My Neighbor the Tree 11-21-08

Corky is here for a few nights, I really needed some doggie lovin'. When I have him with me, no matter where we are, I must take him for a walk about 4pm. No choice, he will plague me and annoy me until I do it - same for his mommy. How he knows it is 4pm I have no idea. It must have to do with the light, because he has to adjust to bi-annual time change just like the rest of us. I have thought recently how little I know most of my neighbors, but I know a lot about their trees and yards. I see them every time I drive down the street and I see them more slowly when Corky and I walk. I do sometimes walk on my own, but can usually find a valid reason not to. I wonder how many of us would be willing to help the others as some people did during the fires. Who do I think would be out helping others? My next door neighbor "Mark-to-the-South", Scott and Elva across from Mark, and Melissa at the end of the cul-de-sac who lives with her 3 year old son and her frail mother. That is about it. There is another Mark next door to me on the north side, but I don't think he would help anyone and I wouldn't ask him. Then there are maybe six additional neighbors who I know well enough to stop and say hello. But there are many houses where I have never seen the occupants in twenty years. When I was growing up we knew everyone from one end of the street to the next and people on the side street and on the streets to the East and West. Even the houses that didn't have children had a connection because the occupants would be working in their gardens or on their cars or just sitting on the porch reading the paper. Here there are very few children and they stay inside - I suppose computers and video games occupy their time. Their parents don't tend gardens or work on cars (except for Scott). And there are no porches.

I do know a lot of trees and statues and flowers that grow along the street. This is one of my favorites, but I don't know what kind of pine tree it is. I don't remember ever seeing one that has this peculiar trunk shape. I wonder if the people that live here know, I imagine not. I remember the first time I drove East from here to SCarolina. I looked around at the gorgeous, tall, urn shaped trees growing abundantly along the highway and when we stopped for gas in Arkansas I ask the attendant, "What are these very tall trees?" "They are just trees," he replied."What are they called?" I asked. He looked around vaguely and said, "We just call them trees." I was astounded that someone wouldn't know what was growing around them. I had never thought that maybe everyone wasn't interested in their surroundings, their habitat, the plants and creatures that live around them. We are distracted by our own needs and desires and don't pay attention to 'Mother Earth'. If we want to leave a planet for our grandchildren we need to pay more attention.

"Four Dwellings" 11-20-08

I have always gone through streaks of 'do nothing' and streaks of 'knock myself out'. And I know others that also have this experience. I don't really understand what triggers either direction. When my Depression gets worse I can go either way - who knows why. For a few years Kansas Art Quilters did a challenge every year and also made quilts for the Fabri-Quilt Fabric Co. to decorate their booths at Markets. They required that all the fabrics were of their manufacture. I usually slipped in a few little solid pieces to balance things out. Since I don't live in Kansas I would look through the Fabri-Quilt website and chose a few fabrics to create the beginning of a palette. Then the wonderful exhibit chair, Linda Frost, who received all the fabric that Fabri-Quilt donated to us would find some of those I picked, and a few to coordinate and ship them to me. Sometimes it was agony deciding on a design and executing it and other times things just fell together, like this quilt.

"Four Dwellings" 2005 Del Thomas 25" square SOLD

As I worked on assembling the pieces I realized I could use the multi-color polka dots to make people heads - so there are also four people in the quilt. To me this quilt is a combination of abstract and realism.

Here is the back - the main fabric is a very old Fabri-Quilt piece that I had in my 'Fabric Library'. Originally I used it in a baby quilt, but there was a large enough piece left to make this backing - as long as I pieced some strips into it. I like interesting backs, but under the pressure of time I sometimes slap any old thing on the back of a quilt, quilt it, bind it, and don't worry about it.

The Great Outdoors 11-19-08

This first photo is a fabric image of the "great outdoors". I am finally doing a little quilting again. When I was "digging out" I came across quite a few UFOs (which were also Forgotten Objects), this is one of them. I don't have a clue when I started it - maybe 7 or 8 years ago. It is quite small, only 12 inches square, and I thought, "Aha, I'll finish it up for the SAQA auction." But that didn't happen. Maybe next year. Can you imagine some one's inability to quilt one 12" square quilt in six months or so? However, just quilting part of it is a healthy sign that I am returning to my life.

It doesn't have a name yet. Maybe "In the shadows" or simply "Bird Under Tree". After all, I have done six with the title "Bird in a Tree" with the addition of the appropriate numerals.

This picture of a majestic elk is off the Internet and I have no attribution. If someone knows who the photographer is, please let me know. He takes my breath away, but I'm not sure I would want him in my front yard.

It came to me under the subject: "Summertime in a Rocky Mountain Suburb" and made the point that humans are en roaching on the habitat of wildlife, so they should not be unhappy when the wildlife take back some of their territory. It is a difficult problem. I have a lot of sympathy for the wildlife, but I must admit I loath the coyotes that lurk in my neighborhood. They have eaten many cats and, I think, all the wild rabbits. Now, with the fires so close, I am even more concerned about finding them in my backyard drooling over Corky barking his head off behind closed windows. The people who look out their window and see the elk eating their expensive landscaping probably feel the same way - resentful.

Journal Quilts and puppies 11-18-08

I was surprised to learn recently about the vidcasts that were made in July at the Quilt Festival in Long Beach. Karen Bresenhan talks about a number of the Journal Quilts-2007 and mine is one of them. I don't know how the quilts were chosen, but I am flattered to have her talk about mine - to me it is a very special quilt.

Go to: http://www.quilts.com/lbqf08/enVivo/

Click on "new vidcasts" on the bottom of the menu on the left and then click on the box "Journal Quilts Part 1". My quilt "Last Walk in Autumn" is discussed about half way through. Karey discusses the Journal Quilt of my friend Corky Ledbetter on "Journal Quilts Part 2". I have always admired her quilt because her use of thread to make the fireworks is so effective. Corky is the one who wrote to me about the vidcasts. Thanks again, Corky!

The SCalifornia fires are under control and the Santa Ana winds have, so far, not returned. We keep our fingers crossed, our doors and windows closed and do what we can to help those who have lost everything they own in this world.

I'm enjoying this website/puppy cam that Christine Thresh shared with me:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam

I am amazed at how fast the puppies grow.

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Chickens - again 11-17-08

Last night, truly the 17th, I had this blog post all ready to go. I hit the 'Publish Post' box, the post disappeared and my computer went down. So, I went to bed! This morning I had to reconstruct part of it, which takes longer in the morning than it does at 1am because I have a night owl brain. I know I have 'done' chickens before, but I ran across some pictures of "Odd Flock" and wanted to share one.

This little guy or gal is starting early with the 'chicken crossing the road' business.

Even in San Juan Bautista, where they should be accustomed to it, chickens don't seem to like to have their photo taken. One must stand very still and wait for them to stroll within range. I was standing in a front yard waiting for this showy guy to hustle his bustle in my direction. I don't think Mary thought it was nice to stand in some one's yard like that - especially since the people were home! "Those crazy touristas!"

I rather admire this fellow, he looks like he is made out of parts - one specked front plus a lustrous backside. He is grazing at curbside. The San Juan Bautisita chickens wander everywhere in town and are adept at avoiding being run over. The citizens are somewhat divided into 'love the chickens' and 'hate the chickens' camps. I suppose having a garden would automatically put one in the 'hate' category.

I used this photo in a blog post previously, but can't find it to give you a reference, so I am just re-posting it. I think he is the most handsome of all the roosters in town. And he is a BIG BOY, so he probably thinks he should be the Rooster King.

The hens, on the other hand, are mostly rather scrawny. Maybe it is because they have to run so much to keep away from "King" and his followers.

In 2004 when our friend Judy House was putting up a good fight to beat cancer, I started collecting chicken blocks for a friendship quilt for her. I did not expect the project to expand across the country, but once the word got around friends of Judy's sent wonderful imaginative blocks to tell her that they cared. It took me longer than it should have to get it together and it was an amazing test of my layout abilities. I put all the blocks on my design wall and moved them around until they were roughly in a rectangular shape. Then I started adding little borders around some blocks and making strips to fill in the blank spaces and constructing some small chicken related blocks to help fill out the quilt. I was amazed that the quilt came out so flat and I delivered to the long-arm quilter who did a lovely job of the quilting. And finally I wrapped it up and shipped it to Judy who was surprised and touched at such a gift. It is a bed sized quilt and she put it on her bed where it could keep her warm until the day she died. Sadly, not too many months later the wonderful long-arm quilter died of cancer also.

Among the blocks are several very clever ones. In the bottom row is a bowl of chicken soup made with chicken printed fabric for the soup. In the same row is a filler strip with three eggs - I didn't realize what an amusing juxtaposition it made with the astonished looking chicken above it until the quilt was finish and photographed. Margaret Miller sent the two strips in the top left corner, "egg - chicken" and I copied her lettering for the "peep - cluck" in the bottom right. Something was needed to sort of balance things. Freddy Moran sent the block on the right edge made from her original chicken design - I think Judy was in the Asilomar class when Freddy was developing that block. In the center of the quilt the speckled b&w chicken on black with a thin red border is "Spring Chicken" with little springs for legs - my brain will not retrieve that quilt makers name, but it has given a lot of smiles to viewers of the quilt. This photo was taken at Quilt Festival in Houston and the quilt won a ribbon at the Pennsylvania Mancuso show. So, a lot of people have enjoyed looking at all these chickens. The coordinating black/white/red/yellow fabrics are from "Fowl Play" an early collection from Free Spirit.

Quilt from TCQC 11-16-08

This is the first quilt I purchased from a Visions exhibit. I thought it was wonderful from the first moment I looked at it. It happened that Britt was at the Visions opening in 2002, so we were able to meet and I took this picture of her with her quilt. She lives in Oberlin, Ohio, and did not make the trip to Oceanside this year.

Britt Friedman - November 2002

"Winter Tree" 2002 Britt Friedman 27"W x 34.5"L

In 2002 there were not very many quilt makers using photos on fabric, so this seemed very different. I was at the gallery one day when two older ladies came through and found flaws in every quilt. They seemed to like this one until they got really close; one leaned in for a two inch view and declaimed, "Why all that is just a photograph. That's cheating." I swallowed my laughter and drifted away, but I'm sure they found something wrong with every quilt in the gallery. Funny how some people 'enjoy' an exhibit, isn't it?

I don't see much of Britt's work, she doesn't have a website so I cannot give you the URL. In May 2007 I saw one of her quilts at Quilt National 2007 in Athens, Ohio, and I coveted that one also. Unfortunately, by the time I saw it someone else had purchased it. So, all I have is a picture. Here are some websites that have a picture of one of her quilts:

http://www.artquiltnetwork.com/eb_quilts.htm

http://www.artquiltnetwork.com/signatures.htm

Orange Co. CA fires 11-16-08

I took these pictures on Saturday as I was leaving to pick up Corky to stay with me one night. I had heard on the radio that there was a small fire in Brea that had just started.

Brea Fire

I drove out of my garage and had this view to my right toward Brea.

Three minutes later it was already out of control and growing - the black smoke indicates that whatever is burning is really burning and no water is being applied.

I drove west two blocks and the fire had really grown already.

I drove around again and the smoke almost filled the sky. This fire started two or three miles north of my house, but all of the land between here and there is developed, no open fields with dry brush and grass. The white smoke shows that the firemen have started getting water on the fire. But resources were already stretched beyond what they could handle, so a number of homes burned to the ground before any fire equipment could get in.

I drove down to Palm Drive and Rose Drive the closest major intersection about two blocks from my house and could see the wonderfully clear blue sky to the NE - between the Brea fire and the Yorba Linda/Corona fire.

Yorba Linda/ Corona Fire
This view of the Yorba Linda/Corona fire is looking SE beyond my house - about where Santa Ana Canyon opens up into the riverbed and the 'flat lands'. I took this at the same time I took the first photo at the top of this post.

This was the view as I turned 90 degrees to my right (South).

On the 91 freeway looking east into the mouth of Santa Ana Canyon.

Another view from the 91 Freeway. About a mile further on I transitioned to the Newport Fwy south (55) and followed this pall of smoke all the way to Long Beach. At Corky's house it was somewhat smokey, but downtown LBeach was worse and had started getting ashes. I packed up Corky and headed back to Placentia, as planned.

Just before we left, when it wasn't even sunset, I took this picture over Marine Stadium of the sun trying to shine through the thick smoke.

When we arrived in Placentia the smoke was very thick and the ashes were like snow. I didn't think either Corky or I could breathe that all night - most of my windows are the original forty year old single panes and they let in air, dust, ash and smoke. So, I threw some things in a big basket, grabbed my (always packed) overnight bag and we drove back to LBeach. This morning everything around Corky's house was thick with ashes - both white and black (the kind that carry embers, but not that many miles) it looked as if someone had sprinkle raw rolled oats everywhere. Just going out to do his business (at 4:15am because he refused to do it before we went to bed) made Corky's feet black. I used two wet cloths trying to get all the soot off. Later Corky's daddy cleaned everything with his power sprayer (using less water than a garden hose) and he washed my van which had been sitting out overnight. Nice guy! I drove home alone about 5pm (with a mask on) to see how the smoke and ash were here - didn't seem any worse than LBeach, unless I went outside. So, I am staying home and just not going outside. I had considered driving out to Lake Havasu for a few days, but would rather be home with my computer, projects, food and in my own bed!

The fires are still burning, but the winds from the NE have died down (but might come back) and the fires are burning up into the foothills where there are few structures - a lot of it is public preserve land and completely undeveloped (YET). The firemen are having a chance to at least sit down and have something to eat and maybe a nap before they go out again with strike teams to control hot spots. They are MUCH braver than I am.