Santa Nella to Eugene, OR 04-20-13

Sorry, Friends, I am finally in my motel in Eugene, OR, and it is 10:30pm.  I am way too tired to download pictures or blog or try to fix yesterday's blog - again!   Maybe I'll be able to do it in the morning, but I still have about 500 miles to drive before darkness falls tomorrow, so I don't know when I will do it.

Below is the first picture in yesterday's post along with the caption.


Because of the drought there have not been a lot of wildflowers blooming this year. But I spotted these patches high on the tops of the mountains as I drove the Ridge Route today. They are too far away to identify, but the color makes me think they are California poppies. Click on the picture for an enlargement. I did see quite a lot of wild mustard as I drove further north, but nothing like the fields and fields in a non-drought year. .

Placentia -Santa Nella First day of Road Trip 04-19-13

First day of my Road Trip to Washington state. It was 82F at my house when I left at 1:30pm and even hotter when I drove through Pasadena on the 210 Fwy. I always run my A/C to counteract the air pollution, but today I turned the thermostat down to counteract the heat! However, the traffic wasn't bad, so it only took 5-1/2 hours to Mary and Joe's in San Juan Bautista. Joe came home from the hospital today - he is so happy to be at HOME - and Mary is happy to have him. He is very pale and thin, but is eating better. I was only there for about thirty minutes and then headed back to I-5, I'll stop longer on the return trip in a couple weeks.

Because of the drought there have not been a lot of wildflowers blooming this year. But I spotted these patches high on the tops of the mountains as I drove the Ridge Route today. They are too far away to identify, but the color makes me think they are California poppies. Click on the picture for an enlargement. I did see quite a lot of wild mustard as I drove further north, but nothing like the fields and fields in a non-drought year. .


Then I saw this view. What on Earth? Looks like something wrapped up in tubular plastic packages. The shape reminds me of the TCQC quilts wrapped on stuffies and covered.

 

And then there was this view. What?

Finally a side ways view - they are fruit trees (peaches?) covered with netting. To keep out the birds? The brown post in the middle is a fence post, but there must be fasteners to keep the net on the trees when the wind blows..

Looks like this farmer needs to so some staking or attaching or his net will blow away.

When I drove up into the hills on the winding road to Mary's the llamas were grazing at the "llama farm" along the way.

  

They have quite a herd now - white, beige, brown and multicolored.

They seem very curious and usually look up if I slow down as I drive past. Guess the Aussies would call them "sticky noses" - I like that expression over "nosey".

Two long driving days ahead because I didn't get away on Thursday. I'll stop and walk around every couple hours and, of course, I will have two more motel nights. Tonight I am Holiday Inn Express in Santa Nella - 45 minutes from Mary and Joe. I didn't stay with them because it would just make more work for Mary - laundry and all. And I might just get away early - not my usual "style" - I have set my alarm!

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Road Trip 04-18-13

I'm going on a Road Trip to Washington state - leaving tomorrow and back in about two weeks.  I will post to my blog when I can, maybe even every day.  But sometimes after driving all day I am too tired to do anything but shower and hit the hay. 


This is Mt. Hood in Oregon.  I took the photo when I was there in November 2009.  I felt so fortunate to see the mountain I grew up looking at - whenever it came out of the clouds.  I hope I will see it again on this trip. 
 

Wordless Wednesday - Portals 04-17-13

09-01-08

Is this a California thing?

I was going to post this as a Wordless Wednesday, but I don't know if anyone would understand what it is without an explanation. 


This polka dot house has been insulated by drilling holes in the outside walls and blowing in loose insulation.   After about a week the painters come and repaint the exterior.  I had it done to our house seven or eight years ago and am amazed at how much difference there is in heat retention and how much less the A/C runs in the hot weather.  An added benefit that I had not expected is the deadening of sound.  I know the multi layered windows help with that, but the insulation does more.  I think that houses here are now built with sidewall insulation, but forty years ago they were not.  It was an expensive deal, but the gas company offered a rebate and I probably have saved in utility bills over the years.

Olga Norris, English quilter in TCQC 04-14-13

Here are better views of two of the quilts showed in the group in yesterday's blog.  I added four of Olga's small pieces to the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection last year.  They are so delicate and amazing, I hope you can see her work in person some day. 

"Red Hen" Olga Norris - Hampshire, England 2012 7.5"W x 11"L

www.olganorris.com

Hand dyed silk fabric, silk thread, hand stitched.  This type of stitching is in the style of Kantha work done in Bengal http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kantha but so much more refined and expressive. 

 

Here is a detail. (Don't you think this hen is has a satisfied smile?)  Notice how the hair is stitched to give it a different texture.   The black outline is the under fabric showing between the cut out pieces of silk.  I have tried to think of a name for this technique which is done in slightly different ways by several different artists, notably Terry Grant of Beaverton, OR.  Outlined applique?   Edged applique?  Puzzle applique?  Channel applique?  It is not really reverse applique, a very old layered technique used by the San Blas natives off the coast of Panama.  

The silk back is faced so the back of the work is not visible.
   

"The Crows Story" Olga Norris - Hampshire, England 2012 7.1"W x 7.1"L
Hand dyed silk fabric, silk thread, hand stitched.  Also done in the rows of running stitch and the back fabric creating the black outlines. 

A wonderful crow shape - I wish I could hear his tale.  And a four toed foot!  I am especially attracted to Olga's rendition of hands and feet.
 

Again the back is covered.  And an elegant label with the contact at the very bottom.

I have my eye on another, larger quilt from Olga.  Can you guess which one?

Thinking birds these days

I seem to be on a bird kick right now. I did a program for a local guild and took my folding design board with sixteen quilts and twelve of them depict birds. And I also took some large bird quilts. Maybe it is because there are many birds in the area right now - a number of mockingbirds choosing their territories and singing most of the night, a white-crowned sparrow on the back wall, a house finch nest under the patio roof, a towhee scratching around in the underbrush, hummers investigating the roses, and, of course, crows flap, flap, flapping across the sky.


Top row: "Red Hen" - Olga Norris, "Walk the Line" - Doria Anne Goocher, "Another Collector" - Diane Wright, "The Crow's Story" - Olga Norris, "Kunia IV" - Kristen LaFlamme.
2nd row: "Steller's Jay" - Terry Grant, "Night Owl" - Judith Roderick,
"Taking a Break" - Lynn Welsch
3rd row: "From Above - Crows" - K. Velis Turan, "Yellow Headed Blackbird" - Ruth Powers,  "In the Thicket" - Sonia Gravik
Bottom row:  "Vest Pocket Tour II" - Joan Schulze, "Summer Swim" - Sylvia Einstein, "Lake in the Woods" - Sandra Hart, "Possibilities" - Deborah Boschert, "Oregon Junco" - Terry Grant