Tea at "Paris in a Cup" 06-19-10

The Book Group I have belonged to for decades went to afternoon tea today - the first time in several years. It just takes someone to set a date and make a reservation - it was my turn and I found this lovely tea room in Orange, CA, "Paris in a Cup" ( http://www.parisinacupteasalon.com/home ) almost directly across the street from one we went to long ago and it turns out that the same ladies own this new place. We had a great time today.

There was a sign "Max Occupancy 48" and that is really squeezing in the tables. We had a separate area for the seven of us with the Eiffel Tower in the background. I took this picture after we had eaten.

I sat at the end of one side beside this French door looking into the main part of the room.

Here is more of the room with all the ladies (and two gents) dressed special for tea. There were a couple young women in costume - sort of the rabbit's tea party in Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass.

Here are six of us - Marlita, Ann, Carol, Nancy, Verna, Teresa. Kathy is in Maine this week.

Here is a shot with me, Marlita and Ann. Teresa was an obliging stand-in photographer.

The seven of us chose five different plates - some with soup. This was the roasted red pepper soup with "Paris" inscribed in Creme Provence which came with a few crackers and a croissant with chicken salad filling.

I had the Baked Potato soup with a rectangular turkey sandwich, one shaped like a flower with creme Provence and a cucumber slice and a croissant filled with yummy chicken salad.

Various little cakes and cookies were served - a tiny lemon tart, a three stack chocolate cake, lovely colorful traditional French macarons . I had a meringue escargot on my plate but no orchid!

There were two versions of this spout drip stopper ("anti-dripper"?), the lemon slice and also a lady bug in red. the outer ring is some sort of hard material and glued to that the inner ring which is like a 'scrunchy' that kids wear in their hair. It has elastic inside to hold it tightly to the spout. Clever - and they sell them in the shop for about four dollars.

The shop is full of lovely and funny things. I was so busy looking that I didn't take a single picture. I was especially taken with salt/pepper shakers shaped like poodles - one white, one black - that had magnets in their noses so the could kiss. Aw-w-w-w-w!

Testing 1,2,3 and more! 06-16-10

I sometimes worry about how senile I am getting to be. My doctor tells me to stop thinking about it and I have read the statement "If you think you have Alzheimer's - you don't." There are a number of sites where one can test oneself - and, I suppose, if I can test myself I must have enought little grey cells left to function in every day life. Here are some tests that I have received and enjoyed doing. I'm saving them to try again next time I start worrying!

http://www.faceblind.org/facetests/index.php

http://www.cramersweeney.com/smiq.html

If you guess wrong on these questions they give you the answer.

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Wordless Wednesday 06-16-10

Oddities 06-15-10

Life is full of strange quirks and oddities. I frequently see strange signs or billboards that pose a quandary in my mind. Years ago, whilst driving across Quebec, I kept seeing handwritten signs in French and wondered what they said - for sale? lost dog? room for rent? No. I eventually learned they said "Worms for sale". Lots of fishing up there, I guess. I recently saw a billboard advert for an airline that said, "Fly like a who's who, Pay like a who's that." Huh? Didn't catch the name of the airline.

I bought the Lexus on April Fool's Day 2009 - maybe this is the April Fool's joke. Sometimes when I took a disc out of the DVD player (I've never had one previously) I would hear these little children's voices, rather faint. I didn't hear them all the time, but I knew they were the same voices. On the way home from Mary's I put in a Patsy Cline disc and nothing happened - no music - and when I tried to eject it, it wouldn't eject. So, yesterday I visited my favorite garage to see if they had any suggestions. As Ron was looking at the manual a guy came in with his car and walked over. Upon hearing the problem of the children's voices he said, "how about the DVD player in the backseat?" - my brain asked "there's a player in the backseat?". Sure 'nuff there is a player and this disc was inside. Out with the children's voices. The problem with the player in the front is not solved, but I have discovered that if I turn off the ignition and turn it on again the disc will eject. Ron says I will have to visit the (hated) dealer - maybe not, maybe I will just keep turning the key off and on. Might be tricky given how much I hate to pull over even for pictures. No clutch to pop, either.

Whoa - is this ever a strange sight!! I was driving from Mary's east to I-5 when I thought I saw a horse in a utility trailer. Naaaah, can't be. But, just to be sure, I was pushing the limit trying to get in position for a picture. Not a very good picture, but it proves that there WAS a horse in a utility trailer.... a fake horse, thank heaven. His tail was some sort of fiber so it waved in the breeze, making the horse seem even more real.

Yuccas in bloom along I-5 06-14-10

The yuccas are still blooming along the Ridge Route - they start blooming at lower altitudes and work their way up as the weather warms. I don't know which variety these are - there are 49 species and 24 subspecies in the USA.

There are many common names - Spanish Dagger, Candles of the Lord, etc.

The flower stalk comes up from the middle of the whorl of sharp, narrow leaves and can grow up to ten feet in some climate zones. They are very hardy, enduring temperatures from blazing desert to freezing snow storms.

Ruth Powers quilt on my blog 06-13-10

"Don't Piss Off the Fairies" Ruth Powers 2008 12" square

This was one of the SAQA one-foot square auction quilts in 2009. I am so happy that I was able to add it to the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection. Besides the priceless look on this fairy's face, Ruth Powers technical skills are outstanding. I've posted some details below, showing her fabulous quilting. She does teach for guilds around the USA and has been to England and Wales on a teaching trip, so if you are looking for a great FMQ teacher give her a shout!
www.ruthpowersartquilts.com

I love the little flower Ruth stitched on the right center here - like a violet calla lily.

Green and blue, divided by aqua - this side could also be a quilt.

This is part of a wing - so elegant.

Ruth recently sold her quilt "Spring Burning" and I am so happy - not just for her, but for the buyer who will be able to look at it every day. If that person had not purchased it I would have been forced to come up with the money myself! But I keep having this little voice in my head saying "you can't have every quilt you covet". I think that must be my financial advisor 8>)))