A Walk in the Park w/Corky + Road2CA pix 01-29-11

Corky is here at Camp Del this weekend.  It has been a long time since he was here Dec 13th.  Of course, I have seen him at his house in Long Beach and his house in Lake Havasu City, AZ.  But it is special when he is here and it is just the two of us. 

  

We walked at Tri-Cities Park yesterday.  As you can tell by the long shadows it was late in the day - four-thirty or later, I think.  I don't know what this lady and her son were serving, but the ducks came running and flying in from all directions.  I thought I could capture their iridescent green heads and the bright orange feet, but no luck.  Corky has never paid the slightest attention to birds of any kind - he just keeps walking, no matter how close they get to us.  Beneath his notice, perhaps?

The lake is very full and the water laps high on the banks.  The park is surrounded on all sides by houses, but in some views, such as this one, we might be out in the wilderness somewhere.  It can be very lovely.  Except for the cormorants up in their favorite trees, moaning and groaning and flapping around - mating time, maybe?

 

Does he look perplexed?  I am the perplexed one.  He sometimes does what I have named his "vaudeville act".  He stands and stares at me until I look at him, then he starts with whining, a bark or two, moaning, sneezing, coughing, shaking his head, grumbling - still standing there, staring at me.  He had his dinner and went out to do business, had his evening meds, a nice back massage and ear rub, and even an extra baby carrot.  He wants SOMETHING, but I don't ever know what it is.  Finally he gives up, jumps in his bed and goes to sleep.  And he will stay there until he wakes me up at 6am and wants to go out NOW.  Actually, I will take him out to piddle before I go to bed - that usually will hold him until six or even six-thirty.  His parents are early to bed, but I am a night owl and rarely retire before midnight.  I've wondered if he just wants me to go to bed, but can't imagine why he cares.  He doesn't like to sleep in a people bed with people in it, always wants to be in his own bed - which ever one is closest to his person of the moment.  I sometimes wish he could talk so I would know what he is getting at, but he would probably be a terribly bossy guy! 

 Road to California has not yet posted the pictures of the 2011 winners.  There are several Blogs with pictures of quilts the Bloggers liked.  I think the best one, because attribution is given on all but one image, is a three part posting.  Check it out:

     http://occasionalpiece.wordpress.com/2011/01/22/road-to-california-2011-part-i/

http://occasionalpiece.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/road-to-california-2011-part-ii/

http://occasionalpiece.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/road-to-california-2011-part-iii/

Friday Feet 01-28-11

How quickly we forget the weather!  Lately on the TV weather reports there has been a lot said about there not being any rain.  How can they forget the deluge we had before Christmas?  This image was taken on January 9th and shows the moss growing in the area by the front porch which doesn't get any sun at all during the darkest days of winter. The moss was extra healthy this year due to all the early rain, but soon the sun will be high enough in the sky to bake the moss into extinction.   My feet wearing my 'house Birks' are on the edge of the stone walk way, also with a lush growth of moss between the stones.

I don't remember where I came across this Wall Street Journal article from May 2009, but I found it interesting and thought some of you would also.  http://tinyurl.com/pwtq44  

 

Sunset and a funny lady 01-27-11

I have been wanting to post these two photos.  I took them when I was driving down into the Los Angeles basin on my return from San Juan Bautista on Jan 16th.   Yes, I was driving, but I don't look through or at the camera when I take this sort of picture.  I just roll down the window and hold the camera out toward what I want a shot of.   Then I watch the road and click away.  I take as many pictures as I can, knowing that most of them will be deleted when I get them in the computer.   So, out of maybe twelve images I had these two good ones.  I don't take pictures when I am in heavy traffic or, for that matter, when a car is in the lanes on either side of me.  I'm careful and don't risk any one's life - so stop worrying!

 

I have seen this video before, but it means more now because I am 72.  Hope you get a laugh.


http://www.caregiverstress.com/2010/07/a-reminder-that-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/

Wordless Wednesday 01-26-11

Visions - the Int'l exhibit in Oceanside 01-25-11

Another trip to Oceanside today with three friends from the Book Group.  Verna and Teresa are quilt makers and Carol is a quilt admirer, so sometime when the exhibit is on we like to go down and talk about quilts and techniques. 

 
The sky was pretty clear as we drove down and the Oceanside Civic Center is as white as always!  This view is looking at the back corner of the museum building. I didn't notice the flag on the left side center, too bad the wind wasn't in a different direction.

 
Right now the Bird of Paradise flowers are everywhere, they are a great addition to the winter landscape.  The camellias are starting to bloom, but I got sidetracked and didn't take a picture.

It was very nice to look at the quilts without the crowd that was there on Saturday, but I missed Charlotte Bird's comments on the quilts.  I wish I had been able to tape them to go over in the peace and quiet of home.  But I know a number of the artists' work and am familiar with many different techniques, so I gave a pretty thorough spiel.   Two ladies, neither of them quilt makers, joined us here and there and seemed to enjoy seeing the exhibit.

Afterward it was a toss-up between Sammy's Wood-Fired Pizza a few miles south on I-5 or Ramos House Cafe in San Juan Capistrano for lunch.  They insisted I make the choice, so we went to Ramos House.  It was delicious, as always.  One of us ordered the sweet potato fries and I almost ripped them off her plate - yummy.  We all enjoyed the meal and the visit and the rustic atmosphere.  Where there was a small parking lot there is now a small park, so it is imperative that one park in the two level garage on the opposite side of the RR tracks.  I forgot and had to make a circuitous trip back to park after dropping the others off at the restaurant.    And then the drive home as the rush hour(s) traffic was starting.  Nice to have three carpool buddies to allow driving in the reserved lane.   Lovely day. Lovely company. Lovely lunch.  Thanks, my friends, it was a treat.

Miscellaneous 01-24-11

When I cannot sleep I try to do something repetitious to make me drowsy.  As much as I love "Cats in Sinks" it can be boring at times, but the cats are cute.  http://catsinsinks.com/
Here are a couple new feel good cat stories I found earlier today: 

http://www.pawnation.com/2011/01/13/funny-cat-video-meesha-the-cat-hugs-teddy-bear/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl5%7Csec3_lnk2%7C195469

http://www.pawnation.com/2011/01/24/cat-that-never-leaves-its-tree-has-found-a-good-home-and-owner/?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl6%7Csec3_lnk2%7C197061

"Tillamook Rooster" by Terry Grant 01-23-11

At the Studio Art Quilt Associates 2010 online auction in October I purchased six of the quilts, but I have only posted half of them.  I definitely need to spend some time on the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection records and files to be sure everything is up to date.


"Tillamook Rooster"  Terry Grant - Beaverton, OR  2010 12" X 12"
Cotton Fabrics.  Raw edge machine applique, machine quilting.

Tillamook on the coast of Oregon is a place dear to my heart, with fond memories of visits when I was a child.  I don't remember any chickens from those trips, just the Pacific Ocean, cows and cheese!   Terry is a versatile quilt maker who is inspired by the many things she sees in her life and her travels - there are a number of her quilts in the Collection and I'm sure there will be more in the future.  Read Terry's Blog at  http://andsewitgoes.blogspot.com/

Monday - 01-24-11  Terry sent some more information about this quilt:
I saw this chicken at the Blue Heron Cheese company, a smaller cheese company than the Tillamook Cheese place, but very near it and the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center. They make excellent blue cheese. The lunches at the Blue Heron are good and there are beautiful chickens and other animals wandering around the grounds.

Visions Gallery/Museum + Visions - the Int'l Exhibit 01-22-11

Liz Williams went with me today to San Diego to the Visions Art Museum (previously named Visions Art Quilt Gallery), to see the exhibit "The Art of the Stitch" which closes tomorrow.  There are some very nice quilts in the exhibit and several additional pieces on display in different areas.  Photographs are not allowed in the gallery. 
A new exhibit will open February 4th (through April 17th) with quilts by Dominie Nash and Jeanne Lyons Butler.

We had lunch diagonally across the intersection at "Con Pane" which was excellent.  And so close to the Visions Quilt Museum - the pink building at center back with the arched door.

 
It was quite warm for San Diego in January so we sat outside under the luscious red umbrellas.  Liz is here in the front left.  At a table not in this picture a woman and husband were eating and their Toyota was parked about ten cars down the block.  The planes from San Diego airport go directly over the restaurant with a great thunderous noise and, every now and then, one would have just the right tone to set off the Toyota's alarm.  At first the husband would walk out on the sidewalk, advancing and clicking the remote until the Toyota shut up.  But after a while he would just wait it out - as would we all.  It was like a bit from a romantic movie.

After lunch we drove back north to the Oceanside Museum of Art for a special gallery walk through "Quilt Visions 2010: No Boundaries "with Charlotte Bird, President of the Visions Art Museum in San Diego. Charlotte has headed a number of the International Visions exhibits held at Oceanside Museum of Art. Because she knows many of the artists and the entire 25 year history of Quilt Visions she has many insights to share, so it was an interesting afternoon. There was a great crowd there, though we sometimes  couldn't see the quilt Charlotte was standing next to, her voice could be heard throughout the gallery. I had my catalog and could look at the picture of the quilt while I listened.

Usually no pictures are allowed in the galleries, but there were several people taking pictures and I thought a special exception was being made for this event.  Wrong!  I took these two images and someone told me no pictures were permitted.  Charlotte Bird is on the left and Jane LaFazio (San Diego, CA) on the right speaking about her quilt "Zen Eucalyptus" (Hand-made felt, dyed cotton batting, paint, embroidery threads.  Hand sewn, needle felted, hand dyed.)

 

Passing the mike back to Jane on the right and from Charlotte on the left.  Several artists were there and spoke about their quilts which are in the exhibit. 

 This exhibit continues through March 13th - see it if you possibly can.  It does not travel.