Sorry, no post tonight. I am just beat and my brain is also tired, so I am off to bed now.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Snowy Mountains 02-19-09
Sometimes one doesn't see what is right in front of them. I've been in this park dozens of times and this is the first time I have noticed this sign. Rather odd wording, eh? Do they mean if the dog is a nuisance? Or if what it might leave behind is a nuisance? Mostly signs around here say "pick up after your dog".
This afternoon I drove up to my mountain viewing spot on the top of Bastanchury Hill - as you see I wasn't alone in this little pocket park with the great view. Lots of viewers if there isn't haze and/or smog.
I tried going in the morning thinking there would be less haze, but forgetting the sun would be shining right into the lens. 
On the far left are the San Gabriel Mountains, hiding behind the Brea hills, and on the right are the San Bernardino Mountains where we can go skiing or snowboarding.
The highest peak you can see in this picture is San Bernardino Mountain (elevation 10,864 ft/3,311 m).
Everything is washed clean by our recent rains, so all the vegetation shines in the sunlight. These pyracanthas planted on the slope add a little color.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
No pictures.... 02-17-09
No pictures today, I've just been busy doing "stuff" - I'm sure you all have days like that! But I do have a question. Does anyone have first hand experience with tankless water heaters? My tank water heater is living on borrowed time and I don't want to come home some day, tired and grubby and not have hot water. From what I have read it seems the tankless arrangement would suit me well. Several people have recommended the Noritz brand, but I don't know anyone who has any kind of system. I need some advice.
A little drizzle today, but the next three days are supposed to be clear and sunny - time for the water to be absorbed before the next storms roll in.
Great rainy day 02-16-09
Lots of rain, lots of wind, lots of snow - things are looking up for the drought to end. LA has over eight inches of rain for the year, so far. And the local mountains are piling up snow pack.
I picked up Corky on Sunday morning and returned him this afternoon. The rain doesn't affect him at all - he just marches out and does his business. He knows very well that there will be someone waiting for him with a nice dry towel and a cloth to wipe his feet.
Fortunately there wasn't much traffic due to the Presidents' holiday, because the rain really pounded down at times and visibility was poor. After some heavy rain there would be a rift in the clouds and the puny sun would shine for a short while. Then the clouds would build up again and ...more rain.
Somewhere behind those dark clouds Venus is shining. I saw her on the way home this evening, so bright, so white. She is moving further north... or is it the Earth is moving further south?
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Cynthia Corbin quilt in TCQC 02-15-09
"Absolutes" Cynthia Corbin 1994 35"W x 56"L
This is one of Cynthia's early quilts, unlike what she has been making in the last decade. I met her in a class at Empty Spools Seminars at Asilomar in California, in about 1992. I was impressed with her class work and eventually asked if she sold her quilts. When she said yes, I asked for some pictures and this one immediately grabbed me. The center rectangle is a "stack and cut and rearrange" technique that seems to have a different name these days. She decided it was too stark and designed borders with curves. Also adding the brown fabric for contrast. I wasn't paying attention to the markings on the slide she sent so I was surprised when I received the quilt in the mail and the sleeve was on one of the long sides. I thought it was a vertical quilt and I had the perfect spot for it - so it has two sleeves, for horizontal hanging that Cynthia sewed on and for vertical hanging that I sewed on. And I do hang it both ways. To me the center feels calm with the limited color selection and the wonderful borders add movement and vitality.
Cynthia is known for her intense quilting - rows and rows -sometimes an 1/8 of an inch apart and sometimes wider spacing. Her quilts have been in many exhibits and she teaches in the USA and internationally.
Antique Quilts at Bowers Museum......... 02-14-09
Today I went to Bowers Museum in Santa Ana to see their current exhibit of antique quilts from their collection. They have some wonderful pieces, but the designs are somewhat limited. But I may be jaded after all these years. It is always interesting to see quilts with others who are not quilters and I am sometimes challenged by the questions they ask. Carol Bednar has heard me expound about all sorts of quilting things, but it is all new to Dick Bednar. Interestingly, Carol does not sew, but Dick does - not habitually, but when necessary. I think they both enjoyed the exhibit and the part of the "famous quilt makers" film we saw.
We visited the quilts after we had lunch at the museum's restaurant, Tangata - a delicious meal which we ended with an excellent creme brulee. No flash pictures allowed in the museum so I did not take any pictures, however you can see some taken by my friend Patty Mayer on her blog:
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