Quick Trip back to the Klamath Basin

Aspen make me smile.  They have a clever little trick.  Their stems are flattened, vertically -- and that means they shimmer and shake in the slightest breeze, as if they are waving to me.  

Dale and I have been enjoying camping in the Klamath Basin this fall. When we first reach the edge of the Basin, the transition zone between forest and marsh, we are greeted with groves of quaking aspen, probably my favorite tree.  Even their latin name speaks of their wonderful ability to simmer and shake in the fall sunshine, Populus tremuloides.  At this time of year whole groves are bursts of yellow.  Other groves have already been stripped bare, waiting for winter.  

   

In the morning the moon rides high in the sky, the smooth part facing upwards towards the sun.  No Sexy Lady there.

Aspen Leaves - Laura Gillis

The Aspen leaves were just beginning to think about turning colors while we were in Colorado last week. There were a few trees that had turned bright gold and then there was this small tree whose leaves were turning in a pattern.

The leaves on this tree were green along the veins with an edge of yellow surrounding reddish-orange blotches. It was a very pretty effect and reminded me of a map but I wonder what caused it.... it didn’t look like something good. Along the edges and in some spots, the leaves had started turning black and were brittle and dry.

I only saw this effect in one small tree. I don’t know if it was diseased or had an insect infestation or maybe it was just being a non-conformist, artistic tree. What ever it was, I don’t think it was good for the tree and I hope it isn’t something that will spread through all the Aspen.

ink & watercolor on hemp paper

Vacation Posts - Laura Gillis

Well, I am back from the oddest vacation ever.... things were crazy before I left so I haven't posted in a couple of weeks so this is kind of a long post for me.

Our plans were to go to Mueller State Park in Colorado (west of Colorado Springs) for a little cooler weather and some hiking and relaxing... we got quite a bit more than we bargained for.

We got to the park on Sunday and the weather was fabulous so we got set up and got our chairs out to relax and then a dark cloud rolled over us. Then another and then another which dropped sleet on us. After the sleet, came the rain and snow.... for three more days! The bad part was that we didn't get to go on any hikes but I did get a few sketches done from the window of the pop-up trailer.

On Monday we found out that my Grandmother had passed away. This was very sudden and quite a shock. (I still can't believe it a week later.) The funeral was scheduled for Friday in Louisburg, Kansas.

Louisburg is 4 miles from the Missouri border and a long, long way from where we were, so we broke camp with the snow still falling on Wednesday and started on down the road.

Whoever it was that said Kansas was flat has never driven across the state on I-70! Kansas is really a beautiful place. The state flower is the Sunflower and there were fields of them drying and almost ready for harvest. A field of those giant sunflowers is really a sight to behold.

Thankfully, the weather cleared up and everything was beautiful for the services for my Grandmother on Friday. I will really miss my her... she was a little 96 year old ball of fire... She loved my bug sketches and she was known to whack bugs with her cane to stun them and save them for me to paint into my journal. Quite the woman.....

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The first three sketches were in my nature journal with the Hemp paper with ink & watercolor wash. The sunflower sketch was done in a generic journal with a Pilot ink pen. I like to have a bigger journal with cheap paper to sketch in while we are going down the road. It is the only way I can seem to stay awake! (Don't worry, I am not driving!)