Got this comment (some times I like to bring them up center stage):
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post: Cold Mountain Pool on Hot Day:
Its a great image Lloyd and it looks like a beautiful spot.
It brings back memories for me of walking in Ireland with my cousin, on a quiet path high on a wooded hillside we found a stream and a deep pool among pine trees, being young and somewhat impulsive we threw ourselves in. Cold was an understatement! but it was great fun. Its one of those fond memories that has stuck with me over the years.
I hope the mountain spirits and the fresh energy there continues to treat you well.
***
I’ve always loved being in the water. Yesterday it was really hot and at day’s end I -— heh-heh — snuck into a tule-lined irrigation pond on a nearby ranch, slipped in through the tules, and swam in the cool water. Changed my metabolism, energy level, and attitude. Exquisite end to tough day.
Here’s a family story that may explain some of this attitude: When we were kids, my family would go camping at a remote lake in the Sierras where my Dad and his trout-fishing buddies had built a cabin. We slept on a deck under the stars, took a boat across the lake to fill up a milk jug with cold spring water, picked gooseberries, saw bear tracks, and played in the lake. One day when I was 4, the story goes, I slipped off the dock and fell in the lake. My Dad was nearby and reached down and grabbed me by my overalls and pulled me up. I remember to this day looking around in wonder at the underwater world; I wasn’t afraid. My Dad asked, “What were you thinking when you were under water.” I said, ” I was going to turn on my putt-putt (my word for outboard motor) and come up.” This story got told many times over the years.
Below comment on my posting of last week revealed that the entire out-of-print book (a treasure) is available via Google. Here’s one of the color paintings (not by Sydney Jones):
“depatty has left a new comment on your post Old English Country Cottage”:
Just FYI. Old English Country Cottages is available from Google Books at https://is.gd/eLCqO for viewing and PDF download. Thanks for posting about it, it has some really nice illustrations!
Dave”
Walked a few miles on the mountain yesterday, the heat felt good, then immersed in magic pool. Did wai bow to canyon, then in all 4 directions, homage to mountain spirits.
“A short video that shows two young men with exceptional balance and leaping ability climbing buildings.”
“Monday Monday, it was all I hoped it would be…”
Well, sort of, although I’m still banged up (seeing orthopedic doc tomorrow, probably looking at a knee operation).
Title above inspired by seeing the Mommas and Poppas on a special Ed Sullivan retrospective last night. The Beatles, the Doors, Stones, Beach Boys, all these great acts in their infancy. Interestingly, the Beatles sounded rough doing “I Want To Hold Your Hand”; harmonies on their (later) recording of same song much better.
Photo: dinner last night. Bantam Auraucana rooster (offed last week) makes perfect meal for two, split, marinated, and barbecued. Roast potatoes, beets; steamed cauliflower all from garden. Louie’s Zinfandel. Pretty local, huh?
This blog: I just realized that it’s become a community of voices. I’m getting the greatest feedback. Kindred spirits. Jeez, what a lot of wonderful stuff is going on out there. Watch for postings on Sept. 2nd,3rd, and 4th, all from blog feedback.
Read More …
Sydney R. Jones was an English artist around the turn of the century who did exquisite drawings of English country life. Back in the 70s, I collected a number of books (via printed catalogs and mail order) with drawings and photos of English cottages. This drawing is from the book Old English Country Cottages, published in 1906. Note the four beehives (skeps).
Our hexagonal tower with its new shake roof. Shakes hand-split by Bruno Atkey on Vancouver Island, applied by Billy Cummings (I was recovering from a wrist operation). There’s a 6-sided copper cap, a piece of 3/4″ copper pipe, which is flared out at the end and holds a quartz crystal from Nepal (that I got at the Green Festival in San Francisco). If you’re standing in the right spot at the right time of day, it sparkles in the sunshine. (Got the idea from my friend Louie Frazier.)
Lew discovered this great sleeping platform on https://thistinyhouse.com. I traced it back to https://is.gd/eFdz4, but there’s no indication of where it is, or who shot the photo. I might just build something like this. The roof keeps fog and dew off the bed, yet the steep angle allows you to see a lot of the sky. Can anyone track this down?
I’ve always loved being in the water. Yesterday it was really hot and at day’s end I -— heh-heh — snuck into a tule-lined irrigation pond on a nearby ranch, slipped in through the tules, and swam in the cool water. Changed my metabolism, energy level, and attitude. Exquisite end to tough day.
