Tag Archives: making a book

Cabin Life in Wilsonia

The goal of The Cabins of Wilsonia is to present a picture of cabin life in Wilsonia. It can apply to cabin life in a mountain community in general, and of course I am hoping it will appeal to a broader audience. But, that would be a side benefit.

I had a cabin life in Wilsonia for 4 days in August. Here is what my cabin life looked like:

1. Staying in the cutest cabin in the entire village! (Yes, I am a little biased.) If I stayed in any other of my “favorite” cabins, (the count is now probably up to 8 or 10), I would say that one was the cutest. “Cute” is a dumb word for a cabin, but I’m hoping you get my true meaning – charming, perhaps? Captivating? Enchanting, even?

2. Dinner outside with Gus, Barbara, Uschi, Charlie and Dutch, followed by great conversation around a campfire. A small group is such a good way to share ideas because there aren’t multiple conversations happening at the same time. We brainstormed about the upcoming Wilsonia centennial (Anyone know if it will be 2018 or 2019?? For sure?) and discussed the Park’s ownership of 12 cabins.

3. A tour of the newest cabin by the owner, Dutch, revealed some very very beautiful details by the master craftsman, Mark Vetter, whom I have not yet met.

4. Oops, a tree holding power lines crumbled, causing the closure of roads surrounding 14 cabins. This resulted in a fun visit with Penny and Gwen and Dolly and Jessie (the latter 2 are dogs), in which I got to see Gwen’s very authentic cabin interior and a fabulous quilt that was put together by the Wilsonia sewing ladies. (Not called that – maybe called the “Quilter’s Guild?”)

5. Learning about 3 logs that cross the meadow by Hazel, Laurel and Brewer streets. Every time I learn a new connection, I understand the layout of Wilsonia just a little bit more thoroughly.

6. Realizing there are some beautiful things that will not make it into the book, and deciding to share those photos via the blog.

7. Running into my friend Russ from Three Rivers! He regularly visits and maintains a friend’s cabin, and is definitely in the market for one of his own. (Have one for sale or know of one? Please email me so I can put you in touch with Russ!)

8. Sampling gooseberries – yes I’ve had them before and they are weird and too much trouble!

9. Realizing the book needs more pages, accepting the fact that there will be more than 230 drawings now, and redesigning. It is weird to sit at a Wilsonia cabin and work on the computer, but easier than at home when I know I could and should be drawing AND having the phone ring in the middle of deep thought. It is easier to work away from the studio. Who knew that cabin life would include computer work?

To be continued. . . my cabin life is apparently very very full!

Recalculating

Ever used one of those talking GPS deals when you were driving? If you go a different direction from the instructions, the female robot says “Re-Cal-Cu-La-Ting”.

That’s me, a female robot. A recalculating pencil picture production person.

When I visited Wilsonia in August, I was a little unnerved by how many changes I wanted to make to the design of The Cabins of Wilsonia. I added pages, added cabins that I previously didn’t believe would fit, details that I hadn’t noticed before, and even decided to redraw a couple of completed drawings.

WHAT?? AM I NUTS?

I might be by the time this is finished.

It was my plan to finish all the drawings, 230 of them with a little head start of 78, by the end of 2013.

Now that I have 5 months remaining, it seemed like a good time to assess my progress. This time I added in all the little decorative pieces too. Maybe I just wanted to feel overwhelmed, or maybe I like pain or maybe, just maybe I wanted to impress myself with the magnitude of this project.

Actually, it isn’t a project. It is a

PROJECT

According to my current count, there will be 269 drawings in The Cabins of Wilsonia PLUS the cover, and I’m sure a few more places will crop up that need decorative touches. I have 186 finished, which means there are 73 remaining if I am to accomplish my goal, with the moving carrot dangling out there.

73 divided by 5 equals approximately 15 drawings a month.

‘Scuse me for a bit. I need to go lie down. Maybe have a hit of chocolate, or knit a few rows, or just talk to Perkins, my Wonder Cat The Survivor. (Just heard a bunch of horrid coyotes yipping outside the studio as I type this.

People Say the Darndest Things

Remember that book by Art Linkletter Kids Say the Darndest Things?

I don’t. I just remember the title. Who was Art Linkletter anyway?? (We didn’t have teevee until I was in 5th grade so I had to sneak-watch at Grandma’s or a babysitter’s or a friend’s. . . Now I never watch. Don’t ask me anything about teevee because you will be simply astonished by my ignorance.)

Sorry. I got lost.

On someone’s cabin porch . . . that location keeps the deer from eating the flowers.

On my recent visit to Wilsonia, I interviewed people about cabin life. I had a list of questions to get people thinking.

One or two people answered a specific question, but mostly they just started talking. I’d listen, and suddenly I’d hear a gem. They’d be talking, and I’d be scribbling as fast as possible.

We all talk a little messier than we write, sort of jumping around and repeating a little, maybe a little out of sequence at times. Because we are conversing, we can ask one another questions for clarity. When someone repeats something, it is for emphasis, or perhaps to remind himself what he is trying to convey. Very few people report their ideas or experiences in sequential order, so it takes some intense listening to figure things out.

People talked, I listened, scribbled, translated, and then read it back. We all laughed, and then I asked permission to use the quote and their names in the book.

Here is my favorite so far:

We would have invited you to breakfast, but it was too cold.

I wrote it exactly as he said it, and we all knew what he meant. The inside table only seats 2 people; when there are guests, everyone eats outside. This quote takes a little different translating than the ones where people are relating a story. (Were you wondering what it meant?)

Cabin life is a fun and lively and interesting thing.

Visiting Wilsonia

After spending days, weeks and months just drawing, designing, studying photos and thinking about Wilsonia, it feels almost dreamlike to be there in person.

I was privileged to be a guest in this little cabin:

If it weren’t for the fact that the water heater has only a 10 gallon capacity, I might be tempted to move in permanently. Smart folks, my hosts! 😎 This might be my favorite cabin. (I know, I say that a lot!)

Visiting Wilsonia causes my project to become more complicated. As I become more familiar with the cabins and the community, I get to know them all better and I keep seeing more things to draw.

I redesigned some of the pages to accommodate more drawings, and added several pages. This means that I need to complete more than the 230 drawings on the schedule for 2013.

It might be good to stop visiting Wilsonia until the drawings are completed and the design is set in cement.

But, then I’d miss you all. Wow, your friendliness, hospitality, enthusiasm and support just bowls me over!

Thank you, Wilsonia!

Think About This

The Cabins of Wilsonia will not be a history book. As an artist rather than a historian, I am interested in how things look right now. My goal with The Cabins of Wilsonia is to capture a snapshot and provide an overview of cabin life in the early part of the twenty-first century.

The text will be stories and thoughts from cabin folks. I want those who live cabin life to tell about it. I can tell about cabin life in Mineral King, but in Wilsonia I am an observer. My experiences there are limited, and I come there with my work face on rather than for rest and recreation.

I’ve made a list of questions to help you think about cabin life. The list is now on a separate page on this website. The page is called Questions to Ponder.

If you think of other things to share about cabin life that are not on the list, that is good too.

Historians spend much time reconstructing history, gathering, interpreting, organizing and preserving the past. Maybe the work I am doing here will make the work of future historians a little bit easier.

Together we will make a book that will one day be a historical treasure about a place that already is a historical treasure.

Your Opinion Requested

When you design your own book, it is hard to know when to stop messing around with the design.

While in Wilsonia last week, I spent time at a cabin that I have already drawn. I wasn’t sure the angle was the best one, but at the time it seemed to be the only one.

wilsonia cabin

I was wrong. Now, I have to decide if it needs to be redrawn. Perhaps I should have left my camera at home for this trip. Decisions, decisions. . . where is the big boss to tell me what to do?? Oh – in the mirror? Hmmm, she doesn’t look adequate for the job. . .

May I have your opinions on this?

Thanks. You can comment by hitting “Leave a Reply” or email me at cabinart at cabinart dot net. (I wrote it out that way because someone somewhere sometime said you shouldn’t put your eddress in your blog or all the robots and spiders and trolls will bother you. Better safe than sorry!)

Sooner or Later, It Had To Happen

In order to not burn through so much paper, I often draw 2 pictures on the same piece of paper. So many of the drawings for The Cabins of Wilsonia are small. I usually draw larger than the size it will be in the book because things look even better when reduced. (Hmmm, is this a diet advertisement? Nope1) But, I don’t want to draw any larger than necessary, because there are many many drawings still ahead, and the larger they are, the longer they take.

two pencil drawings on a page

I’ve been procrastinating on the job of trimming the drawings. It is a little boring, and there are so many remaining to be drawn that it hasn’t seemed necessary to begin trimming. However, I finally faced up to task, got out my guillotine-type paper cutter and all my packaging materials and dove in.

Oops. It was stuck to another drawing and I whacked them together without knowing this was underneath. Glad it was already scanned. (always a bright side. . .)

Perhaps it is time to take a break, get some perspective, catch my breath, plan, rest and rejuvenate.

A Weird Task in Book Building

As I draw, it is necessary to scan each drawing. Then what do I do with it?

I package it up with mat board in a clear bag.

I ran out of mat boards, so went to eBay to find someone selling scraps. Because I am a very frugal person, I ordered the least expensive.

The corners were slightly banged up, but for my use, it didn’t matter.

But yuck! They smelled like mildew. I recognized this smell from when I was in college and stored some things in my uncle’s basement one summer. Smells linger in a memory. You have probably read that smells are one of the greatest memory invokers.

This is a small sample. You should have seen them spread all over the area that used to be my lower lawn (not enough water in my neighborhood to sustain that much green with a clear conscience.

What to do??

The sun! I laid them out in the sun. They curled. I flipped them over. They curled back. I sniffed. They smelled fine.

Phew. Who knew all the information and skills that would be necessary in building a book?

What’s Going On Here?

List Lady Here. A progress report, thoughts on building a book, and new information about the arrangement of Wilsonia streets for you:

This cabin on Park Street/Lane/Road/Avenue (just kidding on the last one!) is an architectural design repeated throughout Wilsonia. There were 5 cabins like this. Now there are 4, and one has been remodeled so isn’t immediately recognizable as the same design. Do you know which cabins these are?

All the drawings are finished for June. Yes, you read that right. This is so I can do all of July’s drawings in June. What’s going on here? July is going to be extraordinarily busy for this California artist. If I don’t draw ahead, I’ll fall behind.
I found someone who calls himself The Book Designer. He is a book designer. (Duh.) He helps people self-publish their books. (If they pay him.) I feel greatly reassured that when the time comes to make some difficult decisions such as cover design, typestyles, and finding a printer, The Book Designer will be my new best friend.
Has anyone else besides me noticed all the streets in Wilsonia that begin with “L” are going east and west? This is confusing at times. When I think of all those L streets, I’m flipping through my mental Rolodex, reciting Laurel, Lily, LeConte, Lupine, Lilac. . . sometimes they are alphabetical, sometimes they are random. But I just figured out that they ARE alphabetically arranged in Wilsonia, beginning in the southern end of the community! There’s an AHA! moment!

Questions for You, Oh Wilsonia Cabin Owner

I’m drawing a book called The Cabins of Wilsonia. Drawing it, not really writing it. There will be a preface, an introduction and a conclusion, along with explanations of street names, and I have written most of this already.

It is my hope that Wilsonia cabin folks will do the writing.

The point of the book is to show what it is like to have a cabin in Wilsonia in pictures and in the stories and thoughts from the cabin folks.

When people are asked about their cabins, the tendency is to recite a list of previous owners by name and approximate date of ownership. Since it is my goal to shoe what it is like to have a cabin NOW, clearly I haven’t been asking the right questions!

A friend of mine helped me formulate a list of questions to trigger ideas and thoughts and memories and impressions and information and personal stories about cabin life.

I know it is a pain to write. It is a pain to email. We are all busy. So, for starters, I will just ask questions.

Perhaps over time, these will cause you to have ideas, and when we talk in person, you will have thought about or answers to a question or two. Or maybe I should mail out a questionnaire. . . or put something in the Wilsonia newsletter. . . or email those of you who have shared your eddresses?

Let us begin with several questions to ponder:

The Cabins of Wilsonia

A picture book about a cabin community