Asilomar Sunset 07-17-10

This Asilomar sunset was taken April 7, 2005. Blogs need pictures, no matter how out of date they are. Can a sunset be out of date?

The magical Computer Guru came today and resurrected all my files. At least all that I have looked for. He feels that everything is now where it should be. I will be getting a new laptop soon, but need to do the Surfside QGuild August newsletter on this Fujitsu. September will be easier - right? Between the computer problems and the heat I am ready to go to bed and it isn't even 10pm! Corky is always ready to go to bed by about 9:30 - so off we go.

Epiphyllum 07-16-10

This is one of Mary's plants in San Juan Bautista. And taken years ago. But blogs need pictures, don't they?

I have a computer guru coming in the morning to look at my Fujitsu and see what might be done. Maybe he will have a suggestion for a new computer. Or, perhaps, a fix for my Dell!

Supposed to be hot tomorrow again and then cooling. No walk for Corky again, I suppose. Certainly not for me - the heat would probably do me in.

Computer Crash 07-15-10

Yes, the 'corrupters' finally got me. I am trying to find someone who can extract whatever is left in my computer's innards. The guy at Notebook.com (which is a store in SCalifornia) where I bought this Fujitsu piece of junk, says there is nothing there. No documents. No programs. Nothing.

BUT he did manage to access IE and Picasa. So, I'm not taking his word for it - to me NOTHING means nothing, not what he doesn't know how to find. Suggestions are welcome. Anyone?

I am using my old Dell laptop, but, of course, it has not been updated for months and is not current. Please forgive me if I don't blog daily, as is my habit. I will try to find something not too depressing in my life to blog about. I do have the Poodle Prince for a few days and we will be staying inside most of the time. When I left my house at 7:45am to pick up the little guy it was 87.5F and now, at 5pm, it is 95.5F. However, it did reach 101F at some point today, according to my recording thermometer which is in the shade of the patio cover on the east side of the house. Not terribly unusual for SCalifornia, but this is the 'monsoon' season when the weather comes up from the south (Mexico) so this morning there were rain showers to the NW of Los Angeles and in the deserts to the north. We are having the sticky humidity that the east coast suffered with last week.

I hope to work on my sewing projects which have languished for months.

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Wordless Wednesday 07-14-10

Pictures I Save. 07-12-10

Pictures on my computer are one of my treasures. I think back to my childhood when my sister and I visited our grandparents in Los Angeles (near Eagle Rock) and would take film to the corner drugstore to be developed. We didn't have much money, so we were careful to take only 'important' pictures. Of course, they were black/white and never quite measured up to what we expected. I have no idea what happened to most of them. I moved away from Portland, OR, just out of high school and took with me only what would fit in a suitcase, a train case and a hat box (yes, hats were important then). I suppose my sister has boxes of photos - she is worse than I am about keeping things forever.

Now I have thousands of pictures on Picasa storage and rarely go in to delete anything. Just like photos stored in boxes some have labels and some do not. One always thinks the names and places and dates will be there in our memory, but they fade away quickly as the years pass. Here are four pictures that I love to look at.

I have no idea where this was taken, I expect in the 'north woods', but it is a tribute to a woodcutter/stacker with a lovely imagination.

Of all the cat pictures that come across my computer threshold this is my favorite one. With the possible exception of "Max and the Pincushion" which is a video.
http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/2009/08/max-and-pincushion.html

These little birdies may be Photoshopped, but I love them anyway.

This one always makes me smile. I took it near the Utah/Wyoming border while on a road trip in 2005. It is the "Vampire Truck"! I have seen other trucks decorated in this way since this one, guess the truckers are identifying with the vampire hype along with the teenagers.

Council meeting 07-10-10

Today Surfside Quilters Guild hosted the Southern California Council of Quilt Guilds at our meeting place in San Clemente. I don't know if there are quilt councils around the country, but there are two in California - Northern and Southern. The SCCQG holds quarterly meetings hosted by one of the 90 or so guilds that compose the membership - from the Mexican border north to about San Luis Obispo and from the Pacific Ocean into Nevada. Today's meeting was the highly popular "Meet the Teachers" meeting where about 25 teachers/lecturers have three minutes to present their offerings. They each have a table to show their quilts and garments before/during/after the formal meeting. The best thing SCCQG offers is low cost liability insurance for the guilds - something that is required by almost every venue - that is affordable for even the smallest group.

Naturally, food is required! Our guild under the direction of volunteer LeAnn Goettel and with the help of our hospitality committee organized everything beautifully.

There were orange juice, coffee and tea. Plates with a slice of delicious quiche, a slice of pumpkin bread, a bar cookie (missing on this plate), and a cup of granola topped with a sweetened yogurt and fresh California berries. All very welcome to those who had driven for hours to reach the meeting location. I don't know how many plates were prepared, but there were very few leftover.

This is Mary Tabar from San Diego sitting at her table with her quilts spread out and hung. These photos are those that turned out rather than a recommendation for the speaker. Since the tables were in front of the windows the incoming light ruined most of the images.

Cathy Van Brueggen is an Orange County quilter who does lovely hand applique.

Marcia Stein works from photos she takes during her travels. She lives in San Francisco.

Karen Brow has years of experience in textile design and creates wonderful applique patterns.

Terry Waldron, another Orange County quiltmaker, has shown in many national exhibits.

Monterey Peninsula QGuild QShow 07-09-10

It has been almost a month since I drove north to see the Monterey Peninsula Quilters Guild Quilt Show, which occurs every other year. They have some excellent quiltmakers in their membership, so there are always interesting quilts. Three of these were started in Ruth McDowell classes and the fourth uses designs from one of Ruth's books. I enjoy seeing the final outcome of quilts that have been started in a class I was part of. Amazing results come from Ruth's classes and students who have never designed their own quilt are 'over-the-moon' with the results. Rarely someone completes a top in class, but they are always small works. The best way to start out on a new technique is to complete as much of the quilt in the class when the teacher is there to assist if you need it. Nice to see that some of these quiltmakers have received ribbons for their work.