travel – Page 2 – Ink, Yarn & Beer

A Few Days Away

Last weekend was the first time since last year that we spent the night away from home. We went up to Paso Robles, CA, for a couple of nights with the main goal of getting to the Mission San Miguel Arcangelo. The esposo’s parents came with us, and it was good for them to get out of town, too. It’s always nice to travel with them.

We stayed in the wine country outside of the town of Paso Robles itself, amongst rolling green hills covered with wild flowers, studded with oak trees, and lined with vineyards.

Paso Robles is located in the central coast California county of San Luis Obispo, and since the mid 70s or so has become well known for its wine production. We enjoyed Daou Vineyards and Le Vigne wines. I also think it should be recognized for its beer, too! There are a couple of breweries we enjoyed, with good pub grub and a nice variety of beers. Since we were staying 20 minutes outside of town, we soon became familiar with all the strange roads and twists needed to get into Paso Robles itself.

The drive up took us inland from the coast. Along Hwy 154, which connects Santa Barbara to the Santa Ynez Valley, we were able to see just how the rains have filled our water reservoirs. Lake Cachuma was full. Stopping at various points, we could see how green our hills have become and lots of lovely water!

Alongside Lake Cachuma, the oaks and undergrowth were filled with grasses, miner’s lettuce, and flowers. A lot of green! There was a sandy path to follow above the lake, and it led to some wonderful springtime surprises.

And so we drove on through, along the 154 to connect once more with the 101 to Paso Robles. We had coffee in town and then off to the B&B. And then back into town for dinner. And finally, a sunset from the patio at day’s end.

Rest Stop

Rest stops are things to be much appreciated! Driving 8 hours days to get somewhere, or back from somewhere, they can provide a place to get out, walk around, and of course use the facilities.

Back when our family moved around the country multiple times, there weren’t any that I recall. It was the gas station bathroom or the woods or a bush. Some rest stops are well maintained by organizations or the state, others are sadly neglected and really disgusting. Really, really disgusting. The good ones have scenery, a place to sit and have a picnic, a place to walk the dogs. Some have vending machines, others give out weather info from NOAA, and some give a bit of history of the area.

This is a rest stop in Nebraska. It was clean and had a lot of room to wander. There was a bit of a woodland, a stream, late summer flowers, and a beautiful view of farmland and prairie. The sky was filled with fluffy clouds. Granted, it was in the 90s F, and very humid, but it did our souls and butts good to get out and wander. I had my camera and got a few good shots. This is a painting of one of them.

Watercolor, 9×12 CP Arches.

On the Road, Part I

I have no idea how many parts this little saga will contain. At least two based on the title.

Last year we started what was supposed to be a three week road trip, or maybe a two week road trip, through California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, before returning to California. However, post-vaccination Covid caught up with us, and we were grounded until declared “safe.” I felt like a naughty child!

So, we are back on the road, and it is an odd experience. Travel actually requires a certain mindset, a patience with developing new routines while daily ones at home vanish. A road trip means sitting in a car for hours at a time. Josh the Esposo loves to drive, so I sit casually by, and observe the world flying by me. My camera is at hand, set to a fast exposure to catch things as they fly by on the roadside. Sometimes I get good ones. Sometimes I don’t get good ones. In between I am knitting mindlessly on a circular sweater that will be steeked upon my return.

What I do get are memories of places that are beautiful or unreal in my current reality. The big one is water on the ground! As our water vanishes in the Southwest, it just hangs out in places like Oregon and Wisconsin and Montana. Rivers, creeks, lakes, ponds. The luxury of a 10 minute shower as opposed to the Navy shower.

***The Goodman House B&B*** in Chico, CA

This trip is one to Wisconsin to visit my younger brother, Kevin, and his wife Suzi. We have driven about 2500 miles (4025 km) to go half way across the country along a northern route. We started in the Los Angeles area, where we live, and drove 8.5 hours to Chico in Northern California. Perhaps a last stay in our beloved Goodman House B&B as the owners plan to sell – time to retire from the business. Dinner at the Sierra Nevada Brewery.

You can look up all these places if you want, but suffice it to say that Chico is a beautiful town, with new sections and old, trees and such that make it a charming place to visit and a pleasant place to walk around.

I did walk around the morning we were to leave for Bend, Oregon, where one of my oldest friends lives.

Sunday Morning

This morning I awoke to the sounds of birds and the rustle of leaves in the breeze. The sunlight was dim through the windows, with hints of blue, presaging an incredible day. Now the sun is up, and all that seemed promised is true. New leaves are appearing on the tulip tree and the redbud; the birds are still singing. Robert Browning wrote, “all’s right with the world.” On mornings such as this, it is best to believe it, and so I shall.

So, what to do? We are having family over for Sunday dinner, so there are things to be done around the house, a bit of shopping, a bit of cooking. It is a simple thing to do – marinated lamb roast, salad, bread or rice or potatoes, tzatziki. The company is to be enjoyed, and hopefully all invited will be able to join.

Life – and time to finally live it – is grand. No more “return to work” dates; I choose what to do and when. The Puritan side of me espouses “pain before pleasure,” meaning, get the unpleasant stuff out of the way ASAP! That means chores, like cleaning. I like clean things, but the cleaning process is not exciting – I’d rather be outside digging in the dirt or drawing or reading. The satisfaction of a chore, to me, is when it is done. Putting it off dulls the joy in other activities, but as I like an orderly and relatively clean house and studio, it makes sense. Doing the unpleasant first makes the rest of the day move into infinity.

Yesterday I bought some plants -peppers, alyssum, dianthus. Bulbs were on sale half price since it is past their season. Potting soil, too. Before I start the dinner shopping, but after housework, I shall begin work on my little front yard flower bed. My gardener worked in some soil for me, and now I have some ideas as to what I am going to do with it. Its a sunny – shady area as it faces west, with the house to the east. Afternoons find it quite shady, and as summer comes along, I think it gets shady earlier. Alyssum and dianthus will be along the outer borders of the plot – see below – bulbs sporadically distributed depending on their sun requirements – and the peppers will be placed in their own pots out on the sunny southern patio (aka “the dog-free zone” or the “DFZ”!)

Along with gardening, planning for my next painting is on the way. I have been following various YouTube painters – as you have seen in earlier posts – but I have also been working my way through a book on perspective and contemplating spartan photography. (Huh? Wuzzat?)

And, Josh and I spent 3 days in San Diego, which was something wonderful to do – get away from it all to enjoy coming back to it all!

Tripod or Not?

I rummaged through the pile of camera gear cluttering the studio. And then I discovered a tripod I had bought some time ago: The Manfrotto MKC3-H01. It will fit in my suitcase! And, with small cameras, it should be just fine.

Image result for manfrotto mkc3-h01

It’s really small and lightweight. I like the lever clamps, instead of twisty ones. It’s got nice features, such as a swivel head, thumb thingies, and can handle up to 3.3 lbs (2.5 kilos) of camera. Given I am bringing only small and light – except when the V3 has the 70-300 on it – it should work out really well.

Image result for manfrotto mkc3-h01

A tripod is honestly something I have been wanting to bring as I want to get the long exposures you can get with ND filters. The smoothness of water can make for great photographs – and I want to do this with both film and digital. Maybe I will even do a video, just for grins, but they aren’t things I really ever do. So, problem solved, eh? At least, I think it is!! An 18-inch-tall-when-compacted tripod is a pretty cool thing.