In mid-May, Maureen and I went up to the Placerville area to take care of some horses. Our favorite horse trainer, Chris Ellsworth, needed help while he was away from the ranch for a couple of days. So we fed 14 horses breakfast, lunch and dinner, which was pretty hard work, but in between feedings, we had hours of down time, so I worked on this painting.
This represents one of my all-time special places, the Lyell Fork of the Merced River in Yosemite. Many people are familiar with the Lyell Fork of the Tuolumne which is followed by the John Muir Trail and PCT, but this Lyell Fork is on the other side of the mountain and much more remote. In September, 1976, I spent a week hiking solo from Yosemite Valley to Silver Lake on the east side of the range. I spent an afternoon and night in this beautiful meadow with the view of Mount Ansel Adams. I had it all to myself, as there was no one else anywhere near me for several days. There was an afternoon thunder shower and then as evening was approaching, the sky cleared and the mountains turned pink with alpenglow.
One of the places that Maureen and I like to walk is Bailey Ranch, a newish development near the top of the Hayward hills. There is an easy walk on a paved trail with a great view out over the hills and the bay. One day this spring some rocks and poppies caught my eye and they ended up in this painting.
