Miscellaneous 10-26-19

It has been one of those days when I did a million different things and don't seem to have accomplished much.  I have been working on clearing off my ironing table so I can work on a larger quilt and finally finished that today.  I needed to find a backing for the quilt so got into my shelf of large pieces suitable for backing, although I frequently piece the back in an interesting way, this one calls for just a one piece back. When I started pulling the large pieces of folded fabric out the shelf came down, dumping everything on my feet and the carpet.  I fixed the shelf and proceeded putting the fabric back (Why don't I donate some of this to Philanthropy?), and found a fabric to use.  

All shelves but this one are devoted to TCQC quilts, either flat or rolled.  

Don't know why the transfer from camera to blog washes out the color.  These birds are brilliant red, blue yellow.  I've redone the picture four times with no effect.  But, anyway, this is the fabric for the back of the quilt. 

Another faded image - sorry. 

One of our neighbors added this to their porch today. 

I had to leave KoKo on the sidewalk so I could take a picture - he was afraid of it.

Here is a KoKo closeup.  He needs a trip to the groomer this next week.  

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Friday Food 10-25-19

Last weekend while I was in San Diego I went to dinner with my friend Beth and, of course, we hit our favorite spot, Ikiru at Liberty Station.  Their food is so fresh and so tasty and very beautiful!  We have our favorites, but this time we ordered from the specials for October menu.  And we now have another favorite!  

This is it!  Called "Poke Island", it is just a small poke bowl served "free standing".  Exquisite!

We also indulged in one of our standards - "Orange Crush" which has slices of lemon between the pieces of sushi.  Not exotic, but very good. 

We also had the top two items which were delicious, but not very photogenic.  If you like squid and octopus you would enjoy these small servings that are very tasty. 

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Autumn pictures 10-24-19

Guess my neighbors are not so into Halloween this year.

At least this guy is whole - as a skeleton can be.  

Sweet gum (Liquidamber)  leaves on blue fabric.  

On this day in 2012 I was at Bishop Creek on the east slope of the Sierra where my husband and I loved to go camping, fishing, and hiking. 

The aspen tress are amazing. 

And there are towering Jeffrey pines to provide contrast. 

 Bishop Creek was not very full, less so than in years when we have lots of rain. 

It is a beautiful, peaceful area and I think I will schedule a trip up for next autumn.  

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Wordless Wednesday 10-23-19

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Trees 10-22-19

The melaleuca tree is blooming in the front of the house.  The blossoms smell like baking potatoes!

We planted a three trunk tree in about 1987 and it has grown well.  Some years ago a strong wind storm took down one of the trunks and the tree "surgeon" wired the remaining two to support each other.  However, the large one has grown out over my neighbors driveway and we worry about it coming down on the pickup truck he parks there.  Soooo, I will have it taken out this Fall.  I will miss it, but I don't want to have to buy him a new pickup!  

One thing that attracted me to the tree (besides the baking potato fragrance) was the shaggy bark that peels in layers with new bark growing beneath the old bark.  Lovely. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaleuca

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Returning from San Diego 10-21-19

Driving down to San Diego on Saturday was a struggle (3 hours), but driving back (also 3 hours) wasn't half bad.  There was an accident on I-5 somewhere around Leucadia and the GPS that I use (WAZE) routed me off the Interstate onto the old Pacific Coast Highway which runs right along the shore and through several small beach towns.  It was very interesting, I doubt that I have driven that stretch of road for over 35 years, and in some ways it is the same.  But in other ways, like wider roadways and multiple traffic signals and more condos, it is the same after all these years.  I think I will spend an extra day on a San Diego trip and take PCH as far as I can.  

Here are some pictures along the way and you can see the ocean.   It is, of course, off to the left. 

There were palm trees,

and bicyclists,

and some two-lane stretches.

Here there were new condos/apts on the inland side and it seemed the highway was lower than the ocean here, hence the high berm. 

This bunch of houses with their lush palm plantings have been here for many years. 

There are some serious light posts.  See the ocean on the horizon.

And more ocean.  It is a long way to another trace of land.

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In

In San Diego tonight.  I drove down this afternoon (three hours) to attend the opening of the new exhibits at Visions Art Museum and am spending the night at HIE for a meeting of an art group tomorrow.   The traffic was terrible, as it usually is on a Saturday after noon, but that is what I could do this trip.  As I mosied along I had time to look at the scenery, which is pretty drab this time of year.  And I thought about visitors who think they will have views of the Pacific Ocean as they drive on I-5.  Not so.  The land is fairly flat and the view is of stretches of dried vegetations with an occasional distant glimpse of the ocean.  

Even dried up flower stalks. 

That dark grey line between the dried landscape and the sky is the ocean.

Stuck in traffic (with a dead bug on the windshield) the ocean is visible on the far right. 

More of the same.

This is about the best view toward the middle of Camp Pendleton. 

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