High Sierra Mountains

As we left the desert, and headed west, the High Sierra Mountains came into view.
This is where Yosemite National Park is located - our next destination.

Mono Lake

We traveled through the Nevada desert after leaving Great Basin National Park.
Just over the California border, we came to Mono Lake.
We were very surprised to see these unusual formations standing just offshore of Mono Lake.

These are called tufa. They are made of limestone and were formed underwater. When the level of the lake was reduced by demands for fresh water on the California coast - the tufa was exposed.

Find out more about tufa at this website.

This is another view of Mono Lake - from the western shores - it was taken early in the morning.

Mail Art Project - Week Forty Eight

Silk Petals

Hand painted silk, machine quilted.

This week's quote:
"The best place to find God is in a garden.
You can dig for him there."
-George Bernard Shaw-

Extra postcards are going out this week to Jan in Wakefield, Nebraska and Sharon in North Olmsted, Ohio.

Pacific West Quilt Show Entry

"April Village" was also juried into the Pacific West Quilt Show. Today is the last day of the show in Tacoma, Washington.
This piece won an honorable mention at the show! It also comes with a cash prize. Nothing huge, but it will cover the entry fee!

Pacific West Quilt Show

My piece, Cottonwood Calendar is currently showing at the Pacific West Quilt Show at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center in Washington through August 28th.
I won a 3rd place ribbon for this piece! Yay! It comes with a nice cash award!

Great Basin Sunset

We enjoyed seeing the sunset from the basin.

Rainbows in Great Basin National Park

We were treated to two rainbows during our two days in Great Basin National Park! We didn't get rained on though. Just saw the rainbows off in the distance.

Teresa Lake in Great Basin National Park

Teresa Lake is another small glacial lake that can be reached by trail in Great Basin National Park. We ate lunch here.

Palmer Penstemmon in Great Basin National Park

Note the rainbow in the left sky in the image below.



Rainbow again in the picture above!

Mail Art Project - Forty Seven

Segmented Disc

Hand dyed and commercial cotton fabrics, fused, machine quilted, glass beads.

This week's quote:
"Anybody who thinks money will make you happy, hasn't got money."
-David Geffen-

Extra postcards are going out this week to Barbara in Lebanon, Idaho and her sister Chris in Helena, MT.
I am also sending postcards (last week's butterfly postcards) to my sister, Jackie (Stevensville, MT) and her daughter Abby (Livingston, MT) - who share a birthday on August 26!

Lehman Cave in Great Basin National Park

Bristlecone Pines in Great Basin National Park

Great Basin Bristlecone pines (Pinus longaeva) are remarkable for their great age and their ability to survive adverse growing conditions. In fact, it seems one secret to their longevity is the harsh environment in which most bristlecone pines grow.

Bristlecone pines in Great Basin National Park grow in isolated groves just below treeline. Conditions are harsh, with cold temperatures, a short growing season, and high winds. Bristlecone pines in these high-elevation environments grow very slowly, and in some years don't even add a ring of growth. This slow growth makes their wood very dense and resistant to insects, fungi, rot, and erosion. Vegetation is very sparse, limiting the role of fire. Bristlecone pine seeds are occassionally cached by birds at lower elevations. Bristlecone pines grow more rapidly in more "favorable" environments at lower elevations. They do not achieve their legendary age or fascinating twisted shapes.

Stella Lake in Great Basin National Park

This lovely little lake sits nestled against Wheeler Peak.

We stopped off for a visit on our way back down from Wheeler Peak.

Wheeler Peak Descent

We took a lot more pictures on the descent (I was too out of breath on the way up!)