2026 Calendar images

 

 2026 Calendar

cover: Old wagon and barn, Capitol Reef National Park

January

 

Barney Lake Trail, near Bridgeport

 

I first hiked up the canyon from Twin Lakes in 1957 with my boy scout troop. Since then I’ve been back many times, including backpacking trips with Maureen, Aaron and Christopher to Barney and Peeler Lakes and into northern Yosemite. I always greatly appreciate the beauty of this rugged canyon, the pine forest, aspens, sagebrush and meadows.

February

2018 Women’s March, Oakland, CA

 

In January, 2018, we joined many thousands of people marching through Oakland to protest the first Trump presidency. We had missed the first such march a year earlier, but this time we felt the need to be a part of it. It felt good to be peacefully expressing our opinions with so many others, and there seemed to be a feeling of optimism. My painting of the protest seems quite appropriate today.

 

March

Point Lobos State Park

In May, 2025, we spent a few days at the cabin near Big Sur where we have been going for many years. One morning, we went for a hike at Point Lobos State Park. It’s a very special place, but also a very popular tourist destination. Dealing with the crowds seemed worth it when we saw all of the beauty of the rugged shore, the pine and cyprus forests, and the wildflowers everywhere.

April

Les Deux Magots cafe, Paris, France

 

On our overseas trip in 2000 we stayed in Paris for a few days. A block or two from our hotel there was a famous cafe, Les Deux Magots, a hangout for artists and intellectuals in the thirties. On our last morning, we impulsively bought a painting from a street painter on the sidewalk. It now hangs on our living room wall. Seeing it there reminded me of our wonderful trip and inspired me to paint this one based on my photos.

May

Little Lakes Valley, Rock Creek, Eastern Sierra

 

There are a lot of spectacular places along the Eastern Sierra, but one of our favorites is Rock Creek. A trail leads to a beautiful string of small lakes with high peaks all around. It’s only a mile or two, but not so easy since it is a rocky trail starting at 10,300 ft. elevation. We have been there several times over the years, but this painting is based on a photo I took on a camping trip in 2004.

June

Busking Bagpiper, Edinburgh, Scotland

In 1995 we made a family trip to England, Ireland and Scotland, traveling by train. We arrived at Waverly Station in Edinburgh and came out of the station on Princes Street in New Town. A passing shower had wet the streets, and right there on the sidewalk was a fellow in full Scottish dress playing the bagpipes. It seemed like the perfect welcome to Scotland.

July

Sunshine Coast, north of Vancouver, BC

In September, 2003, we made a trip to western Canada and spent several days exploring the Sunshine Coast. It’s an area of the mainland coast north of Vancouver accessible by ferry that is reputed to have better weather than surrounding areas. We did some hiking in provincial parks and even some kayaking, and had a great time.

August

Maureen and Zim, Goldenrod Trail
 

We go to the barn every day to spend time with our horse, Zim, and we often go out on the Goldenrod Trail. Maureen rides Zim, our friend Judy rides her horse, Mumu, and I walk along. It’s a pretty trail with lots of trees and views of the surrounding hills, and it doesn’t get boring even though we do the same trail time after time. It’s a great way to spend time with the horses and enjoy nature at the same time.

 September

Canal Boat, Brecon, Wales
 

There are canals all over England and Wales and lots of narrowboats like this one built to navigate the canals. Today, many are used for residences and holiday travel. In 2000, we came across this one in Brecon, Wales while traveling with my distant cousin, Margaret and her husband, Bernard. We had gone there to see the high peaks of the Brecon Beacons, a national park, and we spent a day hiking to the top.

October

Hot Creek, near Mammoth Lakes

One place that we always visit on our trips to Mammoth Lakes is Hot Creek. It’s a geothermal area where hot springs come up into the cold mountain water. Years ago we soaked in the creek, but swimming is forbidden now. We like to go there anyway just to walk along the banks and enjoy the beauty of the flowing creek, the steam coming off the hot springs and the surrounding mounatains. We were there again in September, 2025, and it inspired this painting.

November

Pier, White Rock, BC

We started our 2019 trip to Canada by flying to Seattle and driving north. For our first night, we stayed in White Rock, a town just a few miles across the border. We had stayed there once before and found it to be a nice little seaside town. It’s kind of a tourist destination, and we saw all kinds of people. We walked to the shore and saw a couple of guys decorating the pier for something called the Moon Festival. I don’t know what that was going to be, but it made for an interesting scene.

December

Sunset at Mono Lake
 

Whenever we go to Mammoth Lakes we always pass by Mono Lake, a large saline lake at the edge of the high Sierra with tufa towers and lots of birds. You wouldn’t expect to find gulls here, a long way from the ocean, but it is the site of the world’s largest breeding colony of California Gulls. We support the Mono Lake Committee who have been working since the 70s to save the lake from water diversions to southern California.