Scenic River Route: Environment for the Artist

By Diann Hokanson
The Scenic River is a painter’s paradise. Monet’s Giverney gardens with lily pones and Japanese bridge summoned the Impressionists no less than our Klamath inspires the Realist, Abstract, Representational and Surrealist artist.
The River itself with its deep emerald still places and raging white water rapids, travels both swiftly and lazily through narrow steep rock walls and wide open spaces. Edged with spiky river grasses, the smooth worn river rocks invite the graceful Snowy Egret. Blue Heron and the artist!
The Klamath is fed by bubbling streams and some pretty swift creeks. Down along their banks the temperature can be twenty degrees cooler.
Our own little Ferguson Creek isn’t even on the map. Walking under its conifer, oak and maple canopy is like closing a door, shutting out the noise of traffic from the highway, and opening into a world of quiet, cool and non-electric gurgle of the creek. Huge ferns grow here and moss covers the trunks of the Oaks and old fallen logs. N the middle of all these greens and earth tones are surprising brilliant reds, tiny fuchsia and delicate pinks and lavenders of wild flowers and trillium.
The landscape painter finds scenes of majestic grandeur. In the Wilderness area Ukonom, Sprit, Blue Granite and Cliff lakes, each set like a diamond in the Marble Mountains. Ukonom falls, a mile up Ukonom Creek from the other side of the river, is worth the hike. The beautiful double waterfall is much like the Wiamea Falls of Hawaii. From Greyback, the high country, you can see across thirteen different layers of mountains and hills, each a little fainter as if you could see to infinity. In the spring and fall, mists settle in below and between the mountains, and we feel like the very first human.
Pastoral Scenes are also available; cattle and horses in cattle in golden meadows as well as lovely old barns and cabins. Along Highway 96 are old communities left from the Gold rush. Klamath River, Scott Bar, Hamburg, Seiad Valley, Fort Goff and Happy Camp. We have our old buildings and small town atmosphere. It’s like stepping into a time warp.
The portrait artist is after my own heart. You would think living in all this would be pretty distracting but the closest theater is 75 miles and the closest shopping mall is 110 miles away! What makes our place unique are its people. Do you know a medicine man? Have you seen the expression on the face of the prospector who held two nuggets of gold in hand? I know a 63 year old lady who dredges underwater, A man who can fell a tree in a stand without hitting another, a doctor who came to retire and fish and has never worked so hard in his life, a woman who runs a publishing house, and people who really live off the land with no phones and electricity. There are river guides and wilderness packers who will take you into the wilderness and artists living here. We have lived here fifty years and haven’t made a dent!

August’s Fantastic Friday Supper at the KS Art Center

Last Friday evening Jon will be served a Mexican Dinner at the Art Center at Bigfoot Corner!! According to Alan Crockett, “… Friday, September 6th, join us at the Art Center for a unbelievable Mexican Dinner. Guest Chef Jon Grunbaum’s ever popular Chicken Fajitas with succulently cooked Beans and Rice and Jon’s Famous Show Stopper Guacamole! And of course we’ll have a sensational music mix blended with the most refreshing of refreshments.”

Jon Graunbaum cooking for Fabulous Friday
at the Klamath Siskiyou ‘Art Center!

Coming Empty handed

One by one He took them from me,
All the things I valued most.
Until I was empty-handed;
Every glittering toy was lost.

Then I walked earth’s highway grieving,
In my rags and poverty;
‘Til I heard His voice inviting:
Lift your empty hands to me.

So I held my hands toward Heaven,
And He filled them with a store
Of His own transcendent riches,
‘Til they could contain no more.

Then at last I comprehended
With my stupid mind and dull,
That God could not pour out His riches
Into hands already full.

-Martha Snell Nicholson

My-ena-ca Art Supper & Dear Mad’m Events

By Judy Bushy
Alan Crockett announced a delicious dinner and new Art Show coming up this Friday, October 12th at 6 pm. Both the Fabulous Friday Supper and the Art show will take place at the Klamath-Siskiyou Art Center on Davis Road and Hwy 96 in Happy Camp! The My-ena-ca show is a bombastic combination of Artwork from 3 of our favorite artists from the river communities: Myanna, Nena Creasy and Veronica Rasmussen–Boasting a wide range of eclectic materials, styles and approaches from painting to sculpture.Plus – there’ll be an exceptional Enchilada sinner with slow cooked beans, spanish rice and a sensational salad for only$ 7.00. And of course a thirst quenching soul satisfying blend of beverage options and a music mix guaranteed to get your toes tapping and arms swaying.

Later Friday evening there will be the Reception for the authors of the new book, Dear Mad’m Who Was She? by Peter and Elizabeth Lismer who were relatives of Stella W. Patterson. Stella wrote the book, Dear Mad’m about moving to a remote mining cabin on the Klamath River when she was 80 years old. It was published in 1956.

Saturday, the Dear Mad’m Symposium will be at the Karuk Building (Headway) on 2nd Avenue and Highway 96 across from The Frontier Café. The coffee will be on at 10 ‘o’clock and the program includes lunch and learning from Peter and Elizabeth Lismer about research and writing the biography of Stella.

Later that evening there will also be a Camp fire down on the Klamath River as we did last year. This will be held at the Klamath River Resort Inn 2 miles upriver from Happy Camp–beautiful site for a camp fire!!

Sunday morning the Happy Camp High School Seniors will have a Pancake Breakfast. It will be at the high school on Indian Creek from 8 to 11 am.

At 10 we will all meet to drive to the site of the Dear Mad’m story and Rod Diridonm Sr. will tell us his memories of visiting his grandparents there when he was a youngster. There will also be birthday cake since Stella W. Patterson was born October 14, 1866.
All in all we are looking forward to seeing you there this weekend.

What’s for Birthday, Cat?


jbushy
Do you ever wonder what to get for someone special for their birthday??
Cat Haskell is very fortunate! Her sister and a friend gave her a wonderful birthday present recently. It is lovely!

They painted a beautiful moonlit mural on her home. It is the perfect setting to sit among the trees in the quiet evening and enjoy the scene of the moon over the river!

Happy Birthday Cat!

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