March 28, 2019March 28, 2019 by kritterspaw

Desert to Tall Pines

Travel
az, cactus, cascading water, desert, fish creek hill, flowers, ritter, tall pines, waterfall, workmens creek
2 Comments

This time of year the snow is melting up North…. and the sun is shining in the Valley. We have become pretty acclimated to the cooler temps… so HOT HOT is just HOT, as it was when we went down this past week and experienced a whopping 87F. Ok, I know we’re spoiled… but we’re toughened up by our winters.

We went to see the flowers, but in truth, while we got into a couple small pockets, it was already late in the season, as most were already gone.

We enjoyed those we did see, and soaked up the heat. But enough is enough, so we took the appropriately named, Desert to Tall Pines Rd (SR 288) back to the snow.

In a matter of hours we were back in our comfort zone, with snow on the ground, amidst the forest and Tall Pines.

We ventured to Workmens Creek, outside of Young, and enjoyed the cascading water from their snow melt.

Ahhhh….. how refreshing. : )

March 18, 2019March 18, 2019 by kritterspaw

One thing begets another

Projects
crafts, eagle, floor lamp, glass, hummingbird, lamp, owl, pygmy, squirrel, stained glass
1 Comment

You know how you embark on a project and once you’re done, it has created a new list of projects? Kinda like when you remodel your kitchen and you do the cabinets… and soon as it’s done, the floor now needs to be done.

You read about my stained glass door here … https://kritterspaw.com/2018/12/10/stained-glass-door/

The door came out great, and is now a centerpiece in the house. I was already planning on building a stained glass floor lamp, but something simple. With the door completed, and the elks peering in on us… our lamp design took another turn. Why not use animals from our forest to grace our lamp.

So I began the task of drawing up patterns for 4 panels….

eagle patt_IR.jpg

There would be an eagle, a squirrel, hummingbirds, and a pygmy owl.

With the patterns drawn, the pattern pieces had to be made.. and glass had to be cut.

I did one panel at a time… pattern, glass cut, grind, foil / lead, solder, pack, repeat four times.

IMG_20190113_144053401~2_IR.jpg

Once the glass was cut and ground, each piece had to be foiled or leaded.

After it was leaded, all the joints had to be soldered, and then it was packed with a window caulking and glazed with a gypsum powder.

All to make a final glass panels to ready for the wood working portion of the project.

On to the next phase.

To be continued…..

March 3, 2019March 3, 2019 by kritterspaw

Joshua Tree National Park

Just East of Palm Springs along I-10 in California is Joshua Tree National Park. Established as a park in 1994 it is home to it’s namesake, the Joshua Tree.

The Joshua Tree looks like a Yucca Tree, but it actually part of the Agave family.

The park itself is a big loop that takes one through hiking trails, multiple camping sites, and picnic areas.

It makes for a scenic drive through boulders, wildflowers, and lots of Joshua trees… making it a fabulous drive through this desert oasis.