Quickwitter

Baby Southern Pacific Rattlesnake
©Laura Quick

My dog barked and I happened to look outside; good thing as both of my cats were playing with this little guy. He’s a tiny rattlesnake, about 8” end to end with a head about the size of a dime. Yep, already venomous.*

So what do I do?

1. Get the Snakecatcher 2000 - an apparatus Kevin made for me out of a broom handle and some sailboat hardware. It works great. It has Snakecatcher 2000 written on the side in Sharpie marker. He made it as I had been using BBQ tongs to pick up snakes.

2. Catch the snake - loop rope around the snake’s neck, snug up the rope, lift. Place snake into an Igloo® Playmate® cooler, I keep around for this purpose.

3. Photograph the snake - proof, plus how cool are these guys? I find them fascinating.

4. Drive to a remote location and release the snake - easy, peasy Japanesy they just want to go and be on their way.

5. Resume your lazy afternoon

*Correction from poisonous to venomous, thanks to @youtaggedthatsnakewrong

India Blue Peacock Hackle Feathers
Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous
©Laura Quick

The feral peacock is back visiting. Squeeeee.

MOUNT DIABLO from Dao House
Danville, California
©Laura Quick

Rumors:
Mount Diablo has long been the site of numerous reports pertaining to cryptozoology, hauntings, mysterious lights, and various other Fortean phenomena (it is rumored that the name “Mount Diablo” is derived from the propensity for such weird events to be alleged at, or in the immediate vicinity, of the mountain).

Phantom black “panthers” are seen with unusual frequency on the slopes of the mountain, as well as at the “Devil’s Hole” region of the Las Trampas Regional Wilderness.

As early as 1806, General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo reported an encounter with a flying, spectral apparition, while engaged in military operations against the Bolgones band of the Bay Miwok tribe.

In 1873, a live frog was said to be found within a slab of limestone at a mine on Mount Diablo. source

Inspiring:

The popular video game series Diablo was named after the mountain. One of the co-founders of Blizzard North David Brevik grew up in the area.

Mount Chiliad, the mountain featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, is based on Mount Diablo.

Mount Diablo is also used in the Rick Riordan book The Lost Hero as the home of the giant Enceladus.

Mount Diablo is referenced in the title and lyrics of the song “Mt. Diablo” by the pop-punk band The Story So Far.

DANVILLE CEMETERY
Danville, California
©Laura Quick

Charming little cemetery in my charming little hometown. My folks moved here 1000 years ago and I’d never stopped by, today I visited with @Daryl Darko

BLOSSOMS
Danville, CA
©Laura Quick

I went to the Danville Cemetery today and these glorious trees were in bloom across the street. Driving up from Los Angeles, all of the fruit trees along the 375 miles of Interstate 5 are in bloom. It is gorgeous this time of year. There are times that I love living in California.

In other news, it’s 85 degrees today in Los Angeles.

Spanish Pavillion for the Ibero-American Exposition of 1929
Seville, Spain
©Laura Quick

The Ibero-American Exposition of 1929 was a world’s fair held in Seville, Spain, from 9 May 1929 until 21 June 1930. Countries in attendance of the exposition included: Portugal, the United States, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Chile, the Republic of Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Ecuador. Each Spanish region and each of the provinces of Andalusia were also represented. Spain’s Dictator General Don Miguel Primo de Rivera gave the opening address. Primo allowed the Spanish King Alfonso XIII to give the final words and officially open the exposition. The purpose of the exposition was to improve relations between Spain and the countries in attendance, many of which were former Spanish colonies.

The exposition was smaller in scale than the International Exposition held in Barcelona during that same year, but it was not lacking in style. The city of Seville had prepared for the Exposition over the course of 19 years. The exhibition buildings were constructed in María Luisa Park along the Guadalquivir River. A majority of the buildings were built to remain permanent after the closing of the exposition. Many of the foreign buildings, including the United States exhibition building, were to be used as consulates after the closing of the exhibits.  Source

MOSAIC - No Cut Kit “Antigua”
©Laura Quick

This is one of the pieces that I designed for the company that never opened. I have impaired strength in one hand so cutting tiles is difficult for me. To make mosaics easy for everyone, I created a series of kits which required no cutting. You just glued the tiles in place, let it dry and grouted the piece.

FISH TILE DESIGN
ConceptMosaic Panel
©Laura Quick

In 2003 my friend Gail and I decided to open an online mosaic shop and I started creating artwork, this was one panel for a mural. I came across it while I was looking for a photo of my Mom earlier and was thinking about Gail. 

We never opened the business, the day before the launch her son was in a motorcycle accident in Mexico. He spent a couple of weeks in a coma, then 6 months in recovery and another 6 months in a halfway house for further recovery. Eventually, he recovered enough to return to high school and to go on to earn his AA in college. Gail and I grew apart over time, but I learned so much about life from her, about not panicking, and about love, and devotion and not giving up. She is an amazing woman.

ALLY IN PINK GOGGLES
Alta Sierra Ski Resort, Alta Sierra, CA
©Laura Quck

Allly is 9, “…almost 10” she tells me. She’s a smart, quick, athletic girl with a graceful ease about her. We ran around with the dogs, threw snowballs climbed around on rocks and things. I found her to be utterly charming and surprisingly good company.

Here’s she bored waiting for her ski lesson to start and her mom to get her bindings adjusted. By the time the class starts she’s already mastering the snow plow on her own.

I wanted a photo of her with the goggles in place but I liked this shot better.

FLOCKED TREES
Alta Sierra Ski Resort, Alta Sierra, CA
©Laura Quick

We took a drive this morning from my buddy Tom’s place, up to the Alta Sierra ski resort 8 mile away. Initially, Tom was disappointed that there wasn’t much snow on the ground, and that we didn’t see another car, but at the end of the resort road, there was a lot of snow, a parking lot full of cars, and a bustling little resort. Since one of the lifts wasn’t running the day pass was $20. Score!

I likes the way the trees appear to be flocked. :)

WHERE THE SIERRAS BEGIN
Highway 178 - Isabella Walker Pass Road
©Laura Quick

The Sierra Nevada Range is the largest physical geographic region in California, extending 650km (400mi) north-south and 80km (50mi) east-west. It is in many ways the backbone of the state, both literally and figuratively. It is home to many dramatic natural wonders that have been important elements shaping the vision of California for people around the world for over 150 years. It captures much of the water that supports settlement and economic activity in the state, and helps create the arid regions to the east. It formed a daunting barrier to travel from the east and also held the gold that spurred the major wave of travelers to breach that barrier. The range was named by early Spanish explorers who saw it from near the mouth of the Sacramento River and described it as “una grand sierra nevada” — a large snowy range.

This is the range south of Sequoia National Park.

For people who think of Southern California as just sunny beaches… :)

CRANE BREAK BASIN
Highway 178
©Laura Quick

Highway 178, also known as Isabella Walker Pass Road, runs between the Mojave Desert to the east and Lake Isabella to the west. It’s high desert - in that the road elevation ranges from 1,000 to well over 5,000 feet. The terrain on the desert side is Joshua Trees, cactus, scrub, the interior side is Oaks, Pines, and grassy plains. The mountain tops are all coniferous forest at elevation. This spot in on the downhill slope in to Kernville and is used for grazing land - mostly black Angus beef cattle.

OLD ABANDONED BARN
Near Onyx, California
on Isabella Walker Pass Road
©Laura Quick

I am drawn to old barns. This one caught my eye off the side of Highway 178 near Onyx. It looks great from this angle but is collapsed on the back end. Still a lovely location with the southern edge of the Sierras in the distance, a little snow still on the ground in the shade, and an old barbed qire fence of found wood. Love it!

RED ROCK CANYON STATE PARK
Kern, California
©Laura Quick

I drove through here today. Such a cool place! Looks like Bedrock where Fred Flintstone lives. It’s just off Highway 178 past Mohave and such a geological changes from the rest of the area which is desert scrub and cactus.

Red Rock Canyon State Park features scenic desert cliffs, buttes and spectacular rock formations. The park is located where the southernmost tip of the Sierra Nevada converges with the El Paso Mountains.

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Due to its unique features and proximity to Los Angeles, Red Rock Canyon has frequently been used as a filming location for motion pictures, television series, advertisements, and rock videos. Among the many westerns filmed there were The Big Country and The Outlaw, as well as such diverse movies as The Mummy (1932), Zorro Rides Again, Jurassic Park, I’ll Be Home for Christmas, Missile to the Moon, The Car, Westworld, and Airwolf. 40 Guns to Apache Pass, the last film of Audie Murphy, was filmed there in 1966. The 2005 music video Cater 2 U by Destiny’s Child was also filmed at this location. Aside filming, Red Rock Canyon was featured in the video game Fallout: New Vegas, with the fictional Great Khans in control of the location. More

STORY OF A PHOTO

I took this photo of my brother in law’s cousin Ricky at Christmas time in ‘80 or 81. He would have been about 12, I was probably 19 or 20. I had moved to NYC to study graphic design, and photography was required for all art students. I had never used a real camera before. This was my first Christmas away from home, and it snowed. Magic! This was the first holiday that I spent with my sister’s in-laws, though I spent most of them there of them there for the next decade.

I took the snapshot while Ricky was watching his cousins play dominoes. I liked it, so I put it into a stack of images to bring with me on my trip home to California.

In California, I told everyone about my new life in New York and eagerly showed them the photos I’d taken, including this one. I visited my old job, at a printing company, where a smarmy vendor was visiting and he bought the print of this picture for $25. I suspect that it had more to do with winning point with me than not, but it was my first photo sale.

About 8 years later, I attended my 10 year high school reunion and ended up dating a a guy I’d known since 3rd grade. When we were first dating I came out from New York for the Holidays and, we went to his cousin’s house for Christmas eve. The smarmy vendor as it turned out, was married to his cousin. They had a spectacular house in Walnut Creek that was full of photography and oddly, along with some noted photographer’s work (Minor White, Ansel Adams, Larry Rivers, etc.), there was my portrait of Ricky hanging on the wall.

Ricky grew up, as all kids do, and we went on with our lives, he became Rick, and then later a war photographer who recently did time in the Gulf working with the military.

He returned to the states awhile ago and we became friends a week or two ago on FB, which reminded me of the photo.I like that he downloaded a copy of it to show his kids what he looked like when he was their age. :)