Keep on Truckin' 12-12-09

So many different shapes and sizes of trucks carrying so many different commodities travel our highways - I am always intrigued by them.

This truck in northern California is hauling shredded wood from a lumber mill, perhaps it is going to a paper mill or will be used somewhere as mulch. I remember when I was growing up in Portland during the war, and after, we burned sawdust in our furnace. The cheapest fuel at that time and easily obtained. A large truck would deliver it through a chute into the basement which had partitions to form a sawdust "room" for storage.

Only five logs on this truck, because of their size. But they are really pikers. The common load in the 40s and 50s was two or three logs. And frequently only one huge log was all the truck could haul. They were still cutting old growth forest back then.

This is a more common load these days.

Haven't any idea what these huge black pillows were carrying. They wiggled, so I suppose it was some sort of liquid. The signs on the truck gave no indication.

Highway construction markers make a colorful load. Unfortunately the traffic was stopped all the way across Hwy 210East due to an accident immediately ahead. I was the second car back, behind a big SUV, so I didn't have to look at the accident scene. After about twenty minutes, while I read my book, the CHP started the traffic moving again. I didn't look to see what had happened. I am always so afraid that the" looky-lous" are so busy looking they will run into me, so I watch the traffic. This was one of five accidents I saw on Monday, surely the worst.

A Portland Memory 12-10-09

Growing up in Portland in the 40s and 50s I suppose I thought that all cities had public drinking fountains. I remember being surprised as a teenager that it was not so. This fountain is in the Milwaukee district (right outside a Starbucks) and may be one of the originals. The water was very tasty, I'm not sure I would drink water from a fountain in any old city - but it seems natural in Portland.

I brought one thing back from my recent visit - a cold! It started with a sniffle on the drive home and gradually turned into a full blown head cold. So far it has not turned into bronchitis and I am hopeful it won't. I saw Dr. Debin yesterday morning for a regular med check - she examined me and said that what I have is not contagious at this time. I hope that holds true for today because I went to the Book Group dinner (just once a year at Xmas time) and would hate to think I exposed them all to this misery. And I am miserable - cough, sneeze, snort, choke, blow, drip.... well, we are all familiar with the symptoms. I am trying to rest in bed, drink lots of fluids, keep warm and all that stuff. Hope I am feeling better tomorrow so I can work on some pictures in Picasa. And maybe do my laundry!

Wordless Wednesday 12-09-09

Surfside QGuild December Fest 12-08-09

Today's meeting of the Surfside Quilters Guild was our first big fundraiser. Since we are such a new guild (May 2009) we need to put some 'cushion' in the treasury and I think we did today. More than half of the members attended today's meeting/live auction/silent auction/raffle (sort of a Chinese auction). They enjoyed the abundance of food, Christmas music from a piano playing member and having time to just visit. We hope to make this an annual event.

Our meetings are at the San Clemente Presbyterian Church which has a sort of terrace in front with this great view of the ocean. The day was beautiful if a little on the cool side -50 max.

My friend Liz Williams drove down with me and pitched in to help wherever she could. One of my responsibilities is taking pictures to use in the newsletter, but my old camera did not want to flash, although I charged the battery all night last night. So, the pictures are somewhat blurry and have the yellow cast that comes with low light.

We had wonderful food - savory and sweet. The hospitality ladies did a fabulous job and were going to take the many leftovers to a place that can use them.

I only bid on one auction piece - Nancy Ota's "Sea Leaves", which you can see on this page of the album of all the live auction pieces. http://tinyurl.com/yzqlel7 Since I was willing to go as high as necessary I brought it home with me! The latest addition to the TCQC.

Rain - Snow - Home 12-07-09

The first big storm of the rainy season and I must drive home from San Juan Bautista. It was very wet - rain or snow all day, fortunately traffic was light all the way. I left Mary's house not long after 7am and my first stop was Santa Nella for a decaf, grande latte! I almost always stop there on the way home and some of the baristas even remember my name!

Several of these pictures have windshield wipers in them and most show the crack in my windshield, that silver 'snake' across the bottom. If I had replaced the glass immediately after it happened it would have been done BEFORE I drove 2000+ miles, but I didn't and the crack progressed a little each day. I might be able to have it fixed on Thursday!

Here is Starbucks in the middle of the picture, Santa Nella seems to exist to service the travelers on I-5. There is no market that I have seen - mostly just gas stations and restaurants of the fast food variety.
Bleak is the only word to describe the day and the landscape. You see no cars or trucks, not even behind me, traffic was just that light.

After a few hours there was a break in the clouds and I thought the storm might be gone before I arrived at the mountains (the Ridge Route/Grapevine). But it kept on raining.

The vineyards were all different colors, I like these red ones.

I arrive at the foot of the mountains and it is still raining.

Porta-Potties being moved isn't unusual, but there were about six truck/trailer loads going south and each held 22 potties. I think they might be in preparation for the New Year's Day Rose Parade. There are usually great rows of them, especially at the after parade display of the floats.

Going over the 4000 foot level. Snow is falling, but everything is so wet and the flakes just dissolve when they touch something. I'm so glad! Ruth McDowell taught me how to drive in snow, which I have been forced to do several times in the last decade, and I always send a blessing her way when those flakes start to fall.

The snow is sticking on the bare earth, but still not to the pavement or the vehicles. I really lucked out with the weather this time. I stopped for another latte and something to eat, stopped at Trader Joe's for milk and spinach (for the lovely soup that Mary sent home with me) and arrived home just before 3pm. Considering the weather and the number of stops I made that is really good time. In good weather and no stops I can make it in 5-1/2 hours, but I do always have to stop at least once.

Tomorrow is the December Fest, Surfside Quilters Guild's first fundraising event. I hope it will go well. It certainly seems to be well organized.

Aunt Dorothy still lingers. I have talked to her daughter every day and she says Dorothy can no longer talk on the phone and will hardly open her eyes. I'm so glad that I made the trip before she was comatose. Other than my sister, Dorothy is the only person I have always known - everyone else has died, so now my sister and I will be the older generation. Feels odd.

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Quilt by Angie Hodapp posted 12-06-09

Quilt Auctions always get my attention, especially online auctions to benefit a cause, or an organization, that I wish to support. Alliance for American Quilts, Studio Art Quilt Associates, Virginia Quilt Museum are among those organizations I support. The 2009 Alliance quilt auction occurred a few months ago. See all the quilts in the auction http://www.allianceforamericanquilts.org/projects/galleries/My%20Quilts/Our%20History/gallery/

"Spreading My Wings" Angie Hodapp - Lakewood, Colorado - 2009 15"W X 15"H Fusible applique, free-motion quilting, decorative machine stitching, hand embroidery

Angie's statement about this quilt: My sister and brother are both very talented artists, and as the youngest, I always wanted to be like them. It wasn't until I started quilting that I found my medium. Quilting came naturally to me, and whether I am making a traditional quilt or a contemporary art quilt, it has truly allowed me to spread my wings.

This detail shows some of Angie's hand embroidery.

This detail shows Angie's machine quilting and the original use of decorative machine quilting.

Why did I choose this quilt? I like the circular design placed inside a square, the symmetry of the lower portion, and the asymmetry of the top portion, the color, the crisp look of the edges, and the use of the multicolored thread for the machine embroidery on the binding.

I found this item about Angie on the Quilters Newsletter Magazine website:

Angie Hodapp - Editor-in-Chief - I grew up in a house where a needle, a pincushion, a button, a spool of thread, a crochet hook, a skein of yarn, a scrap of fabric, or a pair of scissors was always within arm's reach. My mom taught me to use here sewing machine when I was only five - although I wasn't allowed to use the rotary cutter until I was much older - and gave me free rein to stitch whatever little projects I could imagine. It wasn't until I was out on my own that I made my first quilt, but once I started quilting, I didn't look back. While traditional patchwork and reproduction fabrics are my first loves, I have a great appreciation for the innovative quilts of today's contemporary fiber artists and I also enjoy experimenting with paint, dye, embroidery and other surface-design techniques.