With glass and mirrors, the river, the trees, and the sky appear to surround us.

The shot I just can’t get is how it seems in the shower in the morning. Imagine you’re in the shower with your back to the faucet. The exterior walls to your left and in front of you are clear glass looking through the sycamore to the flowing river. To the right is a glass half-wall (floor-to-ceiling, but only half-enclosing the shower), and that reflects the trees and the water. Beyond the half-wall is a ceiling-to-counter mirror which reflects the trees and the river and medicine cabinets on either side facing each other, which reflect two more angles of the outdoors. As you stand in the warm water, you feel as if you are on a tiny midstream island. Then a great blue heron lands in quadruplicate, as in a kaleidescope.

From my side of the bed, I look out on the majestic hill we call Choinumni for the local Indians. I can see the sycamores if I look to the right, and I can see the the sycamore which is actually downstream if I look further right into the mirror specifically placed there by the interior designer (oh wait–that’s me!). One day during construction, Art came to check in, and he suggested we open the high wall between the bedroom and bathroom, so the view expands further. The door into the bathroom is likewise glass and there’s a window at the end of the bathroom, so we have a panorama even from bed. Especially during eagle season, we rarely miss a fly-by since we can see out in so many directions all at once.

From my side of the bed.

On the same day, Art suggested we make the wall beneath the bookshelves mirror, and now it looks as if it’s floating. People think the glass above is a mirror as well, but that’s a continuation of the beam, and another identical fan (there are six identical Artemis fans in the house; it’s possible to see them all simultaneously).

The glass ball shows the mirror below the bookcase, but above is all clear glass.

Art also suggested the mirror backsplash in the kitchen which reflects the indoors as well as the outdoors. The sink overlooks the river, of course, but the moon often shines her cool light from the south through the interior glass above the cabinets (from 8 feet up to the 16-foot apex) and the window in the den to the outside front of the house.

glass backsplash reflects the indoors and the outdoors.

So I am writing from here right now, looking at the river flowing east to west and the wind blowing the surface of the pool “upriver,” west to east. The fish-eye lens the photographer uses will show that the glass extends to the right as well.

The view from my “office” looking out to the mighty Kings River.