I did this elephant seal drawing as part of the Inktober challenge. On October 9th, the prompt was “heavy.”
I drew this quick sketch with a black Pentel Brush Sign Pen Artist pen and I used a gray Tombow ABT pen for the shading. I especially liked the Pentel pen since you can easily vary the width of each stroke with the brush tip. The Tombow pen has a soft brush on one end and a hard tip on the other end.
Since I was going to be traveling during part of the Inktober challenge, I wanted a small pad I could tuck into my backpack. I found this cute little watercolor book. Yes, the paper has a rougher texture than I would prefer, but it worked out well.
I taped a copy of the 2025 Inktober prompt list onto the inside cover.
This is the photograph I worked from for the elephant seal drawing. I thought of this pair of seals I saw at Elephant Seal Vista Point north of San Simeon, California. They appeared to be smiling. I’m not sure they really were, but they certainly looked comfortable.
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A view from above east of Steens Mountain, Oregon. I took this photo with my drone on a cool October morning.
I liked the variety of components in this picture. Puffy white clouds, rough mountains, gray-green sagebrush flats, bright green hayfields, and red soil.
These quirky sculptures are at Lassen RV Park Campground in McArthur, California. Their website describes the artwork as follows:
More than just a hub for relaxation and recreation, we’ve transformed our campground into a living canvas that celebrates the intertwining of art and the natural world.
The first collection shows painted wood creatures.
The second collection shows various mushroom sculptures.
There were also sculptures featuring recycled items.
To see photos of even more of their quirky sculptures and outdoor art, see this gallery.
When you drive by this old stagecoach stop on the east side of Steens Mountain in Oregon, it just looks like a couple piles of rocks in the distance.
From a closer distance, it still looks like piles of rubble.
However, when you see it from above with a drone, it looks completely different. You can clearly see the walls of the structure on the left.
The building on the right looks like this from above. There are remnants of the rock wall on the west side of the structure, but the wooden parts have fallen to the ground.
In other environments, the wood would have deteriorated by now. However, this structure is just north of the Alvord Desert, which gets an average of 7 inches of precipitation a year.
I am reposting some facts related to stagecoach travel from one of my previous posts.
In the late 1800s to early 1900s, stagecoach routes crisscrossed the West. On the more heavily traveled routes, there were stops every 25 miles or so. Why that distance? That’s about how far a team of horses pulling wagons full of goods and passengers could travel. Their progress was slow because of difficult terrain and weather that could quickly change from scorching heat to bone-chilling cold.
Some of these stations were just for changing horse teams, while others had accommodations available for travelers. The stops in Fields and Frenchglen in Oregon offered more options for weary travelers. One stop near the one pictured above charged 25 cents for overnight lodging and meals. The charge for the care of each horse was an additional 25 cents.
Travel along these stagecoach routes was not fast. For example, the east-west route from Ontario, Oregon, to Burns, Oregon, took approximately 40 hours. Today, the 130-mile route takes 2 hours 12 minutes by car. But imagine all the sights those early travelers must have seen on those slow journeys…
The Pete French Round Barn in eastern Oregon is a beautiful structure. On a recent trip, I took pictures and video of the barn with my phone and my drone.
This picture shows the building from above.
In this video, the drone flies around the perimeter of the barn. You get a much better perspective from this angle.
These pictures show some of the internal structure. The supporting beams and posts are like a work of art.
In the spring and summer, barn owls nest in the center of the barn. You can see the whitewash near the nest.
This is a panoramic view of the inside of the barn. In this view, you can see the details in the rock walls.
Here’s a closer view of the walls.
The story of pioneer Pete French is an interesting one. Though he accomplished a lot in his lifetime, he was not well liked. He ended up dying at the hands of a neighbor with whom he had a dispute. See my previous post for more about him.
The Pete French Round Barn is a state heritage site near Diamond, Oregon. Built in the late 1870s to early 1880s, it served as a place to train and stable horses.
In the summer, the barn is open daily from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. In winter, it’s open Friday to Sunday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
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I am calling this post “Before Edmonds Part 2.” I previously posted about another mural located in this same alleyway in downtown Edmonds, Washington.
These murals include amazing details, and they took 18 months to paint. The murals feature depictions of Indigenous people who lived here long before the city of Edmonds was created. For more details on these murals, read this article.
Monday Mural
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The Juniper Cookhouse, in Burns, Oregon, is well-known for its barbecued food. The first picture shows a Large Plate with chicken. It includes 8 ounces of meat, two sides, a dinner roll, and a side salad. The chicken has a subtle smoky taste and the baked beans and coleslaw were both delicious. The dinner roll had a light texture and a great taste. Sugared walnuts in the salad added a nice touch of sweetness.
I took the picture above while participating in the Harney County Migratory Bird Festival in 2023. This dish is still on their menu. There was enough food to last for a couple dinners.
I’ve had barbecue there several times, but had never had the breakfast. On our most recent trip, we ordered a couple breakfast meals. The first meal included your choice of ham, sausage, or bacon and hashbrowns with two eggs. The scrambled eggs had great flavor, enhanced with a grating of cheese. Shoestring hashbrowns were perfectly cooked. The thin-sliced ham had a great smoky flavor. The biscuit was light and fluffy and delicious.
The next picture shows biscuits, hashbrowns, and gravy topped with sausage and two eggs. Once again, everything was well-prepared and delicious.
Food to go
We ordered a cinnamon roll to go. Do you ever order cinnamon rolls that are so sweet you can barely eat them? You may even resort to scraping off thick layers of frosting. Sometimes, the inside dough is not cooked all the way through. That was not the case with the Juniper Cookhouse cinnamon roll we ordered. It was cooked throughout and had just the right amount of frosting. The texture of the roll was light and not too dry. Yum!
We also ordered meat by the pound to go. I had read several reviews that mentioned their tri-tip beef and ordered a pound. The thin-sliced smoked meat had great flavor! We also ordered a pound of the chicken. It came in large pieces, like in my first picture. When I got home, I shredded the meat and made a sandwich with some of their homemade barbecue sauce. It was pretty good.
Juniper Cookhouse location and hours
Juniper Cookhouse is at 540 Highway 20 in Burns, Oregon. For many years, it was in a small building next to a large tent with seating. Now their brick and mortar location is right next to the Best Western. They serve breakfast, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, wraps, salads, baked goods, and several sides. This family run business processes their own meats and creates wonderful baked goods. Juniper Cookhouse also offers catering services.
If you are considering stopping at Juniper Cookhouse, check their limited hours of operation. They are open on Tuesdays through Fridays from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm. On the day we were there, we learned they were closed the day before because the women had traveled to California to fight wildfires.
All pictures were taken on 1 October 2025 while driving to the top of Steens Mountain, Oregon. The mountain reaches an elevation 9,733 feet. The 52-mile long Steens Mountain Backcountry Byway loop road to the summit is open seasonally.
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On April 6, I was up bright and early for a birdwatching trip that would encircle Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon in a single day. Being a bit of an introvert, I wasn’t sure I wanted to partake in a tour like this one. The Steens Mountain tour was one of 22 tours available for nature enthusiasts at the Harney County Migratory Bird Festival. The festival, which started in 1981, takes advantage of the annual spring bird migration in the Harney Basin. More than 300 species of birds use this area annually.
A land full of drama
At 6:00 am, participants in the Circle the Steens Mountain & Alvord Desert tour met at Burns High School. The weather was not cooperating for the 200-mile trip. A big storm system was blowing in. Twelve hours and 76 bird species later, we returned to the high school. Though we didn’t see any rare birds, we did see a lot, considering the weather conditions. Our views were framed by the dramatic landscapes of Harney County. The pale colored sands of the Alvord Desert stood out in contrast to the dark stormy skies. Steens Mountain provided beautiful panoramas from many different angles. We also had great views of pronghorn and deer.
We traveled east of Steens Mountain, south to Fields, then north along the west side of the 50-mile long mountain. Our tour guides, Joan Suther and Rick Hall, worked for the Bureau of Land Management locally for many years. The first brief stop was to look at burrowing owls. The small owls were seen braving the wind on this tour and the one I was on the next day. Flocks of snow geese and Ross’ geese were in fields nearby. Our next stop, at Crystal Crane Hot Springs, was much longer.
Last week, we visited Oblivion Pour House in Bend, Oregon. I ordered the Smoked Baby Back Ribs. It included a half-rack of in-house smoked ribs, smashed potatoes with a cheesy sauce, and grilled broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and squash. I ate part of the large portion of food and took the rest home for two more meals. The ribs were tasty but weren’t the fall-off-the-bone type. The veggies were all good, especially the potatoes.
This entree includes a Caesar or house salad. I chose the house salad with a honey mustard dressing and it was delicious!
My dining companion ordered the Jambalaya Mac. Oblivion Pour House serves 11 kinds of mac and cheese. This dish includes sauteed chicken, Gulf shrimp, andouille, bacon, garlic, and tomato. The house-made 6-cheese cream reduction poblano-infused sauce covers the elbow macaroni. Green onions garnish this delicious dish. A heel of bread is served on the side.
We shared a piece of Key Lime pie for dessert. It was also good.
Their extensive menu includes salads, mac and cheese, burgers, sandwiches, pizza, tacos, and several entrees. Their drinks include Oblivion Brewing beer on tap, as well as several nonalcoholic drink options.
Previously known as the Pour House Grill, this restaurant underwent renovations and added ‘Oblivion’ to its name. Oblivion Brewing is one of many microbrews in Bend and they moved their tasting room to this location. The comfortable interior has several big-screen TVs playing various sports.
Oblivion Pour House Location and Hours
Oblivion Pour House is in the outlet mall at the south end of Bend. The address is 61276 S Hwy 97, Bend, OR 97702. They are open from 11:30 am to 9:00 pm Monday through Friday, from 9:30 am to 10:00 pm on Saturdays, and from 9:30 am to 9:00 pm on Sundays.
Last spring, I saw this group of White Pelicans involved in cooperative foraging near Island Park, Idaho. All About Birds describes their feeding behavior as follows:
They forage by swimming on the surface, dipping their bills to scoop up fish, then raising their bills to drain water and swallow their prey. They also forage cooperatively: groups of birds dip their bills and flap their wings to drive fish toward shore, corraling prey for highly efficient, synchronized, bill-dipping feasts.
Do you know what a group of pelicans are called? They are called a squadron, pod, pouch, or scoop of pelicans.
I recently had this delicious tuna fish sandwich from the Bread and Bunny food truck in Bend, Oregon. This food truck is located in the Midtown Yacht Club pod in northeast Bend. No, you won’t see any yachts here since it’s in the middle of a residential neighborhood. The taphouse has a maritime theme and a good variety of beer and other beverages.
Why am I only showing half of the sandwich? Because it was a gigantic sandwich that I could barely get my mouth around. I saved half for another meal.
A large portion of tuna salad is wedged between slices of multigrain bread from the Sisters Bakery. Leaf lettuce from Boundless Farmstead is included seasonally. Slices of Tillamook Jack and Colby Jack cheese are also included. The thing that make the Farmhouse Tuna sandwich a little different from a traditional tuna sandwich, is that it includes coarsely grated carrots and sliced Granny Smith apples.
On the day I ordered, I also got a couple slices of fresh pineapple. I think chips are usually included.
If you’re in the mood for a delicious tuna fish sandwich, visit the Bread and Bunny at the Midtown Yacht Club. I admit, I always order the same sandwich at the Bread and Bunny. Their menu also includes Reubens, BLTAs, melts, steak, chicken, and a variety of gourmet meat sandwiches.
Location and Hours
The Midtown Yacht Club food truck pod is located at 1661 NE 4th Street in Bend. It’s open from 11:00 am to 9:00 pm on Sunday from Thursday and from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm on Friday and Saturday. There are currently seven food trucks there.
Here are two photos of a Seattle waterfront mural that I took last May. The mural Three Animals was painted in 2024 by Victor Ash. It adorns a wall right next to light rail line.
The murals were painted in celebration of World Environment Day in a partnership with UNEP, United Nations.
In the first image, you can see iconic landmarks in the background. Close to the mural, you can spot the Seattle Great Wheel Ferris wheel. In the background, you’ll see Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park sports stadiums.
In the second photo, you get a great view of the Norwegian Bliss, a cruise ship that is part of Norwegian Cruise Lines.
I like the close up perspective of the animal’s heads in this Seattle waterfront mural. They must look amazing from the light rail!
At Summer Lake Wildlife Area, in southeastern Oregon, you can get some great views of gulls, terns, and cormorants. At the north end of the Wildlife Area, you’ll drive by a rocky island covered with birds in the spring and summer months.
In this picture you can see California Gulls, Larus californicus, and Common Terns, Sterna hirundo.
In the picture below, you can see California Gulls and Double-crested Cormorants, Nannopterum auritum.
Luckily, this bird colony is a few hundred yards from the main road you drive on. I have helped band birds in seabird colonies before and they are one of the stinkiest places I have ever been. Phew!
You might associate gulls, terns, and cormorants with seaside habitats. However, Summer Lake is a five plus hour drive to the coast. These types of birds also live near large inland bodies of water.
Birds of the Week
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I was really looking forward to seeing the WinterFest 2025 fire pits at Bend’s winter festival event in Bend’s Old Mill District last February. They are great to photograph! I have posted pictures from previous years under the fire pit tag.
We are about to experience some of our hottest temperatures of the year in Bend this week. Maybe you are also getting some hot days where you live. I thought it might be a great time to remember the cooler temperatures of winter.
One of my favorite fire pits this year, was this VW van. It was well-designed and fun.
Another one I really liked was this one featuring a forest. Loved those trees!
Some of the fire pits have more intricate designs.
Others are more simple.
Some, like this one, are enormous. You can see lots of people meeting up around this WinterFest 2025 fire pit to take advantage of its warmth.
Some of the fire pits used a more traditional design, but included interesting cut-out details.
Others were all about the details. This octopus surrounding a boat, which I’ve shown before, had amazing details.
Some are cone or column shaped.
Other are square.
This year, snow from a recent storm covered the ground. It added to the festive mood.
Other attractions at Bend WinterFest 2025
This event includes ice carvings, hand-crafted fire pits, the Pump Bump Jam (a ski ramp with several jumps), a wine walk, food carts, beer, wine, and cider booths, bands playing on the stage, a flying dog show, and a kid’s area. It also includes booths from a wide variety of businesses and booths selling everything from jewelry and clothing to unique food items. This year, there were more Marketplace booths than I’ve ever seen before.
You can find comfortable seating inside the water and out at Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. You also get some great views of the Portneuf Range mountains behind the pools.
See one of my previous posts about Lava Hot Springs for more details on this attraction. It was one of my favorite hot springs of several we visited last summer.
Colorful resting balloons, drowsy at dawn, Breathe in heated air, unfold, stretch, and inflate Burners roar, envelopes fill, tense crews hang on Baskets shift on the ground, sandbags balance weight Pilots check the weather, instruments, and tanks Passengers clamber aboard, voicing their thanks Flames dance over burners, heat enters the skirt Lift greater than weight, balloons float o’er desert
Photographs taken at Balloons Over Bend event July 2025. Here’s a short video from a previous post.
Today I’m sharing Mount Rainier images in 3 ways. Mount Rainier is an iconic mountain, southeast of Seattle, Washington.
This active volcano reaches a height of 14, 410 feet at its peak. Native American tribes surrounding the mountain had 20 different names for it. One of them, *nə(xʷ)xʷak’ʷ, translates to “(sky) scraper.”
Here’s a quick pen and ink drawing I did of Mount Rainier. This is a very simple line drawing.
Next, I show a picture I took of the mountain while on a flight to Seattle from Bend. There were some great clouds and low-lying fog that day.
The last picture shows an embroidery I did of Mount Rainier while I was in college. Since I hadn’t done much embroidery when I created this, I used a running stitch for the whole piece. The stitch is simple, but this was a time-consuming, complex piece of work.
These Mount Rainier images portray the mountain in simple to more complex ways.
Do you have artwork you would like to share? Be sure to include the First Friday Art tag.
While out walking my dog, I noticed this mule deer who appeared to be 1st in line for the next concert at the Hayden Homes Amphitheater in Bend, Oregon.
She stood there gazing at me for a moment, then walked even closer. When she paused about eight feet away from me, I thought I better continue on my way.
These photos really show the beautiful color of mule deers’ summer coat. In winter, it’s much heavier and more gray in color.
I passed by this flower border a couple of minutes after seeing the deer. I wonder if she wandered over there to munch on the flowers. It’s kinda like a smorgasbord for deer. 😉
On Thursday, we ate at Abe Capanna’s Neighborhood Pizzeria. They opened in Bend, Oregon on Friday, July 18th.
You can order 4-slice or 8-slice square pizzas here. Their Detroit-style pizzas have thick, delicious crusts. You can also get combos that include one or two pizza slices, a small Caesar salad, and a fountain drink. Besides pizza, they also serve a few appetizers, sandwiches, salads, and pasta dishes.
I had the Mr. White pizza. The toppings include ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, roasted garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil. I thought it tasted pretty good. I could taste the garlic, but it wasn’t overpowering. With its thick crust and rich ingredients, I could barely eat two of the four pieces.
My companion decided on a make-it-yourself option. He had pepperoni, sausage, pineapple, and extra cheese on his 4-piece pizza. He liked his pizza but probably won’t add extra cheese next time. Yes, it had a lot of sauce! Like me, he could only eat half of the pizza.
On another visit, we ordered two large pizzas since we had a buy one get one free coupon. We had A LOT of leftovers. Fortunately, these pizzas freeze well.
I had The Franklin pizza. It includes BBQ chicken, mozzarella and gouda cheese, red bell pepper and red onion slices, topped with a drizzle of BBQ sauce and fresh cilantro. I thought this was a very good pizza. The toppings are light, just the way I prefer them.
My companion ordered The Janimal pizza. It has slices of pepperoni, Italian sausage, salami, and a thick layer of red sauce. This pizza was also tasty. When Detroit-style pizzas are made, they often add the sauce after the pizza comes out of the oven.
The restaurant has an industrial design, but it wasn’t too loud. Tables are covered with white paper and have a package of crayons if you’re feeling artistically inclined. They have their sign up for alcoholic drinks but are waiting for their liquor license to be approved, which shouldn’t take long.
I took a couple of pictures of the inside and of the courtyard they share with Hablos Tacos. Note that we usually eat out on Thursdays at around 4:00 to 4:30 pm. There will be more customers during busier times.
Do the Abe Capanna’s pizzas remind you of other pizzas in town? Yeah, they are similar to Rush’s Squares at the On Tap food truck pod, a mere 200 yards away. Their Pesto Marg is my current favorite pizza. I think the menus are different enough that these two pizza restaurants can co-exist.
Abe Capanna’s Neighborhood Pizzeria is located at 1462 N. East Cushing Ave. # 140. The restaurant is in the same complex as Hablos Tacos, Lone Pine Coffee, and Cuppa Yo. They are in their soft opening phase right now, so I’m not sure of their hours. I’ll try to update this later.
I recently learned I was chosen to participate in a Whole Novel Workshop hosted by the Highlights Foundation. Some of you may be familiar with Highlights magazine for children. Libraries, schools, and doctors’ and dentists’ offices always had copies of this magazine. The magazine was created in 1946 by spouses, Garry Cleveland Myers and Caroline Clark Myers.
The dark hills in Darkness of Hills, Lightness of Wings
In 1985, the Highlights Foundation began positively impacting “children by amplifying the voices of storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves.” They began offering workshops and retreats for writers and artists at their retreat center in Milanville, Pennsylvania.
Here’s a beautiful video of the center. I’ll be there for six days in October, during the time when fall foliage reaches its peak colors.
Whole Novel Workshop entry process
To apply, you must submit 10–15 pages of a manuscript, fill out an application, and include a short bio. I submitted part of my work-in-progress novel, Darkness of Hills, Lightness of Wings. It’s for kids in the 9- to 12-year-old age range.
I was inspired to write the book after a visit to Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site. I knew I also wanted to include the Painted Hills, pictured near the beginning of this post.
Where the main character in Darkness of Hills, Lightness of Wings lives with her grandfather
Here’s a blurb about the book. These paragraphs might appear on the back cover or in a query letter. Writers send query letters to prospective agents or editors, hoping they will want to collaborate with them.
Darkness of Hills, Lightness of Wings blurb
Forced out of her home in China, Jīnsè sets out on a long journey, filled with peril. Along the way, Jīnsè heals Rěnshòu, an injured gull, and several passengers on their ship. On the trip across the Pacific Ocean to Oregon, they encounter storms, poachers, and pirates. At a stop in Hawaii, Jīnsè meets Koa, a local boy who shares her love of birds. Together, they overcome a life-threatening situation.
Jīnsè continues her journey to Oregon to work with her grandfather, a local doctor skilled in the techniques of Traditional Chinese Medicine. While out collecting herbs, they find an orphaned magpie and name it Liáng. Her cousin, Feng, who works with Grandfather, becomes jealous of Jīnsè and traps her in an abandoned mine. When she escapes, she finds she has gained the ability to speak to animals and to see words written on the slopes of dark hills. Rěnshòu and Liáng help Jīnsè learn about local plants to use in herbal cures. Feng must work in the mines for a month as punishment for what he did to Jīnsè. Meanwhile, there are rumors of a distant wagon train full of settlers suffering from a terrible illness. Will Jīnsè be able to use her newfound abilities to help them in time? Will Feng help her or stand in her way?
Does that make you curious about the rest of the book? That’s the point of blurbs like this.
Two of the light-winged characters in the book
A sick gull I nursed back to health also inspired me to write this book. He had avian botulism, and as his health improved, he became more and more ornery. In the book, I change the type of gull, but he still has an attitude.
The gull I nursed back to health at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon
Darkness of Hills, Lightness of Wings also features a Black-billed Magpie character. Here’s a drawing I did of one. They have a lot of personality.
Black-billed magpie pen and ink by Siobhan Sullivan
More about the workshop
The Whole Novel Workshop accepts twenty-one or fewer students. Students attend lectures, receive one on one guidance from faculty, and participate in small writing groups. It sounds like just what I need right now with my 57,000-word draft novel. I don’t normally brag about my accomplishments, but I’m so glad I was chosen to participate. I can’t wait! 😀
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I pause beside an ancient one. She is broad and strong at the base, with outstretched branches reaching for the sky.
I continue wandering beneath the giants until I find him, the oldest one of them all.
His branches tremble and point towards a burned-out tree. The fire exposed its heart, but its thick bark protected it for many years.
I notice the toes of the tree curling. It is struggling to keep itself upright.
Then… whoosh, boom! It falls to the ground. The voices of the trees around it rise in a song of mourning.
The burned wood at its core falls away. Its wrinkled bark flakes off, exposing a more youthful surface. The hollowed out tree shares its soul with curious visitors who marvel at the wonder of its life.
