.

Off in the distance, Majestic Mt. Hood appeared on the Horizon to the East...our constant companion and focal point. An unusual large bank of fog lay over the valley and neighboring Portland. I was transfixed as the fog slowly moved up the slope, obscuring the orchards and trees below. Today we stayed above the clouds and enjoyed the suns' warmth. The previous week, we had been engulfed by the same fog and spent days in a black and white landscape. No wonder our vineyard and street are named 'Cloudrest'!

Closer to the house, Winter blooms and textural contrasts abound. One of my favorite plants, the Hellebores, are just starting to bloom, contributing pastel shades of chartreuse, pink and yellow to the many shades of green.

Moss and lichen are everywhere, even on the bird feeder!

A sun bleached skull found many years ago on the property sits in the crook of one of our remaining English walnut trees. When we bought our acreage back in 1973 it was a walnut orchard, with over 40 trees. Now only a few remain, and a 5 acre vineyard has taken their place. Unfortunately, the squirrels have taken to stealing the nuts before they ripen!

Steps, surrounded by rhododendron, fern and hosta, lead up a pathway that circles around our deck.

Steel lanterns located in our entry courtyard and along the driveway add needed light in the evenings. Living out in a rural area like ours can be great for star-gazing but also can be pitch black at night!

My husband, Fred, who dabbles in welding, created a series of lanterns along our long gravel driveway that add just the need illumination.

Walking through a Winter garden feels more serene. I also see things that I don't see in the Spring or Summer. The colors tend to be more muted, and sometimes even appear as a black and white image. Think of the aesthetic difference between a black and white photograph and the same image in color. Often the B &W has more impact because texture and form and composition become more focused in our mind. Snow covered landscapes are even more abstracted. Winter beckons....take a walk....see an empty pot filled with rainwater, or a simple ceramic art piece that was hidden by foliage earlier in the year. Explore and enjoy!

Moving Forward in the New Year

2011-01-15T14:54:00.000-08:00

I've been having fun working with some new clients in this new year. Ever since the recession, and my own desire to cut back on work, I have adjusted my services to include what I call an 'extended consult'. This involves a consult on site, a few measurements, info from the client, and lots of photos. Then I go back to my studio and work out a simple concept plan and a perspective sketch so the client can visualize my ideas. It generally works best for small properties or just certain areas of a larger garden. It takes much less time, gives the client a broad picture of what the possibilities might be, and costs them a fraction of what a full design would cost. It isn't the answer for everybody but it seems to be filling a niche in today's cut-back economy. It's also fun since it allows me to do the freehand sketching that I enjoy and play with conceptual designing, which is my favorite aspect of the design process!

My first client of the new year had a real dilemma on their hands when a neighboring one story house behind them was torn down, only to be replaced by a gigantic three story monster that literally loomed above them and totally invaded their sense of private space. Anyone who lives in an urban environment can look forward to the possibility of this happening, especially when infilling and smaller lot sizes are the trend. Luckily they had a nice sized side yard that allowed room for planting a row of large evergreens for screening. A trip to see Terry Hickman at Big Trees Today resulted in suggesting a few options...including the fast growing Leylandii 'Silver Dust'.

The narrow twelve foot space directly behind the house was a different story.The solution there was to design a pergola, creating a vine-covered outdoor room with a 'ceiling' that would block the neighbor from looking down on their space. Unfortunately, trying to achieve instant screening can be costly. Options must be weighed, and lessons learned. Often it helps if you can work with the neighbor, but this isn't always possible. How would you like to step out your back door and see this?

Another client had a corner property in the suburbs with a large lot that they weren't utilizing to it's full potential. Access from the driveway, located on one street, to the main entrance, located an another street, was awkward at best. A number of diseased and damaged trees, an uninteresting front facade, and a deck that had no access to the ground, added to the problem.

I added a new deck across the front that connected to both the side decking over the garage and the raised front walkway. Guests parking in the driveway are led through a pergola onto a small front patio and then up steps to the front entry. The new features give the plain facade of the house more character, and create a new intimate garden space with a curved sitting wall set into the slope.

In the back yard, steps were added from the existing deck down to a new patio and several terraces were created to make their sloped property more usable. With several trees removed, and some regrading, a new lawn, orchard area, and vegetable garden space will be realized.

Being a designer has it's rewards....I love seeing clients get excited when they can visualize a new, dynamic space for their garden. I love being able to enrich their lives, and calm their minds by surrounding them with the beauty of nature. In our mad world.....we need all the help we can get!

New knees and Christmas trees!

2010-12-22T16:01:00.000-08:00

For the first time in 34 years, we actually bought our Christmas tree this year! Over the years, we've always been able to cut one down on our property .... or from one of our friendly neighbor's property. It usually has stood 9-10 feet tall tucked into the SouthEast corner of our living room. This year we opted for a 3 foot tall potted Deodar Cedar that will be planted out in the garden, or grace one of our decks later in the year. The reason?... my husband, Fred, had his left knee replaced on Dec 13th, and we knew that he would have trouble taking a big tree down! I do miss our usual big tree, but it sure was a snap to decorate the small one ... and I love the new pot! The emphasis is now on all the smaller ornaments that are usually overshadowed by the bigger ones.

Fred is quite an active guy and rather inpatient to have this recovery process get moving! A few times a day he needs to be hooked up to a motion machine that continually bends and unbends his knee, and must learn to get around for the first few weeks using a walker and then a cane. Pain meds help, but make him sleepy...and sleeping makes the joint stiff! This is mighty hard for someone who goes out and bikes 50-100 miles at a time whenever he feels like it. So we are adjusting a bit this month.

Activities Christmas day will revolve around some new schedules as well. We actually have two 'new knees' in the family ! Saskia Rosemary Engstrom was born on November 18th ( one of the reasons I've been less focused on the internet, my blog and work in general!) Saskia is the first child of my oldest son, Eric, and his wife Becca, who live in Portland. We look forward to seeing them, as well as our younger son Brent, his wife, Jenn, and their 9 year old son, Brayden, here on Christmas day. How lucky we are to have them living so close !

New knees are wonderful! Saskia's are the tiniest, and the softest that I've ever felt! Fred's is man-made and a modern miracle! After three arthroscopic surgeries and not much left of the knee joint, he decided that if he wanted to continue being active, he needed to have a new one. By Spring he should be back on his bike, as well as more comfortable walking, and hopefully skiing ( in moderation?)

So 'Merry Christmas' and a 'happy New Year'....and we hope that, in 2011, we can be as content as little Saskia appears!

The magic of trees....and baskets

2010-11-12T15:50:00.000-08:00

Baskets have always fascinated me for their textural and other artistic qualities. When we first moved to Oregon in the early 1970's I took a class in pine needle basketry and made numerous small baskets from the long needles of the few Ponderosa Pine that we had on our property. I also tried my hand at weaving melon-shaped baskets using some of our grapevines.

Recently I attended a two day workshop on weaving cedar bark baskets in the tradition of the Haida Indians. Instructor Nancy Olson brought gorgeous strips of yellow and red cedar bark that she had personally gathered in the forests of Alaska. It was beautiful stuff! After soaking in basins of water, the bark strips felt like soft leather. For inspiration, she also brought many examples of baskets that she has woven over the years...so many shapes and sizes!

Getting started involved making decisions about color and form. The baskets would be small in order for us to have time in the two day period to finish. Some of the bark strips had been dyed black for accents, but other materials, such as Maidenhair fern, and Bear grass, were available. Beads, shells, bones, feathers, and other ornamentation could be added once the basket weaving
was completed.

My two baskets ready to take home! I can't wait to try weaving a few more. The design possibilities are endless! One of my favorites among the many examples that Nancy brought to the workshop was a soft textured basket in green and pale yellow.

With 12 acres on the edge of a rain forest.... that includes many cedar, fir, and walnut trees, I plan to do a bit of careful harvesting... next Spring when the sap starts running ( the best time to harvest) We just finished a very late grape harvest, the leaves of the vineyard have turned yellow below the row of one hundred year old black walnut trees......it is a beautiful time to witness nature at it's best. My beloved trees will again give back...and I can dream of sitting by the fire weaving their glowing bark strips into something magical.

I think my basket collection will be growing!

And the months go whizzing by......

2010-10-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

August, September and October have been a blur of activity.... making it very hard to know where to pick up the thread! I'll try to post more often and fill in some of the details before I forget them entirely!

In early October we traveled back East for a 50th High School Reunion in Lancaster, PA., and visited with college friends in St.Michael's, Md. Located on the Chesapeake Bay, it's a very picturesque town with a great boat and maritime museum. I took the opportunity to sketch some of the wonderful historic buildings, trying to use some of the color techniques that I had learned from Tia at the sketch symposium. We also enjoyed a sail on a big old working oyster / sailboat ... on a beautifully warm, Fall day.

They enjoy displaying pumpkins and flowers in a big way back there!

There are also terrific examples of 'gingerbread' detailing on many of the buildings .... which unfortunately, didn't get the attention they deserved on my quick sketches!

The boat had lots of character, and was the perfect place to be on such a great Fall day.

Our sail both began and ended in front of the historic Maritime Museum lookout.

Back home in Oregon, we celebrated with our son, Brent, as he took over ownership of Veloce Bicycles, a great neighborhood bike shop in Portland. We wish him well in his new venture!

We also watched helplessly as the birds came in to feast on our grapes! It appears that this might be the first year since we planted our vineyard back in 1984 that we are unable to harvest. The sugars have just not gotten high enough and the seasonal rains are closing in. There is, at this point, only a small chance that we'll have enough sunshine and warmth for them to ripen. This is the price we pay for being at a higher elevation than our neighboring vineyards. Everyone, it seems, was 2-3 weeks late in harvesting due to our wetter and cooler Summer. Perhaps that pot of gold will appear in some other form?

And, of course we welcomed back our BIG pup, Lucca, who spent an exciting week in doggie camp while we were gone, and now, at 6 months old, weighs 60 pounds! He already out-weighs our grandson, Brayden.

Life...it has it's ups and downs, and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Sketching Nirvana and Weaving Frenzy

2010-08-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

Just spent three very full days sketching in Portland with 80 'Urban Sketchers' from all over the world who met here for the 1st Annual International Sketching Symposium! It was fabulous....based at the the Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland's Pearl District, we roamed the streets with sketchbooks in hand, heard lectures from instructors from as far away as Singapore, Barcelona, and Naples, and were saturated with inspirational camaraderie. My first sketch was in pen and ink, but by the end of the three days I had loosened up and was working in ink and watercolor. It was such fun to sketch with other people and to see all the myriad styles and techniques.... what a group of talented people! I am still on overload.

I now have half a dozen sketch books, pens, and watercolors that were given to all the participants from the generous symposium sponsors. Can't wait to try out all of the new materials ! I'm also anxious to go back down to Portland to sketch with the local Urban Sketch group... but life here at Cloudrest tends to get in the way! (my vegie garden, the vineyard, the new puppy, etc)

This sketch of the college was done by Susanne Cabrera, one of the many talented people at the July symposium. It was interesting that many of the sketchers knew each other from the Internet after visiting each others blogs for years ... like pen pals who finally meet, the excitement of actually being able to sit down and sketch with that person who you admired, and who lived across the world, was palpable.

Each day we broke into small groups of 10-15 and went out with the various instructors to draw around the city. On the last afternoon, Tia, from Singapore, took our group, 'Urban Color', to the Saturday Market on the PSU campus. Needless to say, we all hated to see it end!

Earlier in the month I took a 2 day workshop at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology out on the Oregon coast. Fred and Lucca came and we rented a cabin on Cascade Head, where we were surrounded by Fir and Sitka Spruce and a view of the ocean....a recipe for relaxation! This was a two day weaving class, and I had the experience of working on a small table loom. My final product was a 6 foot long table runner, which I barely had time to finish! Of course, now I have to find time for more weaving .....

Three of us in the class decided to paint the warp threads for our projects, which created different effects depending on what color yarns were used for the weft. The blue yarn I chose was unravelled (frogged) from a silk-wool sweater! Lots of recycled materials were used.

So now that Summer is speeding by.... it makes me wish for a few more days in the week. Our puppy, Lucca, definitely brought warm days and a wagging tail with him! Besides nearly tripling his weight since we brought him home in late June, ( from 11.5 lbs to 29 lbs) he is investigating nearly every crevice and twig on the property. He especially seems to like going to the concerts at Oak Knoll Winery, and playing with our grandson, Brayden. He recently was introduced to Baxter, their Brindle Boxer and the two of them got along great.

Can't beat that for a happy ending ! What will August bring?

Can the puppy find Summer?

2010-07-02T12:32:00.000-07:00

It's July and the grass is still wet! June broke all records for one of our coolest and wettest on record.

It was also the month that we welcomed a new puppy into the family! His name is Lucca and he just turned 9 weeks old. He is one of the reasons that I haven't posted for awhile. We've been pretty busy with our new baby. Having had two Labs, two Rottweilers, and numerous cats over the past 40 years, we found ourselves missing our furry creatures. ( the visiting deer just aren't the same!)

We could certainly do without the 4 AM 'potty 'trips', and our temporary lack of freedom .... but we know it will be worth it. This little guy tugs at the heart in seconds. He also seems to love exploring our property and being underfoot at all times. Thank goodness he naps! We are fully prepared this time around with crate, toys, play area, kennel....and have even begun fencing in the entire 12 acres to keep him in and the deer out.

He's great at helping to pick up all those nasty sticks around the place, and loves to help me weed the garden. He also has developed a taste for spinach leaves ( and anything else that is green and moving) My husband Fred built a great outdoor kennel for him next to the barn/ shop ...so the two can spend time together listening to the jazz station on the radio while 'tinkering'! They've definitely bonded.

We've been working on some of the basic commands like 'Sit', 'Down', and 'Come'. Having lots of treats and patience helps. The biggest hurdle seems to be walking with a leash ( and wearing that darn collar)
We have a long gravel driveway and it can take quite awhile getting up to the mailbox when there are so many distractions along the way. A long stick dangled in front of his nose sometimes does the trick. Or better yet, When Fred starts driving the tractor up the hill,Lucca breaks into a fast trot! Imagine my surprise when I came walking down the driveway the other morning to find Lucca on Fred's lap having his first tractor ride!

He's still afraid of things like the lawn mower or the noise from the chain saw. Living in the country can be pretty overwhelming for a small puppy! Once he has his booster shot next week we'll start introducing him to some other dogs and doing more socialization. The last time we actually had a puppy was over 20 years ago when we had our first Rottweiler, Lance. He spent most of his time outside but came into the house in the evenings, and was with us most of the day. Dante became our second Rott, when we inherited him from our son when the dog was a year old. Both dogs were gentle to the point of letting our cat sleep on top of them!

Living in the country can be a messy business, especially when there are lots of trees, and plants to play with, not to mention piles of leaves and needles that accumulate under our fir grove. I also look forward to the day when he is grown up and we can give him more freedom to run up and down the vineyard rows!

The challenge will be to train him to only dig up the weeds! Tending the garden with Lucca is a new adventure, especially when I see him pulling on a daisy stem, trying to catch the water as it drips out of the watering can ( yes, we actually had a week of sunshine near the end of the month and I had to water!), or gently tugging on a newly planted pepper plant.

After beginning the month of July with cool temps and two days of rain or perhaps it was drizzle (Portland is the only place I know of where there are so many names for precipitation : showers, light mist, downpour, steady drizzle) they are now predicting temps in the 90's for next week. Summer may actually arrive in time for the Fourth of July!

I will be content to enjoy my new puppy and what's left of my garden! It's a 'Garden of Eden', where everything is a temptation!

Stormy weather...and wine tasting

2010-06-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend is traditionally when all of the local wineries open up their tasting rooms and vineyards to tasting and tours. Just 20 miles from the center of Portland there are more than 50 established wineries and over 1,500 acres of vineyards! ( making our small 5 acre Pinot Gris block appear insignificant) It is also the time of year when our weather is unsettled...and in the throws of switching from our wet Winter and Spring to our dry endless Summer. This year the rains and cool weather have continued into June.

Needless to say, we rarely have the time to go and explore other vineyards. Along with friends, Barb and Roger, we headed out to visit three of our favorite fellow winemakers. First stop was at Beran Vineyards, just a few miles down the road from us. Surrounded by bright red clover fields and old walnut orchards, the rolling vineyard rows glowed with strips of bright green new foliage...looking much like our own. Bud break occurred back in early May, about two weeks late, and the leaves have been slow to emerge.

Bill and his wife Sharon have a small operation, but make wonderful Pinot Noir. The old farm, antique barn and winery are all just recently up for sale, and they are hoping to stay in the area on a smaller parcel of land. This is a reminder that having a vineyard or winery may sound romantic, but it involves a tremendous amount of work. We toasted to their future retirement years, where drinking the wine, not tending the vines will prevail!

Our next stop was the Italian inspired Alloro Winery, owned by our friend David. My husband Fred goes by the vineyards weekly on his bike rides and we have always admired the buildings and plantings, which remind us of the places we've visited in Tuscany. The winery buildings and his recently built house are all done in stucco and stone, surrounded by herb plantings, and punctuated by large Italian cypress. There is a gorgeous patio with a stone fireplace and a formal herb garden with olive trees! My idea of paradise. Looking across the valley towards our hillside, the numerous cypress that he has planted at the edges of his vineyard blocks give a unique perspective to the landscape.
His tasting room is not open on a regular basis, so it is always a great opportunity to sample the wines and compare notes and vintages. Walking out into the vineyard we find the family dog has disappeared half way down a mole hole and is frantically digging in an attempt to catch the critter. The is a favorite activity for vineyard dogs! We had a labrador once who dug so deep that only his rear end was showing, making it hard to extricate himself from a near vertical position!

Besides the lab, a lovely butterscotch colored Italian breed stood patiently waiting by the tasting room door.

Many of the vineyards have copies of a book on vineyard dogs which has pictures and information on the numerous breeds and deeds of these valuable creatures. I have fond memories of our Labs and Rottweilers who spent many hours with us working in the vineyard ( and who especially enjoyed chasing deer and digging for gophers and moles!)

As a designer I have admired the small herb garden that Alloro has created next to the winery. Clipped hedges, a central fountain, and a four squared design of lavender, roses and olive sets the mood. Now if only we could get the sun to shine, the picture would be complete! At this time of year it has a habit in Oregon to tease us with short, eratic appearances. Better to come back in August.

Our final stop was at Willakenzie Estate Winery, located west of our Chehalem ridge. Founded by the Frenchman, Bernard LaCroute, and a Cornell classmate of mine, Ronnie LaCroute, the winery and vineyards are in a breathtaking location. The Estate was named after the soil type of the area. After tasting some of their new releases we go out into the vineyard with their assistant winemaker, Michael, to have a closer look. They are one of many wineries in Oregon who believe in sustainable viticulture, and organic farming practices. Out in the field Austrian Pea plants and grasses grow between the rows ( I grab a few for sketching back home!), a herd of long horned cattle grazes on the slope next to the vineyard blocks, and banks of solar panels are observed in the distance.

One of my favorite spots at Willakenzie is on the flat garden terrace located between the two production buildings. Brilliant green grass and white flowering shrubs lend a formality and elegance to the space. A large new stone terrace is being added that will bring you even closer to the sloped vineyard blocks, and open up additional views.

Having dodged raindrops and marveled at dramatic skies and sunlit hillsides, we reluctantly headed for home with our token wineglasses in hand. Not much will get done during the rest of the day!

Mt. Hood offers up a final show as the sun paints the tip and lower slopes with it's last fading light, and shadows break across the lower slopes. A perfect ending to a perfect day!

Cheers!

May flowers... The garden as ART.

2010-05-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

We've had crazy weather lately ... changing from rain, hail, sun, and then back again within minutes! The plants must be a bit bewildered as to what season it is. At least during the showers and occasional downpours I am able to look out and view the profusion of flowers that have burst upon the scene to brighten an otherwise stormy, dark day. One of my favorites is the yellow rhododendron, Hotoi, which is the best I have seen it this year. The flowers are the clearest yellow, and the plant, now over 30 years old, is magnificent. It borders curved steps and is slowly being shaped into a tree form.

It sits across from my new 'Moss Garden' that is edged with the golden Hakonochloa grass. The tongue of grass that edged uphill from our sloped back lawn was slowly being shaded by the Maple, Walnut, and Cornus. Various mosses were creeping in and taking over.... so I let them! A birdbath and ceramic Salmon floating above a sea of Geranium macrorrhizum complete the picture.

A few rocks planted out from the former edge of the bed helps to diffuse the boundary. Our new water pagoda beckons the eye into the space behind the trees.

The pagoda is also a handy perch for any bird wanting a drink....you might say that it's a giant water fountain! It's also a wonderful place to sit on a hot day.... listening to the sound of water. I've added Japanese Painted ferns, Hellebores, and Hosta to the shaded areas and touches of Forget-Me-Not and grasses dot the sun speckled edge.
Further down the slope, a large pot sits under the Japanese Maple surrounded by a tapestry mix of groundcovers, and hugged by a twisted copper pipe that came from our old heat pump! ( Found objects are fun to use in the garden!)

On the East side of the house another colorful bed emerges from it's Winter mode. My lovely copper fern sparkles as the yellows and rusts of neighboring plants bring it to life. A scattering of the blue flowers of Forget-Me-Not echo the color. In the center of the bed the small leaves of Rosa glauca rise up in a bluish haze. Iris and Peony will soon take center stage, while the golds of Lonicera and Euphorbia polychroma provide highlights.

Other copper pieces in this bed include a spinning Tulip and a small flower and bird that doubles as a bird feeder. The Purple sage at the edge of the bed also picks up the darker colors of the copper. Across the lawn, an ornamental grass is awakening from it's bed in a large blue pot, and will soon cascade over the edge, mingling with the pale blue flowers of the traveling Forget-Me-Not, which appears in different spots each year!

Our natural world is an ever-changing palette, and the windows of our homes frame it all! Don't forget to look out once in awhile.

Tour de Lopez

2010-04-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

Every April for the past four years we have gone up to the San Juan Islands ( northwest of Seattle) and participated in the 'Tour de Lopez' bike ride with friends from both Portland and Friday Harbor. It's a great ride put on by the Chamber of Commerce of Lopez Island.

Getting there is half the fun! It's about a 5 hour drive up to the ferry at Anacortes where we hoped to get on one of the few scheduled rides to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. This is where our friends live, who retired up to the island over 10 years ago. We always try to get there a few hours early to secure a place on the 2:45 hour long 'express' run. Waiting in line with the other cars gives us a chance to catch up on some reading... or me a chance to do a quick sketch of the ferry dock. The weather is cool and cloudy. I notice lots of dogs and bikes coming along with all the other paraphernalia stuffed in the cars. Once on the ferry we meet up with another couple we know who will be sharing our friend's guest house with us. The ride is beautiful as the ferry meanders around Shaw and Lopez islands on it's way to the quaint village of Friday Harbor. To the East we catch glimpses of the snow capped North Cascades.

Once on the island we have a short 5 mile ride to our friend's house, which sits in a beautiful meadow punctuated with rock outcroppings and a view of the water. Nature at it's best.

We unload our bikes and gear and spend the rest of the day and evening catching up with old friends. The weather is not looking promising, with showers predicted on the day of the ride. There will be seven of us participating and we'll need to catch an early ferry over to Lopez the next morning.

Up early, we are disheartened to see a steady, cold rain falling and dark skies! It's obviously decision time! Some decide to brave the weather and bike the short distance to the ferry. A few of us, who would rather stay dry as long as possible, decide to accept the offer of a ride in the truck, which also serves as a bike transport.

An hour and 20 minutes later we arrive at the small ferry dock on Lopez. The sky at this point is just spitting rain and there are signs of some possible clearing. Once off the ferry we must climb up a long hill and then make our way to the park where we get our maps and wrist bands for the lunch and festivities after the ride. Three options are provided...an easy 10 miles, then 17, or the entire 32 mile ride. All have some hills and gorgeous scenery. 600-700 riders usually participate, but we notice that there seem to be fewer riders this time .... probably due to the weather. Four in our group decide to do the entire 32 miles and three of us go for the shorter 17 mile loop. Since we normally ride longer distances, these should be really enjoyable provided we aren't hit by a downpour!

Fortunately, the air is cool and the ride is invigorating, and luckily, not too wet! We ride past farms, ponds and beaches sprinkled with rocks and driftwood. A few rest stops along the way, one at an old one room school house, provide brownies, fruit and drink to restore energy levels. Riders pass with both small children and family pets sequestered in carts behind their bikes. Reclining bikes and tandem bikes mix with both old and new models of road and hybrid models. The roads are wet so everyone uses a degree of caution.
At the end of the ride in Lopez Village there are tents set up with food and drink, a terrific quartet playing for the crowd, and lots of happy people. The sun finally makes an appearance and helps warm us up. By mid afternoon we get back on our bikes for the 4 mile ride back to the ferry dock so we can catch the 3:45 back to Friday Harbor.

Waiting at the ferry dock a deep discussion takes place assessing how every one's equipment handled the ride.

Once back at Friday Harbor, the last five miles takes us back to our home at the guest cottage, where a celebratory meal awaits. What a great way to spend a weekend with friends!

The following morning we get the 11:05 ferry back to Anacortes and then drive back down to Portland, arriving home exactly 7 hours later.

March meandering....

2010-04-02T16:33:00.000-07:00

The month of March is a blur... but luckily I brought my camera and my sketchbook along when we flew out of Portland on March first, headed for Florida and then the Caribbean. I absolutely love experiencing new environments... it's a sensory overload. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could rotate people around the world to experience someone else's life? I'm sure it would help with world peace and understanding. I'm convinced that broadening your horizon is the best education you can get. Nowadays, the 'getting to' and the 'getting back' aren't necessarily enjoyable, but this time flying over 4,000 miles East went relatively smoothly ( aside from spending a long 8 hours in the San Juan airport when a storm delayed outgoing flights) Since our arrival back home late on the 17th, our 'catch up' activities have kept me from posting until now.

First of all.... we froze in Florida! My sister lives in Venice, on the Gulf Coast, where it's supposed to be balmy and warm for all of those Northerners who come down for a Winter break. NOT! Everyone was wearing fleece and had their heat turned on. Temperatures were in the 50's (F) and went down into the 30's some nights. It was too cold for my sister's parrot, Bud, to be outside. Forget the bathing suit or even trying to turn our sickly pale Oregon bodies into even a healthy beige! We did manage a brisk walk on the beach and bought our favorite coffee, 'Jamaican-Me-Crazy' , to take along on our upcoming sail. The good news : it appears that temperatures have warmed up a bit since we got home.

From Florida, our next stop was the Caribbean island of St. Lucia in the West Indies. Friends of ours from college spend half of the year on their 42 ' sailboat, and for the past decade we have been joining them for a week to 10 days of sailing adventures. ( only very good friends should attempt this! ) Getting to the Caribbean from Oregon is always the hard part!

Once on the boat we look foward to spending days without shoes, a watch, or much contact with the outside world. Temperatures this year were warmer than normal, never getting below 85 degrees F. day or night. Steady breezes, wearing as little as possible, and jumping in the water 3-4 times a day kept us cool. After exploring an old fort at the edge of Rodney Bay, we sailed North from St. Lucia to the French island of Martinique, and from there sailed from town to town along the West coast of the island.
Seeing the coastal towns from the water gives you an entirely new perspective... quite different from arriving by car. One of our first stops was the capital of Fort de France so we could check in with customs . I loved the bright colors that dominated the landscape of the area... both the painted buildings and the bright clothes of the beautiful people created a warm and happy atmosphere. Their food and craft markets were also wonderful places to explore and feel the pulse of daily life.

Anchored in the harbor with boats from Canada, Germany, France, and Finland surroundiing us, we could see the local residents bustling about in the intense heat of the mid-day. After a short dinghy ride to the dock, walking a few blocks to the local boat outfitter was like walking through an oven.... it takes awhile to acclimate to the heat of these islands. You also understand how the climate dictates a way of life that is more relaxed and slowed down!

One of my favorite towns was Saint Pierre, located further up the coast and sitting at the base of the volcano, Mt. Pelee. In 1902 the mountain exploded in a violent eruption of ash and gas that killed the entire population of the town of 30,000 people! ( actually only one person is said to have survived...a prisoner who was housed in a well protected cell!) The town was rebuilt using some of the few remaining stone walls that survived. We anchored in the harbor close to the main dock and beaches where we could see the local fisherman tending their nets.

We took a cab a few miles up onto the slopes of Pelee to visit the DePaz Rum Distillery, one of many in the area. Surrounded by acres of sugar cane fields, we could look across the landscape and see our sailboat as a tiny speck in the harbor below. Visiters are invited through a fascinating walking tour of the facility as trucks of sugar cane arrive to be crushed and processed.

Back on our boat, we could see the colorful houses lining the beaches encircling the harbor, some containing remnants of the old stone walls that remained standing in 1902. It appeared that fishing, rum, and tourism were the main economic building blocks in the area.

Mt. Pelee on a clear day overlooks the town and was the premier view from our boat, achored in 20 feet of clear blue water. The top of the mountain shows evidence of the violent ash and lava flows that descended upon the town in 1902. There is a road and then a trail up the mountain, but the hot temperatures kept us from attempting such a climb! Many of the remains of the old stone walls were scattered about the town, making it a magical place where the past and present co-existed with nature.

Upon leaving Saint Pierre we sailed South along the coast down to the town of Saint Anne. The following day we had a great 2-3 hour sail across open seas back to the island of St. Lucia, where we anchored for a day in the tiny harbor of Maribot Bay. Large yachts and an exclusive resort were hidden behind mangroves and palms. We had our only meal at a restaurant .....reached by dinghy, and called , appropriately, The Rainforest. Dining on a dock surrounded by mangroves , with the water lapping at your feet, is an experience not to be missed. Our final sail on our final day was down the coast to the famous 'Petons'...twin peaks that guard the entrance to a small harbor. The landscape is particularly dramatic, especially when seen from the water.

Our home for 10 days was Kewaydin, seen here at anchorage with sunshades keeping us as cool as possible when we're not sailing..

February wanderings

2010-02-22T10:34:00.000-08:00

It's been over a month....but our Spring-like weather and an extended road trip kept me off the computer for awhile. We left Oregon on January 25th and drove South to Yosemite National Park. What a glorious place in the Winter! A fresh blanket of snow covered the valley floor and iced the surrounding rock formations. We stayed at the lodge near the base of Yosemite Falls and spent three days hiking and taking photos. The area had been hit by major snow and winds the week before and crews were busy cleaning up downed branches and storm debris. Each evening as the sun set, hoards of photographers would gather at the prime viewing areas to see what the ever-changing weather would bring. We hiked into Mirror Lake near the base of Half Dome, marveled at the architecture of the Ahwahnee Hotel over hot soup, and enjoyed the trails up to Bridalveil Falls and Yosemite Falls.

I only had time for one small sketch of the lovely old Ahwahnee Hotel, which opened in 1927.( plus my feet were cold standing in the foot deep snow!)

From there we drove down through the California central valley to Indio, where we spent a day exploring Joshua Tree National Park. The sun kept shining, with temps into the 70's during the day but getting quite cool at night. A three mile hike in the Mohave Desert to a hidden oasis of Palm trees, tucked into a small notch, was the highlight of the day. I loved the wonderful diversity in the landscape....from flat desolate sand reaching to the horizon, to piles of rounded rock, to forests of cactus....and, of course, the ever present Joshua Tree.

Just before leaving the park for the desolate 35 mile drive out to the south entrance, we spotted a forlorn looking Coyote making his way across the road. I wondered just how many animals prowled this vast desert without ever being seen. We were, after all, very unequipped intruders to this special environment.

Our only mishap was when Fred inadvertently stepped on a piece of spiny cactus and , in trying to get it off of his sandal, managed to get it stuck on his finger. Not a pretty sight! I cringed at the thought of having your entire body make contact with a fuzzy 'Teddy Bear' Cholla!

From Joshua we drove into Arizona and headed for the red hills of Sedona, where we spent the night at a B&B adjacent to many of the canyons. We spent the next morning hiking into Fay Canyon, before heading South for our final stop .... Tucson!

We stayed with good friends from college,spending four days exploring the surroundings. Our son had gone to college there years before so we were aware of some of the attractions. Besides taking a 26 mile bike ride on a borrowed tandem, we spent a day touring Biosphere2, and an afternoon at the Desert Museum....both fascinating to anyone interested in our environment and it's inhabitants. The museum had been expanded since our last visit, and we especially liked the beautiful Mt. Lion who posed so regally for us. ( it's been rumored that one exists on our hilltop in Oregon preying on the numerous deer in our neighborhood!) Along with large, natural enclosures for the animals, the many varieties of desert plants were on display. We had a great lunch out on an enclosed patio surrounded by vibrant colors and textures. I really wanted to set up camp there!

We finally started the drive North, heading across the desert from Tucson over to the Great Salton Sea, then passing through Palm Springs and Indio during a torrential downpour, and making it all the way up to Stockton before quiting for the night. Another full day of driving brought us back to our home on the hill in Oregon. It appeared that Spring had arrived in February this year, with temperatures in the 60's greeting us.

The weather has been wildly mixed up around our country this year....how do you explain it when it's colder in Florida than Oregon, and when California is getting more rain than we are!? I know we'll still have some cold and wet days ahead, so I'm not rushing to put down seeds or new plants. Our adventure South just made me appreciate our natural world.....and I hope and pray that my grandchildren will be able to do the same in the future.

A Tucson door

Our BIG tree

2010-01-10T16:59:00.000-08:00

I'm in love.....with the big Douglas Fir tree on our property, ever since I first gazed up into it's branches back in 1973! I was told at the time that the tree was estimated to be about 250 years old. It was certainly the biggest thing on the property when we bought the 7 acres with the objective of building our first house on this south sloping piece of land. Before construction started we'd often drive out and picnic under the tree....thankful for the shade in Summer and the canopy umbrella in Winter!

It grew just down slope from a row of 100 year old Black Walnuts, and the majority of the remaining slope was planted in an orchard of much younger English Walnut trees. Once we had built our dream home and were settled in, our two young boys would often climb into the tree from an unusually low-hanging branch that seemed to literally scoop them up. I remember one day out in the garden hearing calls from somewhere far away....looking up, I discovered the boys had climbed more than 60 feet up into the canopy and were peering excitedly out through the feathery foliage. Easier going up than coming down! The branches radiated out from the trunk at regular intervals, so once up, it was almost like climbing a ladder. The one thing that made the tree different was the fact that it had twin trunks that had apparently split from the original trunk when the tree was just a sapling.

This made the tree very wide, and because it had grown out in the open and not in a forest setting, the branches reach out even further and bend to the ground. Over the years it has housed owls, red-tailed hawks, raccoons and many other animals who have left their markings. A few years ago , when we had fenced in the vineyard block where the tree resides, a few young fawns were apparently trapped inside. ( The fence was meant to keep the deer out!) After spending a day trying to round the young deer up and out through a gate, we discovered the last fawn nested down in the grass in a totally hidden spot under one of the low hanging fir branches. It was the perfect hiding place!

I just finished reading a great book called 'Wild Trees' about the magnificent Redwoods and their unique canopies. It made me curious about our own tree, which at roughly only 125 ft. high, is a dwarf in comparison. But it holds a similar ecosystem within it's branches! My husband and children are the only ones who have ventured up into its branches, but now I am tempted to explore myself. Over the years storms have broken off large branches which dangled dangerously above areas where we often walked. The vineyard isn't far away and a bench sits directly under the canopy...so for safety reasons we needed to get up into the tree and cut a branch or two. My husband is also a mountain climber, so his belay ropes have been used on occasion for protection. I now know that there are new harnesses and lighter rope systems used by experienced tree climbers for just that purpose. They were designed to climb trees like the Redwoods where the first branch grows out from the trunk 130 ft. up.

But even from ground level, there is a lot to see... Upon examining the bark near the base of the tree you can identify dozens of different lichen that create an amazing topographical image... almost looking like a Google Earth photo taken from space! Looking up into the branches I can see several large growths on the branches, along with the typical moss, ferns and rain forest greenery that covers many of the trees here in the Pacific Northwest.

When I think of this tree, and the larger Redwoods and Sequoia's, I realize how small and insignificant humans are in the scheme of things. Our lives are so short, and our time on earth so fleeting compared to the hundreds, and even thousands of years that some of these trees have stood and grown, and offered shelter. But we have the power to destroy these trees in the blink of an eye.

We will continue to be the steward of this tree and of the forest land nearby. I am eager to get to know them more... perhaps by climbing into their canopy, or by drawing and sketching them during the various seasons. They do truly bring me joy and happiness by just existing! I often stand on our deck and can watch as a large hawk circles and lands on the very top of the fir...what a wonderful thing that would be... to so effortlessly be able to perch on a tiny branch reaching toward the sky. I wonder how many visitors have landed there during the tree's lifetime?

Why not plant a tree today... or at least this year?

Walking into the New Year....

2009-12-29T16:13:00.000-08:00

After a week of eating, drinking, and celebrating with friends and family, reality hit when I stood on the scale! So it's off to the gym, or better still...out the door to meet my neighbor, Deb, for a walk along our beautiful rural road. We left just as a few very fluffy snow flakes were aimlessly floating down from the grey sky. Hmmmm...
There had been only a slight indication that snow was in the forecast. During the hour that we were gone the snow steadily increased, and by the time I wandered home, there was close to 2 inches on the ground, with the landscape becoming a magical place. What a gift. We had all been missing the copious amounts of snow that gave us a very white Christmas last year, so it's nice to see a bit of the white stuff while the Christmas decorations are still around. We've been feeling sorry for friends on the East Coast and in the Midwest who had to battle the nasty snow storms that arrived right around Christmas. Snow can certainly be both good and bad!

I love the way snow can make ordinary objects totally different....tree branches become arms covered in lichen sleeves, and forested hillsides appear ghostly and surreal. Small ferns pop out into view against the protective trunks of the large firs and cedars.

Now as the light fades and every branch on every tree is covered, I can watch the squirrels run from tree to tree, and see the varied footprints of the other assorted critters that share this land with us. There is a 4 inch thick blanket of white covering the ground so I know the deer will soon be emerging from the forest in search of the green leaves that remain exposed under the eaves of our house.

Hopefully the snow will still be around tomorrow so I can take another walk...

Happy New Year!

A Merry Christmas....

2009-12-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

Santa was surprised

to see a tree so bare,

But a star was brightly shining...

In the tree top's hair.

Every branch was gilded.

Every Jewel did shine.

Yes, this tree was different

from any other pine.

From a book on trees that I wrote and illustrated back in 1961, when I was in High School! I titled it 'The Twist of a Twig' and filled it with drawings and poetry. It hardly seems possible that close to 50 years has evolved since then.....and I'm still drawing trees!

Yesterday my husband and I spent the afternoon wandering around Portland taking photographs. I started out at the Portland Art Museum, which is having a very interesting exhibit on modern Chinese design. After checking out the maze of exhibit rooms and stopping to see what the gift shop had to offer, the adjacent sculpture courtyard turned out to be my favorite spot. Bright red Chinese lanterns appeared to hover over the space....at times giving the illusion of being giant decorations on a large tree across the street. People hurried by, trying to finish up their last minute shopping. The city felt vibrant and alive.

Meeting my husband at Pioneer Courthouse Square where Portland's Christmas tree resides, we lingered there to take more pictures , and as darkness settled in, made our way over to the Williamette River to take night shots from the bridges. The river flows through the city, dividing it East and West. It isn't often that I have the opportunity to walk across any of the many bridges that span the river. I discovered that walking is so much more of a sensory experience!
I just have a small Olympus digital camera but my husband has a much more powerful Canon digital with a large lens and tripod. Taking time exposures from the bridge would be a bit of a challenge since the traffic caused the entire structure to shake and vibrate! Just as we settled in to take some shots I noticed a distinct buzzing sound coming from under the sidewalk that carries pedestrians across the bridge. Was it about to collapse? Lights flashed, horns beeped, and crossing gates started to lower as the center section of the bridge started to raise....a large barge was about to go under the bridge! We watched, along with a large crowd of shoppers, joggers, and cyclists who by that time, had gathered at the West end of the bridge. Photos taken at that point resemble abstract paintings composed of numerous bright wiggling lines ! The barge was followed by a single small pleasure boat decorated with Christmas lights....a stray from the Christmas boat procession that is scheduled on various nights the week before Christmas.

Once we were on the other side of the bridge we found a great overlook on the East side Esplanade that runs along the banks of the river, enabling us to get better 'in focus' shots looking back at the bridge. Portland is a great walking city, and yesterday, on December 19th, it showed us it's best. Last year at this time the 'big snow' was just beginning to fall, and would leave the city with over a foot of snow, but this year it is sparkling in another way. Cheers!

2009-12-10T12:02:00.000-08:00

BRRRRRRR!.....It's cold outside! This is looking like a repeat of last year. After a few crisp, sunny days in the upper 30's, that we took advantage of by going on a few bike rides, the weather turned really cold. Around the Portland area, temps below freezing are rare, but this week we've been into single digits. Waking up to 16 degrees is cold enough! We had to act fast and drain our fountain and water pagoda. The photo above was taken just before we turned the water off, and if you look closely in the upper left corner you'll see a deer running at a blurred speed past the vineyard! I didn't notice him until after I took the picture. I am wondering how all the animals are managing. Don't the poor birds get cold? The deer have been seen lately running at a fast pace across our property, as if being chased.....perhaps by a reported cougar that may be in the area. Our hungry squirrel, I am sure, has settled in nicely for the Winter under our hot-tub.... with a good supply of stolen walnuts!

On a quick walk around the house to inspect my garden I discovered that some rhododendrons appeared colder than others! This yellow 'Hotoi ' has curled up it's leaves to the point of looking like a conifer with needles! Interesting that the 'Jean Marie' around the corner looks unchanged.

I'm glad that I managed to haul some of the more tender potted plants into the green house for protection...but I don't look forward to getting the electric bill next month! I have a small heater that keeps the green house at a 'cool '39-40 degrees when the temps dip below that outside.

Aside from trying to stay warm, I've been busy finalizing a landscape design, and preparing for the upcoming holidays. Luckily we put the Christmas tree up early and were able to cut it down....a nine foot Noble Fir, while the weather was both warm and sunny! Since we have been in Oregon, we've never had to buy a tree...started cutting Douglas firs down on our own property and then moved around the neighborhood! We have some small Nobles planted now that should provide some trees in the future.

Perhaps I should decorate our new water tower for the animals! We are hoping that once the temperatures moderate and the water can flow again, we won't find that the ice has done any damage. I really miss the sound of the water though! Before bed we usually sit out in our hot-tub, which is located on our deck with the fountain just below. The clear, cold weather has made the stars appear brighter.....and with the outside temps in the teens or lower and the water temp at 104, it's a great experience! But with the fountain frozen solid it's so quiet now............

Wishing everyone a peaceful and happy holiday as we approach another new year!

Just a pencil....

2009-11-22T15:43:00.001-08:00

I took part in my first 'Sketch Crawl' at Portland's Central Library yesterday.....what fun! A few of my former students had told me about the group, and I was inspired by the genuinely beautiful sketches that they had produced as a result of joining other people for a day of sketching. I knew that I needed something to jump start my own drawing. Sometimes it takes being with other people and just the sharing of experiences to make things happen. Five people showed up, and after walking around and looking at the three floors of the magnificent interior, we all settled down on benches with different viewpoints and subjects to observe. We all had various tools, from the lowly pencil, to fine point ink pens, to watercolor brushes. Two hours later we reconvened for coffee at a nearby coffee house and looked at the results. Some went back to do more sketching, but Deb, my associate, and I had a client meeting to attend to....so reluctantly left the group at that point. I can't wait to attend another session!

My subject turned out to be the grand floor and columns at the top of the second floor staircases... a bit more than I had time for! I decided to use just pencil since there was l lot of perspective and proportion to deal with, and I knew I might need to make numerous revisions as I went along. Recently I've been working mostly in ink, which I prefer for detail work and vignettes. I've also been drawing a lot of trees and natural landscapes. Architectural subjects present a whole new set of problems. The nuances of light and the many different angles of the ceiling planes that existed in the stairwell made the drawing very challenging but fun. I'd like to go back soon...on another rainy day....and draw some of the details of the light fixtures and balustrades, as well as some of the people.

When I got home and started looking through by sketchpad, I found another architectural sketch, also in pencil, that proved to be a real contrast to the one I had just finished.

Late in the Summer I had taken a hike down into the woods belonging to my neighbor. She has built a wonderful tiny cabin as a retreat for reading, writing or just plain daydreaming. It's only about 6 feet square, nestled next to a stream and surrounded by huge cedar and fir trees, with moss and lichen covering the roof and dripping from the tree branches. Inside there is a little wood stove, a small desk and chair and a sitting alcove under a large window that looks out to a stream and fern covered hillside. Antiques, old books and colorful pillows have been carefully arranged. I sat down that Summer day and sketched the cabin. It probably took just as long as sketching the mighty marble columns in the Library! I was outside, looking in, so nature's details were my main focus.

But the atmosphere, while not grand at all, had the same feeling of repose that a library can have....quiet, studious, surrounded by books and your thoughts. It gave the moment meaning. When I look at these two sketches I am reminded that we need to take the time to do simple things....read a poem, sketch someone or something that you love, listen to music or the rain, plant a small garden. Create something beautiful and share it with someone. Find a new friend and learn something from them.

In Oregon, in sharp contrast to our bright and sunny Summers, it can often be rainy and dreary by late November when Thanksgiving arrives. I plan to do some sketching that day....after the dinner, when the family gathers around the fireplace. I'm not good at drawing people.......but that could change.

Harvest Time

2009-10-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

We've been busy.....on Monday, October 12th, we harvested 17.7 tons of Pinot Gris from our 5 acre vineyard..... one of the earliest harvest dates that we've had since planting in 1984. It was a perfect harvest, with cool temperatures and no rain. Rain was predicted for most of the week so we knew that Sunday or Monday were our last shots before the weather changed ( and the dreaded migratory birds appeared). The sugar levels were at 23.5 BRIX and the grape clusters were large and full. The picking crew of 20 arrived at 7:15 am....just as daylight hit the vines. Armed with 5 gallon buckets, they quickly filled the 500 lb wooden totes that were positioned throughout the vineyard, and 6 hours later were finished! The rest of us all had our jobs to do and were finally ready to sit down for a meal of Tuscan bean soup and harvest bread by 7 pm or so. Son Brent helped load the flatbed truck and then drove it 4 times to the winery and back. Husband Fred operated the big rented forklift, loading the truck. Friend and neighbor Roger zipped up and down with our tractor, picking up the individual totes and bringing them down to the staging area. I did a bit of gleaning after the crews were done, with help from both daughter-in-laws and my grandson, but spent most of the day cooking up a storm in the kitchen, and bringing food and drink to keep everyone energized.

The best part of the day was realizing that we didn't have to take down the bird netting after the harvest this year, (since we never put it up)! Our usual late harvests, near the very end of October, necessitates that we put up bird netting a few weeks before harvest to keep the birds from eating the entire crop.

On Tuesday it appeared that thousands of birds, along with our 5-6 resident deer, were all descending on the vineyard, eager to nibble on the remaining clusters that had been dropped on the ground or left on the vines. There was literally, a symphony of bird calls and excitement in the air as all of the critters rejoiced! Even our big grey-tailed squirrels stopped eating our walnuts long enough to chime in.

After the harvest, while Fred did the usual clean-up of the totes and buckets, and started the long process of getting everything put away again for the winter, I started to do the garden clean-up....processing the last of the tomatoes and picking the many bucket loads of apples.

The Fall colors have been spectacular this year, stopping me dead in my tracks as I walk around the property. We've also had lots of visitors this Fall.... friends from college and our childhood years on the East Coast, who have come to spend some time with us here at Cloudrest. What a blessing to share memories and adventures together! We love showing off Portland and Oregon's wine country. It pushes us to get out ourselves and explore all the nooks and crannies.... places like the Columbia Gorge, The Chinese Garden and the Pearl District in Portland, and even Hillsboro's Saturday market, where I discovered the best green beans !!

School has started too...I have two Co-op design students this term, and am also taking on a young high school student as part of an internship program. Two landscape designs are also in the early stages, so it appears that keeping busy won't be a problem.

From Peaceful to Pop-Ups!

2009-09-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

Wow....what a month! I had a really hard time deciding what to write about first. I decided to open with a photo of our latest water feature, mentioned in an earlier post. Our 'Water Pagoda, standing over 12 feet tall, was installed during mid Summer in a grove of fir trees to the West of our house. My husband, Fred, took two years creating it from steel that he cut and carefully welded together. Water recirculates from the top pinnacle and flows down the trays into a basin at the bottom, creating the most wonderful sound....like a gentle rain shower.... as the water drips from tray to tray! I've done my part by placing a few plants around it's base, along with river rock, and a small bench located a few feet away. It's the perfect place to sit and reflect. From the footprints that I've seen in the clearing it appears that the deer and a few other woodland critters like it too! It's a great addition to our garden.

Earlier in the month we took off for Central and Southern Oregon....Fred took part in the week long Cycle Oregon event with his fraternity brother Jim Dauber. The ride this year, which includes 1200 hardy cyclists, started in Medford and went across the Siskiyu Mts. into California...then back into Oregon for a picturesque 440 miles or more! While they were riding, Jim's wife, Chris and I were enjoying ourselves biking and swimming at Black Butte Ranch, tucked into a small cabin that we had rented from a friend. We drove down to see Crater Lake at the end of the week and then met our two super-cyclists for a grand celebration dinner at the historic Jacksonville Hotel. The weather for all of us couldn't have been better. It was a week that celebrated the sheer beauty that nature can provide if we only take the time to enjoy it.

Home again, we were hit with pounds of ripe tomatoes and garden produce....so the counters are once again covered and the kettle is boiling! I've discovered the delights of tomato pie, roasted tomatoes, and untold variations of tomato salads. The dry, warm weather and sunshine have continued, only giving way to cool mornings and the feel of Fall just recently. Our grapes are doing beautifully and may actually be harvested in a few short weeks....early for us, since we usually have to wait until the end of October before the sugars are up high enough. This Summer seemed to fly by.

I ended the month with a two day Pop-Up Book workshop, which now has me anxious to create books and cards for everyone that I've ever known. What fun! There are so many enjoyable things to do that I'm not sure which to do first. I've decided that this dilemma is a good thing and will help keep me young. I know that I will always enjoy designing, sketching, gardening, reading , and traveling....these are the threads that make life a meaningful, beautiful quilt.

Working the Farm

2009-09-05T16:47:00.000-07:00

This week, pictures will say it better than words......
Every week my grandson and I walk to the farm just down the road, where a vast array of animals enjoy their days in an idyllic country setting. We help feed the chickens in enchange for eggs that he has learned to gather from the hen house. He also feeds the pigs....and sometimes, the goats, and Llamas! It is a magical time.

We have a farm of our own here at Cloudrest, but it is a farm without animals at the moment. I, instead, fertilize and weed my vegetable beds, and tend to the many grapevines that we have in the vineyard. At this time of year it's a chore just keeping up with eating and preserving all of the food.

Garden Bouquets and Country Rides

2009-08-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

After a cool down and a day or two of showery weather, everything is looking refreshed! The dust has been washed off the leaves and colors are brighter. On my morning walk around the veggie garden I was entranced by the 'garden bouquets' that emerged around every corner. It's really hard to pick the deep purple Russian Kale when it looks so beautiful with the Basil and tall yellow Helianthiums. Nearby Echinacea sits among Queen's Ann Lace.

There is lots of produce to pick now that Summer is on the wane. It's been a busy week....I finished up a large landscape design and tried to fit in some bike riding so I'd be ready for the annual Vineride, which took place yesterday. Mid-week I had taken a 20 mile ride and was caught in a deluge of both rain and hail that fell out on a country road where I had no place to take cover. I was so wet that I decided to just continue on. When I finally got near home the sun was out and it appeared that our area hadn't received any rain at all!

Yesterday about 500 people cycled through the Oregon vineyard country of rolling hills dotted with farms and vineyards. The weather was overcast and only in the 70's which made for perfect conditions. My husband did the 100 mile route, leaving the start in Newberg at 6 am. I started with a friend around 9:30, and we did about 38 miles, going through the farm towns of Carlton and Yamhill. Near the end my legs and hands ached a bit and my neck muscles were tight, but on the whole, it was a great ride! The money raised goes to help children with cancer.....a truly worthy cause. ( http://www.vineride.com/) This ride takes place every August and is a great way to see the countryside just South of Portland.

Today I plan to do some garden puttering, and make sure everything is well watered. I also have a big bag of beans from the garden to blanch and freeze. They are predicting another change in our weather...with a swing back to the mid 90's and maybe even another 100 degree day! Hope that doesn't happen. The poor plants are having a hard time adjusting to these wild swings in the temperature. This past week we had night temps down in the low 50's and I had to get my fleece shirts out again!

If it does get hot again I'll make up some batches of Gazpacho soup...since we'll have all of the ingredients. It's the best on a hot day: Take 4-5 ripe tomatoes, a cucumber, 1 garlic clove, 1 onion, 1 red sweet pepper, 1 cup cold water, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, plus 1 cup of diced bread and salt and pepper...then put them all into your blender and churn until you have a slightly chunky texture. Voila!...dinner.

I'm anxious to get out riding again now that my legs are broken in! It's such a great way to really see things up close. Just the ordinary dry grasses and weeds along the roads were beautiful. Perhaps I'll tuck a camera and sketch pad in my pack and make a few stops along the way. Next week we'll be heading for the Oregon coast while my husband takes a photography workshop.... so I'll have another area to explore!

Celebrating fresh vegetables

2009-08-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

Did I say it was going to get a bit warmer? Try 10 consecutive days above 90.....and four days over 100, topping out at a record 107 degrees! That was Portland.....up here at Cloudrest we were slightly cooler....at 103 for a few days. The grapes loved it, along with the hot peppers and tomatoes. Everything, as long as I watered, seemed to be growing as I watched. I did have to cover the lettuce with a sheet everyday, and worried that the grapes might get sunburned. We had put off 'hedging' the vines so at least they were partly shaded by the long arching canes. Once the heat wave broke, we had Gilberto come with his machete to do the needed trimming. So aside from a rather brown lawn ( we don't go overboard on that since we have a well ) and a few plants that suffered some scorched leaves, we're looking pretty lush around here. The veggie garden in particular is a jungle...and we're eating well!

I hadn't grown Broccoli in awhile and am amazed at the size of the heads. The plants, along with my purple kale, Japanese eggplant, and rainbow swiss chard are almost too gorgeous to pick. Fresh veggies right out of the garden are hard to beat for tenderness and flavor. The kitchen counter top is filling up with bowls of ripe tomatoes ( I love the bright orange variety) and piles of too many zucchini. Italian flat beans and French stringers add to the global mix. There is something very soothing about wandering about a vegetable garden on a warm summer morning or evening. The produce may feed the body but it also feeds the soul. Everyone should experience it. When we have decidedly urban guests for dinner I make a point of having them help me pick the vegetable that we'll be having for dinner that evening. It's amazing how many people have no idea how their food actually grows!

Besides the vegetables, my garden also contains roses, herbs, and perennials like rudbeckias, echinaceas, helianthiums, phlomis, lavendar, geranium, and alchemilla, along with annuals like sunflowers, and verbena bonariensis. The bees are everywhere doing their thing. On a large coneflower plant, nearly every flower often has a bee working diligently....providing a fascinating science lesson for my 7 year old grandson. Once the heat wave was over I was forced to wade into the jungle and hack away at the encroaching rose branches that were leaning into the tomato patch ( 22 plants). I also discovered that the winter squash plants had woven their way through the tomatoes, making it quite a challenge for picking! It was a good thing that we had

put in drip soaker hoses before the plants had gotten too big. Needless to say, a vegetable garden is serious business and does require both time and effort. You can't just leave it for a week. Here in the Portland area there has been a concerted effort to encourage small edible gardens....even in front yards, where there is often more sun. It's amazing how many raised beds are popping up. Large pots and containers, lining the front walkway or porch steps, can also house an amazing amount of produce.

On another note....having been inspired by the colorful garden beds that I saw during the recent APLD Conference here in Portland, I decided that my 30 year old border just south of the house could use an overhaul. The Geranium macrorrhizum, golden oregano and alchemilla had engulfed many of the prized plants. Three days and many sore muscles later, I am excited with the new textures and colors that were added. It will take a season or two for the plants to fill in and achieve the look that I want. Now I just need to stay on top of it and keep up a more regular maintenance schedule. This winter I'll heavily prune back both the Viburnum 'Spring Bouquet' and Viburnum davidi, which have gotten way too big over the past 30 years. Luckily, they can even be cut down almost to the ground and like rhododendrons, will grow back to a smaller scaled shrub. When you live somewhere for over 35 years, you will need to do some major editing!

I may not have done much bike riding during the heat wave.......but my muscles tell me that my gardening chores gave me plenty of exercise. I look forward to a more relaxed August where I can reap the rewards that the natural environment can give...both spiritually and physically. Next weekend is the 'Vineride'...a charity ride through Oregon wine country where you can pick 35 to 100 mile routes. I'll do the 35 and hubby will be doing the 100! ( he's been in training for the big Cycle Oregon ride in September) There's nothing better than a summer in Oregon!

Seeking Shade

2009-07-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

As predicted..... Summer is flying by! And the weather appears to be making headlines again. We are headed for another heat wave with temperatures into the triple digits during this last week of July.

I'm just recovering from a very successful week long design conference put on by the Association of Professional Landscape Designer's here in Portland from July 12- 19th. During that time we had temperatures in the mid 90's, which surprised a lot of people coming from other areas. Our last rain was back in early June, when I last posted, and we've had no rain since. ( this is very typical for us, but many people think it rains here all year long) Talks were scheduled for the morning hours, with garden tours in the afternoon. Our private gardens, as well as the numerous parks and commercial projects, seemed to be surviving the heat pretty well..... it was the people who were wilting! Now it appears that we're headed for even higher temps. And on the East coast, where rain and cooler weather have been the norm, I'm sure my friends and relatives are wishing I could send some of our heat their way! Extremes of weather do seem to be more frequent....a product of Global warming?

While touring the gardens and urban parks, it became apparent how important structures are to the garden. They not only help to connect the garden to the house, but also can offer up instant shade, (pergolas, arbors, and shade houses) and bring in cooling elements such as water, sound and the colors of a refreshing oasis. Our own house has a deck on the West side covered by a wooden trellis. Honeysuckle vines cover the top and hummingbirds hover overhead while robins nest in the large rhododendron below. It's our outdoor dining room, complete with an antique iron chandelier, and framed views looking out over the garden.

While I was enjoying the APLD Conference, my hubby was busy redoing the curved steps that were first installed over 30 years ago around the deck. The main treads were aggregate, surrounded by the then popular
'railroad ties'....which had rotted away to the point of being unsafe. Once the wood ties were removed, new forms were built to enclose the remaining aggregate with a new aggregate edge. Our old gate, brought from Pennsylvania, was given new posts and installed at the top. The path looks wider and brighter! Now I just have to keep the ground covers from creeping onto the path.

When you live on 12 acres, there are always projects to be done. Having neglected my garden for most of June and July I had a bit of catching up to do. Perennials such as Alchimilla mollis, Geranium, and Oregano had taken over some of the beds, covering up the smaller gems. Other plants needed to be deadheaded and trimmed. Needless to say....I've filled up my compost bins and lost a few pound in the process! The veggie garden is also producing an overflow of produce.....and so far the deer have kept away. We have seen a mother and two fawns return to the property lately, but there aren't many new fresh leaves available to them at this point, and the garden is securely fenced.

On a sad note...our little 'Kitty', who was 20 years old and grew up sleeping on top of both of our Rottweiler's, succumbed to old age last week. She enjoyed spending her entire life on our property under the protection of our two dogs, and particularly loved to follow me around as I worked in the garden and flower beds. She never wandered too far away, which probably accounts for her longevity! She was buried under the trees next to our new Pagoda Fountain. ( A topic for another post)

Back to Normal

2009-06-14T16:29:00.001-07:00

June has proven to be it's normal, fickle self....the sunshine left the day after my last post as the Portland area was hit with a violent thunder and lightening storm accompanied by high winds. These storms always bring back memories of my childhood days growing up on Long Island, not far from New York City, but they are not a common occurrence here in the Pacific Northwest. It was downright scary watching our large trees bend and twist in the wind, seeing branches flying through the air, and hearing the cracking of limbs. It bought the temperatures down and left a lot of debris. Anyone want to play 'Pick Up Sticks'? Luckily our grapevines had just been 'tucked' under the first row of wires so the majority of the new growth remains intact.

My weekend on the Oregon Coast, where I attended a fabulous sketch workshop, was even cooler and wetter than Portland....a typical phenomenon. The Sitka Center for Art and Ecology is truly a unique place. Located on Cascade Head, it is surrounded by lush rainforest and open meadows opening to views of both the Salmon River estuary and the wild Pacific. I stayed at a pole house right across from the cluster of buildings housing the art studios. For two days I sketched and was inspired by Ken O'Connell, a Professor from the University of Oregon, who has over 64 sketch books under his belt. His enthusiasm was catching! Aside from coming home with a filled sketchbook and new ideas, I gained a new appreciation for our natural environment and what it can offer. The beauty of a simple meadow, with long grasses and wildflowers laying over one another as deer and elk wandered through, will remain with me. I woke up to this image, for the bed was pushed up against tall windows looking out over the large meadow that came between the house and the estuary and ocean below. The house, a small cabin, had no phone, or television, or radio, or computer!

Back home, somehow refreshed and rejuvinated, I am waiting for the sun to reappear! It will.....for July is just around the corner, and that is when Oregon's Summer truly begins. I am happy for a bit of indoor time now....having a few designs to concern myself with. The clouds, with a few periods of fine drizzle, aren't hurting the garden, and actually make it easier to do some of the clean-up needed. And the Rose Festival just wouldn't be the same without a little of that
'liquid sunshine'!

I look forward to starting another sketchbook and incorporating some of what I learned into my August workshop here at Cloudrest. I have come to feel that art, in all it's forms, is an ingredient of life just as important as food and drink! It can nurture the soul, slow you down, and sustain you when life becomes too complex.

We need this in today's world. We need to go back to a simpler time when things didn't seem so frantic or hurried. As we get older .....we need to stay busy and active doing the things that truly matter to us ....and not what is expected!

June is HOT!

2009-06-02T18:31:00.001-07:00

For the past two weeks we've had many days with temperatures in the mid to high 80's and it's felt more like July than late Spring. It is especially unheard of to have warm, dry days during our annual Rose Festival in Portland! (our big downtown float parade is scheduled for June 6th) June is usually a transition month, with our 'real' rainless Summer starting in early July and often extending into October....an important weather trend for anyone with a vineyard!

The high temperatures have caused an explosion of bloom and growth in the garden.....Iris, roses, peony, daisy, rhododendrons and azaleas are all at their peak....and the grass is still green from all of our earlier rain. It is truly a beautiful time in Oregon.

But it's created a lot of work. Just when I've got a full schedule of designs to work on, I'm also having to think about sprinkler systems and daily watering. ( not to mention the burst of weeds that have sprouted and need to be pulled ) The Veggie garden is taking off.....16 tomato plants, beans, cukes, squash, lettuce, basil, eggplant, kale, spinach and swiss chard.... and the grape plants are doing a lot of catching up. The vines have been sprayed with their first round of sulfur and are in the process of having the trunk suckers removed. Every day I make new discoveries walking down the vineyard rows and wandering through the garden spaces.....and it brings both inspiration and renewed energy. It's becoming harder to find places in the garden for the iris my neighbor keeps bringing me....but who can resist? The birds are also singing a virtual symphony during the early morning hours. We've discovered a wonderful Robin's nest built of grasses, twigs and lichen with three robust and hungry babies inside. It was built in a large rhododendron next to our kitchen deck making for perfect viewing. The three babies are growing fast and are having trouble fitting into the nest!

I've come to the conclusion that birds have to work a lot harder than we do when it comes to raising their young and keeping their house in order!

It's not all work and no play....this weekend I'll be heading to the Sitka Art Center on the Oregon Coast for a two day sketching workshop. I'm looking forward to being in the beautiful and rugged Cascade headlands, which juts out into the Pacific Ocean and runs along the North boundary of the Salmon River just above the town of Lincoln City. Nature is at it's best there, and should provide unlimited possibilities for sketching.

I'm wondering what the rest of the Summer will be like.....I only know that it will go by way too fast!

The Color of Spring

2009-05-12T09:58:00.000-07:00

I'm back to drawing leaves.....a photo of Fall leaves touched with frost inspired the sketch to the left, but the soft colors are also reflected in the new leaves of Spring. Our typical fickle Spring has brought on a chorus of fresh leaves. It's amazing how many different shades of green exist, but leaves can add more than one color to our outdoor world. Flowers aren't the only vehicles that add additional hues to the Spring palette. Our walnut trees are usually the last to leaf out and the orchard develops a hazy, rusty, burnt umber canopy as the new coppery leaves emerge. Then there's the Tri-Color Beech with its bronze red leaves fringed with white hairs! And the wonderful Cornus Hedgerow Gold bringing flecks of golden yellow, white and green leaves into the picture. Rosa rubrifolia is one of my favorite foliage plants and seems to sprout up in the best places around the garden, showing off blue-grey leaves, followed by tiny pink flowers in June. We can't forget the new leaves of Spiraea Goldflame or Limemound, and the rich reds of Berberis.

I haven't posted in over a month, partly because the garden and classes occupied more time than I realized! We also traveled North, spending a few days in Seattle and then participating in the 'Tour de Lopez' bike event on Lopez Island in the San Juans. I took it easy....only doing 21 miles! Sunny weather but only 52 degrees made for an invigorating ride. Back home I started my Colored Pencil Workshop here at Cloudrest that continues every Wednesday this month. After some warm up exercises with the pencils, my students started out by doing a leaf study.....selecting from a collection of dried Fall leaves that exhibit interesting colors and veining patterns. We'll be moving on to sky studies and more complex scenes over the next few weeks.

Hints of Spring have also brought out interest in renewal.... leading to three new garden design clients. Deb, Izzy, and Adriana are all in various stages of getting plans drawn up. It's always exciting to cooperatively work on design solutions. I'm also hoping to plant out my seedlings in the vegetable garden soon, but the cool nights and frequent downpours have slowed things up a bit. The fountain has been cleaned ( and for some reason, our resident frogs survived the ordeal!)...the grass has been cut.....it's time for Summer!

Misplaced Summer

2009-04-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

Since my last post, Summer came and went in Oregon.....and it's only April! It just shows how fickle the month can be. With temperatures above 70 degrees for a few days, it appeared that everyone was out digging in the garden or visiting the garden centers and nurseries. I decided that it was the perfect opportunity to move my Lemon tree out into the courtyard where it could be washed down and renewed after a Winter inside. Still holding on to about a half dozen lemons, it seemed to welcome the change. My resident frogs appeared to croak louder in a chorus of agreement, and the bugs seemed to multiply and dance around the property in droves. Nature was celebrating! With the ground not quite so soggy and the plants perking up, I spent the first day of 'Summer' just walking around taking stock of what was actually reappearing after our nasty Winter. The standouts this year are my Hellebores, which have increased in quantity and seem fuller than usual . A new favorite is 'Pink Beauty'.....just one of the many hybrids that have been appearing. They sure do brighten up the Winter landscape, with the fading flowers lasting all the way into early Summer, not to mention the large clumps of decorative leaves that are renewed each Spring. On the East side of our house a large clump of Helleborus foetidus has massed itself with Forget-me-nots and Carex. I love the fresh green flowers tinged with red edges! One note....the deer don't seem to like them, which around here is an added bonus. They do like the large leaves of Bergenia though....mine were all eaten down to nothing over the Winter and are now trying to grow both flower stalks AND new leaves!

It's been a busy month ( the reason why I haven't posted as often as I would like to) I've started teaching my Landscape Illustration course for Spring term at Portland Community College, and also have a Workshop planned for May at Cloudrest. (see my website) that will concentrate on colored pencil ) We've also been busy in the vineyard and garden. All the Winter pruning is complete and the grapevines are tied and ready to break bud later this month. The deer fencing will be going back up during the next few weeks and Round-Up will be sprayed in the rows before the tender new shoots appear. I have lots of new vegetable seedlings coming up in the greenhouse and have started cleanup of the flower beds and our enclosed 100 x 30 foot vegie garden. Our Winter snows and cold temps did more damage than I had realized. Mexican Orange (Choisya ternata) is one plant that suffered and had to be cut back....but from past experience, I know that it will recover nicely with new growth.

Over our warm weekend I finished a fun project which left me aching and sore ( the curse of being afflicted with severe osteoarthritis) ....but it was well worth it for the satisfaction involved. I created a 'dry streambed' running along a section of our South-facing foundation that gently slopes into an aggregate patio below the house. This space is shaded by both a large Dawn Redwood tree and a Walnut tree. A 30 year old Viburnum davidi had been pruned back and opened up to allow light into a basement window. This left some empty ground space for new low-growing plants, but also exposed dry dirt and cement along the foundation. After carving beds out of this property for over 30 years, it's not often that I have new space to deal with, so I saw this as a great opportunity. A trip to the 'rock store' brought back 4 large rocks and about a dozen buckets of river rock ( in three different sizes). After the ground was contoured with a slight swale, landscape fabric was pinned in place and the rocks were strategically placed. ( throwing them seemed to work best since I wasn't able to even lift the buckets!) My husband helped by bringing all the buckets down to my work area. It's amazing how hard it is to imitate nature. The trick is to make the 'stream' both narrow and wide in places and not to line it with the largest rocks. Over the years we have hiked in the NW Cascades and I've taken many pictures of real streams. Studying those helped me to see how the flow of water moves stones into certain pockets and channels. Once the stream was in place, an assortment of fern, Hellebore, Carex and Heuchera were planted. It will take awhile for the plants to knit together but the tapestry of color and texture that they create should really compliment the space. I can't wait for our real Summer, when steamer chairs occupy the patio and we can gaze upon the new garden. But .......today......it is raining again and the temperatures are once again in the 50's!

Carib thoughts.....

2009-03-16T12:14:00.000-07:00

With the rain (and occasional snow showers) still coming down , it is hard not to think of the warm water and breezes of my recent travels! The garden clean-up will have to wait for dryer weather. I have all my seeds in hand....just need to get the greenhouse organized for Spring and emptied of all the plants and pots that were hastily put in before our December snows hit. Even my Meyer Lemon tree, housed in a large Italian lemon pot, is looking forlorn. It spends it's Summer outside in our entry courtyard, but Winters here at 1000 feet elevation require that it be brought inside under the North facing skylites of our living room. It obviously perfers being outside, but must wait another month before it will be warm enough to chance it!

This is the time of year when I gravitate to my sketchbooks, preparing for teaching my Spring term 'Landscape Illustration' course at the local Community College. Over the years I have forced myself to switch to sketching with a pen rather than pencil. I combine sketches with my journal writings and have enjoyed the way my sketches help to slow down the pace of a vacation. It takes quite an effort, especially when traveling with others, to sit in one place for 30 minutes and just absorb what you are looking at! The Granadines are a very colorful group of islands, as my last post illustrated ( not only the flowers, but the boats, houses and dress of the people reflect a love for saturated colors washed by the sun), so drawing in black and white can be a challenge. You realize that you are paying more attention to edges and to how the light molds a shape. You must also translate the value of the colors (their lightness and darkness) to the various textural scribblings of your pen.

March in Oregon is a very fickle month! Everyone is anxious for the rains to stop, but still loving snows in the mountains so skiing can continue into the Summer months. Our Mt. Hood has a glacier on it and even boasts a 'Summer Ski Season'. Right now it is still covered with a deep mantle of white. The valley is displaying it's Winter dress of green, with grass, moss and lichen in their glory! During the Summer months when the dry season begins, watering systems will be needed to keep gardens fresh looking. I like these seasonal changes and even though Caribbean weather seems ideal, I think I'd miss the anticipation that change brings.

In with the new

2009-03-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile....After our cold and snowy end to the year we slowly dug out and resumed our normal routine. The garden looked as if a giant had visited and sat down for a long nap! I watched as the snow melted and the deer continued to munch on our back lawn. We put a temporary fence around the new Magnolia 'Edith Bogue' that had replaced our large white pine in the front yard. ( the Eastern White Pine was one of the first trees we planted on our property over 30 years ago, but it had succumbed to a root disease, with needles that became smaller and smaller as each year passed!) Renewal is part of life. When designing a garden you can achieve just as much by editing as by adding, so while I will miss the original soft-needled stature of the larger pine, I am delighting in the open space and new textures of 'Edith'.

With the economy crumbling and the weather severe, I contented myself with ordering vegetable seeds from Oregon based, Territorial Seeds. Cleaning up the garden beds would have to wait, but I have big plans for a larger vegetable garden this year. I am also convinced that, come Spring, clients will be eager to do the same. Edible gardens with decorative touches will be the new niche! Looking back on my garden log of over 30 years, I am amazed at what I attempted to grow and how the garden adapted to our changing family. When our youngest son was married in the garden, roses, flowering herbs, and lawn took over where the corn and beans had been....now I was making room again for the vegies, and the flowers will be forced upwards onto pergolas.

In February we escaped the cold, snowy weather and flew to Southern Florida ( Sarasota and Venice) to visit my sister as well as college friends. Visiting tropical areas is great- you can enjoy the gardens without feeling obliged to remember, or even know the latin names of the plants! I am one designer who doesn't try to grow tropicals in our NW climate! But I certainly appreciate the wonderful colors and intricate compositions of both the tropical foliage and the flowers. The Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota is over 9 acres of tropical paradise. The photos that I took will one day form the basis for a botanical drawing.

We continued on our journey East and spent 10 days sailing with college friends who have a 40' boat based in the Caribbean. We've been sailing with them almost every Winter since 1999, but getting there has become harder each year. This year our destination was the island of St. Vincent and the Granadines....not an easy place to get to! Delta got us to San Juan and then LIAT, a Caribbean airline took us to SV. ( we later learned that LIAT stands for 'leaves island anytime, which proved to be true...and another story!) We discovered this year that the short rain squalls and constant winds were more frequent and bigger. Great sailing, but not so great for snorkeling or sleeping. On the last day of our trip we hired a driver to take us into the interior of the big island of St. Vincent. Our destination was a private tropical paradise called the Montreal Estate Gardens, owned by Tim Vaughn. To get there we drove along a rugged coast that reminded me of Oregon.....then up through the lush Mesopotamia Valley to the side of a hillside transformed by one man and a small crew. The photos that I took will provide me with years of sketching inspiration! I especially marvelled at the complexity of the plant and floral structures, not to mention the hidden creatures who suddenly came into focus on a stem or leaf.

So already it is March and I am anxious for the soil to warm and dry up , giving my newly arrived seeds a home in the ground. I am planning my Spring term Landscape Illustration course that starts March 30th, and setting up a few design consults.....I am reading Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma, and cleaning out the closets......ahhhhhh Spring!

Out with the Old

2008-12-31T11:52:00.000-08:00

We certainly had a white Christmas this year.....the Portland area had record snowfalls and Cloudrest ended up with about 2 feet of snow, the most we've seen in over 35 years! The best part was that we didn't lose our electricity, which usually happens at least a few times during the Winter months. Our dead end private road wasn't cleared until a few neighbors hitched up plows to their tractors, but the hilly terrain and frozen surfaces still kept the mail and paper from being delivered for a few days. We enjoyed the quiet and solitude that the storm brought. Especially interesting was being able to see the various tracks of the animals as they foraged for food. Our family of deer (numbering 6-7) weren't shy, often coming right up to our doors and windows in search of greenery that had escaped the blanket of snow.

My garden was transformed into glistening mounds and snow-covered branches arching from the weight of the never-ending snow fall. Our trees held up quite well, with only a few branches broken off. Many of the smaller shrubs were protected from the record cold by being entirely covered up with snow. Others are slowly springing back to their original shapes after being flattened. Some of the more tender plants may need to be cut back to the ground later in the season, but for now I will leave them.

I'm sure this Spring there will be a surge of activity as Portland gardeners revive and reinvent their gardens. It may prove to be an opportunity to explore new ideas and plants. Perhaps having all those exotics and tropicals wasn't such a great idea!

There are still large patches of snow on our back slope. It's interesting how snow can accent the contours of the land and create wonderful patterns, making a simple slope appear as an intricate tapestry. The snow takes away all the clutter in the landscape. The landscape architect A.E.Bye knew this when he created his wonderful gardens in New England. Nature is indeed our best inspiration. Look to it for new ideas.

Winter Structure

2008-12-02T11:57:00.001-08:00

December always comes too early for me. Suddenly holiday events clutter the calendar and life speeds up. My vision of sitting by a warm fire , reading my favorite book over a cup of warm coffee never actually materializes into reality. That will have to wait for January. Now most of the leaves have been cleaned up and at least some of the garden and vineyard chores have been done. Our weather this Fall has been surprisingly mild, so much to the dismay of my ski-loving husband, there isn't enough snow up on Mt. Hood for skiing yet. Living at 1000 feet elevation, we often even manage some decent snow here, at least enough for some snow-shoeing or snowman-making! It never lasts very long, but is like a gift when it does arrive. I rush out with my camera and see my garden and the surrounding landscape in a whole new light.

We have planted a lot of trees on our property over the past 35 years....in time, creating virtual forests. Winter is the perfect time to go out and sketch trees. With their leaves stripped away, trees expose their true character. They become wonderful exercises in understanding positive and negative space, an essential skill for a landscape designer. It is not just the line, form and texture of the tree itself, but the shape of the spaces left between the branches. One of my favorite tree sketches was done many years ago in southern France at Renoir's Garden. It took me all morning to sketch a 300 year old olive tree, that to me, was a sculptural work of art. I was only using a simple graphite pencil so I wasn't able to show the pale blues and lavender tones that infused the amazing texture of the massive, twisting trunk. I took a photo of the tree to go along with the sketch, and worked hard to create a tonal sketch emphasizing the deep , dark fissures in the trunk. I often tell my student's 'Don't be afraid of the dark!'.......using the full range of a tonal band is important, and those spots of the darkest graphite that you are able to lay down will make your drawings pop.

Drawing can be an obsession. It will heighten your observation skills and allow you to translate your creative vision into something that others can also visualize. It also is therapeutic, forcing you to slow down and spend unstructured time intimately connected to the world around you. Most people think that they aren't very artistic. They have stalled out at the third grade level and continue to draw stick figures and symbolic images collected by their left brain, not what they are actually seeing. I bet you all can picture the house you first drew with chimney, curling smoke and front door? ....or the tree with huge trunk that suddenly breaks out into a million line-branches before crashing into the top of the paper!

One of the first exercises that I ask new students to draw is a Oak tree from memory. Generally they all have wide trunks with a large 'knot' highlighting the surface, then horizontal branches that twist outward, perhaps holding up a rope swing. So there is a commonality, but the differences are amazing. Some are all line, while others are mostly tonal; some are bare, while others are covered with individually drawn leaves. Some use a specific 'leaf calligraphy' while others try the simple outline / balloon approach, or just give up and scribble randomly over the branches. The left brain is doing most of the work. On the other hand, if you draw a tree that you are actually looking at, you can attempt to draw what you are really seeing, using the right side of your brain,the side that analyzes each line and angle, and doesn't rely on labeled images from the past.

So get out there and capture images of trees with either a pencil or a camera!

On trees and leaves.....

2008-11-26T12:59:00.000-08:00

Trees, and leaves in particular, have always fascinated me. My parents were both art teachers in New York City, and at an early age I was taught how to draw a tree. In High School I made a book on trees, illustrating it with various images from my imagination.

When we first bought our property here in Oregon, the retired forester who we bought the acreage from helped me plant dozens of Douglas Fir, Pine, and native Cedar. Now, 35 years later, we have mature forests growing, along with some old growth timber and large Oregon Big Leaf Maple. One of the landmarks on our property is a huge 300 year old Douglas Fir tree with a double trunk. The few remaining Walnut trees on the property hug our back and side decks, making us feel as if we're living in a tree house. I love watching the large grey-tailed squirrels hop from tree to tree as they negotiate across our landscape without touching the ground!

Besides raking leaves, I love to photograph and sketch them. There are so many shapes, sizes and colors, not to mention textures. Drawing a leaf can be a mesmerizing and enlightening exercise. A simple #2 pencil will work, but you must learn to translate the color values of the leaf over to a specific tonal value of the graphite. Colored pencil is also a wonderful media to explore. When you draw something you become intimately involved with it's structure and form. Drawing opens up an entirely new world, allowing you to actually see what is around you. Try it!

New beginnings

2008-11-25T17:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my world....right now it consists of a little rain, temps in the low 40's and lots and lots of leaves! It's November in Oregon and our inevitable wet weather has arrived. The perfect time to start a blog....something I have wanted to do for over a year now. But life gets in the way. With a recently retired husband, we are traveling more and seem to have endless projects here at home. I'm still recovering from the recent election, a grape harvest, and taking care of all those apples before the deer eat them. Who said life slows down as you get older!

I hope to post my thoughts, observations, and occasional sketches and photos....not every day, but as time and inclination allows. I invite you to join in.....