San Juan Bautista and new fabric 03-30-08

Looking down Alameda, one of the streets in San Juan Bautista. The hills in the distance are where Mary and Joe live.

Here are the two fabrics for the philanthropic project. They look like they will be good in children's quilts. Bright anyway.

These are the pieces that will go in my fabric library. Rather weird, I know, to be 'deaccessing' fabric and buying more, but that is the way with quilt makers, eh? Left to right: Fabric with sea creature motifs, including cormorants and pelicans. A lovely bright acid green batik. A nice sort of combed algea that will work in forest or swamp. Two green prints for the pinwheels I am making for Xmas. Two autumn prints to go in the autumn box! Such treasures.

How could I resist this figgy fabric? It is so realistic it makes me drool!

Ladies Day Out 08-29-08

Mary and I drove over to Pacific Grove this morning, it is about a 45min trip. First we visited Back Porch Fabrics to feel the fabric and admire the quilts on the walls and, of course, to buy just a few pieces to add to our fabric libraries. I found two red fabric on the sale table and purchased some of each for the BCQG philanthropic project. When I took several boxes of fabric to Judy Vlahos last week she said they needed some reds - hope they like them.

The entrance to Back Porch is from an open-to-the-street foyer so it is difficult to take a good picture of the street side. This is what you see when you open the door to walk in. Gail Abeloe has a fabulous selection of fabric and all her employees are quilters so they have the answers to all your questions! Well, maybe MOST of your questions. As I have said before this is my favorite place to look for quilt fabric, and it is also Mary's favorite.

On the left is Marge Abel, a customer. In the center is Jean Dunn one of the outstanding employees and teachers. On the right is Jeanne Mills, another outstanding employee and also the person who sets up the exhibits in the gallery. She has another job as the organizer of quilters tours to France.

Our next stop was the Red House for lunch. They have such delicious food and the atmosphere of the converted house is so relaxed and happy, just the perfect cafe for a beach town, I think. Mary's hamburger and my grilled chicken sandwich were great and so filling, but we were forced to have dessert because they had olallieberry pie and their special homemade vanilla ice cream. We shared one serving, but we should have just started out with two pieces of pie w/ice cream and just skipped the healthy stuff. We waddled out to the van and drove over to Monterey Aquarium - I was determined to see the Jellies before they move on to another venue. Jellies are so fascinating with their strange shapes and undulations. I particularly like the tiny ones that are transparent. How can they survive in the vast oceans? They look so delicate.

We also visited the main tank that houses many different fish that live in the open ocean, including a new white shark they put in yesterday. We don't think we saw that shark but there are several different kinds in the tank. We saw the penguin exhibit (not pelican as I erroneously typed yesterday), but had already eaten so they just stood around sleeping or preening. I wanted to see them walk and swim. Another visit, I guess. I always have to visit the bird display. Most of the birds have been rescued and cannot be released in the wild. There is no barrier between the people and the birds, but the birds have become inured to being stared at - no choice, they cannot fly away. There is a black necked stilt that has been in the display for years and years, much longer than it would have lived in the wild. And there is the curlew above, who has only one wing. He took a bath for us and went on for over ten minutes, it was quite humorous. He would dunk and jump up, swish his bottom in the water, flap his wing and sprinkle anyone who was too close. Then he turned sideways a bit and did it all over again - I wonder if he was showing us his best profile.

I took quite a few bird pictures and will try to post them. However, my computer is ailing and I cannot use it, so Mary is letting me use hers. Figuring out how to do things takes me a long time ; therefore I will try to just do necessary e-mail and post my blog every day. I'll have a lot of catching up to do when I get home.

A lazy day at Mary's 08-28-08

When I am here I stay in the little girl's room, which I really enjoy, mostly because it is the only bedroom w/o carpet. Carpet collects dust and the dust makes my allergies flare up. It is great to be here in this clean air, but dust inside or outside makes me miserable. Anyway, this is the view I have when I wake up in the morning. I love the trees. Notice the brand new deck made of a composite material (not Trex) and it looks and feels great.

In the summer Mary always has blooming deck boxes on the railing. This year there are zinnias, sweet alyssum and petunias - a nice mix and the 'lysum smells lovely.

The hillside drops off just beyond the doggie fence, which is to prevent Sassy from running around without supervision. She loves to do that, but there are wildcats, coyotes, wild pigs and other creatures that could do Sassy serious harm. Below in the distance is a house with paddocks enclosed with white board fences. I have seen horses there, but not recently. A few other other houses can be seen elsewhere through the trees.

It is a zinnia, but it looks like a tiny pineapple to me. Cute little yellow stars growing out of the top.

Pacific Grove and Monterey tomorrow. I very much want to see the Jellies exhibit before it moves on and the penguin (not the pelican} area which was closed when I was last at the Monterey Aquarium.

Harris Ranch 08-27-08

I didn't stop at Harris Ranch this trip. I was making good time and didn't have a reason - except maybe the bakery which creates wonderful cookies, but eating cookies while driving is dangerous to the waistline. The land is very flat here, so the complex stands out against the sky - palm trees are one important feature of an oasis, right? Parallel to the highway is the landing strip, used by the California Highway Patrol and many private pilots. At the far left is the windsock and to the far right are the modern port-a-potties. All the comforts of a major airport!

On-the-Road, Again. 08-27-08

I did finally get ready to leave, but not this morning! It was strange to have so many people dropping by and calling - two different neighbors knocked on my door, Liz came with a latte (bless her) and a baby quilt she is working on (actually two - for twins), the window salesman called to see if I was happy with the windows, and two other people called and I already can't remember who they were! I got on the freeway at 2:22pm and arrive here at Mary's in San Juan Bautista about 8:15pm. Pretty good timing considering a potty stop and a gas stop. Traffic was light, but one thing I notice lately is that the people who want to go REALLY fast are living it up, they can do 90+ because there isn't that much traffic to slow them down. After five months stuck in the LA Basin, getting out on the open road was great. I love it. :>)))

I usually stop at the rest stop just north of Gorman and always find it well kept and clean. It gets a lot of use, so the crews must work extra hard to make it a pleasant stop. There are many trees and a view to the north of a little lake near Fort Tejon. I don't know how long this pergola has been here, but the wisteria is well embedded. I've never seen it in bloom.

Three of the posts are clasped in many twining stems.

I wonder how this trucker felt to find his trailer scribbled. A few years back there were many trucks literally covered with graffiti, maybe the vandals are busy with walls and road signs now.

When you are traveling through the Central Valley and start seeing white 'petals' hopping and bumping and floating on the highway, somewhere not far ahead is a truck with a load of garlic. The garlic skins are lighter than snowflakes so they are more fairy like, I think.

Blogger only allowed four photos, so I will make another post for just one more picture.

Getting ready 08-26-08

As much as I have been On-the-Road, especially in the last fifteen years, one would think that I would have getting ready down to a science. When I was going somewhere every month it seemed easy to get ready to go, I even have a checklist. However, I haven't been anywhere since early April and I seem to have forgotten how I used to do this! I do have the checklist, but it isn't the big things like stop the paper, tell the postal carrier, tell the neighbors, arrange for someone to water, etc., it is the little things. I suppose I will need to make a list of what to put in my train case and what to put in the suitcase and how much money to take and...... Surely some of you know how it is. It is easy to say, "I can stop anywhere along the way to buy whatever I forget." But sometimes that is difficult to do. I wear an XL size which aren't available everywhere. And I have prescriptions that I only use 'as needed' that I cannot refill on the road.

The other problem is that I have this 'thing', maybe it is a phobia or an obsession, I don't know. Whenever I am going on a trip I spend the week before departure thinking that I ought to stay home. I should use the money for something more important. I fuss with my route. I moan and groan the whole time I am getting ready. But, in the end, I always go and have a great time. Since I was in my twenties I have 'suffered' with this - sometimes it is worse than other times. Some people have their feelings hurt because they think I don't want to go with them or to see them, but after a few years they catch on and usually raze me unmercifully about it. When it comes right down to leaving I hustle around and do all the last minute things. Of course, I am always exhausted when I get to where I am going - fifty miles or several thousand. But I must enjoy something about it because I am still traveling. I hope to leave tomorrow, but have some business to attend to before I go - maybe Thursday, eh?

New windows installed Part 1 08-25-08

After all the years with leaky windows that let in water, dust and noise, today was the big day that a new window was installed in each of the small back bedrooms. They have all the new features - double paned, vinyl frames, sun reducing glass, etc. I don't even know the names of all the features. But, no matter, I am very happy with the way they look and the way they slide. Even the screens are easier to see through. Nice. The City of Placentia would not give us a variance so the new windows had to meet the current building code and be no more than 42" from the floor. The sills were lowered five inches which cost $250 a window.

Now I can start saving money to replace the sliders and one window in the back of the house. Maybe after the first of the year.

This is the truck that the two person crew arrives in - there is a complete workshop in the back. Along with the already constructed windows. They had to park in the driveway because Monday is street sweeping day.

The guys worked one inside and one outside, they were very efficient. The two windows are the same size, even though this is a smaller bedroom. The extra five inches lets in a lot more light.

Jose is outside with his caulking gun.

Blake is inside using level, tape measure and shims to align the frame.

New windows installed Part 2 08-25-08

Not much of a view out either window! The property to our north is 1-1/2 feet higher than ours - hence to looming fence. I guess I will plant some more 'covering' plants to block most of it.

Here is the outside of a window before they put the outside frame on. The frame is aluminum and is 'manufactured' in the well equipped workroom in the truck.

Each of the guys had company T-shirts: "You'll love your new windows and doors. I'm working to earn a 10"

Both Blake and Jose earned 10s from me.

Sculpture - City of Brea 08-24-08

Placentia, CA, is basically a bedroom community that is surrounded by Anaheim, Yorba Linda, Fullerton and Brea. Anaheim, as everyone in the world knows, is the home of Disneyland. Yorba Linda features the Nixon Presidential Library/birthplace/burial site. Fullerton has California State University-Fullerton. Brea has a large shopping mall, but also a program of public sculptures which are required as part of any development. I don't know what the requirements are, but sculptures pop up all over the place. I have been tracking them down to photograph. The first thing I discovered is that most of them are not located so people can walk up to them. Sometimes I have to park a block or more away and walk through the shrubbery to even take photographs. Some have plaques that give the name of the piece and the artists name, but others seem to be anonymous. I know that a list can be seen at the City Hall and maybe they even have a copy I can take with me. I'll check it out later.

"Saturn Sail" done in 1985 by Harold L. Pastorius is located on Saturn Street. It is between the sidewalk and the building making it easy to access.

No plaque that I could find on these almost life-sized metal horses, also on Saturn St., at the entrance to a parking lot.

Admittedly, this is not intended to be a sculpture, but it could be, eh? "Water Valve Trio" by public works department? Also on Saturn St.