Tuesday, February 25, 2014

A few things "fabric"

Lest you think I have forgotten about my quilts,

I got a back made for this top that I finished quite a while ago,

Now to put it all together.  I have a new home for it, so need to get it finished.

And for our Stashbusters strip exchange, I found some lilac, while we were away and a couple of greys.  At the top is the color card we were aiming to match (as close as we could)



And later on, we have committed to making another bicycle trip to the Netherlands.  I know, I thought our last one in 2006 was our last one, but we are celebrating a friend's retirement and 60th birthday.  Both pretty big deals.  So tonight the credit card was "singing"

or was that 'groaning' and I just misunderstood?  This time schedule will be a first for us - arriving in the early afternoon, instead of right at breakfast time.  I'll keep ya posted.

Life Back to Normal

Well, we have been home for just over a week and in some ways it feels like we have been home forever - never left.  But I do remember what sunshine looks like and how it feels.  Seattle (the northwest) meanwhile has had over 6 inches of rain this month.  Incredible.  I know that California would like some of that precipitation, but I don't know how to send it to them.

So around here - I had a moment of domesticity and I made cookies.  Can't remember the last time I did that.

Recognizing my peculiarities, only half of the cookies included chocolate chips.  The rest had oatmeal and raisins.

This last week-end, the bigger grands came to visit.  As usual, it was really fun.  They are good kids.
We seem to have a tradition of at least one breakfast of blueberry pancakes and sausages.  Always tasty.

Working on a couple of "fabric" activities.  I will work on photos to add to this blog.

I'll try to be back soon.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Corona del Mar

With precious friends and family, I am truly blessed, over and over again.  Our sweet friend Laura opened her home to us and shared and shared and shared.  On Saturday afternoon, she took us on a drive around parts of southern California I had not seen.  So different from the desert scenes of the previous days,

The lovely Pacific Ocean.  And some very classy residences,

We ended the day with pizza and a beer.  And then a visit to the most amazing bakery - where we found some amazing treats for breakfast.  And then it was time to end this frivolity and head home.  After two weeks of sunshine and warm, warm days, tonight's weatherman reported thus far this month there have been over 4 inches of rain.  Oh yuk!  At least we missed two weeks worth of rain.

Tomorrow my babysitting duties return.  The bigger "grands" are coming this week-end and later next week it is time for the Sewing and Stitchery Expo.  Happenings galore.

Thanks for visiting.

More Palm Springs

Although the Coachella Valley is really a desert, there are a number of oasis (what is the plural of that?)  One of the largest is called Thousand Palms (although there are actually more like hundred of palms).  Very interesting to see and worth studying.  The dried/dead palm fronts are left on the trees to provide habitat for birds and various small animals.



This is a cross-section of one of the palm trunks.  Isn't that different?


We could see a little water, that bubbles up from the San Andreas fault - which runs under this oasis.
And you can see the up-thrust of the land, from fault movement

Another day, we went up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.  Yes, even I went up to over 8500 ft.  [mostly I just watched the floor of the tramcar, as we ascended.  Once there, I was just fine.]  Wow!

After some lunch, we did some hiking around.
And as the temperatures below were about 90, it was close to 70` up on top.  Incredible, all the way around.

More to follow.

Palm Springs, CA.

Many years ago I had visited my parents when they had a vacation home further south in the Coachella Valley.  My quilting friend Alayne bought a condominium a couple of years ago in Palm Springs, so of course, we had to go and check it out.  Heaven.

It is a lovely condo, filled with quilts,



So comfortable.

Temperatures each day in the 80's.

The flowers and the weather, added to the magnificence,


So many fun adventures.  We visited the Faye Sarkowsky outdoor sculpture park, in Desert Hot Springs.  Some interesting and beautiful pieces.  Can you tell which one I was totally enamored with?




Her blanket/cape, as well as the rest of the sculpture is bronze - hard to imagine, it looked so like fabric and leather and beading.  Amazing.

Outdoor dining was required,
The full moon was a perfect addition.  Then it was time to wander into town for the nighttime street fair.  Marilyn greets everyone,


More to follow.

Tortilla Flat

One of our fun outings was a drive to Tortilla Flat.  It was a former mining town and now plays up to the out-of-town tourists - and fun.
You pass through Tonto National Forest and Canyon Lake.  And literally at the end of the road,


There really isn't anything much there, but the ice cream store and the restaurant/bar.  But that is well known locally, especially the ladies room,
Those are dollar bills, each one signed (presumably by the person who left it)



And honest to goodness Sarsaparella (also known as Root Beer)  Very tasty!




A hawk watching us

A local bird (and I don't remember the name)


(I'm having some issues with spacing, here.  Sorry about that.  I cannot get the line to move to the edge.)

We visited the Superstition Mountain Lost Dutchman Museum.  
No, I didn't forget entirely about quilts.





Only in Apache Junction, will you find this golf course.  Yes, it really looks like this.  I don't think I want to play there.


More to follow.