Planned Destruction

We share a long driveway with a neighbor. This is the view from our house looking down after we started the demolition in preparation for new paving.

Here's the pile of paving from the section from our house to the neighbor's house.

Troy gets to have all of the concrete in front of his garage.

And on his auxiliary parking pad. I hope the apple trees survive.

It was pretty noisey and exciting. We have our cars parked on the street as we will not be able to drive up or down for the duration.

It will take at least a week. Harrison is very excited (he's in grade 4). He was climbing all over the piles with his brother and his followers after the workers left.

Weird weather

We've been having unusual weather. It has been cool, cloudy, and rain has been predicted off and on. We've actually had some sprinkles--not enough to do any good but enough to get me to dash out to retrieve equipment that had been left out. We seldom get precipitation from May through September.

It seems as if it has been unseasonably cool. Since the beginning of June, we have recorded only 2 highs in the 70s (71 and 73). On several days it never got over 64. Our lows have consistently been in the mid-50s. The lettuce is doing fine. The tomatoes are growing.

I'm posting these pictures from April and May to remind myself that the garden went from an abundance of bloom to scraps. I need to work on that. A garden friend would always remark that Mother Nature makes the spring garden and we have to do the work for the rest of the year. I need to visit gardens after the spring flush. I need dahlias, sunflowers, and more lilies. I guess have been focusing on food crops of late.


What do you love that is in bloom in your garden now?

Oh, and we went to the beach

Rick really isn't that into sweet peas so he packed his bike for our Sebastopol trip. He biked down to Bodega Bay where I picked him up after I recovered from smelling the flowers.


It was a perfect day on the Sonoma coast--one beautiful beach after another.



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Sweet Peas

For several years I have wanted to visit the Enchanting Sweet Peas Open House. I have grown sweet peas off and on for twenty years and my love affair with their fragrance hasn't abated.




This event is a one day affair in Sebastopol, CA and in my imagination I would wander endlessly, intoxicated by both the scent and the sights. In fact, the garden is a small lot where Glenys Johnson shows plants grown from her seed. If you get there early you can buy seed only available there. You can see varieties that she is trialing, for which she might offer seed in the future. You might win a bouquet of freshly picked stems. You can also order seed to be shipped to you in the fall, but you can always do that on her website.




This year I went, I saw, I smelled, I ordered, and I took some pictures. I have no IDs for these pictures (although it looks like this one is Jayne Amanda) but I probably bought seed for some of them so my fantasies persist. Who knows, I might have some flowers of my own this time next year.

Here is what I bought:
Anniversary - rose-edged on pale pink
April in Paris - cream-edged with lilac
Blue Ripple - white with blue flecks
Oban Bay - silvery blue
Charlie's Angel - periwinkle blue
Percy Thrower - lilac flush on white
Sylvia Mary - sunset pink

My plan for the 2010 growing season: Soak overnight when seed arrives in October. Seeds should swell. Those that don't swell should be chipped. Plant in individual cells. Grow outdoors in flats, in a protected area that gets good light. Transplant about 5 weeks later. I have had wonderful results in the past growing the Knee-Hi's, sowing them directly. These Spencer hybrids grow tall and want something sturdy to grow on. I have a year to figure that out!

Here are my notes of what I liked on my walk-through: Albutt Blue, Blue Danube, Jayne Amanda, Anniversary, Blue Ripple, Oban Bay, Comet, Noel Sutton, Percy Thrower, Lilac Ripple, Gwendolyn, Southbourne, and April in Paris.

Sunday Pizza

I'm actually starting to make round pizzas! This is our all allium, all the time: green garlic, young leeks, and spring onions (plus some mushrooms, mozzarella fresca, tomato sauce, and fresh oregano).

Blogging, Clementine 1, and Birkat HaChama

Clementine 1

I have been avoiding reading the quiltart posts about whether or not blogging is still personally compelling. I have been questioning what to do with my blog. I initially started it in January 2005 because I couldn't figure out any other way to post comments on other blogs. Am I having fun? I love being able to look back and find recipes or planting dates but my inconsistency is frustrating.

I had thought that the blog would be a kind of journal for my interests but I struggle with writing. I struggle with all kinds of self-expression. I am posting this photo because there has been so little quilt content of late. This is a scan of a piece that is about 10" x 10".

Even so, this piece has been finished for months. I showed it at the G6 in January, I think. This was back when I had a temporary mania for needle felting but couldn't rationalize buying another machine.

I sketched out a series of additional clementine pieces and got stalled, again. The blog doesn't just write itself, nor does the work get done just wishing it would.

I missed the sunrise today because it was raining--wonderful rain that is soaking the soil. I am not Jewish but I am blessing the sun today and celebrating Birkat HaChama. According to the Talmud, today marks the completion of the 28 year solar cycle. Who will be around for 28 years from now on April 8 for the next Birkat HaChama? I am also celebrating spring and marking the Passover by making Rose Levy Beranbaum's Mediterranean matzoh (not exactly kosher with olive oil and rosemary) but delicious somewhat of a ritual.

I'm in the garden with Boronia

Boronia megastigma 'Jack Maguire's Red'

Alice and I went to Berkeley Hort today and found this wonderful Australian native by its fragrance. I stuck it in my front porch garden for which my goal is to have fragrance year-round. My Daphne odora is just finishing up. I have Parma violets in bloom in that bed and now the Boronia. This is a plant that is not supposed to be long-lived and Eric Lux indicates that it needs perfect drainage, of which I am incapable. We will see. It is worth the risk. The bonus was turning the pot upside down to plant it and discovering the "secret" golden interior of the small, bell-like flowers. As Lux notes, it probably should have been planted in a pot. Oh, well...According to San Marcos Growers it makes a good cut flower!

Worth Listening To

For all of my girlfriends:
My dear friend Robin sent this to me. She is right--it's worth listening to.
Love,
Joan

Dog show

I know, I know. Not much of interest here of late. And I haven't even been writing about my blog dog. But this might be interesting: a puli won best of group in the herding dog competition at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. Are you paying attention, Casey? Finals tonite. I'll be cheering for Cordmaker Field of Dreams, aka Conrad, the puli.

Yum!

I made a fabulous lunch today that was so easy. After a trip to the Berkeley Bowl, I was famished. What I needed was something quick. One of my favorite food blogs is Orangette. I had read about her cabbage with hot sauce and had picked up some sambal oelek at the Bowl. My plan was that it would be a quick vegetable dish for supper. This is all that was left when I remembered to take a picture.

A quick stir-fry of sliced cabbage, fennel, sambal oelek to taste (I started with 1/2 teaspoon) and soy sauce...

ART!

This is how I feel about art.

Gentleness, 2009 and Winter WIP

I have toyed with the idea of goals for 2009 but have had no real desire to blog about them. I am embracing GENTLENESS as my word for the year (a la Christine Kane). Last year I found that to be very useful. My word for 2008 was Focus and I actually remembered the word, re-evaluated it, and re-interpreted it throughout the year.

I am really unhappy with the pictures I make for my blog. I have repeatedly told myself that I would do something about this and 2009 will be the year that this happens. I am reading a

Photoshop Elements book and I birthday-gifted myself with a copy of Gloria Hansen's book, Digital Essentials. So I guess I'm blogging about goals after all. I have been impressed that putting something down in black and white makes it more of a commitment and that is a good thing.

After reading Christine Thresh's most recent post, I decided that I really had to post something about my work.

The G6 theme for our next meeting later this month is Winter. We are still challenging ourselves to respond to a theme but it is optional. And I think that the 12 x 12 format is becoming optional. I like the idea of working in a smaller format if that's what happens. I have been playing with bits of wool and yarn discovered in my massive "studio cleanup." I had some hand felting needles and I made a postcard-sized view from my kitchen. Winter in my No. California garden is very green but not in a sunny way.

I cut the small piece into thirds and "applied" it to a piece of wool felt. I am contemplating purchasing needle felting machine. Yesterday, I test-drove the Pfaff 350P embellisher, and I brought this along to see how it would work and this is the result, unfinished. Only the center section was felted by machine. Much quicker. It was fun. This WIP is a scan which is also much quicker than taking a photograph.

Sandhill Cranes

This fabulous picture was taken by Bill Schmoker who kindly permitted me to post it here. I was hoping to have some images of my own but quickly realized the inadequacy of my equipment.

Saturday, we drove up to the Lodi, CA, area, about 60+ miles from home to see the Sandhill Cranes. Rick had read Carolyn Jones's article in the SF Chron last week about these wonderful birds.

We took the scenic route: 680 north to Hwy 4. We took CA - 160 across the Delta to CA - 12. We waved to Christine at Winnowings on her island out there. On our route we saw lots of birds, including raptors, egrets, and probably swans.

It was a cold, clear day and lots of other people read the article, too, and joined us at the windy Phil and Marilyn Isenberg Sandhill Crane Reserve which is actually on Woodbridge Road, north of Lodi. Because of the huge turnout, there was no organized tour but two volunteers and one person from the Department of Fish and Game were there with lots of info. California budget cuts to F&G prevent the department from taking tour reservations.

The "birders" all shared info at the Reserve South Unit meeting area on Woodbridge Road. We did not go to the North Site for the fly-in at sunset but we poked around nearby county roads adjacent to farmlands until after sunset and saw squadrons of birds stitched against the darkening sky.

This was our first trip to see these marvelous birds but I'm sure it won't be our last. Good binoculars are on my wish list.

The International Crane Foundation has pictures and some audio clips of the cranes' vocalizations.

Greater Sandhill Cranes are a protected species in California. Lesser Sandhill Cranes are also seen in this area.

Check out many amazing sandhill crane pictures at Bill Schmoker's sandhill crane page.

If you go, good maps are a must. Google maps provide good detail. We saw many birds on Cotta Road and Guard Road farms.

Merry Christmas!

Green Idea--Garlic Slush!

How great is this. The Tone Bros., makers of Adams Spices, donated 18,000 lbs. of garlic salt that was destined for the landfill, to the City of Ankeny, a Des Moines suburb, to use for de-icing their roads this winter. Garlic-flavored slush is making the road crews hungry but that seems to be the only adverse effect. Here is the story.

Introducing Casey, my blog dog!

I don't have any grandchildren. I don't have a puppy.

I am seriously lacking in cuteness to post about.

I decided to ask my friend Bev, who just became a dog mother, again, if I could adopt Casey, her Puli puppy, as my blog dog. It would be a sort of cheating because she had to get up with him this morning at 4:45 (and it was raining) and I would get to do all of the fun things, as I practice for such time as I may be blessed with grandchildren to spoil.

Puli's are seriously cute puppies but they are amazingly cool dogs. I am hoping that my cats might become jealous of Casey and start doing cute things again.

So Cool!

We subscribe to The New York Times and The San Francisco Chronicle. Too much data! Today I discovered a great design column by Zahid Sardar in the Chron that I've been missing out on.

My friend Linda has been doing fabulous things with recycled sweaters from the thrift stores, including felted cashmere baby blankets, and I immediately thought of her when I saw these terrific handbags. They are by Berkeleyan Josh Jakus, a former architect, who makes purses and handbags from recycled felt.

It's All About Color!

Luscious pictures! Color, color, color!

I had no intention of buying another book on dyeing but Lynn Koolish's Fast, Fun and Easy Fabric Dyeing is a great new addition to my bookshelf. I've done some dyeing but I don't dye regularly and I'm always thinking I should dye some more fabric. I would call myself a novice dyer. I really believe in serendipity but the more I dye, the more I want to achieve good results.

Lynn's book is very inspiring. It reminded me that a dye project can take as little as 30 minutes to set up. It can take even less time if you have your dye solution and your soda ash prepared.

I like to keep records. Lynn has some great tips on keeping track of your results. That's really important if you want to reproduce your work.

I've done some solids and mottled, almost-sold fabrics, but I am looking forward to trying rolling as a method of creating texture. Lynn's sections on creating patterns using shibori and thickened dyes are exciting. The fabrics she created with a rag roller are very cool.

I'm thinking about slicing off the binding of this tasty book and inserting it into my Dyeing 3-ring binder.

As we've come to expect with C&T books, Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Dyeing is clearly laid out with lots of scrumptious color. And that's really what it's all about, isn't it? COLOR.

Happy Beethoven's Birthday!

Bark with Lichen

I've been thinking about lichen for over a year and haven't done a thing about it except to collect specimens. I can't resist the sticks and clumps that fall from the trees. And bark!

Day After Thanksgiving Walk

Wild Turkey Feather

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's our first Thanksgiving without the boys. Andrew is in New York and Steven is in Boston. Rick and I are going to Linda (of G4 fame) and Richard's. I guess maybe I'm over compensating but it has been great fun making a bunch of stuff, none of which is necessary.

I've been watching Spain On the Road Again so I decided to try to find some Cava that Mario was going on and on about. With bubbly, one needs nibbles and I've been addicted to David Lebovitz's Spicy Glazed Nuts recipe so I had to make some of those. I had all of the ingredients in my pantry except the small pretzel twists (someone must have gotten into them...) and I was too lazy to make a trip to the market. Oh well, a new variation.

I always like to make and eat cranberry chutney, in addition to the more traditional cranberry sauce. One can never have too much cranberry garnish on the great day. I found a terrific recipe for Cranberry Chutney with Chrystallized Ginger and Dried Cherries on Orangette's blog. I made it on Tuesday and I was worried that the ginger was overpowering. I brought some to my Wednesday Quilt Group and Susan and Suze reassured me that it was okay. On a whim, I added some cayenne to a small portion. I tasted both today and the harsh ginger overtones have evened out. I really like the heat from the cayenne.

Originally, Linda had been thinking about making Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie and I was going to contribute a pumpkin cheesecake. When I saw the picture of the pie (from Fine Cooking, Thanksgiving 2007), I begged her to let me make that instead. She made it last year. I made the pastry last night and baked it blind. I got up this morning and made the filling. The recipe seems really good. I am looking forward to tasting it.

Last month, I discovered Clothilde's recipe for Chocolate Frozen Yogurt at Chocolate and Zucchini, another of my favorite food blogs. It is fabulous. I raved about it when our book club met and Robin said, "That's what you should bring for Thanksgiving." It seems a bit like gilding the lily but maybe it will be a comfort to someone. Who said Thankgsiving dinner is the superbowl of meals?

Sprouting 101

I can no longer buy sprouts in bulk at my local market. They come pre-packaged. So the drill is, search around for the package with the best sell-by date, (were they really $1.50?); take them home; put them in a sandwich or a salad. In a couple of days they seem funky.

New Victory Garden activity: grow your own sprouts in your kitchen! Before kids, Rick was a sprouts grower, hobbyist variety. I found some tops from that era that never got tossed. They work great with a mason jar.


You can get a whole sprouting setup at Pinetree Seeds or you can buy just the seeds and the Sprout-Ease tops.

Sprouting is really fun. Measure out about 1 T. of seeds for starters. Place them in a wide-mouth jar (use a jar that holds at least 20 oz.). Cover with about 3 inches of water. Use the appropriate jar top, depending on the size of the seed. Soak overnight. The next morning, drain off the soaking water, rinse, drain, and place the jar at a 45 degree angle in a bowl (so that the water can drain out), in a dark cupboard. Morning and night, for the next 2-5 days (depending on the seeds), rinse and drain, and then return to the dark cupboard. During the last two days of their growth, the sprouts can be grown in the light and they will green up. You can change the jar top as the sprouts grow, using a top with larger holes so that you can flush out seed hulls while rinsing.

After ordering seed from Pinetree, I discovered a wonderful new-to-me health food store, Harvest House, in Concord, CA. They have seeds in bulk as well as all of the sprouting paraphernalia, and a seed mix, Zesty Sprouting Mix, 16 oz. for $4.99. The mix contains radish, crimson clover, fenugreek, and alfalfa seeds.

As soon as I started eating/harvesting the first batch of sprouts, I started growing a second batch. If you wanted to grow the individual seeds to see the differences in taste and germination times, you could have three batches going at once. It's a simple pleasure...

Ah, the '50s!

Northern California Seasons

I know everyone says that California only has two seasons: rainy and not rainy. It's just not true. We have been having a glorious autumn. I can't remember such a perfect October. November has been more of the same. We are all worried about the dreaded D-word. We have had two storms, the last of which (Halloween weekend) dumped 3-1/2 " of rain on our garden. It barely moistened the soil. We do need lots more rain but our rainy season is really just starting. The hills are starting to green-up. Many trees are shedding their leaves but the foliage has been spectacular this year. I try not to feel guilty relishing these perfect days. This is a picture of our street. Semi-rural. These are Japanese Maples, Acer palmatum. I am putting them on my garden wish list.

Election Day 2008

FINALLY!

I voted, did you?



I'm not sure how this relates to anything but it made me laugh. It could be fabric relate because it came from Tanya Brown, Fabric Illustrator. I found it at her blog.

Water

I finished this 12 x 12 Water piece that I made for the G4. I’ve been indecisive about posting a picture because it has issues. I used Melody Johnson’s facing technique instead of her pillow case finish or a binding because it was very heavily quilted and that method of finish permits “quilting off the edge.” The instructions are excellent and the technique is great. I’ve done facings before but it’s been some time and I certainly learned something: be gentle when turning. I also think I might have squared from the back (is that possible?) instead of the front. I have my next 12 x 12 ready to be faced so I will have more data soon.

I have been cleaning up old email files and I found something I’d saved from Marilyn Belford about work that might not feel “worthy.” She said words to the effect that it is done, and “you can’t win them all.” She does not discard, nor does she redo. I've taken that to heart.

I loved the “fabric” that I made for this piece (gelatin printing from Rayna Gillman's book, Create Your Own Hand-Printed Cloth) but I am not happy with the finished work, but I learned so much and I really should immediately start Water II.

Happy Birthday Rick!

Yes, I still do. Yes I will...
\\

Safe, Prosperous, and Free

I saw this video on Gerrie's blog on politics.

Elizabeth Peyton and Creativity

I'm always behind in reading the New Yorker so I just discovered the profile of the painter Elizabeth Peyton by Calvin Tomkins in the October 9 issue. Unfortunately, the entire article is not available online but there is an abstract and a slide show with 9 pictures of her paintings.




There is a lot of interest in her at the moment because of a mid-career survey of her work at the New Museum on the Lower East Side. The New York Times published a review of the show by Roberta Smith. There is also an audio slide show.

Both articles articulate similar themes. Peyton seems to need to almost fall in love with her subjects. If the attraction is ther, she returns for further explorations. She works from both art/photographs and life. I love that she acknowledged in an interview with Tomkins that she makes lots of bad art.

I would love to see this show especially because the pieces are small. Smith's words are that "few are larger than your face."

Additional images can be found at the artnet page for Elizabeth Peyton.

I Did It!

It’s not really such a big thing. I can say that now. I didn’t swim yesterday because of an ear issue. I was sure it was related to swimming. So, despite glorious weather, I skipped a day. But today was even more glorious and I knew it would be so much easier to swim in warm sunshine.

The pool at the Soda Center today was fabulous. I had a lane all to myself. I was worried because it is deeper than Park Pool: something about getting in. I discovered that there is a deeper end (10’) and a not-so-deep-end (7’). It’s funny: I told Andrew that it felt as if the pool was slower than Park Pool. Everyone says it is a FAST pool because it is so deep and so big. And even though I know it is 25 yards across, it felt longer. He says I’ll get used to it.

I met Betty, who swims 3-4 times a week at Soda, and she was very encouraging. I also saw Dorothy from Park Pool! Del was right! Everyone was very friendly!

I brought my camera to take some pictures for the blog but ran out of time. I found the following link for a photo taken during a big meet at the Soda Center. I tried to get permission to use it but to no avail. I found the following link for images of the Soda Center. There is one really interesting picture that shows the pool half-filled with water.

Swim Journal

Sunday was my last swim of the season at Park Pool. This was my best season ever. I started swimming in April and swam every day for the last nine days of the season. Kind of obsessive but here is what I wrote in my journal: April, 3 swims; May, 9 swims; June, 10 swims; July, 16 swims; August, 18 swims; September, 15 swims; and October, 5 swims. (As I look at it, there is ample room for improvement next year!)

Steven taught me how to do turns in August. My workouts for August, September and October were about 45 min. and 2000 yards. Steven suggested that I think in terms of hundreds and 500s. I couldn't imagine doing that before I learned to turn.

My next goal is to try out the beautiful pool at the Soda Aquatic Center. I have been trying to psych myself up to keep swimming during the winter months. I've never done that before. With the earlier pool closing this year at Park Pool, it seems as if this is the time to try it. October can have brilliant, beautiful, warm days. I thought about it last year but never made it. I'm a little anxious about this because it will probably mean sharing a lane with a stranger and I'm not feeling very confident about my abilities.

12 x 12

I've been trying to finish some of the 12 x 12 pieces I've been working on. This is from March when the G4 was working on the vernal equinox theme. It is one of my trillium pieces. After showing it to the group, I decided that it needed more hand-stitching so it was never photographed until today. This whole-cloth piece was an acrylic plate monoprint, made before I discovered gelatin plate printing. I used Setacolor paints. Later, I went back in with some stamping, including string and rice stamps that I had made.

Last days of summer 2008: Park Pool

Today it really feels as if summer is over. Yesterday started out quite warm but by 3:30 PM it was cooler and overcast. I swam at 1:30 and sat in the sun to dry off. Today feels like real change. It is noon, as I write this, and it has been overcast all morning but the fog is beginning to burn off. It is 66°.

I live tucked up against the eastern side of the Berkeley Hills. The pool is farther up the hill from my house.

When I want to know what the weather is like “on the other side” of the hills, I go to The View . At this moment, at the Lawrence Hall of Science, it is socked in: 58°, 98% humidity. Rain is forecast for tomorrow.

The pool is only open for 4 more days.

Here is how it looked today. I briefly had the pool to myself.

Back from the beach

Here is the view from the red chairs. I had the most wonderful, productive time at the beach. I can't think of a time when all I had to do was make stuff. It doesn't seem possible that summer is really over but what a magical way to end the summer.

EBHQ Workshop with Susan Shie

It’s really hot here again. The pool has been marvelous in the morning. All of the kids are back in school. This might be the first September that no one in our family has returned to school or teaching.

I did a wonderful two-day EBHQ workshop with Susan Shie last weekend. We used brushes, fabric paint, and markers to create a personal response to a theme. We attempted to find that artist from our childhood who expressed herself with abandon, never judging whether the marks were right or wrong.

One of my favorite ideas was what Susan calls Library Time. For awhile I had tried to do morning writing a la Julia Cameron. My understanding of what Susan proposes is that Library Time is a kind of warm-up for the real work. It is a time to “settle in” by writing or drawing in your sketch book. For about 10 minutes, I tried to record ideas and colors as they flowed from my thoughts about the theme. I did not try to make writings that were “good” nor did I feel a need to go back and re-read what I wrote. For me, it was a sort of positive quieting of the inner critic and a sort of personal cheerleading session all in one.

Susan’s diary paintings contain extensive writings, filling up her paintings with texture. Initially, I had no interest in doing work like this but making a personal diary painting was a very joyous experience. What I was unable or unwilling to draw could be filled out with words.

Of course one of the most fabulous things about EBHQ workshops is the up-close and in-person time with the artist and her art. Susan’s art, in particular, is meant to be experienced not as a photo, but in the cloth.

Gelatin Plate Printing

I can’t seem to make the time to get this sandwiched and quilted. This is my water piece for July for the G4: Not finished but better than nothing. The fabrics are all from my print sessions using a gelatin print plate I made from Rayna Gillman's new book, Create Your Own Hand-Printed Cloth.

I used her recipe but didn’t have a foil baking pan. Instead I used a plastic cover that I found in my supplies and lined it with foil. I used 4 packets of gelatin as that was all I had. This was not a case of good planning but the procedure is quite forgiving. My plate is about 8"x 12" and next time I will double the amount of gelatin and use a larger pan, perhaps a jelly roll pan lined with foil, to make a larger plate. The foil permitted easy lifting in and out of the container. With the larger pan, I thought I would use heavy duty foil as that is wider.

The plate is holding up nicely (and also breaking down nicely, gaining some character) in my refrig and I hope to do some additional printing this weekend.

I used a variety of fabric paints from ProChem (blue and golden yellow), and Jacquard (Olive, Sky Blue, Brown). I used what I had on my shelf.

Water and printing fabric

I read somewhere that Frank Gehry remarked that if you know where you are going with your art, there’s probably no point in doing it (or words to that effect). I have no idea where I’m going with my Water piece for the G4. I did lots of watery thinking on our recent tour of So. Cal beaches but I’m sure not there yet.

I recently bought a copy of Rayna Gillman’s wonderful new book, Create Your Own Hand-Printed Cloth. I got mine from my local quilt shop but it is available from Rayna’s blog. Maybe it’s a procrastination ploy but I keep fantasizing about going through the book, chapter by chapter and working through each section, trying out all the tips. Instead, this weekend I skipped ahead to Chapter 4, Gelatin Plate Printing and had so much fun. The recipes are very clear and it feels as if Rayna is just right there, offering helpful hints. The book is loaded with ideas and inspiration. I am on Day 3 and my plate is holding up (or breaking down!) nicely. Just a few more pieces and I’m off to find something to do with all of the new fabric.

Laguna 2

We stayed in Dana Point but my BIL and SIL and their two kids stayed at the Laguna Beach Motor Inn in north Laguna. They had an ocean view and a walk to a beach (Shaw’s Cove at Fairview St. and Cliff Drive and a little longer walk to Crescent Bay Beach, my fav). Did I mention that there’s a latte source across Pacific Coast Highway and a short walk to a pasta/pizza place and a grocery store? The LBMI has a lovely terraced garden and a sparkling pool. The room was very cramped but in addition to the view, provided a small microwave and refrig. I would have been quite happy there – lodgings are for showering and sleeping. Proximity to the beach was key for me – no driving nor parking-spot hunting. There was ample room for a preprandial glass of wine in the garden or poolside. I need to check out Laguna Riviera Beach Resort, Shanny’s pick.

Blogging from Laguna Beach

I tried blogging from Peet’s in Dana Point but Blogger wouldn't let me. This was our first internet connection since leaving home on Saturday. We’re on vacation in beautiful Laguna Beach! The air is clear--no smoky sunrises! I’ll be back at the end of the week. This is a totally stolen image from the web of “our” beach. Weather 75° and perfect.

Hot, hot, hot!

I don’t remember it ever being this hot. My thermometer on the shady north side of our house registered a high of 101° yesterday. Today is supposed to be even hotter. I have my Featherweight set up in the new space. It’s much cooler there so I made a few more blocks yesterday when it was too hot to even think about doing anything else. I’ve been getting my swim in at 6:30 AM. It’s quite delightful but the smoky haze has returned and with it the red sunrise. I hope to remember to take some sunrise pictures at Orinda Park Pool…

Zeus II

I’m still working on the studio re-do. I’ve made good progress but still haven’t installed my Featherweight. I’ve been drawing instead of piecing. This is the second try of the Zeus photo. I had an idea that it would be fun to make a drawing and perhaps print it on fabric and do some stitching. I’m working on Zeus III. The first two were supposed to be drawings just to draw, using copy paper and a UniBall Vision micro, a new pen for me. I added color by getting out my Pitt pens. Zeus III is on print paper and I hope to play with some watercolor.

Zeus

Steven’s roommate Hassan is the “parent” of Zeus, a pit bull puppy. I was very anxious about pit bulls in particular and college seniors having enough time to properly “adopt” this puppy but I must admit that he is a very lovable pup.

I was amazed that this dog became such a big part of the boys’ senior year of college. During our visits this year we were able to spend some quality time with him, including a digging party at the beach. And of course he was at the graduation party. This sketch is from a picture—photographer unknown but surely one of the dear boys on Del Playa.

This and That

I’m playing mom (we had a wonderful time in Santa Barbara for Steven’s graduation but he came home and promptly popped a strep infection) but I am also doing some piecing. It’s my reward for a beginning a massive clean-up that is long overdue. My plan is to move Steven into Andrew’s room and take over Steven’s room as my studio. I’m giving up the fabulous upstairs while Steven is home. It was originally a “family room” which I had taken over as my studio. Actually, I have taken over the entire house and it’s time to organize and consolidate.

Rebecca Rohrkaste, colorist extraordinaire, showed a Postage Stamp quilt at the EBHQ “Show and Tell” (the November meeting each year) a couple of years ago. We were all agog and inspired. She cut 1-1/2” squares and started putting together 2s and then 4 patches, etc. It was very inspiring, especially for all of us who save scraps. I thought that if I put a pile of squares near my Featherweight, I could piece when I felt like it and eventually, I’d have something. I decided that I would take some 16-patches (4 x 4) and use some of my Kaffee Fassett fabric that I’ve been hoarding. Here is a sneak preview.

Roses and Quilts and Summer

A friend of mine once remarked that anyone can make a spring garden because Mother Nature does all of the work. Well, spring is over. I've been planting seeds and deadheading and weeding and I'm about to do some ripping out. I need to be feeding if I expect to have very many more roses before next spring. The lemon basil is up and I am beginning to see some bean green. I have beet and cilantro seedlings and the Thai basil is poking up.

We had both boys home for the last weekend in May and that was so great. We will all be together again for Steven's graduation on June 14 in Santa Barbara.

This small quilt was what I came up with for February 2008 and the G4 challenge of Crazy, Crazy in Love, Crazy Love, or whatever the challenge was. I found these “crazy” log cabin blocks in my WIP file. They were inspired by a quilt by Jean Wells.

Cilantro and other stuff

I do love singles. Alas, this is another unknown, also a "gift."

Lots of weed pulling and fertilizing and mulching. There's lots more of that to do. I planted more basil. This time I’m trying Mrs. Brown’s lemon basil (Ocimum basilicum citriodora, an heirloom variety from Renee’s Garden Seeds). I also am trying a new method of growing cilantro that I read about on the Sunset Magazine site. I still hope to plant beans and peppers and beets.

I'm In the Garden

It doesn’t seem possible but it is raining. We haven’t had rain for months. This has been the driest spring since forever. Our rainy season is just about over and we won’t get any real rain until next autumn. Our regional water people have declared that our reservoirs are low and we are officially in a drought situation. We will be penalized for not cutting back on our water consumption. Ratting on your neighbor is encouraged. I am savoring the moisture and I am enjoying spring while I can.

One more tall-bearded iris

Elusive blues!
This one looks much more blue in the garden.