Going, Going...

But not yet gone, thankfully. This forest used to be full of enormous trees like the ones above (I don't know who the man is, but he gives an idea of how tall the trees are) which are a mix of Giant Sequoia, Ponderosa Pine and Western Red Cedar. This is near the Burnt Mill Beach Club, which is on the south side of Lake Arrowhead.

The trees on the hills on the north side of the lake, which actually would be south facing, aren't faring so well.

Before 2000, we had Pine Bark Beetle infestations every 100 years or so, and only a few trees were killed. One could not see the houses in the above photo because they were obscured by the huge trees. And, until the unfortunate building boom that started in the mid 1970's and is, insanely, still going on, most of the houses weren't there. (I'm not talking about families that build one home for themselves, I'm speaking of large scale builders). During the infestation that occurred from 2000 to 2004 the San Bernardino Mountain range lost over 1.5 million trees. There are many houses in the trees that are closest to the lake in this photo, but the trees hide most of them.

But...look closely. Most of the evergreen trees closest to the lake are starting to take on a brownish hue, or their needles are fading from a green so deep it used to look almost black when it was cloudy, to a yellowish-green. These trees aren't being attacked by Pine Bark Beetles; the summers up here have simply warmed too much for them to thrive anymore.

I keep hoping that climate change will give us more rain and snow in the winter than what was normal in the past. I hope that, maybe, more rain would help the trees to cope with the warmer temperatures.

Call it what you want; Global Warming, Climate Change. Whatever it is, it's happening. It's real. It's happening everywhere, whether it's dying forests or melting glaciers or something else. And I can't understand why the leaders of the world aren't making it their number one priority to stop it. Regular people in their daily lives can do a lot, but it isn't going to be enough unless governments around the world rapidly come up with plans to move their countries quickly away from dependence on fossil fuels, and provide viable ways to reverse the warming that has already taken place.

Because even though the forests and glaciers of the world are not gone yet, they are going.

Hot, Hot, HOT

It's so hot here that it seems the air should be the color of the Red Monkeyflowers in the above photo. I took the photo several years ago when I was down in Cleghorn Canyon.

Yesterday it was 90 degrees F on my front porch, which is deeply shaded. Today is not quite as hot; our high was 81. When I walked outside yesterday, I felt like I was walking into an oven! And the humidity was high (for up here) at 57%.

Wretched heat; I detest it. But on the plus side, even though there were lightening storms all over no fires were started in these mountains. According to the news there were 15 started by lightening strikes down the hill. Thankfully, they're all contained now.

I've got my fingers crossed for an early, wet, cold Autumn...

Wordless Wednesday - Earth Star

Bearing Fruit

Look closely (or left click to enlarge) in the center of the photo; you will see a deliriously happy Robin holding a cherry in her (or his) beak. The Robins made good use of the cherries in this tree; when this photo was taken there were over a dozen birds in the tree. Curiously, the Jays, Woodpeckers, and other birds that eat at our feeders were not to be seen. Maybe all the Robins intimidated them. This photo was taken at the beginning of July and within a week the tree was bare.
The tree is a 'volunteer,' which is what I call a plant that decides to grow in my garden on its own. When I moved into this cottage well over thirty years ago, my neighbors, Fred and Beulah, had just planted a cherry tree. Within three years it was bearing fruit. A few years after it started bearing, cherry trees were springing up all over, probably 'planted' by the birds and the squirrels. Sadly, dear Fred and Beulah passed about two years after they planted their tree, within six months of each other. They were in their late eighties. They were two of the kindest people I have ever been fortunate enough to know.
Every time I look at this cherry tree, I bless Fred and Beulah for planting their tree. They never got to taste the delicious fruit from the tree they planted, but they were the kind of people who wouldn't have minded that. I know they're happy that the tree they planted has lived to bear fruit and make other cherry trees. I know they're happy that the trees are providing food for the birds, squirrels, skunks, and raccoons. I've even seen the little forest mice nibbling on the cherries that have fallen to the ground. Of course, I always pick a handful for myself and some to take to my sister.
And, who knows? Maybe Fred and Beulah have tasted the sweet fruit of the tree they planted.

Sunday Sunsets

This was taken in August of last year. Instead of looking in the direction of the sun, I was caught by the colors that the setting sun was imparting to the clouds, and its gilding of the land, trees and buildings.

Sometimes things are most beautiful when looked at from a perspective that differs from the norm.

Wordless Wednesday - Ruffles

Mountain Driftwood

This is a close-up photo of the blossoms of a Arctostaphylos pringlei, ssp. Durpacea, commonly called Manzanita here in California. The individual blossoms are tiny, only about a quarter of an inch long. I've always thought they look like little lampshades that faeries would use.  Or, maybe they turn them upside down and use them as cups...



They grow all over these mountains, from about the 4,800 foot level to around the 7,600 level in altitude. This sub-species, Durpacea, is only found in California. Manzanita means 'little apple' in Spanish. The blossoms form little red berries which, if you use your imagination, sort of look like little apples. The birds and the bears love them. All Manzanitas, also called Madrone, are members of the Heath family, which includes blueberries, huckleberries, cranberries and, most surprisingly, rhododendrons and azaleas!

The Yuhaviatam (people of the pines) used the berries to make a cider-like beverage. The Yuhaviatam are known now as the Serrano Indians, but that's the name the Spanish invaders gave them, not the name they chose for themselves. Unfortunately, the Yuhaviatam had no written language, so I don't know what they called the Manzanita.


Manzanitas can grow up to six feet tall. This picture doesn't do the beautiful reddish bark justice. The branches are prized for their twisting, curving shapes. However, it's illegal to cut them unless one has a permit from the Forestry Service, and even then there is a strict limit on how many can be harvested. When a Manzanita dies, over a period of years the wood is bleached to a silvery grey by the sun; then it's called 'Mountain Driftwood.'

White Headed Woodpecker

This is a White Headed Woodpecker. I'm not sure why they call them 'white headed' since they have two bright red dots on the back of their heads, which you can see in the second photo, but....

They have the most beautiful call. I can always tell when one is coming to the feeder because I hear their one-note, clear, bell-like call as they're flying through the woods to get to the feeder.

I'm so blessed to live in the middle of a forest, and I'm so glad I can provide food for all the different species of birds that live here, along with the squirrels, skunks, and raccoons. The bigger species that live here (bears, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, foxes) are a thrilling (and very rare) sight to see, but I draw the line at putting out food for them. I'd love to feed them, but I'm afraid they'd eat all the smaller animals, along with the feral cats I feed.

Sunday Sunsets

This was taken a couple of weeks ago, from a turnout by Lake Silverwood.  Lake Silverwood is the lowest elevation lake in the San Bernardino Mountain range, man-made like most of the others.  A 20 minute drive further down the 'back' side of the mountain will land you in Hesperia, a high desert town.

Oh, How Sweet.....

their little faces are.  The other end...not so much.  I've never been sprayed though, knock on wood.  These little guys are in front of my studio.  I was laying down on the path, trying to get a picture of the path lights without using my strobe.  I heard a little chirping, whirring noise to my left, and when I turned my head there they were!  The two in the foreground are babies and you can see the mother's tail in the upper left of the photo. 

Although people think I'm crazy, I adore skunks.  I vastly prefer them to the raccoons, which trash my garden on a regular basis.  The skunks never trash, they just dig gently around the plants in search of bugs to eat.  They never disturb the roots, they just dig out the nasty things that might be eating the roots.  I sort of think of them as my little garden helpers. 

And there is another bonus to having skunks around.  Put up a few signs that read 'warning: skunks in area' and you never have to worry about unwanted nocturnal human 'visitors' again! 

Good Things

I planted this pink dogwood about 7 or 8 years ago.  It bloomed the next spring, but the blooms weren't the pink that it had when I brought it home from the nursery; they were white.  After that, it never bloomed again.  It seemed healthy in every other way, putting out dark green leaves and gaining a little height every year.

I can't imagine why it took so long to bloom, or why it chose this Spring with its crazy weather and up and down temperatures.  Perhaps the crazy weather shocked it into blooming.  Or perhaps, as my husband says, it's the perfect tree for me because, like me, it has its own way of doing things and a big stubborn streak (I prefer to call it 'character,' thank you very much).

Whatever the reason, I'm so happy that it finally bloomed.  I guess that old saying is true (at least in this instance): All good things come to those who wait. 

Sunday Sunsets

Still Captivated

 I was fascinated with this Iris, the only one that I saw that had bifurcated the purple and the white/purple stripes on one petal.  

Ooooh, what a blue! 

Captivated

Yesterday a friend and I went to lunch at the Olive Garden, a restaurant down the hill.  We were late for lunch because I just had to stop and take pictures of these beautiful irises.  I think it's some sort of a tiny public garden, but I didn't take time to read the plaque.  Well ok, to be honest, I didn't even notice the plaque until I got home and uploaded my photos.  I was too captivated by the Irises!

                      
                           

Wordless Wednesday - Motion

Strange May

Yesterday, Sunday, the weather acted as it used to in May...in the 1950's, 60's and 70's.  We had several inches of 'corn snow' which is not a hard ice ball like hail, but a ball of solid, yet friable, snow, along with a humdinger of a thunderstorm that was centered right over us for over an hour. 

I had gone over to the Arrowhead Resort, which is a hotel with a nice restaurant and spa facilities, to have lunch with a friend at the restaurant, Bin 189.  It's a little expensive, but the food is wonderful and, hey, we all need a little treat now and then, right?  The photo above is a bit of Lake Arrowhead looking down from the hotel. 

This is a photo of the pool...the unheated pool.  We couldn't believe that people were swimming in it!   (This picture is blurry on purpose because it has people in it).  We also watched some teens jump into Lake Arrowhead, whose water is still COLD.  Those teens got out of the water so fast it was like watching a movie in fast-forward, lol.

The snow melted quickly and by today just a few patches were left here and there, like the ones on my studio porch (which still needs a winter cleanup), below. 

 

And there were a few patches left in my studio garden.  Odd to see snow on the ground and the Dogwood trees in blossom.   

Glynda, the good witch that guards my studio, is glad to see that the snow is almost gone.  I'm sure she knows, though, that the weatherman is predicting more snow for Wednesday and Thursday.  Strange May...

Sunday Sunsets

My Favorite Flower

The above picture is one of some of this year's lilac blooms.  We had a 'Dogwood Winter' a couple of weeks ago and it froze most of the blooms and the leaves on the lilacs.  A few, like the one above, were sheltered enough that some of their blooms managed to survive, but most had their buds and leaves killed by the unseasonable cold.  They'll put out new leaves but, sadly, no new flower buds. 

And tonight?  I just heard on the news that we are expecting snow flurries!

Here are some blooms of years past...

The photo above is of a pink lilac that the man at the nursery assured me would be hardy up here "because it's from Canada."  It was in bloom when I planted it, and made lots more blooms, but it didn't make it through the following winter.  I think that nursery man didn't know his lilacs (or knew a sucker when he saw one).

And wouldn't you know that the only lilac I've planted here would croak.  I'm going to have a look round and see where I can plant some more reliable ones.  My six year old great-great niece wants to plant them with me.  We'll do that either this spring or the next, now that she's old enough to really remember planting them.  And of course I'll take lots of pictures.



These lilacs below are really more the color of the buds when they're open, a gorgeous deep purple-maroon, but the camera didn't pick it up.  They're one of my favorites, and they have the strongest scent of any of the lilacs that I have.

The two pictures above are of hardy pink and white lilacs.  I don't know the species name.  I've asked some of the nursery people up here if they know, but they can only generalize at best.  

I don't really care about the proper names of them, I just want them to keep on growing and thriving and blooming for many years to come!

Some Friday Florals

I found this growing beside a stream near the UCLA Conference Center in Lake Arrowhead, but I have no idea what kind of flora it is.  Maybe some kind of berry bush?  

And this, below, is a Columbine that's growing in my back garden.

  

This is a Money Plant.  It grows wild all over up here in the spring.  This one is unusual because it is more of a red-violet color than the usual lavender or purple color.  And I have no idea why Blogger is making everything align exactly where I don't want it.  Maybe it's just having a case of Spring Fever! 

Sunday Sunsets

Taken in July of '07.

Pleasure and Drudgery

This past week has been a mix of pleasures and drudgery. Spring is so glorious up here, despite a hard freeze about a week or so ago that nipped the lilacs and dogwoods. It didn't harm my apple trees, thank goodness. But I noticed a disturbing thing while walking among them; no bees. Not a one. I'm hoping that they went back into hibernation and will be back out soon. I haven't found any little bee bodies, so I'm taking that as a good sign.

I've been out taking lots more photogaphs. The past winter was generous with snow and rain and the wildflowers are, for up here, very prolific this year. Not a lot of flowers yet at my altitude, but lower down the mountain they're all over. A few more days like today, warm and sunny, and they should pop out up here, too. Such a pleasure to be out in beautiful spring weather!

I've also forced myself to spend time (every second seemed like an hour) backing up files on my computer, weeding out unwanted photographs to free up space on my hard drive, and prepping canvases. Ugh...I detest doing stuff like that! Pure drudgery. But, at least it's done with for a while and that is such a good feeling!

Sunday Sunsets

Taken April 1, 2007.

Mrs. and Mr. Mallard

I've been seeing this female Mallard for about a week now, floating around on the creek.  Yesterday she was joined by a male.

I just hope they're not planning on having a family on the banks of this stretch of the creek.  There are so many Raccoons and feral cats around I don't think any duck babies would have a chance of making it.   Hopefully they'll move on soon.