Running away from home Part 2 (of 3) 11-05-12

After spending the night in Bishop, and enjoying those HIE cinnamon rolls, I drove up through the mountains to the Bishop Creek campground which is about 8500 feet.  It was our favorite camping and fishing spot and where we camped for the last time in 1989.  I've posted about that trip before:
 http://www.delquilts.blogspot.com/2011/11/memories-in-autumn-11-03-11.html

When I arrived at the campground the gate was closed and locked until next spring - it had closed on Monday, I was there on Wednesday.  After coming so far I decided to hike in to the end of the campground road, so I parked beside the gate, locked my car and started out.  I'm not used to the altitude and I don't normally get much exercise, so I stopped many times to rest on a boulder or a picnic table.  Finally I reached the end of the road, I was sad that most of the aspens near the campsite had been stripped bare by the wind.  But along the creek there were some with their golden garb and I walked along the bank for a bit and rested again on a boulder.  It was so beautiful and the water was rushing by.  I need to get up to the mountains more frequently.   To satisfy my tree hugging heart.

For many years there was only one stop light in Bishop, at West Line Road (Hwy 168), and that still is the intersection where I turn west.  The road eventually leads to Lake Sabrina (9200 ft) where many fishing people from SCalifornia like to go.  On my very first road trip (Los Angeles to Portland, OR.) in 1958 I drove Hwy 395 and made a detour up this road - just to see what was there.  Of course, I didn't know what a large place it would have in the rest of my life! 

It was a gorgeous day with clouds massed over the mountains where there was snow the night before. You can see rabbit brush (also known as chamisa) in the two pictures above.

And here is a close up.  There are many varieties, but I have no idea which this might be
. 

Up and up and up - 20 miles from 4100 feet in Bishop to 8500 feet at the campground.

Fresh snow on the mountains.

At about 8000 Feet the rabbit brush has already bloomed and been frozen - it turns this lovely grey-white.
 

In the valleys the aspen are bright and retaining their leaves, soon the wind and the cold will strip them bare.

The pines in this area are Pinus Ponderosa - the tallest know grows in Oregon and is 268.29 ft.  This one growing along the highway is very tall.  


But not as tall as this one in the Bishop Creek campground - it shelters our favorite campsite at the end of the campground road.
   

 
They have turned the table sideways from what it once was.  I looked for our mark to see if it is the same table - and it is!  They build them well and people seem to take care not to damage them. 

 
The tree has a huge burl that has increased in size over the years.  I've always worried that someone will excise it with a chainsaw to make a table or something. 

 
Looking up to the top of the tree - probably close to 200 feet.

To be continued.....

Friday Feet 11-02-12

One of the nice parts of going to art openings is seeing what the guests are wearing.  Lots of interesting feet at the opening for the Brainstorms exhibit at Visions Art Museum in San Diego. 

 
I have always liked red shoes and once wore them a lot.  These are very stylish, but I doubt I could walk in them.  Color me green!

 
I Googled Tom's Shoes and found out that these are Tom's Red Canvas Women's Strappy Wedges.
I also discovered that for every pair of Tom's shoes you purchase they donate a pair of shoes to a child.  Sounds like a deal to me.

Part 2 of the Bishop trip tomorrow.  
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Running away from home Part 1 (of 3) 11-01-12

Every year I think I will drive up to Bishop, CA., to enjoy the aspen trees when they don their golden leaves and every year something gets in the way.  Or I leave it until too late and winter sets in, stripping the trees and closing the passes over the Sierra.  Last month I decided to just go.  I thought I might drive over the mountains and pick up I-5 south, but the passes were all closed and I didn't feel I could drive up to I-80,  down to Sacramento and then all the way home - adding at least three days to my drive (since there is now a limit to how far I can drive in a day).  So, I was only gone for one night and retraced my route home. 


US 395 is a lonesome road that goes up the east side of the Sierra and is the main route from SCalifornia to the Mammoth ski area and Reno.  It is very much a lonesome road in the middle of the week in October.  The road sign is the turnoff to Randsburg - population 69, elevation 3500feet.   I wonder what people do for a living out here?  

More high desert road.  The yellow bushes on the right are rabbit brush which grows in the high desert between about 3000 to 8000 feet.  They bloom in the fall, adding to the yellow-gold color of autumn in the Sierra.  

The highest mountain in the contiguous states is Mt. Whitney (14,505 ft) located in the Sierra near the town of Lone Pine.  It may be somewhere in this picture!   84.6 miles west-southwest is the lowest point in North America at Badwater in Death Valley National Park at 282 ft below sea level.

The Owens Valley runs between the Sierra on the west and several mountain ranges on the east.  On the right are the White Mountains, home of the Bristlecone pines which are the oldest growing things on Earth.

Sunset in Bishop the night I was there - this is taken looking west from the motel. The mountains are in the lower left.

 
I frequently stay at Holiday Inn Express because I feel safer (reason unknown) and I love the cinnamon rolls they serve hot as part of the breakfast-included (not really "free", huh?).  I have not stayed at the one in Bishop before and will not again unless they can give me a room on the first floor.  There is an elevator, but it is located at one end of the building.  One must walk from the lobby near the west end to the east end of the building, go up the elevator and then walk the hall to one's room.  I took this picture from in front of my door looking back at the elevator at the end of the hall.   I may need the exercise, but I'd like to choose when I want to do it!  This carpet is not bad for a motel carpet - less jarring than most. 

To be continued.

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Wordless Wednesday 10-31-12

 

Another handmade sewing treasure 10-30-12

This little needle folder is 3" wide by 6" long when open.  Folded it is 3" x 2.5".  It was a special gift on my 59 birthday and was handmade by Nancy Ota.  She does such marvelous handwork - tiny stitches when they can even be seen. 

 

 
There are four "pages" to hold needles and pins.

 
And she hand printed a dedication on the last page. 

This is a treasured part of my sewing life and it lives in my sewing box with the other treasures I have shown.

Charlotte Bird quilt in TCQC 10-28-12

This is one of the most recent additions to the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection.  I purchased it from Charlotte when she had a quilt showing and sale at VAM last month.  This is the best I could do for the color, the background is more grey than this, but it looks great either way.   Lichens are all around us, but because they are small we don't notice them.  My house has a stone fireplace and there are lichen still growing on the stones.  When the humidity gets a little high for a length of time the lichens expand - my own little lichen garden indoors. 

 
"Lichen 2"  Charlotte Bird - San Diego, CA.  2012  15" square.
Cotton fabric & batting.  Fused, machine appliqued, machine quilted. Hand embroidered. 

 

 
Hand embroidered French knots scattered in a ring.

 
A nice deep sleeve set back from the edges so the ends of the slat will not be seen.

Nice computer generated label includes a website contact for the artist 
For other posts about Charlotte and her quilts click on her name on the right sidebar.
www.birdworks-fiberarts.com