It’s been a nice and relatively productive spring here, busy enough to keep the timing moving along quickly but not so busy that there hasn’t been a few chances to enjoy the time. This is a mostly chronological order of the last few months, mostly…

Death Valley long weekend, February.

Gathered up three buddies and we spent a few days exploring the southern end of Death Valley, including areas around Ballarat that I hadn’t been to. Great company and sights with pretty nice weather all around.

Family daytrip with new Highlander, March.

After three years driving the hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai it was time to move on. The Mirai was a really nice car, but the fuelling infrastructure just didn’t make it worthwhile for us to lease another. We had a fair amount of time to find our next long-term car, which was a good thing given how cars are currently being sold. We searched and stalked several dealers and finally found a Highlander in the colors/trim we wanted - and in the hybrid model.

Mission Creek Preserve - old stone-built resort cabins now house picnic tables.

That weekend we took a day trip out to the Mission Creek Preserve just west of Desert Hot Springs and were rewarded with wildflowers and a really nice picnic spot. Gabby got a bit stressed so we cut our wandering a bit short. If you’re looking for a unique picnic spot, it was worth the trip. Parking was limited and there seemed to be a fair number of hikers so get there early for parking. Didn’t get any pics of the new car in the dirt, which is fine as that is not its natural habitat.

PS - We’re averaging right around 34MPG in the Highlander after a couple months.

Good Gardening, March-April

We enjoyed a few harvests of fresh peas from the garden in March. Lots of work but very tasty. Carrots were harvested and cooked up over a couple of dinners later that month and then beets were harvested and quick-pickled in early April. Tasty treats all around. Also did some more ground cover planting of rosemary then in early May planted new tomato plants and they’re doing well.

SD Anniversary Trip, April

Beth and I took a long weekend to go explore a bit of San Diego for our third anniversary. We took in museums and the botanical gardens which I really liked. We took a little hour long cruise around the bay, which was a first for me.

We stayed close to the Gaslamp District and walked and walked. Tacos at El Chingon were amazing and we enjoyed a really nice fusion mediterranean dinner at Meze on our last evening there.

Colors and texture abound at the San Diego Botanical Gardens!

Coyote Flats Camping, May

Coyote Flats has been on my camping radar for some time. But it is a ways from home and subject to Eastern Sierra snowpack, so not really a quick weekend trip. Timing worked out and I took a few days off from work and invited buddy Craig along.

We met up along 395N and had lunch at Schat’s in Bishop on a thursday then headed an hour and a half up into the mountains. Most of the 4x4 road was relatively easy with a few rocky stretches and climbs added in for flavor. While you could nurse a stock truck up there, it would be more enjoyable for all to have a mild lift, sliders and tires.

We found a nice spot to camp at right around 10,300’ elevation and got set up. The first day (Thurs) was windy AF and didn’t settle down till the next morning’s sunrise. After that the daytime temps were alpine - meaning cold in the shade and sunburn hot in the sun. We took a trail drive Friday in Craig’s oversprung 4 Runner further up to one of the seasonal lakes (empty). Friday overnight temps were quite cold and sleep wasn’t easy, but once the sun was up Saturday turned into a fine day.

I spent most of my time there carving and putzing around camp. Craig set out to fly-fish for native trout and had success along the way. Saturday eve I had my tent all set up for cold cold and got a pretty good night’s sleep although being a bit sun-fried. Sunday morning we were packed and headed down the hill around 7ish. I know it was the same distance down the hill as up, but it certainly felt longer. ;)

More Hummingbird Babies, May

Our resident Hummingbirds have a second batch of chicks going. It will be just a few more days till they leave the nest. So neat to see that in the backyard. In the week since I took this photo, they’ve grown so much they don’t have room to nestle into the nest like they are in this photo!

And yes, there was carving…

Exploring ideas, techniques, scale and skill. Here’s just a few new things from this spring.

Hiking Hoffman with removable backpack and hat.

Mage Edward the Avid Insomniac - my 113th carving.

“Aye, well it’s a nice day to row around a bit. I’ve secured some of Belvedere’s finest island punch for the larder and enough in the chest to keep this coddiwomple going.” - Dimitri Wanderkeel

Dimitri is my largest and most complex carving to date and was fun all along the way - even when I realized he wouldn’t fit in the dinghy! He has a small treasure chest and cask of rum for company.

I captured his painting process in video as a bit of a test. The normal speed version is also up on my YouTube channel, but its 2-1/2+ hours of me sounding like a Bob Ross wannabe (RIP), so nothing too exciting.

More photos of the carvings are up on theMirrorpool here and there are carvings available on my Etsy shop here.

Oh, and there were some new spoons along the way. Learning a lot with each batch and there will definitely be more in the future.

Thanks for your time, hope that you find something worthwhile in reading my ramblings and maybe some creative inspiration along the way - Matt

Spring Fling, 5.22