best photos

Franny & Zooey

Published on April 3, 2019May 24, 2024 by Jen16 Comments

jenjoycedesign© Mt Veeder Raven.JPG
I have been thinking of names for our pair of lovebird ravens, predictably a famous couple, and Franny & Zooey comes to mind. A fictitious pair of genius siblings who are perfectly worthy of these smart trusting birds, and well, its just that I’m a fan of Salinger. Here’s Zooey, on the wood pile, right next to our tiny house ….
jenjoycedesign© Mt Veeder Raven 2.JPG
jenjoycedesign© the-male-raven 1
He is preening and watching over his shy lady Franny, who walks on the ground at a greater distance in the Charcoal Forest.
jenjoycedesign© the-female-raven

But distance is relative, because I tell you folks, I was 20 feet away at the most, quietly inching forward ever so slowly before Zooey caught on to me, and took flight.

jenjoycedesign© the-male-raven-taking-flight
Beautiful birds, I just can’t get over them.
They have so far snubbed my yarn offerings by the way!

Timberframe!

Published on November 8, 2018August 6, 2026 by Jen23 Comments

As most of you know its been a very long and difficult wait from losing our home to the wildfire last October 2017, but now the posts & beams coming together with alarming speed! It is the very same timberframe kit as Jeff and I built from the years 1999-2005, and I’m quite grateful that we have a small group of expert & artful builders willing to brave their way all the way to Napa, then up this mountain to rebuild our home!

There will be a flurry of building related posts, and thus far the builders have only done half of the first floor, but the first posts & beams to go up are the most magical of them all as you will probably agree…

I’ll post more when they get to the second level.

Signing off ecstatic.

♥ ♥ ♥

See all posts about our building our timberframe house HERE.

Out into Autumn

Published on October 21, 2018May 18, 2021 by Jen17 Comments

jenjoycedesign© October 21,2018 Out walking I see the Mayacamas mountains rolling southerly down into their foothills.

I am enjoying Autumn now that the leaves are beginning to cover

the blackened forest floor from last year

This sparse ground cover is only the beginning of the leaf fall,

they will continue to flutter down until winter is here.

jenjoycedesign© October 21,2018 (2)

I woke today after having seemingly dreamed almost consciously about a new fresh start in life walking a little more every day, away from stress of the wildfire, restoring a positive feeling about myself and my life, so that when the house is finally ready for us to move into it, I will be rebuilt too. Its been a rough year for me, hands down, and I have existed in a self spun cocoon trying to not think about the stressful things, but I really do believe committing to walking increased distances will cure all that is wrong in my world. Just one walk at a time.

Waning Summer

Published on September 18, 2018March 12, 2019 by Jen19 Comments

jenjoycedesign© field.jpg
Its the last days of summer, finally. I thought I’d never get through them.

The Autumn Equinox is near, and I thought I’d enjoy a nice afternoon walk up the ridge and take some photos of the landscape in the waning summer.

Wild peas continuing to bloom unusually late…
jenjoycedesign© wild peas 2

As I got higher up the ridge where the bad burn is,

I notice so many sprouted trees, as this baby knob cone pine, about 8 inches tall …

jenjoycedesign© baby pine

Sprouted right beneath the scorched parent tree, full of pine cones….

jenjoycedesign© burned pine

In a blink it will be the Autumnal Equinox , only four days! Knowing I am near to being in a far better place mentally with the anniversary of the wildfire so soon to pass, I am so very eager to be grateful again and excited about life’s good things.

Out Walking

Published on July 20, 2018March 17, 2024 by Jen7 Comments

This morning we got out earlier than we have been.

I am hiking solo now, but sometimes I’ll drive up the road a little ways and give Emma a ride, then she waits in the car in a nice shady spot.

She still looks so healthy, but she does not like to walk very far. Isn’t she just beautiful?

Today I had my Nikon and took some photos of regrowth in the landscape. New shoots emerging prolifically from burned trees everywhere!

The wildfire burned so much foliage and shrubs on the ridge that I’ve been finding old dump sites and old roads long abandoned too, but mostly, trees are making a come-back , and the flowers bloomed as ever before…

On the way back to our Tiny House, stopping where our house “was”. Do you recognize the landscape beyond that I so often photographed from our deck?

Many trees I am finding , are still alive with green crowns, so all is not lost. In fact, the big black oak which shaded our house and most of the deck in the heat of the summer afternoon, was so badly burned we thought no chance, but now it has green sprouting out of ash-grey trunk! The wildfire brings so much perspective about potential of regeneration, that I must witness this as I walk through the seasons. I’ve put all my focus on the hill before me, and knitting as I go.

Life is good.