I always had a close connection to nature. I grew up on an old farm in central Wisconsin, but not the daughter of farmers. My parents were ornithologists, Frederick and Frances Hamerstrom. Early on I took an interest in art and even illustrated a couple of articles for my mother. Art took a backseat for a few years, but it didn’t take long to realize that is where my passion lies. For most of my adult life I created wildlife paintings and did some illustrating, most notably “Birds of Oregon: A General Reference,” published by the Oregon State University Press.

If our house was burning down, one of my most precious possessions is my collection of journals. Volume 1 starts in 1976 and Volume 39 is underway. My journals show the highlights of my experiences in nature, along with sketches and notes from a lot of quiet days in the field. Sometimes they stray into family matters, especially when I’m traveling and the journal is handy for other notes. As I page through old journals I sometimes find notes from sightings that I’ve forgotten, such as a badger in the Klamath Basin. Mostly the journals bring back warm memories – an otter popping up through punky ice; watching a monarch break out of its chrysalis with our daughters; the day my husband, Dale, and I watched a great blue heron take nearly fifteen minutes to kill a bullhead.

My journals are messy; full of words and sketches; raindrops; and are personal, but not private. Some sketches are very loosey goosey, some are highly detailed, and a few are from our photos immediately after we get home. Any other drawing is done elsewhere.

You might enjoy my blog: www.elvafieldnotes.blogspot.com