Matthias Leue's Blog, page 2

Winter with a Hint of Spring

White narcissus blossoms have opened up during this first week of January above the lush green clover. After some days of heavy rain, this is no surprise at all. The former puddles have disappeared into the groundwater and the plants have benefited. Clammy cold fog persisted in the mornings after the New Year but now there is a short winter reprieve before our hopefully abundant rain for the spring comes. Despite the clamminess of the fog the beauty of it is undeniable.

The sun came out later in the morning today as I watched an exuberant squirrel dart down on the branches of the nearby big walnut tree with a Black Walnut in his mouth. He ran over in my direction and sat on the stump of what was a former walnut tree, and observing the stump it was obvious that it had still been a young tree. A pity it was cut down, it could have provided abundant shade in the summer as walnut trees tend to be known for doing.

Mr. squirrel was looking straight at me and swishing his tail back and forth with the walnut sticking straight out, as if to dare me to deprive him of lunch. All yours amigo. I am fond of walnuts, although not black ones, as they are sticky and smelly and I certainly won’t fight over them, especially with a squirrel who seems to have an attitude problem. Enjoy your lunch!

Pescado

That’s the only Spanish word my cat Calvin knows. When uttered by his caretaker he knows something tasty is about to, or will eventually appear in his bowl.

I found some tuna steaks on sale the other day which were vacuum-sealed. The fish monger recommended purchasing those as opposed to the ones behind the counter, when answering his question as to when I was planning on cooking the fish, and informing him it would be the next day. These are not sashimi grade he further noted when I explained what I was going to do with them.

That evening I perused the internet and found a recipe for frying the tightly sealed tuna waiting to be unsealed. A first for me, I also used some toasted sesame oil, listed as part of the recipe ingredients. As chef Leue was mucking about in the kitchen, my four footed friend was patiently waiting below while licking his chops in anticipation of his fair share. We were both rewarded with a simple tasty meal.

I had been inspired to put fish on the menu this week after meeting a fisherman who had just pulled a 26 inch striped bass from the Carquinez Straight. That particular pescado was enough to feed a family!

The photo above with it’s incredible hues and texture of a small section of water of the Carquinez Straight made it look almost like a watercolor. I may use that photo to paint a watercolor in the future. I love coming here to watch the water. The striped bass was a bonus.

I think we can all use some tranquility, small tasty bites to eat, and time in nature after this past week. May God bless you.

©2024

Blackberry Surprise!

Although it has been a fairly warm summer so far, the blackberries are taking their sweet time to ripen. This could of course be partially due to the fact that some of them are being picked when not quite ripe by certain strollers passing by (yes – guilty as charged).

Yesterday morning yours truly was taking his regular morning walk with my cat Calvin sitting on my shoulder – a route that consists of a one-way journey riding on my shoulder – with the return trip being a ground level walk on Calvin’s behalf attached to his leash, which he has learned to put up with over the years. This makes for interesting close up observations on his behalf and lots of sniffing about and occasional sightings of the neighbor cats which he seems to enjoy.

A morning breeze greets us coming from the somewhat water depleted marshes at this time of year. A long trailing row of blackberry bushes comes into view at which I then pause to pick a few semi-ripe berries. A good appetizer before breakfast one contemplates, and healthy too. In the meantime the return route is being carefully observed by Calvin.

Imagine my surprise as all of a sudden there is loud irate chatter coming from the blackberries. A ground squirrel – the operative word here being “ground” is sitting about two to three feet above the ground inside the blackberry bushes and telling us in no uncertain terms that these are “his or her” blackberries. The nerve! Greedy too! There are potentially enough berries here to feed an armada of ground squirrels. Calvin completely ignores this unwelcome morning chatter as he ignores almost all ground squirrels that he encounters. “You, yes you”, the loud miscreant chatting up a storm are fortunate you are not a mouse otherwise such calm would not prevail on my shoulder. You would be “toast” as the expression goes.

I have to get in my comments too as I bark at the ground squirrel to take a hike back to the lower domains, and that I will be eating as many blackberries as I please, thank you very much. Maybe even give some to the birds. It’s a battle of wills, or blackberry entitlement to be more precise.

The doofus does scuttle back down to the ground after he senses my displeasure at all this needless racket, but the chattering continues, so Calvin and I proceed on our walk to get away from this irritating blabbermouth. Hard to believe such a small critter can make so much noise. BBQ ground squirrel on a stick comes to mind, a treat that I’m sure Calvin would find of interest.

May your week be filled with ripe juicy summer blackberries and be ground squirrel free.

© 2024

The Audacity!

Although it has been a fairly warm summer so far, the blackberries are taking their sweet time to ripen. This could of course be partially due to the fact that some of them are being picked when not quite ripe by certain strollers by (yes – guilty as charged).

Yesterday morning yours truly was taking his regular morning walk with my cat Calvin on my shoulder – a route that consists of a one-way journey riding on my shoulder – with the return trip being a walk on Calvin’s behalf attached to his leash which he has learned to put up with over the years. This makes for interesting observations on his behalf and lots of sniffing which he seems to enjoy.

A morning breeze greets us coming from the somewhat water depleted marshes at this time of year. A long spread out row of blackberry bushes comes into view at which I then pause to pick a few semi-ripe berries. A good appetizer before breakfast one contemplates, and healthy too. In the meantime the return route is being carefully observed by Calvin.

Imagine my surprise as all of a sudden there is loud irate chatter coming from the blackberries. A ground squirrel – the operative word here being “ground” is sitting about two to three feet above the ground inside the blackberry bushes and telling us in no uncertain terms that these are “his or her” blackberries. The nerve! Greedy too! There are potentially enough berries here to feed an armada of ground squirrels. Calvin completely ignores this unwelcome morning chatter as he ignores almost all ground squirrels. You, the loud miscreant chatting up a storm are fortunate you are not a mouse otherwise such calm would not prevail on my shoulder. You would be “toast” as the expression goes.

I have to get in my comments too as I bark at the ground squirrel to take a hike to the lower domains, and that I will be eating as many blackberries as I please, thank you very much. Maybe even give some to the birds. It’s a battle of wills, or blackberry entitlement to be more precise.

The doofus does scuttle down to the ground after he senses my displeasure at all this needless racket, but the chattering continues, so Calvin and I proceed on our walk to get away from this irritating blabbermouth. Hard to believe such a small critter can make so much noise.

May your week be ground squirrel free…

© 2024 Matthias Leue

Watercolors

2024: I have been working on watercolors all last year. Some of them are now available as art cards. Please take a look at the first of the series.

Watercolor

This is watercolor of a California quail (our State bird), from a series of watercolors I have been working on depicting California native birds, butterflies, and plants.

What’s going on here?

What a winter and spring it has been in California. After the long lasting drought and many terrible fire seasons, the heavens have opened up and the rain has inundated the land. Surging rivers, flooded farm lands, and trees bowing to the force of the wind. Reservoirs are full and the ground water tables should rejoice once the snow melt starts. A few sunny days have brought people out in droves with the emerald green hills enticing an outdoor excursion. We are said to get a super bloom this year in terms of wildflowers – a term which makes me chuckle – a rather American word if one may say so. Awaiting the arrival of our golden poppies (I have seen some blooming), I decided to start on a watercolor of the State flower.

Working from a photo, my colored pencils assembled themselves in oranges and yellows to contribute. The fun part comes when you use your brush to smooth out the pencil strokes which makes the colors glow. I have a petite heavy wine glass that I use to hold water for the purposes of making my paint brushes happy.

Continuing the project the next day, I noticed that the water inside the small glass had evaporated. Rather strange, as it is temperate inside and one only experiences such a phenomenon in hot weather.

The riddle was solved that evening, when I noticed my cat Calvin who had hopped on the table – a misdeed he gets reprimanded for immediately if I catch him, and always resulting in a quick jump off the table – dipping one of his front paws into the glass and bringing said paw to his mouth to enjoy – in my opinion – a not all too tasty drink considering the water is mixed with color.

I have noticed him in the past occasionally dipping his paw into his water bowl and I suspect he may have watched a raccoon mucking about with it’s paws in the bird bath outside. Calvin is rather observant if I may say so.

Have a blessed Easter.

A beach stroll some years ago…

One of the perks of visiting my former dentist was that I got to take a walk on the nearby beach afterwards if so inclined, which somehow seemed to be every single time I had an appointment.

Thus, parking the car and walking across the road past the dune grass protecting the beach, I see the fog rolling over the hills above the city in the distance as it likes to do. Rather polite, not intruding on the East Bay today. Taking off my sandals as I reach the beach, I walk down to the water’s edge. The small rhythmic sloshing waves make for a lullaby sound. On my left several seagulls are napping on the sand, occasionally opening an eye to make sure my distance to their resting position is adequate. A few deem it necessary to increase that distance by flying up and landing a few feet further away. Just to make sure I suppose, perhaps having been privy to the occasional unwelcome encounter or being chased.

The morning sun is coming out now on this side of the bay. Very few people are out and about this morning as it is a weekday. A sandpiper hastens it’s walk as I draw near, the tiny thin legs almost a blur. The smell of sand and the salty bay are a delight to the senses. My toes and feet are happy too, unencumbered by footwear.

As I turn around to walk back I see the rhythmic waves permeated by sunlight as they roll gently onto the shore. It is mesmerizing translucent light. I stop to watch. It reminds me of the time I was on an island off the coast of Venezuela, where my son Patrick and I walked on pure white sand and saw thousands upon thousand of seashells with a turquoise equatorial sea as the backdrop.

As if on cue, a brown pelican approaches, gliding effortlessly about a foot above the water right past me to snap me back to reality. What a humorous creation. God had fun with that one, although the fish may have a different opinion on that.

What’s going on here?

What a winter and spring it has been in California. After the long lasting drought and many terrible fire seasons, the heavens have opened up and the rain has inundated the land. Surging rivers, flooded farm lands, and trees bowing to the force of the wind. Reservoirs are full and the ground water tables should rejoice once the snow melt starts. A few sunny days have brought people out in droves with the emerald green hills enticing an outdoor excursion. We are said to get a super bloom this year in terms of wildflowers – a term which makes me chuckle – a rather American word if one may say so. Awaiting the arrival of our golden poppies (I have seen some blooming), I decided to start on a watercolor of the State flower.

Working from a photo, my colored pencils assembled themselves in oranges and yellows to contribute. The fun part comes when you use your brush to smooth out the pencil strokes which makes the colors glow. I have a petite heavy wine glass that I use to hold water for the purposes of making my paint brushes happy.

Continuing the project the next day, I noticed that the water inside the small glass had evaporated. Rather strange, as it is temperate inside and one only experiences such a phenomenon in hot weather.

The riddle was solved that evening, when I noticed my cat Calvin who had hopped on the table – a misdeed he gets reprimanded for immediately if I catch him, and always resulting in a quick jump off the table – dipping one of his front paws into the glass and bringing said paw to his mouth to enjoy – in my opinion – a not all too tasty drink considering the water is mixed with color.

I have noticed him in the past occasionally dipping his paw into his water bowl and I suspect he may have watched a raccoon mucking about with it’s paws in the bird bath outside. Calvin is rather observant if I may say so.

Have a blessed Easter.

What’s going on here?

What a winter and spring it has been in California. After the long lasting drought and many terrible fire seasons, the heavens have opened up and the rain has inundated the land. Surging rivers, flooded farm lands, and trees bowing to the force of the wind. Reservoirs are full and the ground water tables should rejoice once the snow melt starts. A few sunny days have brought people out in droves with the emerald green hills enticing an outdoor excursion. We are said to get a super bloom this year in terms of wildflowers – a term which makes me chuckle – a rather American word if one may say so. Awaiting the arrival of our golden poppies (I have seen some blooming), I decided to start on a watercolor of our State flower.

Working from a photo, my colored pencils assembled themselves in oranges and yellows to contribute. The fun part comes when you use your brush to smooth out the pencil strokes which makes the colors glow. I have a petite heavy wine glass that I use to hold water for the purposes of making my paint brushes happy.

Continuing the project the next day, I noticed that the water inside the small glass had evaporated. Rather strange, as it is temperate inside and one only experiences such a phenomenon in hot weather.

The riddle was solved that evening, when I noticed my cat Calvin who had hopped on the table (a misdeed he gets reprimanded for immediately if I catch him, and always resulting in a quick jump off the table on his behalf) dipping one of his front paws into the glass and bringing said paw to his mouth to enjoy – in my opinion – a not all that tasty drink considering the water is mixed with color. I could be wrong of course as I have not sampled watercolor water.

I have noticed him in the past occasionally dipping his paw into his water bowl and I suspect he may have watched a raccoon mucking about with it’s paws in the bird bath outside. Calvin is rather observant if I may say so and he knows quite a bit about raccoons as well as the word itself.

Have a blessed Easter.