Home from San Juan Bautista 02-01-20

Since I need to stop every two hours and the traffic on the 210 Fwy east from Pasadena was horrendous, it was about a six and half hour drive.  Some years ago it was less than five.  Where did all these people come from and why are they clogging the highways on a Saturday afternoon?  It is a puzzlement, eh? 

But most of the drive was very pleasant with little truck traffic and not a lot of those drivers who have to always be in FRONT of everyone else.  The rolling hills were lush green, the sky was mostly blue, and it was in the 70s wherever I stopped.  No blooming trees, no wild flowers yet. 

But in two weeks and four days when I do this drive again Spring may have arrived.  I will be taking quilts up to Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove to fill the classroom walls during this year's weeks of Empty Spools at Asilomar.  I will talk more about this toward the end of February and post some pictures.  I hope you can plan a visit to Back Porch during March and April.  I will be up there in March for a class with Sue Benner in Session III.

Going over Pacheco Pass on CA152 near Casa de Fruita.

Perfect back view of a tree!

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Time to go home 01-31-20

How could tomorrow be the first of February?  Where did January go?  All the elders I know say the same thing - we all think time goes much faster each year.  Toward the end of her life my little grandmother would say it seemed that she would go to sleep on New Year's Day and when she woke up it would be almost Christmas.  

I'll be on the road home tomorrow and expect to be there about 4 or 5pm.  Since it will be Saturday I am hoping the traffic won't be too bad.  Especially the stretch of the 210 Fwy through Pasadena.  Cross your fingers for me! 

I made out the list of quilts for display at Back Porch Fabrics during the Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar in Pacific Grove.  I'll drive up here again in a little more than two weeks to help hang them and have another visit with Mary in her lovely new house. 

Remember to go to Visions Art Museum in San Diego to see 27 of Ruth B. McDowell's spectacular quilts.  They will be there through April 5th.  Tell your friends!  

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Fabric purchases 01-30-20

Yes, I do have a fabric addiction.  Better than booze, smokes, or drugs, I think.  So, although I have a house full of fabric at home, I did purchase some while at Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove and at Nimble Thimble Quilt Shop in Gilroy.  The colors are actually brighter than what is shown in the pictures, but this is the best I could do.  

Of course I buy orange and yellow - some were on the sale table at Back Porch.  . 

This is a detail of the fabric on the bottom of the stack - happy otters!

Nimble Thimble had this gauzy bird fabric for $7/yard. 

On the bottom is a pre-sewn Seminole strip 4.75" wide and I bought a yard to use in a tote or purse. It has a stiff gauze backing.   They had about seven different colors. $10/yd

This is a close up of the Seminole piece, sorry about the color.  The clerk said it is made in Africa. 

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Visited Pacific Grove, CA

Mary and I drove to Pacific Grove this morning to shop at Back Porch Fabric Shop, the best shop anywhere, and have lunch at The Red House.  The offereings at Back Porch were, as always, soooo tempting, it is hard to control myself.  

Such color!  Such pattern! Such texture!  I want it all.  But I settled for just seven cuts - it was very hard - and a book with animal designs for children's quilts, called Zootropolis.  The creatures are delightful. 

Lunch at The Red House included carrot-ginger soup (fabulous) and, for me, the grilled cheese sandwich, which I always love.  We skipped dessert because we have See's candy at home!  

It was a beautiful sunny day and we drove around Asilomar, just so Mary could see the changes that have been made since she was there last quite a few years ago.  We drove back to Monterey via the road along the Bay and the surf was UP.  Higher than I have ever seen it; it covered Asilomar Beach and splashed high on all the rocks along the shore. 

Waves rolling in. 

A thin slice of Asilomar Beach at far left. 

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Not a bad drive 01-28-20

Didn't get away until about 11:30am and still had to stop for gas.  I always wait until I am on the road so that I have every drop the tank will hold and I can make it all the way to Santa Nella on one tank of gas.  So, I had two potty stops and a gas/potty stop.  A bit more than average.  The weather was nice, the traffic was light, but there were millions of big trucks, mostly in the right lane allowing the cars to fly by.  

No blossoms to be seen.  One very small patch of wild mustard was it.  But the almond trees are showing green tips, so it won't be long before the trees will bloom. 

I need to try harder to arrive here in San Juan Bautista before dark.  Too hard driving into the headlights going the other way.   But there was a lovely pastel sunset so it was almost worth the glare.  

Hope to visit Pacific Grove and Back Porch Fabrics tomorrow.  

A tree full of blackbirds at the gas station in Santa Nella.

Heading up CA 152 past the San Luis Reservoir - into the sunset. 

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Traveling a bit. 01-27-20

Haven't been up to see Mary in San Juan Bautista, CA, for six months!  That is surely a record.  KoKo will stay with a doggy caretaker for the few days I will be gone.  Hope to get into Pacific Grove to visit friends, shop at Back Porch (of course I don't need any fabric!), and have lunch at the Red House.  But mostly I will loaf around in Mary's new house and, hopefully, get some computer work done.  

One thing for sure, the landscape will be a lush winter green.

But it might be too early for almond trees in bloom.  Pretty aren't they?

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Another Ruth B. McDowell quilt that didn't make the exhibit. 01-26-20

This quilt was purchased originally by an Orange County quilt maker who had it hanging in her large quilting studio until her death.  After several years her husband asked one of his late wife's quilting friends to help him dismantle her studio.  That person thought to contact me about reselling this quilt.  Of course, I bought it.  The picture is much more blue than the quilt actually is.  You can see a truer rendition in Ruth's book "Art & Inspirations".  (A book that is available at the Visions Art Museum in San Diego during the current Ruth exhibit).  And I quote from that book, "Each flower and leaf is pieced within an irregular pentagonal block."  This represents Ruth's work with Symmetry (also one of her books, might be available used at Amazon).  

"Delphinium"  Ruth B. McDowell - Massachusetts 1986  60"W x 67"L

Machine pieced, hand tied, hand quilted.

Cotton, silk, blends.  Polyester batting. 

"A hybrid Delphinium has a cluster of petals called a "bee" in the center [of each flower], usually in a contrasting color.  In [this quilt] the center "bee" is a small puff of silk inserted in the center of the piecing and tied down with heavy cotton thread 'stamens'."  Art & Inspirations: Ruth B. McDowell.

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