California burning, again 11-15-08

The Yorba Linda fire and the Brea fire are quite close - two or three miles. But there is a lot of developed area between the fires and my house. I'm not terribly worried, just concerned. I have Corky tonight and there is so much smoke I am starting to have a sore throat. So, we are going to go spend the night in Long Beach at his house It has been smokey there also, but not this bad and his house has all new double pane sealed windows which don't allow as much smoke in as my 40 year old windows.

I will take my computer and I may be able to post something more tonight or in the morning. Think good thoughts for all the people who are homeless in the fire areas tonight.

Oceanside Civic Center 11-14-08

I suppose there are rundown places in Oceanside, for years it had a bad reputation as a rip-roaring Marine town- being the closest town to Pendleton Marine Base. I don't think that is true anymore. The Civic Center, across the street from the Oceanside Museum of Art, is white and blue and terra cotta. There is a great sweep of open space between the buildings where a large pool with little overflow areas and usually lots of gulls.

This California gull thought I might have something to feed him, but I didn't and he flew off after I took his picture.

The water flows over the edges of various pools and the gulls seem to enjoy standing with their feet in the running water. This is only about two blocks from the beach so it is an easy "fresh water spa" for the gulls.

This view is from the parking areas to the north of the civic center. I always enjoy the view through the arches, especially when I can stand and listen to the wind in the palms.

I posted a picture on 02-04-08 of the newly finished addition to the Oceanside Museum of Art (where Visions is hung).

It is a Dawn Redwood 11-14-08

Thanks to Terry Springer we now know the tree pictured in the last post is a Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides).
More information at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metasequoia or just Google it!

Tree ID? 11-13-08

Is there another tree hugger out there? I took these pictures in Tehachapi a few weeks ago. The tree is growing in some one's front garden.

When I first looked at it I thought it might be a Larch/Tamarack. But I have only seen those in the summertime and remembered the needles as growing in bunches - these needles look more like coast redwood. And I am sure it is not one of those.

Needles starting to turn.

Needles turned but not yet falling off.

I have always thought that the larch tree was the only conifer that turns colors and drops its needles in the winter. I've done a little research online, but still haven't found anything definitive. Does anyone know?

Another group picture 11-12-08

In this sort of side view you can see two of the artists that you can't see in the other picture. Second from left in the back row is Nelda Warkentin And fifth from the left in the back row is Terry Jarrard-Dimond.

Everyone else can be seen and is identified in the previous post.

At the Artists' Breakfast 11-12-08

As tradition dictates all the artists present at the breakfast lined up to have a group picture taken. Unfortunately some faces are hidden. Maybe next year we will get more organized about it and everyone will be seen.

Back Row: Dan Olfe, Nelda Warkinton, Linda Beach, Bob Leathers,Terry Jarrard-Dimond, Kent Williams, Pat Budge, Charlotte Ziebarth

Middle Row: Mary Tabar, Valerie Goodwin, Shulanit Liss, Nancy Cordry, Patti Shaw, Lori Lupe Pelish, Regina Benson, Karin Franzen, Rita Stephenson

Front Row:Diana Goulston Robinson, Linda Colsh, Wendeanne Sitt, Leslie Joan Noble-Riley, Leesa Zarinelli Gawlik,Lura Schwarz Smith, Dinah Sargent.

Not present: Patty Hawkins, Katie Pasquini Masopust, Mariam Nathan-Roberts.

And then there are the photographers, some with multiple cameras to keep track of. Right in the middle of this group in the bright red blouse is Patti Sevier, another hard working Visions volunteer.

And the remains of the breakfast buffet with all the flowers from the various tables lined up along the back. Nice!

It takes many volunteers to put together an exhibit like Visions, I didn't get decent photos of most of them and I apologize.

I hope all of you will have the opportunity to see these quilts "in-the-fabric", it is a fabulous collection of beautiful art quilts. If you can't travel to Oceanside, be sure to buy the catalog which has a CD inside the back cover.

People at Visions 11-11-08

Sorry, I am continuing to have computer problems, guess I am still on Blog probation. Hope it is over soon.
Here are some of the people who labored long and hard to make Visions a great success. These pictures were taken at the Opening and at the Artists Breakfast on Sunday, some of them are not great - lighting, moving bodies, and a lousy photographer.

Charlotte Bird, Quilt Visions 2008 Exhibition Chair

Linda Colsh, Visions artist and part of the panel discussion, talking to Ann Olsen, President of Quilt Visions

Judith Content, Visions juror. Judith gave a great gallery tour on Sunday morning and moderated a fascinating panel of artists in the afternoon. Judith is the president of SAQA which sponsored the panel discussion.

The panel discussion included Visions artists:
Nelda Warkentin (with her head turned) and Wendy Huhn. Wendy is the winner of the 2008 Quilts Japan Prize sponsored by Nihon Vogue Co., LDT.

Also on the panel were Linda Colsh and Lori Lupe Pelish, winner of this years Sponsors Award given by Rosie Gonzales of Rosie's Calico Cupboard Quilt Shop.

Regina Benson, Visions artist, talking with Judith Content. I will post a few more pictures, including one of all the artists who were at the Artists' Breakfast on Sunday. Later today perhaps.

A Lovely Sunday 11-10-08

It was a great drive to Oceanside yesterday morning for a day of events in connection with the opening of the new Visions -2008 exhibit at the Oceanside Museum of Art. There were many clouds against the bright blue sky and the ocean was all shades of blue-green. It wasn't really a 'pacific' ocean as there was a wind making little whitecaps all over the place.

These pictures were taken from I-5 and show two of the glimpses I had of the ocean. Sometimes there is a steep cliff to the beach and only the distant view is possible.

In other places the highway, though separated from the ocean by dunes and beach, gives views of the waves as they start to run up on the sand. Of course, if one stops at the official "View Point" or even at the southbound "Rest Stop" there are better ocean views. But, you know me, I don't stop!

During our lunch break I sat outside and listened to the wind in the palms and watched the whipped cream clouds roll and pile and disperse. These pictures look over some buildings toward the west, so these clouds are out over the ocean.

This picture is due west so the sun is just above the center giving a sort of glow to the sky.

There were (I think) 28 of the Visions artists at the opening on Saturday evening, but several had to leave Sunday morning due to teaching commitments to Art Quilt Tahoe. On Sunday at the Artists' Breakfast the artists went around to sign every one's catalog - sort of a tradition now. It provides a quick mingling of everyone in attendance and puts a face to the quilt in the catalog. Tomorrow I'll finish up the pictures I took and will post a few in tomorrow's blog. No quilts though - just artists and Visions volunteers.

Quilt from TCQC 11-10-08

Auctions are full of luck and disappointment. Sometimes I am high bidder and sometimes the stakes get too high for my pocketbook. I have some treasures that others did not recognize as treasures and I have been outbid on some quilts I really lusted after. Check out the auctions that are currently running online to benefit quilt organizations:

http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/myquilts/

http://www.saqa.com/newsebulletins/Squares08_1a.aspx

"Fish Tale" Janine Holzman 1996 36"W x 25"L

This quilt was in the Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters auction at the 1996 Quiltfest in Seattle. This is one I really got lucky on, it is an amazing scrap quilt with very few repeats of fabric. On the back is a poem that gives the connection to the auction theme of "The Elements: Earth, Wind, Fire and Chocolate". "The firefish swam like the wind when he saw the chocolate lure, but the barb of the hook brought him down to Earth."

I understand that Janine later sold a pattern for this piece, but I have not seen it. I'd love to have one for my files.

I am unable to find a website for Janine, who lives in Sitka, Alaska.

SAQA Auction is open 11-10-08

Please check out the Studio Art Quilt Associates auction at

http://www.saqa.com/newsebulletins/Squares08_1a.aspx

There are wonderful small (12" square) quilts being offered, some made by very well know quilters and some made by quilters we have yet to know. This is SAQA's major fund raiser for the year 2009.

Driving home from SJB 10-20 11-07-08

Blogger has blocked this blog since Friday night because it was identified as possibly being a spam blog. Subversive quilt makers, no doubt. Seems to be working now so I will try to catch up.

When I returned from San Juan Bautista and PIQF on October 20th I drove east on CA152, past I-5, to CA99 and then south to CA 158 toward Tehachapi for a visit with Mabel who was down from WA to visit her daughter and family. CA99 is the original north/south route through CA, OR and WA, which I drove many times before I-5 was entirely complete from Mexico to Canada. It is still a good highway, but with more local traffic and more towns and the lovely oleander hedges down the median strip.

Santa Nella was few places to buy gas when the new I-5 opened between Grapevine to the south and (maybe) Manteca to the north. I drove the new highway in 1971 or so when there were signs along the way saying how many hundreds of miles it was to the next available gas. The tower shown above is part of a motel and provides a landmark in the flat central valley. CA152 crosses I-5 just below Santa Nella.
I drove east on CA152 and made the transition to CA 99 South which carries a great deal of agriculture shipping - including timber, grapes, corn, rice, and lots more.
I'd never seen grapevines covered like this. For protection against birds? or beasts?

Now on CA58 I looked out to the right and saw what looked like a housing development, however, it wasn't far enough away.

After I came home and downloaded my pictures I enlarged one and I still don't know what those square things are. Too big to be beehives, to small to be storage sheds - besides what are they doing out in the middle of a huge pasture. Any ideas?

East of Tehachapi the road runs for miles through high desert along the northern border of Edwards Air Force Base where the Space fights land when the weather is bad at Cape Kennedy. This time of year the Rabbit Bush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus) is in bloom all over the West. It was used as a dye plant by the Navajo Indians.

By this time the sun was setting and I stopped to take a photo of the very red sunlight on this closeup of the Rabbit Bush.
When CA58 crosses CA395 I turned south toward home. It was about eight o'clock at my journey's end and I had time to unpack everything from the van and run through the mail before I had to go to bed. Good trip, light traffic.

Testing to see if my blog is opened.