The sky is free of the grey smoke and the air ash-free from the Northern California wildfires.  After weeks of being cooped up inside and eager to feel the outdoors again, we decided to go on a Sunday drive to one of our favourite local haunts looking for autumn colours.

What we found, however, was a grim sight.  Instead of trees blooming with ruby red and golden yellow leaves, we found burnt, straw-yellow leaves still clinging on to charred black trees.  There were utility trucks everywhere, taking those trees down before another incoming red alert or high fire danger last Sunday.

Continue reading Falling Leaves at InkTorrents Graphics.

Last weekend of October I had an opportunity to visit my favourite place – Yosemite National Park.  I am fortunate enough to live “only” 4.5 hours away from it.  That is considered close proximity in California.  I take advantage of that and try to go there multiple times a year.  Because of that, quite often I get to hear “Yosemite again??  What’s there to see so many times!”

The thing is, I feel at home there. 

In the words of Lord Byron –

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar:
I love not Man the less, but Nature more.

Continue reading Yosemite And I at InkTorrents Graphics.

We have been having such a wonderful October here that I have been having the time of my life with my camera.  Weekend before last, we had a fantastic storm with heavy gusts of wind.  I was painting in my room at the time, but finally I just had to bundle up in warm clothing, put my Wellies on and head out with an umbrella.

Leaves swaying heavily in gusts of wind

I walked quite a few miles all on my own before heading back home.  The gusts were so strong that my poor umbrella was hardly able to keep up.  I was so mesmerized by the sound of rain pattering on my umbrella, the singing of the rain under the grove of oak trees, the swishing of the wind and the vibrant colours of the sky that I never realised how wet I got.

Continue reading Essence Of Autumn at InkTorrents Graphics.

It was really overcast a couple of days ago.  For some strange reason, the cloudy, cool weather gave me a huge urge to bake.  I gave in and became a mad baking lady.   I kicked off the baking session with these easy scones.  We treated ourselves to a couple of warm ones that afternoon with butter and jam.   I sometimes like to eat them with just butter and sprinkled sugar.

Once the scones came out of the oven, I prepped a peach crumble.  Since I am allergic to all fruits with pits and cores, I can only eat canned peaches.  First I drained the syrup from the peaches and added shredded coconut and sugar.  Then I prepared the crumble, added some coconut to that as well and then into the oven it went at 375F for 30 minutes.   If I could, I would add coconut to everything!  I almost wanted to skip dinner and go straight to dessert that night!

Continue reading It’s All In The Clouds at InkTorrents Graphics.