Road Trip - Almonds 05-03-13

I am home after a rather long day of driving.  Starting out in SJBautista this morning I stopped several times along the way - once to have a little nap!   I do much better on a Road Trip if I stop every two hours or so to walk around, do some stretches, focus my brain on something different.  There was a bit of a detour in my regular route down I-5.  I turned east on Hwy 58, drove through Bakersfield and up into the mountains to Tehachapi where Mabel's daughter lives.  Mabel had collected quite a stack of things for Karen and there has not been a decision about Mabel and Mac driving down for their youngest g'son's high school graduation.  I offered to take everything with me and swing through Tehachapi and pass them on to Karen.  It was a snap and I recognized a lot of changes since the last time I drove that way.  Many more wind turbines, new buildings, and how dry everything is with the low rainfall.  While I was traveling today two brush fires broke out - one near Newbury Park near the coast and one in Glendale - I could smell that one as I drove through the area, but was not anywhere near the actual fire.  The smoke in the air makes a gorgeous sunset, but  there was too much traffic for me to take pictures. 


I pulled off the roadway to take some pictures of almonds. On the south side of the highway there is a tall berm, I don't know what is beyond the berm, but it extends for more than a mile.  
 

On the other side of the road are miles of almond orchards.  Remember when I drove up for Empty Spools I posted pictures of almond trees in full bloom. 
http://www.delquilts.blogspot.com/2013/03/driving-home-from-empty-spools-03-07-13.html
Now the actual almonds are growing fat on the trees, giving them a sort of fuzzy look as they stick out in all directions.
 

The trees are heavy with leaves and almonds.
 

 
I think they are so lovely at this stage of growth - sort of like all white Jordan Almonds.
 

 
Inside the soft outer husk is the familiar hard shell with little pits.

Not much of a post tonight, but I am ready for bed.  Sooo tired.  Sooo glad to be home.

 

Road Trip - Ashland, OR 05-02-13

My first task this morning was fill up with gas before I left Grants Pass.  I do dislike getting gas in Oregon because the state doesn't permit self-serve.  I pull up to the pump, pop open the little cover on my gas tank, open my door to get out and there is a guy standing there.  WHAT?  It always gives me a start.  Then I remember that Oregon wants to provide jobs for people with no skills, so they inflict the public with "pump boys"  ... and girls!  I believe there is one other state with this arcane law - maybe NJersey.  At any rate, I started out with a full tank this morning.

By the time I got down to Ashland I needed a break and a little walk around.  I need to stop about every two hours and move my bones or I can't get out of the car when I arrive at my destination. There is a great quilt shop in Ashland - "Quiltz" - so I stopped to feel some fabric, always a good chance to move around.  Of course, one can't just walk around feeling fabric without buying something, so I whipped out my credit card and supported the economy of Ashland.  I'll post pictures. 

Right outside the door to the shop are several pink dogwood trees in full bloom.  Gorgeous!

 

 

 
I clipped this little twig with three blossoms and did my hole-in-a-water-bottle vase trick.  The bottle lays on my dash with a few exercise squeezers to stabilize it.  I thought I would give this little arrangement to Mary, with whom I am spending the night in SJBautista, but by the time I arrived the flowers and leaves were completely wilted.  Guess that is why I haven't seen dogwood as a cut flower.

It is late and I covered a lot of miles today, so I am off to bed.

Road Trip - Mt. Hood came out 05-01-13

It was a wonderful day and the weather was perfect - look at that cloudless, BLUE sky!
Terry Grant had invited Gerrie Congdon, June Underwood and me to her house for lunch and some Show&Tell.  Unfortunately, June was not feeling well and couldn't make it; instead we were joined by Terry's daughter on a day off from teaching 6th graders.  A lovely salad and homemade bread which was very, very good.  Maybe I'll try bread making again, it has been decades since I did.  Terry showed me her studio, which is even more impressive than the pictures she has posted on her blog and she has work in progress up on her design wall.  She does such great work and I am always interested in how artists go about creating. 

Too soon it was time to leave and I took the route to I-5 that Terry told me about, it was a snap.  I stopped in Sherwood to mail a package and when I was closer to I-5 Mt. Hood popped out of the trees.  And then I couldn't get a good view between trees and trucks and hills, so from I-5 I drove NE on I-205 to the view point I stopped at going north.  I knew I would have an excellent view of "my" mountain from there.  It is miles out of the way I needed to go to head home, but it seemed important to have just a few more pictures. .


My first view before she hid behind trees, trucks and hills.
 

Here is another bit of history from the signs at the view point.  I am surprised that Portland had electric power in 1889.
 

There is the mountain towering in the distance and Willamette Falls at Oregon City in foreground.
 

Not Niagara, but impressive all the same.
 

Pulling the image closer.
 

And even closer.  I am very fond of this mountain which we could see from our front yard when I was growing up.  The movie "The Shining" was filmed on location at Timberline Lodge located on the slope of Mt. Hood.   Nothing to do with anything - just a factoid!

I am in Grants Pass tonight and will drive south tomorrow until I feel I need to stop for the night.  Maybe in the Sacramento area.

Road Trip - Mt Vernon, WA to Beaverton, OR 04-30-13

Time to head South toward home.  It was an uneventful drive from Mt. Vernon to HIE in Tigard, OR, right next door to Beaverton.  Rather cool today, the temperature reading in the car didn't make it to 60F.   Supposed to be warmer here over the weekend, but I'll be home by Sunday and I know it will be HOT there.  I've enjoyed the coolness and the clear skies.


I'd forgotten about the red car phenomena that I noticed when I was up here in August 2011.   I took this picture this morning.  Red car on the far left, one going in the opposite direction, one red car ahead and there was a red pickup next to me.
 

This image is from August 21, 2011.  There is one red car ahead of me and in the rearview mirror are three more!  What is it with Washington car owners? 

http://www.delquilts.blogspot.com/2011/08/i-5-eugene-or-to-chehalis-wa-08-21-11.html

Unlike Indiana, red is not a school color for Washington.

 

 

Before heading south on I-5 I went to Mabel's house to say goodbye.  She and Mac live on the western side of town.  This picture, looking west from their street, shows the fresh snow on the foothills - on the last day of April!  All the white area just about the trees is snow!  the car thermometer showed 48F.
 

This is typical of the landscape and skyscape that I drove through.
 

When I checked in at HIE I was tired and didn't pay attention at first, but the noise finally filtered into my brain.  The light streak in the middle of the picture is I-5 with cars and trucks rushing along.  Too fast for me to snap a picture.

 

But I did catch this fire truck.  That is when I put in my earplugs - I never travel without them and they have saved my sanity many times! 

Feeling "at home" 04-29-13

On Saturday I arrived in Mt Vernon, WA., thinking I could find a motel room easily.  Eighteen months ago when I was here there was nothing available due to a regional little league competition.  But I wasn't worried this time, the tulip festival is over and the weather is still cool - it is only early Spring.  However,  due to a regional Frisbee tournament I couldn't find anything within thirty miles where I was willing to stay, so Mabel and Mac, once again, provided me with a bed for one night.  They were off to church on Sunday morning and I had a leisure hour to get myself together.  We went out to breakfast and Mabel and I talked for the rest of the day - quilts, people, travel, our histories, weather, plants....  well, everything that friends share when they get together for a visit.  Outside it was drizzling, but we didn't notice.  After dinner I checked in to HIE-Burlington, the closest to Mt. Vernon. 


If this were my view out into the backyard I wouldn't get much done - I'd just sit and let the peacefulness soak into my mind and body.  Although my mother's house had no such trees, they were all around in parks and roadsides and neighboring yards.  Now I feel so "grounded" when I look at a view such as this - I feel "at home". 
 

In the front yard there is a tall holly tree which is dropping berries.  Mabel says that the squirrels carry the berries everywhere and bury them.  I've only seen two squirrels here, but there is one black one somewhere around - something I have never seen.
 

Mabel Huseby at friendship group meeting.
This morning we drove up to Bellingham to a meeting of Mabel's friendship group.  There are only four members and I know them all from Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar. 
http://www.emptyspoolsseminars.com/2014program.html

At this meeting they had Show&Tell and shared ideas for borders and bindings on quilts they have almost finished.  A very prolific group, they make fabulous unique quilts. 

In the hostess' yard the rhododendrons are just coming into bloom.  This pink one is outside her front door, but the back yard is lined with rhodies of many different colors - lots of buds so far, but full bloom depends on the weather.
 

 

Tomorrow I head south.  A night in/near Portland and lunch with quilting friends.  Then I'll see how many miles I can cover in a day of driving.  I'll stop to see Mary and Joe in SJBautista, but not spend the night since Joe is still recovering. 

Amazing Mountains 04-28-13

Anytime I drive I-5 through NoCalifornia, Oregon and Washington, I hope to see all of the snow capped mountains.  Mt. Shasta in NoCalifornia was out of her cloud cover and wearing her thick white robes when I drove up.  And now I have seen a few more mountains.  Perhaps I'll catch the rest on the way south.


 I have added Mt. Baker to the sights seen - way off on the mainland.  04-26-13
 

Mt. Baker - My camera is not strong enough to take a clear image at such a distance.  But I think this makes an interesting picture. 04-26-13
 

 
Mt. Baker on another day when the sky was clearer.  The fir trees are just north of Coupeville, WA.  04-26-13
 

On Thursday after the class was over I sat on a bench on the Coupeville waterfront enjoying the view and a scope of ice cream.  In the far distance the snow capped Twin Sisters Mountains.  04-25-13
 

Here is my bench - under a blooming cherry tree.  I can't imagine what the canisters are for.  04-25-13

On Friday I went exploring and from the highway I had a glimpse of the Olympic Mountains off to the west, so I took the next road that went that direction and saw signs indicating a walking trail.  
 

I found a trail head with parking and followed the path toward the water.  04-26-13
 

It turned out I had quite a hike to get a clear view of the Olympics.  In the distance are the mountains on the peninsula.  In the center of the picture is an old block house build in the mid-1800's and an old house of equal vintage.  I wonder if they are replicas, they seem to be in amazing shape for buildings exposed to the elements for over 150 years.   04-26-13
 

The block house is on the right of the picture.  The Olympics in the distance.  04-26-13

I continued north on the highway to Oak Harbor which was very busy getting ready for their Holland Festival this weekend. 

A rather incongruous image with the heavy traffic in the foreground and the tops of the very wild Olympics poking up in the distance.