GONE FISHIN'

Tonight we cooked the ten rainbow trouts caught yesterday out of an aluminum rowboat at Little Virgiinia Lake in Mono County, just north of Mono Lake off of 395, five apiece, the limit. Baked on a gas grill, wrapped in tinfoil, stuffed with basil and butter.  OK, I'm hooked.

My first fishing lesson: Up at 5 am to meet Winford at his truck, loaded rods, worms, tackle, snacks. Got breakfast in Lee Vining.  I was fine with the casting (I'm good at throwing things; bocce balls, darts, frisbees....) but flunked hooking worms,  mostly due to the superior squirm capability of Eastern Sierra nightcrawlers, and somewhat due to my squeamish feelings about sticking hooks in them. I'm fine with the cleaning thing, but need to develop greater hand strength in order to rip out the guts quickly and cleanly.

This happy adventure was generously financed and supported by:

Steve Skaar, who, upon hearing of my impending move to the Eastern Sierra last year, immediately donated a fishing rod and reel.

Bill and Judy Valladao, who bought me a fishing license for my 62nd birthday (July 21 this year).

Winford Flud, who fixed the broken-off tip of the fishing rod, advised me how to get new line wound on the reel, took me shopping for the various bits and parts, gave me a tackle box he won in a derby raffle, fixed my line when I tangled it up, tied up a second hook when the really big fish got away with the first one, refreshed my bait, and netted my catches when I was half-hysterical with excitement while hanging on to the jumping splashing energetic wild life form trying to yank the pole out of my hands.

Many, many thanks!

Painting Update: SOLD

Yes! A very nice, highly intelligent, and generous Eastern Sierra Land Trust supporter from the Hollywood Hills bought two of my winter trees paintings. Me and the ESLT shared the revenues 50/50.  Hilda's real appreciation of my unusual pictures (unusual when displayed next to more naturalistic landscapes) was a jolt of joy for me — and the cash came at a good time. Below are the two paintings that sold. The winter blue cottonwood trunks is a personal favorite of mine.

The fundraiser art show was housed in a large retail business suite between a movie theater and a chocolatier in the Minaret shopping center in Mammoth Lakes. It was well done, and I admire the organization and hard work by the folks at ESLT that made it happen.  I was too dizzy from success to check out the chocolate, but may yet do so if I return around Thanksgiving for a similar show to be sponsored by Mono Council for the Arts. 

Here's a horse from a new series of dusk paintings I've just begun. Actually this one is based on photos I took during late evening strolls through Point Pinole in Richmond during the early nineties. Yeah, the moon does rise like a little white ping pong ball. I'm developing my palette colors to capture scenes from my  twilight walks along the canal here in Bishop. 

BONUS PHOTO:  When smoke from Sierra fires loads the air with particle, the sunsets mix it with light and use it for paint (looking EAST along the canal)