There's a Monster Storm at the windows beating down! It's Saturday morning and the weather guy has promised that the rain will continue dropping about 4 to 6 inches on us until mid-day Monday. The fridge is full and the dog might have to walk himself if it gets too bad:)

Nothing makes this landscape painter happier this time of year than a long heavy rain because it means a very green spring full of wildflowers! The rains actually started a bit early in the season and the fields and hillsides are already turning bright green.

The news guys are already talking about the possibilities of a big desert wildflower bloom. That is so cool and I am very excited! Three years ago when we had the 100-year desert bloom because of the heavy winter rains the area around Borrego never looked better. I remember one Sunday afternoon it was hard to find a parking spot along a certain desolate stretch of road where the verbena grow! Seriously!

So today I'm sitting here in my studio posting to my blog, listening to the rain, and Sirius Disorder channel 70, working on an experimental studio painting thinking about all the green fields laden with flowers that await.

Yesterday put the final touches on this painting below of a secluded ranch smack dab in the middle of housing developments. It's location is a closely guarded secret amongst landscape painters in these parts. You need a phone number and have to call a guy and leave a message. If you're lucky and he's in the mood he'll call you back and let you onto the ranch. If you just go paint there he'll show up on his horse looking menacing and shoo you off the property! It's a working horse ranch and I'm assuming that the horses might be pretty valuable. If you get talking to him he'll tell some pretty wild tales about rustlers and such. No comment from me about the truth of the stories;)

"Last Ranch in the Valley", 9 by 12 inches, oil on stretched canvas.