white sand and phthalo water 7-24
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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Earth)
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I love the salt water, so it is no surprise that my favorite views on my virtual bike trip are those along the coast. Near Penare, I discovered a spot where a stone house overlooks a sandy beach. The water was the color of the phthalo blue in my paint box …
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Near the beach, where a stream runs across the road, is an interesting ford. It looks like there was once a bridge at the crossing, but the encroachment of sand and vegetation made it easier to ford the stream. I would love to know the history of this stream crossing …
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Best View: a house by the sea near Penare, the road lined with crowds of purple flowers (my painting looks quite different from the inspiration, above) …
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Aug 24, 2013 ‘purple mallow near Penare’ Jane Tims
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Copyright 2013 Jane Tims
pasture grazers and sea-creatures 7-23
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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Earth)
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On this virtual bike trip, I saw lots of animals – not surprising in an agricultural countryside.
There were sheep grazing beside the road …
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cattle in a pasture at the top of the cliff …
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and a man walking his dog along this part of the South West Coast Path …
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Although I didn’t stop to see any, there must also have been tiny sea creatures to catch in the shallows along the beach. The beach-side shop in Gorran Haven sells small nets to catch them – I hope there was a note to say ‘please return these creatures to the sea’ …
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Best View: the Cornwall coast near Penare …
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Aug 14 ‘headland near Penare’ Jane Tims
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Copyright 2013 Jane Tims
views of the coast 7-22
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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Earth)
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My bike trip for today took me near the Cornwall coast and showed me how much the English people enjoy their seascapes.
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Mevagissey is a large port town with lots of sailing ships and boats at dock …
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Mevagissey harbour (image from Street View)
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Often, you see either the woods or the coast but not both. Here, I ‘saw’ a view of both wood and ocean …
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looking towards Mevagissey (image from Street View)
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I liked the Portmellon beach area. There were walkers and swimmers, kayakers and sailors, all enjoying their bit of the Cornwall coast …
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swimmer at Portmellon beach (image from Street View)
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Best View: the Portmellon coastline – I like the way this turned out … stormy sky, uniform ocean and perspective are all the way I wanted them to be … it’s fun doing the shadows on the road …
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Copyright 2013 Jane Tims
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the color of September #3 – a purple crocus from a brown bulb
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This morning, thinking of the long winter, I planted a dozen crocus bulbs. The package promises large, dark purple blooms in early spring.
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I planted them in small groups, in front of my concrete bench. When they bloom in spring, I will be able to see them from my library window. After a long winter, a glimpse of those brave petals poking above the dry leaves will be so joyful.
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The crocuses we have now are bright purple and yellow. I planted them years ago, when my son was young. They have endured all these years and have even spread to other, distant parts of our property. I think the squirrels must dig them up, rebury them and forget where they have stashed their treasure.
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So, deep within the sienna brown of the bulbs is the makings of those purple petals. Wow!
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Copyright 2013 Jane Tims
glimpses of the South West Coast Path 7-21
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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Earth)
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As I bike along the road, following the Street View path of images, I know that between me and the ocean is a path. Known as the South West Coast Path, this long-distance footpath is a National Trail in the UK. It runs 630 miles or 1014 km from Somerset, along the coast Devon and Cornwall and into Dorset. It originated as a path to watch for smugglers and is now a major tourist attraction.
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Sometimes, where the road I am following approaches the coast, the path becomes synonymous with the road. Most of the time, however, it runs along the high land overlooking the sea …
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stretch of coastal path near Pentewan, marked in red … part of the path runs along the road and part along the top of the cliff overlooking the ocean ( map from Google Earth)
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Where the path and the road run together, there is often a rail fence to mark the way …
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Sometimes I see a set of stairs or a parking lot to allow public access the trail …
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stairs to access coastal path near Looe (image from Street View)
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It occurs to me that a variant on what I am doing for exercise would be to walk the path virtually. In reality, the path takes about 8 weeks to walk, although one runner has run the path in a little more than 16 days. The path is quite visible in aerial view in Google Earth.
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Best View: stone walls as I neared Mevagissey …
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Aug 2, 2013 ‘road near Megavissey’ Jane Tims
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Copyright 2013 Jane Tims
the color of September #2 – bunches of radishes
The reward of a recent visit to a local farmer’s vegetable stand – bunches of radishes.
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Painting with red is very rewarding. First, a little color goes a long way – I am still working with the small tube of paint I bought back in early June. Second, red wakes me up the way no other color can.
I did two paintings, one of the bunch of radishes, fresh from the vegetable stand, and one of an individual radish, fresh from the ground, dirt washed away. Hope you like them!
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August 31, 2013 ‘a bunch of radish red’ Jane Tims
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September 1, 2013 ‘radish red’ Jane Tims
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Copyright 2013 Jane Tims
the color of September #1 – squash on the vine
A visit to a friend’s garden and a look at the riot of squash growing in her compost heap has helped me transition from August summer to the pre-autumn days of September. I love the color orange, but I did not know how much fun it would be to try and capture the orange of the squash in watercolor. I hope you like my trio of September squash-on-the-vine paintings.
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August 30, 2013 ‘squash on the vine #1’ Jane Tims
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August 30, 2013 ‘squash on the vine #2’ Jane Tims
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August 31, 2013 ‘squash on the vine #3’ Jane Tims
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Copyright 2013 Jane Tims
haying time 7-20
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hay bales in a field along the Cornwall coast (image from Street View)
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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Earth)
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In New Brunswick, a common sight is of hayfields with their bales of hay …
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hay bales in New Brunswick
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Haying and hay bales are also a common sight along the Cornwall coast …
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a farmer works at his trailer of hay near Trenarren (image from Street View)
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So, today’s virtual biking trip felt a little like biking at home …
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bales of hay along Cornwall coast (image from Street View)
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Best View: round hay bales along the Cornwall coast …
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Aug 18, 2013 ‘haybales near Trenarren’ Jane Tims
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Copyright 2013 Jane Tims
sailboats and tall ships 7-19
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tall ships in harbour at Charlestown (image from Street View)
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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Earth)
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My trip on the 19th day of my virtual journey through Cornwall took me along the Porthpean Beach Road. The houses along the road came in many architectural styles. One, a stone house, made a charming roofline over the hedges around it …
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stone house with hedges and vined walls (image from Street View)
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Others were like stone fortresses, with walls and gates and history …
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walled house on Porthpean Beach Road (image from Street View)
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My favorite house, of white-washed stone, was in Porthpean, with the ocean in sight …
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house with a green door, in Porthpean (image from Street View)
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Best View: sailboats in dock at Porthpean Beach … I did two versions of this. #1 is my favorite, but I painted the scene too literally and made the masts of the boats curved (as they appear in the Street View camera lens)! I corrected this in #2, but I don’t like the colors as well …
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August 5, 2013 ‘Porthpean Beach #1’ Jane Tims
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August 7, 2013 ‘Porthpean Beach #2’ Jane Tims
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Copyright 2013 Jane Tims
seasonal shifts 7-18
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treed roadways near Carlyon Bay (image from Street View)
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map showing distance travelled (map from Google Earth)
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On my virtual tour of the residential area of Carlyon Bay, I encountered another of the seasonal shifts I have noticed before in Street View. One minute, I am in the month of May and the hydrangea are unremarkable green shrubs …
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hydrangea in May (image from Street View)
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and the next minute I am in August, and the hydrangea are in full bloom …
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hydrangea in August (image from Street View)
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Hydrangeas are like natural litmus paper … the color of the blue-tinted flowers is determined by the acidity of the soil. Lower pH soils (less than 6) tend to produce blue flowers. Higher pH soils (greater than 6) produce pink flowers.
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Best View: hydrangea in magnificent bloom, Carylon Bay …
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August 10, 2013 ‘hydrangeas, Carlyon Bay’ Jane Tims
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Copyright 2013 Jane Tims
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