I see the Moon..... 08-20-10

I've never had the right equipment to take pictures of the moon, but it hasn't stopped me from trying. I rather like this funky image of the moon and a planet/star (?) off to the right which was taken from my patio here in September 2005 - the lights to the right and the bottom are the street lights in the patio homes behind the house which are about 15 feet lower than the patio. Even an attempt to stabilize the camera against a post holding up the patio cover was not adequate.

Someone recently sent me these pictures by a man who has created pictures of the moon with a different outlook:

http://static.iftk.com.br/mt/2008/08/playing_with_the_moon_20_pics.html

This is the photographer: http://www.laurentlavender.com/galerie_nuit.html

Dancing flower and more miscellaneous 08-19-10

I parked in the lot at the ATM and was filling out a deposit slip. I looked up at the truck parked nose to nose with me and there was this little flower dancing away on the dashboard. It was very hot, was I hallucinating? I decided it must have a solar cell that provided the movement. Have you seen something like this?

I Googled around to see if I could find the report I mentioned on Tuesday - the one I heard described on the radio, but this is as close as I could find. So, the only thing I remembered correctly was "cursive writing"! Guess my mind is further gone than I thought. I do think the entire questionnaire is fascinating and hard to believe; I suppose it is my 'advancing maturity'.

http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2014.php

Wordless Wednesday - Weeks like this 08-18-10

Miscellaneous Stuff 08-17-10

Surfside Quilters Guild Board Meeting today - in San Clemente. For a change it was an easy drive and I had a few minutes to stop at Starbuck's for a latte-to-go. The drive is usually more than an hour, but only about 50 minutes this morning. Who knows what delays lurk......?

I didn't take any pictures today and after returning home I was busy on the computer with things for the newsletter. I am hoping to have it finished early and devote some time to making quilts! I have only made one this year and it was very small. Lots of ideas, but, unfortunately, before I can sew anything I must clear off my work table to make space for cutting. Funny how stuff piles up, isn't it? One thing I would like to do is cut some fabric to make pillowcases for the "Million Pillowcases" project sponsored by American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/millionpillowcases/index.html Stashbusters, a philanthropic group from Surfside QGuild, is meeting next week to sew pillowcases and I thought if I had them cut out beforehand I could sew them up whilst visiting with other guild members. Heaven knows I have enough fabric!

I enjoyed this item on the Lemondrop website: http://www.lemondrop.com/2010/08/06/twelve-words-you-didnt-know-youre-mispronouncing/?icid=mainhtmlws-main-ndl5link3http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lemondrop.com%2F2010%2F08%2F06%2Ftwelve-words-you-didnt-know-youre-mispronouncing%2F
Although correct pronunciation is going the way of correct spelling online, I still try to get it right. Today I heard a radio report on a recent survey of kids' computer use that gave a figure for the percentage of children who cannot write in cursive. I've Googled a bit to see if I could find it, but no luck. It was an amazing figure - maybe 40 or 50%. I admit that my handwriting has steadily deteriorated in the past few years, which I attribute to using the computer so much. About the only things I actually write in cursive are my signature on checks and notes to myself, which only I need to be able to decipher! I hated typing in high school and only had a B in the class. A black mark indeed!! I have found that, for me, it is like riding a bicycle or swimming - it all comes back when you have to do it again. June Calendar has an interesting post about the QWERTY keyboard on her blog - see the link list at right.
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Corky's gone home (alive and well!) 08-16-10

Corky's parents returned from the wedding event at Lake Arrowhead today while Corky accompanied me to physical therapy. He is always the perfectly trained dog, laying in his stroller staring at everyone in sight. He never says a word, but waits patiently for me to finish. Then we have a walk around the parking lot and drive home to Long Beach.

He has a new 'trick', but I don't know what it means. He lays/sits on this box of UFOs in the window that looks out on the porch - that way he can keep track of any threats! I have always kept a piece of shelf lining to reduce the slipperiness as he jumps up. During this stay at Camp Del he would reach up and pull it off before he jumped up. Too rough? Too white? Too hot? Maybe I need to make a nice cushion to fit the top, might make his 'perch' more comfortable. Nothing is too much for the Poodle Prince!

Summer temperatures have finally arrived - for a few days anyway. This is "monsoon" season in SCalifornia. In August the moisture comes up from the Gulf and Mexico bringing lofty clouds into the desert areas and mountains, along with higher humidity and sometimes (surprisingly) even light rain showers.

The clouds towering behind the mountain ranges are a warning of flash floods and lightning strikes that could start fires. This anvil shaped pile also appeared on the TV weatherman's 11 o'clock report tonight, but that photographer was a lot closer to it than I was. I like the row of palms offsetting the height of the cloud formation.

This cloud pile is further west, just behind Saddleback Peak, which is in Orange County. It is hard to time pictures when driving - this truck snuck in and I had to take three shots before he was not blocking the view.

Nancy Morgan quilt from Visions Challenge 08-15-10

This is the third (of three) 12x12 quilts I purchased at the Visions Art Quilt Gallery this summer. When I checked online for "Nancy Morgan", I discovered there a quite a few people by that name and several of them are quiltmakers. This Nancy Morgan has lived her entire life in Maine and much of her work expresses the sights she sees.

"Night Bloom" Nancy Morgan (Maine) 12" x 12"

This is the picture Nancy sent to me and I include it so you can see the true color of this wonderful flower.

The pictures I took came out with a strong blue tone. If you click on the pictures you can see the very fine stipple quilting in the background. I didn't include an image of the back - it is plain black and smooth (the stitching doesn't show on the back).

Nancy explains her technique: "Fabric is layered, stitched on a sewing machine using the free motion technique, and the excess fabric is cut away for each element of the piece. Thread and tulle are then used as shading or accent."

You can see more of Nancy's work on her website: www.nancymorganart.com