May 1, 2012

Happy May Day! Here we are dancing the May Pole.

 

The Merry Strolling Minstrels... leading us towards the egg toss.
 

A quartet of ladies in white. Beltane princesses.

Down Home, Hand Spun

I spent a weekend with Kim at her ranch where she raises angora goats for their fiber.

Here is Kim milking Lucy!

One of the goats giving birth.

Such a good mama. I am so amazed at the kids' instinct to stand, walk, and suckle. They are minutes old and know exactly what to do. Such smart animals.

Kim is an incredible lady. She processes all her own fiber, spins it into beautiful mohair yarn, and dyes it using plants she grows in her own garden. Check out her website!

http://www.downhomehandspunfibers.com/

37°13′47″N 119°30′34″W

After leaving Shumei, I headed east to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains and landed in the exact center of California in a tiny little town called North Fork. 

(I learned from my Japanese friends how to take proper photos!)

In North Fork, I stayed for three weeks at Three Springs flower garden. I made some really lovely friends there. Hello to Susan, Kearey, Dawn, Rio, Paola, John, and Dale! 

Pretty garden... green in the spring and full of daisies. I'm sure soon it will be bursting with blooms! 

This photo was taken from the back porch of the house where I spent a lot of time bird-watching. Here is a list of the birds I could identify:

Redwinged Blackbird

Bullock's Oriole

Acorn Woodpecker

Ash-throated Flycatcher

American Robin

House Finch

House Sparrow

Western Bluebird

Violet-Green Swallow

American Dipper

Wild Turkey

Redtail Hawk

and.... I saw a Bald Eagle while I was driving on the highway. So special. 

Three Springs is situation on 160 acres of beautiful forest. A lovely creek runs through the middle and there are upper and lower falls. Here are the upper falls. The lower falls are so beautiful I almost lost my mind. I didn't take my camera.

April 16, 2012

Leaving Shumei was a sad day indeed... As a parting gift, I left with them a painting of some carrots.... HUGE carrots!!

(special thanks to Cara's boyfriend, Todd, for inspiring this piece)