A Rose is a Rose 01-17-09

I know the name of this rose, but I can't find it in my head and the gardener has cut the tag off. And I know I wrote it down somewhere, but I can't remember that either.

It was here when we moved in and the point of showing it is that it is a gorgeous rose. The fragrance is strong and intoxicating, the blooms huge and the color very pleasing. The two minuses are weak stems on the flowers and not a lot of blooms. This image gives the true color in full bloom.

Here is a different bloom that is past its prime, but it is one of the larger ones. The outer petals have started to fade, while the center is still pink.

I thought I could show the size of the blossom with my hand as 'ruler', but my hand could be any size. Right?

Here is the same blossom with a yardstick behind it. 6+"!

And the deep heart of the rose.

Quilt Visions - 2008 01-16-09

I drove to San Diego today with a stop to visit Quilt Visions at the Oceanside Museum of Art. What gorgeous quilts! The two quilts below I like very much and neither is for sale.

"Spring" Eun-Ryoung Choi - Seoul, Korea 72"W x 58"L Cotton, poly-gauze. Hand painted, snippets, machine applique and quilting

"Pirouette 4" Karin Franzen Fairbanks, Alaska 41"W x 49"L Silk organza, used clothing, wool, silk, cotton, linen, rayon, oil pastel rubbing and Lumiere paint.
http://www.karinfranzen.com/wp/2008/expressions-the-art-quilt/

And a detail. If you are thinking that Visions doesn't allow photos, you are right. I cheated!

I continued driving south to San Diego to attend the opening of the newest exhibit at Visions Art Quilt Gallery. They are showing quilts made by quilt makers who have juried one of the Visions exhibits. Some quite wonderful quilts there also. I especially like Judith Content's work - I don't have one of her quilts, but I have one of her scarves. I hang it on the long, narrow wall in the hallway. And I do wear it sometimes, but I enjoy it as if it were part of TCQC - on the wall.

A few of her quilts are at: http://www.art-is-life.com/quilts7.htm

Another tree..... 01-15-09

...murder in my neighborhood! There was a lovely thirty year old Flowering Pear tree in this front yard. Yesterday the tree and all of the landscape plants came down. Maybe they are going to xeriscape.

On the far left is a Coast Redwood in Mark-to-the-South's** yard. And next back is his lemon tree which supplies me with more lemons than I can find uses for. I don't think he uses them at all. Behind this house you can see the tops of the trees in the park - mostly redwood and deodar. All the trees are suffering from the drought and two of the crepe myrtle street trees are completely dead. The poor trees have as hard a time as the birds and animals.

** My neighbor on the north is also named Mark, but he isn't as nice as "Mark-to-the-South".

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith, economist (1908-2006)

Postless 01-14-08

Nothing much is happening with me lately. I did get a haircut yesterday - whoopee! I always put it off until my head is really shaggy. I hate getting a haircut. Then I did the usual errands - P.O., drugstore, market, vitamin store, etc. Thought I might have the van washed but it was so hot I didn't want to wait in the heat. Maybe tomorrow.

What a dull life I lead! However, I have been sewing a bit and hope to have something to show you later this week.

Remember that Road to California at the Ontario Convention Center runs from Thursday through Sunday this week.

Quilt returns 01-13-09

"Live Oaks II" Del Thomas 2006 24.50"W x 18.75"L

This quilt has been part of "Altered Views" a traveling exhibit of the Kansas Art Quilters. It has been gone for several years and returned home a few days ago. My usual experience when I send a quilt that I am not entirely happy with for exhibit and it returns after an extended period, I open the box and think, "Wow, that isn't bad." I find that I like it after all. Not so with this one. I can't think of what is wrong with it, perhaps it is the hand stitched 'shading' on the tree. I may come up with a solution, or I may not. Meanwhile I have hung it where I see it several times a day - maybe I will be inspired.

While many of you are suffering from subzero weather, SCalifornia is having a heat wave. It was 71F at 7am this morning. This is caused by the Santa Ana winds which have been howling for four or five days. Some gusts up to 70mph, which may be why I thought a few times the whole house was shaking. Fortunately, no fires although fire warnings have been posted in Ventura County and Los Angeles County. Keep good thoughts for us - we can't afford to fight wildfires, so early in the year and without a state budget in sight.

The biggest moon 01-12-09

Here is the moon on January 8th, just past sundown. I read a report that this moon would be larger than any other this year - it has to do with the way the earth and moon and sun relate at different times in their phases. Of course, in this picture it just looks like any old moon! Click to enlarge

The Chinaberry trees are in full 'berry' right now. This one is in a backyard that belongs to someone I don't know, so no closeups.

I'm sure I had seen hundreds (at least) of Chinaberry trees before I knew what they were. They are originally from northern India, China and the Himalayas, and were brought to the Americas in the mid-1800s. I learned their name in SCarolina where they are grown as shade trees and reportedly bring good luck to the home. The leaves are a shiny dark green and very dense, the trunk twists as it grows. And then there are the thousands of tan berries that last well into winter, after every leaf has fallen. Unfortunately, every part of the tree is highly poisonous. It reseeds rapidly and is considered an agricultural and wildlife hazard in a number of states. I've long thought of doing a Chinaberry quilt, but haven't found a way to make the berries satisfactorily. One of these days.

http://www.floridata.com/ref/M/meli_aze.cfm

This week's TCQC quilt 01-11-09

"Minstrel" Sylvia Einstein 2004 37"W x 38"L

Sylvia Einstein's style is all her own. With her eye for pattern in fabrics and her expertise working with block designs, her quilts are exuberant and full of motion. Her work has been shown on four continents and appeared in many prestigious exhibits, including Quilt National and Visions.

I purchased this quilt directly from Sylvia in 2005. I was attracted by the joy and motion which make me feel like dancing. The juxtaposition of the bright fabric in curved shapes and the rigid back and white stripes set at an angle contribute to the feeling of movement. The colorful center, against the wild black and white prints, resembles a garment waving in the wind.

The title is based on a song in Gilbert and Sullivan's "Mikado":

A wandering minstrel I --

A thing of shreds and patches,

Of ballads, songs and snatches,

And dreamy lullaby!

See more of Sylvia's work on her website: http://www.sheinstein.addr.com/