Empty Spools 2020 - Other things. 04-11-22

Three meals a day are provided for students and the food is usually quite good.  They do fabulous veggies, fresh from the local fields and cooked correctly.  There is also a large bowl of salad at the table for dinner - fresh and tasty.  On Wednesday night there is no evening program and some students go off campus for dinner.  Several of us went to one of my favorite Pacific Grove restaurants right on the border with Monterey.  Il Vecchio has the best Carbonara I have ever eaten and they also offer a side of steamed broccoli which is my favorite vegetable.  Delicious!  I don't even remember what anyone else ate, but we did share a piece of chocolate cake for dessert.  Four forks were flying!  It was excellent. 

Judy, Andrea, and I went to the Red House (another favorite spot) on Thursday night for their scrumptious hamburgers.  It is always difficult to decide which of my favorites to order, but this was definitely a hamburger night.  Never fails to satisfy. 

On Thursday immediately after class (4pm) all the classrooms are open for "walkabout" so students can visit all of the classrooms.  We enjoyed seeing  the work others were doing and contemplated what classes we might take in the future.

We especially appreciated Priscilla Bianchi, who is from Guatemala and uses fabric from her native country in her quilts.  Combining that fabric with commercial fabric her students were creating some fascinating designs. 

We were so taken with the vintage Japanese yukata fabric that Patricia Belyea was selling in her classroom that I didn't take pictures of her students' work.  However, I did buy some of the fabric.  I have followed Patricia for a few years and she has moved to Eastern Washington now and will open her online shop this month. Check out Okan Arts.  Her students were working with the yukata fabric and commercial fabric and sewing both curved and straight seams.  Interesting. 

We admired the projects in classes with Katie Pasquini Masopust, Susan Carlson, Velda Newman, and Marianne Williamson.  

It is expensive to attend Empty Spools, but all food and lodging are provided so there aren't extra costs involved, unless you choose to eat out or buy fabric!  Start saving up for next year's session. The 2023 schedule will be out in early May.  

#   #   #

Still in Pacific Grove, CA 10-15-21

It is actually Saturday morning, I don't know that I have ever written a morning post!  But last night I just crashed about 9:30pm, don't think I did anything to make me so tired, but I was. 

I took pictures specifically for Friday Food post, so here they are on Saturday morning. . 

Breakfast at The Red House with a view across Lighthouse Street showing the yellow B&B that has been there forever.  You can just see the corner of the "shelter" in front of the restaurant, taking up all the parking spaces on that side of the street.  There are at least a half a dozen of these structures on the street in front of cafes.  This one was fully occupied with happy breakfast diners, but there seemed to be only one extra waiter.  Still a little chilly for me to eat outdoors.

I have always enjoyed the "homeiness" of Red House.  The hand made sign says "We love you a Latte" which amused me, although surely I have seen this expression before. 

Directly in my view was this couple who are happily expected, seemingly any moment!  They were so loving and I think I even saw the baby give a giant kick.  Babies during Covid, seems scary to me.  Anyway, I enjoyed watching them enjoying each other and their baby. 

The same waiter who served me in May 2020.  He has worked here for quite a few years I think. Nice guy.  He was a little taken aback when I just ordered coffee and a slice of Olallieberry pie with ice cream - for breakfast!!!  When it came it had whipped cream and I told him I wanted ice cream.  He said they didn't have ice cream.  "What? You always have ice cream!"   "Not today.  Sorry."  But the pie was delicious, if not a very large slice.  

And for dinner my very favorite at Il Vecchio.  Carbonara, broccoli, bread w/oil/balsamic.  I ate every bite with murmurs of love.  Asked for more oil/balsamic and pour all of it over the broccoli which I will eat for lunch today.  I wished for all of you to be there to enjoy this special place and evening.  

#   #  #

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. 

#   #   #

Went to Pacific Grove today 05-05-19

It was a lovely day, but Mary wanted to stay home, so I went to Pacific Grove by myself.  Visited Back Porch to take pictures of the exhibit with the room all set up with fabrics, books, quilts, etc., because Gail is going to clear the room on Wednesday afternoon to facilitate the taking down of the quilts on Thursday.   I will take pictures of just the quilts before we start taking them down.  

Then I drove to Asilomar to visit the Empty Spools ladies and see what was going on in Katie Pasquini-Masopust's class in Merrill Hall.  Every student had their machine going and was concentrating on their own wonky log cabin project.  Very colorful.  

Drove back to Pacific Grove and had lunch at the Red House.  My usual Portobello sandwich with green salad and a latte.  They were out of their special cookies, so no dessert - which I suppose was for the best. 

I was going to post some pictures, but tonight I cannot download them at all.  It has worked up until now.  Bummer. 

A few days ago KoKo's keeper sent me this video of KoKo trying to kill the squeaker in the new toy she bought him.  I hope it plays for you, I have never posted a video before. 

#   #   #

Too late for me tonight. 04-10-16

Here I am at Asilomar, it is 11pm and I am exhausted.  All this hiking around is taking its toll on me.  I guess I will have to resort to the jitney.  Fortunately, I am right across the sidewalk from the classroom, Nautilus, so I  can easily walk to class.  To the Dining Hall...  not so much.  I should have brought a larger bottle of Tylenol/Arthritis pills.  Sue Benner's class is only twenty students which is a good number for the classroom, leaving us some space to move around.  The rain let up this evening, but it has rained pretty much all day - just a light sort of drizzle, but enough to soak through one's clothes quickly.  I visited Back Porch Fabrics,  had lunch at the Red House, and went to the Monterey Peninsula QGuild quilt show at Chataqua Hall.  They had a lot of traditional and traditional variations, but also the last row was all contemporary quilts - some were very well done.  It is a small hall so there are no vendors, but a cute little boutique and "garage sale" in a back room.  Then I drove on to Asilomar to check in at the Empty Spools desk and haul my stuff into the classroom.  I hope I have all the right stuff!

No pictures today in the rain, but here is the side view of Merrill Hall taken as the sun set in 2010. 

 #   #   #

Back Porch Fabrics today 02-25-16

Yes, Mary and I had a fabric fix at Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove.  I know that some of you  will be there this coming week because the Empty Spools Seminar week one starts on Sunday.  Gail Abeloe has some fabulous fabrics for you, tell her hello from Del!  I did deposit a nice bit of change with them and will take pictures of the fabrics tomorrow and post them for you tomorrow night.  I'm really at the point that my fabric library is so large that one room may not hold it much longer.  I need to start making quilts, cull the library or never buy another yard of fabric.  Fat chance!  I bought a few pieces to send to Ruth McDowell as she doesn't get to Back Porch since she has retired. 

We had lunch at The Red House - it was delicious as always.  I had the BLT which must be eaten with a knife and fork it is too large to go in my mouth.  And Mary had the pork tenderloin sandwich on focaccia which she also ate with knife and fork.  We passed on dessert because the servings were to large we couldn't even finish them.  I brought my leftovers home for lunch tomorrow. 

Mary's husband Joe had his surgery on Tuesday and is do very well.  He'll be in the hospital for a while and then in a SNIF nearby.   I hope he will be home when I come up in early April for my class at Empty Spools with Sue Benner.

 

#   #   #

A Driving Day 02-24-16

It turned into a long drive today - a total of nine hours!   The traffic on the 210 Fwy was mostly stop with a little go here and there.  It is supposed to be a 2 hour drive from Placentia to Thousand Oaks, but it took 3 hours this morning.   I met Karen Rips at a nice burger place called Hook Burgers, which I believe is a chain (that I have not heard of before).  My hot chicken sandwich on grilled sourdough was delicious and I think Karen's sandwich was very good also.  The drive from Thousand Oaks to Mary's front door was about 6 hours with heavy traffic all along 101 until Paso Robles where a bunch of cars were lined up in the right turn lane to go off the highway onto 46.  From there on it was pretty much clear sailing.  I stopped in Buellton at the Creation Station because I needed to get out of the car and walk around a bit.  Of course, I had to buy two half yards of fabric; a nice red and a lovely yellow.  And I stopped in Salinas for gas because Mary lives a long way from a gas station and I need to have a pretty full tank before I arrive here. 

Mary's husband Joe had surgery yesterday and is doing very well.  He will be in the hospital in Salinas for a while and then across the street in a SNIF.   Daughter Liz is here from Washington State so she will spend some time with Joe tomorrow and Mary will go into Pacific Grove with me for lunch and a fabric fix at Back Porch.  So, we will be there and at the  Red House for lunch. 

No pictures today, I needed to pay attention with all the traffic and after Paso Robles the sun was too far down in the west to get any good shots.  I'll do better going home. 

#   #   #

A Visit to Pacific Grove, CA 02-05-15

Yesterday Mary went to be with Joe at the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNIF) and I drove to Pacific Grove and Monterey.  I just couldn't convince her to go with me.  But I remember how I felt when my husband was hospitalized - I wanted to be there to keep track of every pill and to be sure he was well taken care of. 

 

Lunch with Gail Abeloe and Joan Hughes was lovely.  We went to the Red House and I had their special grilled cheese sandwich - with artichoke hearts and chopped bell peppers, it is delicious, but not photo worthy.  Also had huge latte in a cup that requires both hands.  We shared all our news and talked about quilting friends and quilting in general.  And, of  course, fabric.  After lunch I went shopping at Back Porch.  Oh, dear, decisions, decisions.  I always think I would like to go into a shop and just say cut me a yard of everything, but what would I do with it, I have so much fabric now.  There were some great things on the sale table and I picked up a few yellows for my friend Liz, who is always raiding my boxes of yellows, and a couple choice pieces to send to Ruth McDowell who doesn't have easy access to any quilt shop, much less one of Back Porch quality.  Then I was exhausted from spending so much money and I drove back to  Mary's intending to take a nap, but never quite got around to it. 

 

It has been quite cool and I am definitely an old lady who needs at least 70F to be comfortable, so I stay bundled up.  The weather has been cloudy and rain is predicted for tonight and the entire weekend. 

 

Monterey Bay was mostly covered with clouds and fog, but there were several sailboats out, keeling over in the wind.  There is actually one in this picture just above the projecting rock in the middle. 

 

This crow was watching from the fence!

Heading back to Mary's on CA156 one passes several of these eucalyptus woods, planted at the turn of the 20th Century to use for railroad ties, until they learned that the wood was no good for that purpose.  All the seedlings were imported from Australia and there are many remaining wood lots all over central and southern California. .

The Acacia trees are starting to bloom, with the clouded sky it is hard to take a decent picture.

Here is another shot along US101

Mary and Joe live high up off the fertile plain on a steep winding one and a half lane road and there is no cell service.  Many people stop at the foot of the hills to make their cell calls, as I did here, just on the south edge of San Juan Bautista.  This is one of the few fields of wild mustard I saw on my trip to the coast and back. 

#   #   #

 

Dining out in Pacific Grove, CA 03-26-14

The food at Asilomar is provided by a vendor which changes from year to year. Right now the food is very good - breakfast, lunch and dinner are interesting and tasty. I only tried the vegetarian offering once and it was good. Not tofu mashed up to resemble - what? I especially enjoyed the wonderful seafood salad for lunch one day - shrimp, scallops, whitefish, and those yummy little squid. Excellent. Usually I go out to the local restaurants a couple times, but this trip Liz and I only went once - to the Red House, my favorite Pacific Grove eatery.

Liz ordered the seafood penne pasta - mussels, scallops, shrimp, salmon.   We always taste each other's selections - there is a piece on my salmon on the rim of her plate/bowl.

We both needed to wear our napkins as bibs since we were going directly to the evening program and didn't want appear "spotted".

My selection was the perfectly cooked salmon with pasta in a sauce, broccoli, cauliflower and a spoonful of tomato/onion "relish" on the top of the salmon.  It was a delicious meal - as have been every meal I have eaten at The Red House  (closed on Mondays).





Asilomar/Empty Spools Day 6 03-06-13

It was 7am on the last day of class - time for the pounding to begin! Also the
beep-beep-beep of the Bobcat - seen here dumping a load of gravel for a walkway.  This will improve the campus greatly and I think they are keeping things compatible with the natural atmosphere of the original complex. 

 

 
Hopefully no more slippery or uneven stairs.  This is beside Pirates Den.  There are also new signs on each building and directional maps that have motion detectors and light up when it is too dark to see by natural light. 

These are the bricks they are using - they have little slits to allow the water to drain away, no puddles after the rain.   The Palos Verde stones on the "verandas" around Merrill Hall have been re-laid, so the puddles are not as bad as they were before, but they don't drain off the rain completely.

These are the final pictures of the projects in the Rayna Gilman class.  Everyone works at their own pace and some have more experience with improvisational piecing, and, of course, we all have our unique vision.  There were some very talented ladies in this class.
 

Annette Friedlein  She took the pictures in Africa and used them as inspiration for this colorful piece.
 

Doreen Zaki
 

Teri Pohl
 

Gail Wrigley
 

Bette Ward  Inspired by a photograph, Bette has cut up orphan blocks to make the pears.
 

Eloise Cotugno  Kite flying in a colorful city.
 

Donna Lee Zimmerman
 

Donna Lee Zimmerman -  Windows on windows on windows......
 

Pippa Moore - see the beginnings of this piece on my post for the 3rd day of class.
 

Another work by Pippa Moore  Trees revealed by lifting fog.
 

Pam Caywood
 

Pam Caywood
 

Lisa Brothman
 

Lisa Brothman - Lisa has a great idea:  she takes the photo on the right(of a poppy growing against a brick wall)  to every class and interprets it in the style she is learning in the class.
 

Dinner at the Red House.  One of our party had a Caesar Salad and she had samples of the salmon and shrimp from her dining partners.
 

The other three of us had the seafood special - skewered salmon and shrimp with a fabulous sauce and fresh green beans.  We also shared a yummy slice of orange cake with fresh berries and whipped cream.  However, I got so excited about eating it I didn't take a picture! 

Chartreuse! 03-22-12

Usually I am in Pacific Grove earlier in the year - early to mid February.  I don't know if that is why there aren't so many flowers, or if it has been the weather conditions this year.  But the succulents are outstanding.  On Forest Street by the market is a ladies clothing shop named  "Chartreuse" which has a planter box across the front filled with succulents and ornamental grasses. 

 
A single speciman looks greener against the blue painted planter box.

 
Here is a large one in bloom, hanging out over the sidewalk.
 

 
In the market parking lot is a variety of eucalyptus tree that one doesn't usually notice.

 
But it is currently covered with red flowers and white seed pods.  I've never notice one like this before.  Brenda in Australia commented that this is a pohutukawa, native to New Zealand. 
 We had an lovely day in Pacific Grove with lunch at the Red House, several hours drooling on the fabric at Back Porch, and a visit to St. Vincent de Paul, also just down from the market.  They are the only charity shop that I know of that takes fabric and they did have several boxes with a couple choice pieces.  However, most of it was furnishing fabric of not very good quality.  I didn't buy any, but I did find a few items that I couldn't pass up (I'll share with you later).  I passed on the brimless red felt hat that made me look a little like a cardinal - the Catholic kind, not the bird!!  I need a brim on my hats - that is the whole point, to keep the sun off my face so the Rosacea doesn't "bloom".   Tomorrow is a "catch up" day and then the first session of Empty Spools at Asilomar starts on Sunday afternoon.   I gotta rest up tomorrow!