Back on my laptop again. 04-07-21

It has been a struggle, but after much gnashing of teeth and many hours of hither and yon and lots of phone calls, I finally (I hope) have my laptop up and running.  I haven't tried everything, but the e-mail works and I seem to be able to access all the pictures.  I wish I could find someone who works with people who don't understand computers and is available most of the time.  I have had several "computer gurus" over the years, but they all go on to other jobs and don't "consult" anymore.  Now I go to Micro Center in Tustin, as I did this time, or make an appointment with the Geek Squad.  It is all so frustrating.  

Our art quilt group met "in the flesh" in SDiego on March 30th.  The first meeting since last February, although we have been ZOOMING weekly since the summer.  It was so exciting to see our friends and everyone did Show & Tell with work they have accomplished in the past year.  We have shared at our ZOOM meetings, but everything is so much better "in the fabric".  Ellen was the champion with her exacting work and everything bound and labeled.  I took the quilts I have purchased from the SAQA auction and website. I have been working on a 12X12 quilt made from scraps, but it isn't quite ready for posting.  KoKo stayed with Cherie, his lovely keeper, because I couldn't leave him alone for the eight hours I was gone.  

If that wasn't enough excitement I went out to lunch on Friday with my friend Carol.  First time since last February at one of our favorite spots, Fitness Grill in Yorba Linda.  In celebration we had dessert - chocolate "volcano" cake for Carol and limoncello cake for me -MMMMM! We enjoyed it so much we have a date for this Friday at a different place.  We have both had two vaccines, but wear our masks coming and going.  I have seen very few people without masks, guess they are wising up.

On Saturday I picked up my friend Verna so we could visit a quilt shop in Garden Grove, about a 20 minute drive.  We thought it was new, but they told us they have been there for three years!  It is a very tiny shop - five people would be crowded!   A small selection of unusual fabrics and lots of accessories and doodads.  They have two long arms which apparently keep them quite busy.  I did buy a yard of fabric and some tiny brushes to clean a machine.  It is called The Sewing Escape and is on Garden Grove Blvd, just off the 22Fwy.  

Soooo glad to be back and I have a stock of images to share.  Hope you are all well and busy and vaccinated so you can get out and about. 

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Friday Food 11-29-19

With Thanksgiving it has been a food week, hasn't it?  But before the big eating day my friend Liz went with KoKo and me to Tehachapi, just a day trip to deliver some things to a friend.  We enjoyed our day with beautiful clear weather, a stop at Five Stars Quilt Shop, and lunch at the Kohnen's Country Bakery, which is almost across Tehachapi Street from the quilt shop.   The location was once a restaurant with apple in the name and we had enjoyed a lunch there previously. 

We looked at the menu and thought the Poor Boy for two sounded interesting so we ordered it.  However we just read "Sheepherder's" and miss the word "loaf".  I stood in line and placed the order and then returned to our table waiting for my name to be called.  When they announced my name Liz went in to pick up the sandwich.  She came back with a large plate with another plate upturned over the contents. 

It was, indeed, a Sheepherder's LOAF.  For size, compare the sandwich to the individual size bag of potato chips.  We found it so funny we laughed a lot before tackling the thing.

Which was stuffed with everything they promised.

Impossible to get our mouths around it so we each divided one quarter of the loaf into two stacks of bread on the bottom and whatever we could pile on time to take a bite.  And, of course we each took a quarter of the sandwich home.  I finished mine up today and it tasted wonderful.  

I must admit we also split a lemon bar, which was unlike any I have eaten before.  It has a thick shortbread bottom, a layer of lemon curd and a crumb topping.  Different, but tasty. 

I think I will save pictures of my two Thanksgiving plates for latter when we aren't all satiated with turkey and trimmings. 

Hope you all had the Thanksgiving Day you wished for. 

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Great Day on the Road 11-26-19

Today our friend Liz, KoKo, and I drove up to Tehachapi, CA, to deliver some items to the daughter of a friend.  My GPS gave an estimate of about two and a half hours each direction, but this didn't account for heavy traffic.  So it took us more like three and a half hours.  But we weren't in a hurry and the weather was perfect.  

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One awesome thing about the area around Tehachapi is the widespread wind turbine farms which function well in this location due to that almost constant winds.  This picture was taken in March 2018 when there had been abundant rains.  Now the land is parched and seems almost completely bare of vegetation.  In the lower left corner is glimpse of CA58, which goes from San Luis Obispo to Barstow through vast desert country.  Driving home about sunset the colors were wonderful. 

While in Tehachapi we visited the Five Hearts Quilt and Fabric Shop which seems to specialize in floral fabrics and they have some lovely ones.  Liz was looking for something with a western or outdoor theme and found these place mats that even came in a kit!  I found some nice black on white prints. 

There is another quilt shop in town which we will have to visit some other time. It was well past lunch time and we were all hungry. We went west a block and across the street to Kohnen's Country Bakery.  Since we had KoKo with us we sat on the front patio right on the street and found out what a bustling small town this is.  

It was quite cool 48F and we ended up putting KoKo in the car for a nap.  We both bought bread to bring home and had the most delicious sandwich.  I will save that for the Friday Food this week.  

Total miles were 330 and our average speed was only 40mpg, which isn't bad considering the congestion on the highways.  We enjoyed the day so very much and each other's company even more!  KoKo - not so much, I think after an hour or so he just gets bored, but I think it is better than leaving him home alone for an entire day. 
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Another One Gone 01-14-16

Closing of Flying Geese Fabric

With great sadness we announce the closing of the

Flying Geese Fabric in Tustin.

  

 

The owners of the Flying Geese Fabric store have decided to retire and close their shop. The final date of operation will be Friday, February 12, 2016.

 

Starting Friday, January 15, fabric, kits, books, patterns and notions will be on sale for 30% off. Block of the month kits are special orders and will not be on sale.

 

Some furniture and fixtures, baskets, and décor will be priced as marked. Come early for the best selection. If you have gift cards, don't forget to bring them with you.

Flying Geese Fabric

307 El Camino Real

Tustin

714-544-9349

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Nebraska Quilt Shops 09-23-14

While I was on my Road Trip to Indiana I was following the "Row by Row" nationwide quilt hop.  The lists, by state, were available online for all the shops participating in the project.  You'll need to look at the website if you are interested in details. http://www.rowbyrowexperience.com/ 

This was, I believe, the third year and each year it is larger.  Unfortunately, several of the states I visited did not have any shops participating.  Locally Flying Geese Quilt Shop was a participant.  I enjoyed seeing different shops and shopping for fabric for myself and for Surfside QGuild philanthropy; which wasn't really necessary, because they have had an influx of fabric from several quilter's estates.

They are now VERY well supplied. 

 

This shop in Lincoln was difficult to find, partially because the short end of the building faces the major street and I passed it by several times before finding a building with a street number on it. 

 

They had lots of  "modern fabrics" and several displays showing quilts and other projects  made from the fabrics displayed, along with patterns. 

The "Quilt Basket" in York, Nebraska, was MUCH easier to find because it is a tiny town with one main east/west street lined with businesses.  Unfortunately, a great many of the buildings appeared to be empty and there were lots of  For Lease signs around.   This is quite a nice shop with a second room for the long-arm machines.  There were many completed quilts hanging as examples and the fabric supply was extensive and varied.  Except for the sale fabrics (which were generally cheaper than Orange County shops) the prices everywhere were comparable to what we find locally.  

 

 

Getting a step up on the holidays the shop was showing lots of holiday quilts.  I like this Santa quilt, but think I would have turned the guy on the left to face the center.

 

Below is a Halloween quilt like the one that Linda Ambrosini made for our November Fest live auction.  Love the candy corn border! 

 

Road Trip - Indiana Grand Island to Scottsbluff, NE 07-25-14

After driving another day across Nebraska I can attest that it is mostly flat and mostly covered in corn.  It would have been a dull day except for my stops at two quilt shops.  Other than those high points it was more flat country planted in corn with an occasional soybean field.  There weren't even any animals and it wasn't until late in the day that I saw six horses, a couple dozen cows and a smallish feed lot.  There was the Great Platte River Road Monument which stretches over I-80.  It seems to be a privately run entertainment/educational business, but I'm not sure because I didn't stop.  What on earth is it doing arched over the Interstate?  Not enough room in this wide open country?

http://archway.org/about-the-archway/

 

 

 

I really enjoyed this shop in Cozad, NE a tiny town just off I-80.  The owner and her helper were friendly and helpful, there were half a dozen happy customers while I was there and they have some great sale prices.   They do online sales and I plan to check them out when I get home.  You can also, at www.prairiepointjunction.com

 

They have a wonderful selection of fabric and also many colors of felt and patterns to go with.  Be sure to look at the display furniture - the owner has a great eye for unusual pieces that offer excellent  ways to display the products.  There is a great old pie safe that I would take in a second, although what I would do with it is beyond me at the moment.  

I did buy fabric, some that they had on sale, mostly for the philanthropic efforts of Surfside QGuild.  I choose children's prints, but there was a dearth of little boy prints, but there are a few that will do either girl or boy.  I'll keep looking.

 

 

The reason I diverted from I-80 and drove northwest to Scottsbluff was to see Chimney Rock again.  There is a story behind this, but it will have to wait for another day. 

 

I'm taking I-80 all the way to I-15 and going south through SLC, St George, the Virgin River Canyon, Las Vegas, Barstow and on to home.  Maybe Monday.

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Road Trip - Indiana Kenosha, Wisconsin to Davenport, Iowa 07-22-14

 

 

I suppose it is logical that the states that have heavy winters would need to do their road work in the summertime.  But it is really annoying for the tourists  - like me.  Barriers of every shape and size.  I wonder why some of the diagonals slant a different direction.

Only 256 miles today, but some of them were hunting for a couple quilt shops on the Row by Row Experience list - like Quilt Play in Grayslake.  I might try to get one row pattern from each state I have yet to go through, but I know that Colorado doesn't have any shops that are participating  - nor do AZ and NM.  So far I have four patterns two from Indiana shops and two from Illinois shops.  I didn't go far enough into Wisconsin or stay long enough to collect a pattern.  Quilt Play is a nice little shop with a wide selection. It is necessary to buy their kit to get the snowflakes already cut out with fusible on the back.  The other shop I visited was Quilters Destination in Arlington Heights.  It was very difficult to find and I had to call twice for directions.  They were not very helpful and the sign on the street is very small.  I finally snagged three ladies coming out of JoAnn's in the nearby shopping center and one could give me the names of some adjacent shops and I finally found it.  Found a great "Ruth McDowell" type fabric on the sales table for $2.50/yd and took all seven yards. 

I saw the sign for frozen custard too late to pull and had to make a convoluted back track to treat  myself to a medium cup of MANGO.  It was delicious and made a filling lunch.   And isn't it a wonderful glowing color. 

There were several signs saying that a driver cannot retrace their route to get back on the roadway.  There was an arrow pointing in this direction, but I couldn't  figure out the conflict between Do Not Enter and Exit Only.  I finally found the actual exit and eventually a side street with some shade so I could enjoy my MANGO frozen custard.

When I got on I-80 and finally came to a rest stop I spent some time straightening maps, looking for my cell phone which was hiding from me and just relax out of the traffic for a bit.  They have a great play area for the kids with a teeter-totter front and center.  I was thinking I  haven't seen one of those for decades.  Two boys of about seven years old came up and have it a try, but didn't find it very entrancing.  Not as much fun as killing somebody in a computer game, I suppose. 

 

People say that Kansas is very flat, but I have never found it so - it sort of undulates.  But this area in southern Illinois is amazingly flat.  I wonder if  the Mississippi River has caused the flatness by flooding over great areas in centuries past.  This was very close to where I crossed the river.  More corn.

And more corn.  The light was shining through growing cloud cover and gave an eerie light.

And more corn behind a fringe of tall weeds - might be Heterotheca grandiflora.

A great almost sunset.  The sun kept popping in and out of the clouds.

It was strangely like an autumn twilight, but it was 88F and humid.

The clouds moved on and the sun was dropping lower, at 8pm it was 86F.  Supposed to be cooler tomorrow.

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Idaho Falls, ID - Baker, CA 06-17-12

After going through the rest of my road trip pictures this is all I could salvage.  Once the highway gets into southern Utah everything starts to look the same and Nevada is actually all the same!  Desert.  Past Baker, through Barstow and Apple Valley all attention is required in the traffic going into the Los Angeles basin.  It was especially heavy yesterday, I suspect partially due to Father's Day travel, but also just the beginning of summer vacations.  After all, summer officially arrives on Wednesday. 

 
I have always been surprised at how ugly the carpet is in motels and hotels.  This one isn't half bad, but needs to be in a large room, not the hallway.  This was Holiday Inn Express (HIE) in Idaho Falls.

 
In Idaho lots of blue sky, fluffy white clouds and straight lonely highway - Interstate 15.
  

 
I saw groups of pronghorn antelope pretty far off the highway.  Everything is so flat that even these small creatures stand out - especially if they have their white heart-shaped butts turned toward the road. 

 
A common tree is a European import from the 1800s that has spread throughout the west.  The grey foliage of the Russian Olive is very distinctive.

 
Sweet clover growing along the pavement is a sign of Summer - the sweet fragrance is nice.

 
Another sign of Summer is highway construction.  In Montana they say there are two seasons - Winter and Construction.  Seems to be true in Idaho also.

 
I stopped in Dillard, Idaho, for gas, a Safeway deli sandwich, a Starbuck's latte and a visit to this charming little quilt shop.  They were have a weekly special - for every one yard of fabric you buy they give you a free fat quarter.  Yes, I came off with free fat quarters - four!

 
The first time I have seen green dust!  It was being produced by some sort of mowing machine.

 
This cell-tower-tree is in Orem, Utah.  I thought they only grew in California!

 
I met Beverly Hart for lunch in Orem, Utah, the next town over from where she lives.  The restaurant, La Jolla Groves, was excellent and lovely with lemon trees in the dining room.  Beverly and I have been Blog friends for a few years, so it was special to finally meet in person. 

The dessert menu was especially temping so we shared:  

"La Jolla Groves Lemon Cake -  Moist Lemon Bundt Cake Served with our Handmade Crème Anglaise Under a Caramel Dome with Berries and Mint."  Fantastic and a lovely presentation.

 
Not far south I was once again in red rock country. 

 
Almost to the Nevada line is St. George, Utah, where this entire mountain was removed to make a road cut wide enough for the Interstate.  Awesome when you consider the earth displaced.

 
On the tops of the remaining mountain large new homes have been built - I suppose it is a great view.

 
South of St. George the road goes down, down, down through the Virgin River Gorge, a section of the highway that I love.  It has become increasing dry over the past decade or so and the Virgin River is merely a dry stream bed in the northern part of the gorge.

 
SERIOUS earth moving took place to build this road.  The vertical walls are protected in some places with hanging veils of chainlink (the darker section on the left - you can just see a little uncovered rock at the far edge).  There is also a concrete barrier with chainlink fencing on top to (hopefully) catch any stray boulders that break away from the cliff face.
 

 
It is like running through a towering maze in tiny cars.  It doesn't do to think of how much rock is towering above!

 
A lot of the rock shows the layers of its creation - dark on light, light on dark -millions of years ago.

 
Slanting layers seem especially awesome.
And threatening.

 
Still heading downhill into the desert and Las Vegas.

The advent of solar power presented an opportunity to have lighted billboards in the middle of nowhere.  The extra "box" on a pole is a solar collector to provide the power. 

Almost the first glimpse of Las Vegas - looks like a mirage on the horizon.

Not far past the hills on the southern edge of Las Vegas the "serious" desert starts again.

Right at the edge of the pavement, which gets more water due to runoff, the Russian Thistle grows.  We are more familiar with it as the tumbling tumbleweed.

Down the long grade into Baker, CA, one of the hottest spots in the country.  I stopped for lunch at the "famous" Mad Greek restaurant.  In all the years I have driven past Baker it is the first time I have tried this well frequented place - my Gyro had a nice flavor, but was a bit too salty.  I drank a gallon of water!

This is the famous thermometer that shows just how hot it is in Baker, but it wasn't functioning.  My car thermometer read 99F.

After Baker I stopped for gas in Barstow and then had to pay attention to my driving - thus no pictures.