Ebby's Landing Walk in the Morning Fog

Today Bill and I walked the path along the steep cliff above the salt water Straits of Juan de Fuca.   Normally on a clear day this path has a 360 degree view of the straits leading to the Pacific ocean, Indian and Marrowstone islands, the peninsula, mount Baker and mount Rainier.  But today, the light fog was hanging in the air for a while until it finally lifted somewhat.   The walk along the edge of the cliff was enjoyable as we noted all the wild flowers in bloom; Nookta roses, lupin, vetch, purple honey suckle, daisies, and other.   The aroma from all of the plants, evergreens and wild grasses was intoxicating as it mixed with the rich marine air.

We enjoyed the view looking east over the newly planted fields and wild roses toward where the light fog made soft edges in the distance.   The colors of the planted fields were soft and rich in color....I had to sketch it to remember.

This Morning's Beach Walk Sketch

This early morning the sky was heavy with dark gray purplish clouds hanging low over Puget Sound and a light spring mist in the air.  The air was cool so I ventured north for a mile walk on the beach shore enjoying the fresh air full of sweet fragrance.  The soft moving sand under my feet, rocks, slanting beach toward the water and other beach debris caused me to walk slow while at the same time gave me an opportunity to notice what treasures the beach had to offer.

It was a gift giving day:  I stood and watched a Killdeer scurrying away from me trying to distract me from its exposed eggs nearby.   The Killdeer lay their eggs exposed among the small rocks on the beach; they do not build a nest.  In order to protect their eggs,  they run ahead of possible predators flapping their wings, spreading out their tail feathers and acting as if injured while at the same time making crying noises.

Three Pigeon Guillemots wearing their summer mating colors were playful in the water and diving for small fish.  A resident Bald Eagle was high up on the bulkhead crying to its mate or eaglets.  It then flew over the water making a large swoop back to its large nest in the tall evergreen tree.

On my return walk back to the house facing south, I could see in the far distance bright cream colored skies that glowed beneath the dark clouds...an indication that the day would become brighter.  I picked up some more beach finds; a small empty Moon Snail shell, Shore crab and a large agate all about the same size except the shell was somewhat larger.  I then had the pleasure of sketching all this to record my  morning walk.

An Early Morning Spring Chorus

On an early morning walk last week an assortment of birds were singing at the top of their small lungs. It was like an orchestra of fine tuned instruments joyfully sending forth beautiful music of their own.  There was the Steller's Jay perched at the very top of the fir tree sending out its harsh noises; several small birds joining in with their musical scale of notes;  and, then, the loudest of them all was the Pileated Woodpecker beating its beak on the metal rail of the neighbor's gate.  It was like a cacophony of happy birds calling for their prospective mates.   

During the dark and cold winter months, my walks are mostly silent and still except for a few birds that winter over in the Northwest.  The quiet wildlife is very noticeable to my ears since listening to the birds while on my walks is always brings joy to my heart.  And now they are here!

Wild Native Rose to Pacific Northwest: Nootka Rose

The other day, I finished an oil painting of the native rose plant that grows wild along fences, roads, streams, open fields and sandy beaches on whidbey Island.  It is called the Nootka Rose, named after the First Nations on Vancouver Island, B.C.  It is a very delicate rose blossom ranging from 1 1/2 to 3 inches in diameter.  The hips turn a deep red to purple in the fall and will last on the bush through the winter.

The Native Americans used the hips for food during the cold winter months when the food sources were unavailable due to the dark cold and wet days.  The hips are high in Vitamin C and contain A, iron, calcium and phosphorus.  A tea can be made from the hips after drying and then crushing them into a fine powder.

Browsing through the thrift store, I found a circular old gold leaf frame, painted gesso on the old painting in the frame and then used my water based oils that I haven't used for sometime to paint the rose.  

The Old Apple Tree Covered with Moss and Lichen

The old apple tree stands alone now in the field of grass.   It has withstood the winter winds, rain, snow and cold weather.   The unpruned branches reach out long and twisty with brittle ends that break off during the winds.    Each summer it produces a few red apples that hang on the branches through the winter.  Only the deer track across the field to reach for the few hanging apples, the tree is forgotten and untended, the moss and lichen have taken over the trunk and branches.  The small birds pick at the tree finding insects and small seeds that travel with the winds landing on the tree.

Each spring,  the miracle of life appears with green leaves sprouting through the lichen with the promise  of a beautiful old tree blooming with white blossoms  to offer nutrients for wildlife.

I enjoy these old fruit trees with the long out reaching branches that curve around the neighboring branches.  They always appear so lonely and unloved.  It's amazing they are able to survive with the almost hollow trunks and dead branches.  Sketching the old trees I find interesting negatives spaces that can be filled with other branches or fruit.

Not a Sunflower

It looks like a sunflower but it's a sea anemone that grows in the Pacific Ocean along the Pacific Northwest coastline.   This sea anemone resides at the Newport Aquarium in the shallow salt water pool that enables visitors to get a close view and touch the sea objects with their hands.  We visited the aquarium last summer while camping along the Oregon coast.   I photographed this anemone along with other colorful plants and sea life then painted it on gray tone paper using warm hue colors.   A soft blue background was sketched to represent water and contrast to the warm hues.  The gray paper I used is in the below "birthday calendar" book I redesigned into a sketchbook.   I love the design on the cover of this book and  decided it could be made into a fun sketchbook.

Another anemone species, this one is pink and full of sharp looking spikes.  The rocks are covered with living creatures along with  lovely colors of pinks, yellows, greens and browns and white plants.   More sea life under the anemone that I'm unable to identify.   That is a project to work on, to identify the living plants and creatures in the tanks during the next visit

This is the sketchbook I recreated with black, warm and cool gray papers used for pastel painting that I cut to fit the size of the book.  While browsing through the island thrift store, looking for used books to make into sketchbooks, this one caught my eye because of the lovely cover design.  I purchased the "birthday calendar" book brought it home then tore out the inside pages but left the lovely designed inside cover page.  Then I selected the papers to fit inside the book, sewed  them together making several signatures.  Bound them all together and pasted the bundle of signatures to the spine and the backside of the cover pages.  This gave the signatures strength and it has held together very well.  Just the other day, I found the same book with same design on the cover with more green and gray tones, I purchased it and plan to renovate it into another sketchbook.  It's great fun!

Fall Willows in Maxwelton Valley

The willow trees near the Maxwelton creek running through the valley turn a beautiful burnt orange and gold in the fall.  From a higher elevation on the hill they glow against the browns and yellows in field grass and the dark evergreens further in the distance.   It's a scene I enjoy when walking through the valley in the fall.