Livestock near Temecula 10-01-11

When Liz and I drove to Temecula she guided me out to the Viña de Lestonnac Retreat Center where many quilters go for retreats, sponsored by quilt guilds or organized by other quilters.  www.vinalestonnac.com/   I wanted to see it since we were so close and I had never been there. It is much further out to the east of the town than I had thought.  Along the way Liz kept looking for the "longhorns" which she sees whenever she goes along the road through the valley. 

On the way back to I-15 she found what she was looking for.  There were the longhorns!  Of course, they are fenced - inside three rows of fence.  I suggested that she climb up on one of the fences to take pictures, but she declined!  My body will hardly let me climb stairs, much less a fence, so these pictures are less than what I would like. 

Is this amazing or what?  The horns are so large that the guy in the lower right cannot even lay his head down on the ground.

He apparently rests on his horn with his head raised up - gotta be hard on his neck! 

I counted eight of the beasts - most were gathered in the shade of a large California pepper tree. 

 

I was, of course, using the telephoto feature of my camera.  Although they seemed placid and were completely unmindful of my presence, I don't think I would like to get this close to them! 

It was a thrill to see them and I will look closely should I drive out there again.

A Very Busy Day 09-30-11

Pool Therapy this morning - invigorating and exhausting!  The therapist "up'd the ante" and gave me some much harder exercises - I was not very successful with one of them, but next week I will ace it.  Promise!

Then I drove to San Diego to see the exhibits at the Visions Art Museum http://www.quiltvisions.org/
 - very impressive.  Marilyn Henrion has moved her art in a new direction and I like it very much.  If you have a chance go to see the exhibit "Soft City" showing about fifteen of Marilyn's hand quilted works - through October 23.  In the smaller gallery you'll find "Urban Landscapes" showing quilts selected by Marilyn from the work of eight international artists - a wide variety of techniques and impressions of urban life.  http://www.marilynhenrion.com/

 

I also went to San Diego to discuss some business with Beth Smith, Executive Director of Visions Art Museum and see other Visions friends.  Beth was in pink and I was black and blue - a vision of contrast.

Coincidentally the San Diego Watercolor Society is celebrating 31 years of excellence with an International Exhibit and this evening was the opening reception.  I tagged along with Beth and Andrea Bacal, who were representing Visions which is located in the same building as the watercolor exhibit.  There were some great paintings and I found a few to covet, but I feel that collecting art quilts is all I can handle, so no paintings. The flower arrangements on tables and shelves were elegant, but simple, showing flowers grown in San Diego.  Bougainvillea, Plumeria, and Hibiscus on a base of shiny dark green leaves.  

The SDWSociety had an excellent caterer.  Ladies were mingling with the guests offering these tasty bites - I had THREE!  On each spoon was a dab of sour cream, a curl of salmon, a thread of lemon peel and a fat caper.  A delicious combination, I'm sure I could have cleaned up these spoons quickly and happily.

Chocolate covered strawberries were offered on handmade glass plates with a crown of Plumeria.  I didn't try them, strawberries are not on my list of  "allowed" foods, but they did look tempting.

By the time I drove home I had been gone for about thirteen hours and I am very tired.  My eyes feel swollen - from seeing so much, no doubt!  So, I'm off to bed. 

More "Purple Passion" 09-29-11

I've added some things to the "Purple Passion" basket, but the basket isn't full yet! 

Fabrics from Quilters Coop in Temecula, Flying geese Quilt Shop in Tustin, and Calico House in Placentia.

Buttons, beads and trim from The Wool Lady in Temecula.  Spray bottle and sustenance from CVS!

I can always buy a larger basket! 

 

Cute, huh?  I couldn't resist this sweet little girl in her purple butterfly dress and pink flip-flops. 

Wordless Wednesday in SCal Speak 09-28-11

A Day Trip to Temecula, CA 09-27-11

When Liz was at a quilting retreat www.vinalestonnac.com/  she discovered a new store in Temecula - The Wool Lady.  It sounded interesting and we needed a day trip, so today we drove the sixty miles to see Ruth Molina's shop, the local quilt shop and have lunch.  And then I dropped her at her house and came home for a nice long nap.  It was a great day!

Temecula's "Old Town" maintains an atmosphere of early 1900s and some of the buildings are very old.  Others are new, but built to look old.  I don't know which this is, but it certainly looks rustic and charming.

 

Ruth has stocked the shop with a great selection of threads, patterns, notions, kits, gift items and wool fabric.

She hand dyes much of the fabric (this past weekend was all yellow and gold) and also has bolts to choose from.  Anyone who is interested in wool applique will find irresistible fabrics.

Of course, I was interested in anything purple and should have asked Liz to take a picture of me in my purple shirt and hat next to these purple flowers.  I did get her to help me look for purple "stuff".

She helped me look through this washtub - for purple buttons.  We filled a little baggie, but rejected some others - you can see them laying on the top layer.  I'll look through my button boxes/bags/jars for some more.  Looking for buttons, a life-long addiction. 

Liz looked at some patterns, fondled some fabric and found balls of the exact red perle cotton she has been looking for to finish a project in progress.

There are lots of samples and kits, some displayed in great old "shabby chic" furniture.

Old and new combine to present something interesting to see at every turn.

Perle in skeins and on balls.  Hand dyed ribbons and threads.

Love this sign hanging on the porch outside the shop. 

Here is the information about the shop - open every day except Sunday - when Ruth does some dyeing.

Diagonally across the intersection is Quilter's Coop, the local quilt shop.  These signs on the windows are the only indication this is a quilt shop. 

But on the inside there are great displays of fabrics and other needs for quiltmakers.  There seemed to be two sections - one will appeal to the "modern quilting" aficionados.

   

Nice quilts, lots of fabric choices.  They also have a good sales room, including a big box of fat quarters with reduced prices.

Another section of the shop seems devoted to reproduction and country fabrics.

 

Patterns and books for every taste and quite a large selection of notions.

There are several new additions to the purple basket, including the buttons and some fat quarters.  It is filling up, but there is always room for more - I'll just find a larger basket!   

Monday Browsing 09-26-11

Well, I haven't actually been doing much browsing. But I have a few sites to suggest.

This one came from my friend Patty who seems to frequently come up with sites that have interesting photos. This one has pictures taken in the late 1930s and early 1940s using COLOR slide film. The pictures live at the Library of Congress. The detail is amazing, but what strikes me (and probably everyone who looks at them) is the color - my brain has a hard time accepting such images in color, since all the pictures I have seen from this era have always been in black & white.

http://extras.denverpost.com/archive/captured.asp

The B&W picture below is from 1941 or 1942 and shows my family in front of the house my dad was building.  The only colors I am sure of are the Douglas fir trees, the brown house in the background, the green Plymouth, Buddy (the brown dog on the left) and my uncle's dark blue sailor suit.

 

Ellery, my dad; Grandmother Ella, Grampa Wilce, Aunt Vernice, Uncle Gordan.  And, on the running board of the Plymouth, my (about) 3 year old self. 

 For further contrast check this site: 

http://vithefiddler.posterous.com/pictures-of-america-1935-1939

Two quilts from Virginia Spiegel in TCQC 09-25-11

Here are two pieces from Virginia Spiegel, part of her Boundary Waters series.  I purchased both of them in 2007 - two because I couldn't decide which one I liked the best!  The following URL will take you to a page where Virginia explains the lure of the Boundary Waters Wilderness located on the border of Minnesota and Canada.

http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/WhyTheBoundaryWaters.html

"Boundary Waters #30"  Virginia Spiegel - Byron, IL  2007 9.25"W x 9.5"L

Hand printed and hand dyed fabric.  Machine applique and quilting.  Hand stitched accent.  

I find this piece difficult to photograph because of the light colored mesh layer between the background and the appliqued "grasses".  Therefore, I have used photos of the fronts of the works provided by Virginia. 

As many artists do these days, Virginia has used hand painted "rejects" on the back of the quilt.

"Boundary Waters #28"  Virginia Spiegel - Byron, IL  2007  7.75"W x 10.75"L
Hand printed and hand dyed fabric. Machine applique and quilting. Hand stitched accent.

Virginia is an amazing person and gifted artist who I have admired and watched for years.  I gladly supported her FFAC project to raise funds for the American Cancer Society. 

http://www.virginiaspiegel.com/