Showing posts with label Mushrooms. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mushrooms. Show all posts

November 3, 2014

The Hunt.














I went into the woods on a bit of a hunt.
It's my favorite season in the Oregon forest, mushroom time.
These fruit flowers of the fungal world have my heart.
Sometimes I like to learn their names,
most times I just want to find them, 
and see the funny places they choose to grow.
All the time I like to pretend to be a small wee folk,
an elfin friend who uses these as a bit of shade.
So, when you come across a girl in the woods laying on the ground,
peering up at the underside of mushroom caps,
that's just me in make believe land.
Join me, there is plenty of room.

February 3, 2013

Road Trip, Day Twenty Three: Hike at Hidden Villa.








Great morning hike with my cousin. Fungi galore!
Hiked to the top of Elephant Mountain with great views
then down into the bay leaf tree lined valley with a creek
babbling through it. Perfect conditions for mushroom growth.
A long time ago I came to farm camp here at Hidden Villa
and won the award for least disposable lunch.
I brought the whole lunch wrapped in a bandana on a stick,
hobo style. Probably not very politically correct. 
At farm camp we learned about "velcro plants", printing ferns, lanolin.
The smells of Hidden Villa remain the same: 
Bay leaves, compost, and sheep...a delicious combination.

January 26, 2013

Road Trip, Day Sixteen: Things I Love.


Not many photos today.

But I will share with you my recent, Things I Love, list.
It was definitely inspired by my thoughts of home,
what that means, when I will have it again, and how it feels.

bent wood chairs, oil lamps, wood stoves, wooden family tables, old patchwork quilts,
woven rugs, jars of flowers, nesting mixing bowls, old ticking pillowcases, down comforters,
wool shirts, mismatched china with floral patterns, woven baskets, heavy white mugs of tea,
hand thrown pottery, norwegian ski socks, granny square afghans, wool blankets,
baskets of firewoods, music with a fiddle, hay lofts, goats, watercolor sets that look messy,
old leather lace up boots, wool long johns, enamelware, a sharp knife, cloth napkins,
clothespin bags that hang on the clothesline, claw foot tubs, zinnias, cosmos, beeswax candles,
the smell of woodsmoke, smoked salt, wrap around porches, porch swings, the ocean,
singing around a campfire, mushrooms sautéed in ghee, collections of rocks, wooden benches,
lines of boots all in a row, curtains waving in a breeze, washing camp dishes, 
cabins in the woods, the smell of ears, tea with coconut milk, old paintbrushes, bird watching,
searching the water for whales, wild edible plants, huckleberries, the smell of dirty hats,
aprons, the scent of cedar, a fireplace, barn wood, pantries with glass jars full of stores,
rain on a metal roof, floor pillows, hiking, waterfalls, icicles, gardens fenced for deer,
the smell of rotting apples, bowls of abundant fruit, dried plums, pinecones, wildflowers,
fabric with eyelets, constellations, hand knit scarves, fingerless gloves, blooming clover,
neatly stacked wood piles, moss and lichen, rooflines with scallops, clogs, 
outhouses with moons cut in the door or fantastic views, snow on evergreen boughs,
sunlight filtering through leaves, printing ferns, cursive typewriters, wooden greenhouses,
red cabooses, cedar shingles, weathered wood, log cabins, rocking chairs, leather cording,
golden pastures with daisies, watercolors and gouache, acorns, fiddleheads, buckeyes,
river and lake swimming, old barns, wearing someone else's shirt, hand carved wooden spoons, 
blue mason jars, pepper grinders, cast iron, tree houses, down jackets, hammocks with quilts. 


Maroon Tricholoma   Habitat: on conifer logs and stumps.

January 20, 2013

Road Trip Day Eight, Nine and Ten: Anderson Valley.








What is there not to enjoy about a redwood tree?
Or a clump of mushrooms? 

I've been slightly obsessed with photographing and painting
our little mushroom friends. There just are so many, so varied, so fun
to treasure hunt for. I think mushroom hunting is like thrift store haunting,
you just never know what you are going to find.

January 17, 2013

Road Trip Day Seven: Anderson Valley.








Spent the day wondering the Anderson Valley and hiking on my friends ranch.
Twisted oaks, fields of ewes, dormant apple orchards, moss, lichen, mushrooms,
ferns, dogs to walk with, birds to watch burst from evergreens, collections of old
special things...all things to enjoy and ponder over. It's a good life.


January 15, 2013

Road Trip, Day Five: Morning at Emerald Forest Cabins.






I think I'd like to move in. Spent a relaxing night at Emerald Forest Cabins in Trinidad.
Highlights: Sweet funky cabin, peeling wallpaper, wood stove, clawfoot tub,
time to slow down, make art, cook a warm meal of mushrooms, kale and beef.
I've been painting mushrooms and enjoying working in watercolors again.
I'd like to bring a large group here and cabin up with everyone, make art,
play games, gawk at trees, go on hikes, and drink mug after mug of warm tea.