Southwest Trip/ part II

After our fabulous trip to the Davis Mountains, our working people and school people had to return home as their Spring Break was about to end.  We continued on West into New Mexico for great food, art, and fun!

In Albuquerque...the Hot Air Balloon Museum

Inside the Balloon Museum

And another picture of hot air balloons

In Albuquerque, the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center...with a great restaurant!

A beautiful park in the middle of the Cultural District, Albuquerque where we took a nice, long walk.

And the Albuquerque Art Museum which had a wonderful sculpture garden outside and great art inside. 

The visitors' center at the Acoma  Pueblo which we visited with a terrific local Indian guide.

Acoma is the oldest pueblo which still is lived in by the Indians...atop a mesa, a few miles outside of Albuquerque

A view of the Sacred Mesa, the original living area, from up at Acoma.

And on to Santa Fe...the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

One of the many great galleries on Canyon Road, Santa Fe..our reflection in a huge stainless steel chick!

Part of our room at a very cool motel...Inn of the Governor's, Santa Fe

Just a couple of blocks from our motel, a pleasant surprise..the state capital building housing some of the best art work we saw anywhere!

Floor of the capital

A huge buffalo head, created from found objects!!  It is probably five foot in height.

The Miraculous Staircase at the Loretta Chapel, Santa Fe...a must see for anyone.

And the famous Ranchos de Taos Church in Taos...about an hour from Santa Fe.

The green room in the Blumenschein Home, Taos, an artist known for starting the "artist" community of Taos.

The Big House of Mabel Dodge Luhan, a wealthy socialite who was also very influential in the art community of Taos, now a B & B and retreat area...great breakfast!!!

The door to the upper level...Mabel's private entrance.

Then on our last day, heading from Taos...we were in a snowstorm, in the mountains for about an hour and a half!


All in all, we had a wonderful trip, and other than a little snow, wind and dust, had perfect weather to enjoy everything!

Zentangle #14-I Walk The Line

Week #14 Challenge: I Walk the Line: Southwest ZIA

The Week Challenge for #13 was while I was out of town and I didn't get in on it.  Week #14 is titled "I Walk the Line"...using only straight lines to create the zentangle.  As we had just visited New Mexico and the Pueblo Acoma outside of Albuquerque as well as many museums and art galleries in the area, I couldn't help but be somewhat influenced by the Indian art.  I picked up a term from the Zentangle website....ZIA...which I really like. It stands for Zentangle Influenced Art!

Back Home from Family Trip

Rooms at Sproul Ranch

Beautiful Sunsets from the ranch over the Davis Mts.

Kathleen the horse whisperer!

    

Jeep ride around the ranch

Colin and Graham, Skeet shooting

Hiking above the Rio Grande at Big Bend

Horse-back riding out of Fort Davis

At the McDonald's Observatory

At Fort Davis

Colin, rock climbing near Ft. Davis

Sproul Ranch, a working ranch near Ft. Davis...great place to visit.

We went with our daughters, SIL, and grands to the Davis Mts. area in Texas.  We stayed at the greatest place, Sproul Ranch, just outside Fort Davis...near the McDonald Observatory, Marfa, Alpine, and less than two hours to Big Bend Nat'l Park.

After six days, the kids all headed back to Ft. Worth/ McKinney and Dick and I went on to New Mexico for a few more days....WE didn't have to be back at the end of spring break.

Zentangle #2 for me-Challenge # 12

Zen-Wave..."Something Blue"

I am still lovin' these Zentangles!  This the second challenge from the "i am a diva" blog.  The topic for this challenge is "Something Blue".  For some reason, Hokusai's wood block print of "The Wave" came immediately to mind....so in homage to Hokusai, my "blue" Zentangle is "Zen-wave"!

"The Wave" by Hokusai

After looking at the wood cut, I noticed that my Mt. Fuji was on the left of my pic rather than like on the right in the famous pic!!  My excuse...I didn't want to plagiarize!!!!  (Good excuse, huh?)

Zentangles

I have recently been obsessed with "Zentangles"!!!  I have been a prolific doodler all my life...all over college notes, meeting agendas, grocery lists etc.  but I did not realize there is an art form for this fascination with line!  Below is my first attempt at "Zentangling" (can it be a verb!)..created in my sketchbook while idling away the evening watching television.

I've also been looking at lots of other Zentangles... there is a website (it is also listed in my sidebar..."iamadiva") by that name on my sidebar.  And I discovered another site that names a weekly challenge for Zentangles with a specific topic.  So I decided to give it a try...this first week (for me) is "Monotangle" and here it is!

After my attempts at Zentangles, I discovered there are books out there and certified teachers to show you how to do it!!!  I love that!!!  But I think I will muddle along on my own for awhile so I can try to be original in what I do.

Try it ....it is fun!!!

studioQ meeting

Yesterday, my studioQ group met at the cutest little cottage where one of our members and her husband are staying while "between" houses...one sold/the other not yet purchased.  We had our usual great time...shared ideas and had a fun show and tell!!

We also had our challenge blocks from our last meeting to show...these were from drawings from our sketchbooks.  Here are a few:

 This is my block...I put a border on it because the edges were kind of wonky.  My original in my sketchbook is on an earlier blog.  I think I may add some beading to it and give it to the committee for the Silent Auction at our Show next fall.

            Wendy was a bit of an over achiever!  She enlarged her block!!

           Heather's block is very colorful....she really followed her drawing well!

Dyanna chose to do a part of her block which she found most interesting.  She said she like it so well she may make more to add to it...I agree!  Very nice!

Susan seemed to have many more pieces than some others...great job of replicating!

Bethany had a unique way to make her block.  She used a felt base and zigzag stitched each section to it.  Clever girl!

Our hostess, Beth, is quite an artist with beadwork on wooden thread spools.  She showed us how she does it...I would like to try, but it is really tedious!  I think I am going to have to wait until after my cataract surgery and new glasses before I try it! Here is a basket full of spools she had done!

A New Look

I've been playing around with redesigning the look of my blog...need a little more color in my life!!!  I have also added the "followers" widget so please feel free to join me if you are reading my blog....it will give me an opportunity to view more of other bloggers!  I also have added a couple of blogs to my list...one is "Zentangles"...something I just discovered recently...very cool!!  And "Sunday Postcards" which already has a huge following.  Both blogs have Flicker photo pages which are also note worthy.

The last time my studioQ bunch met, we drew a "mystery" block in our sketchbooks.  It was a mystery because no one knew what they would look like when finished.  I had everyone draw a square...from 6" to 9" approximately.  Then we passed out sketchbooks..and then added a series of three vertical lines, passed again..draw three curved lines..passed again.  We did this for about six line instructions, passing each time, then we had four or five "coloring" instructions...for example, pick a colored pencil and color three areas, passed...then another color and amount of sections to color, etc.  The last challenge we had to do was to take the block drawn in our own sketchbooks and try to reproduce them in fabric!!  Here is what my block came out to be and the fabric I plan to use.  I had decided to create a paper-pieced pattern to make mine.  We meet again Monday so I need to get busy!!

"The Help", a novel

I just finished reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I highly recommend this book to all to read and, although it is a novel of fiction, I can promise you is based on reality.  We lived in Mississippi in the '70s for about seven years.  Coming from white bread Midwest, none of us had really experienced the Southern mentality.  Now, it is a beautiful state and we met many wonderful people there, but lying below the surface at that time was unbelievable racism.  A few examples:

• the schools in the small town we were living in had only been integrated five years.  When we dropped in to see the schools before we made a decision to move there, the principal there said "Well, being from the North, you probably want to know about our blacks"  (I wanted to ask if they still owned them!)
• I was getting my haircut....the guy who was doing me was chatting with one of the other hair dressers. He said that he just broke up with his girl friend because he found out she had kissed a black guy! (I quit going there!)
• the Baptist church in town cancelled a traveling choral group when they found out there was some black singers in the group
• when I took over the Girl Scout Troop, we had to move our meeting place to the Catholic Church because we had some new little black girls in the troop and the Methodist church would not allow us to use their facilities.
• out in the country was this little rundown private skating rink which my girls had been to, so I took some of my troop out there to set up a date to skate.  The lady who owned it got me to one side and told me we would not be able to use the place because it would really hurt her business...she didn't care but she couldn't take a chance! (my girls didn't go there again).
• I taught in the middle school which had been the old black school..1-12.   When integration took place, the town built an elementary...1-4. Had a middle school..5-8. The high school...9-12 had been the original white school...1-12.  One of my oldest daughter's friends' grandmother told me she could not wait until the girls got out of 8th grade so they would not have to go to that "colored" school any more!
• There was quite a big difference in the structures of the two schools but I am pretty sure structure was not what the grandmother was referring to...and she really was a very sweet little old lady...just that mentality thing!

Now we had some wonderful times there...it wasn't always doom and gloom but I did learn that it was a different world...one that I hope has changed drastically in the past 30 years.  It was a terrific experience, one I would not trade for the world.

The Best Laid Plans.....

Two/three weeks ago, I was lined up for many appointments....weather interfered one week/ everything cancelled and I stayed home.  This week, every day was booked with something to do.

• Monday-TVQG Board Meeting..check
• Tuesday-doctor appt. for diabetes checkup...kind of check (I went but didn't conclude appt.)
• Wednesday-Diabetes Education Class..(make up for a cancelled class)
• Thursday-scheduled cataract surgery (cancelled)
• Friday-post op checkup (cancelled)

When I went to my pre op at the opthamalagist's, I was told I needed to take a form to my doctor to have her fill out and sign that I am OK for surgery. So as I had an appt. today, I took it with me.  Then my doctor's people tell me that I was not scheduled for a physical needed for the form..the story is really boringly longer but to make it short, I had to cancel surgery, reschedule, cancel dr. appt., reschedule...I really blame the gal at the opthamologist as she led me to belief it was no big deal..

Ah, well..now I can go to my guild meeting Friday and hear our speaker....Bonnie Hunter... www.quiltville.com.
She has a very fun website...check it out.

Now This Is More Like Why We Live in Texas!!

After a really brutal couple of weeks of weather, we had a really wonderful weekend.  This evening we were even able to sit on the porch and have a little adult beverage while cooking some 'burgers.  And last night we actually got out of our "Saturday Night Netflix and popcorn" comfort zone and went to a concert at the Ed Landreth Auditorium/TCU Campus.  It was put  on by the Classic Guitar Society of Fort Worth.  The guest stars were Sharon Isbin (guitar) and Mark O'Connor (violin).  We had heard them on NPR and decided to give it a try....it was fantastic!!!  Loved every minute of it!!  What talented people!!

And the rest of the weekend was spent finishing up my Christmas stuff...except for the quilting and binding!!  That won't take long as these pieces are for functional use, not "show"!!!

Table topper: 24" x 23"

Table runner: 50" x 20"

Eight Place Mats/ four of each pattern.

All of these started out with panels and quite a bit of fabric I had on hand for some time.  The large areas on the placemats were the focal of the panel and the other insets on the other pieces were borders, etc.  Any of the "striped" fabric was from my stash of other Christmas fabric....now I need everyone to remind me next December to get them out.

On an earlier blog, I showed the Mug Rugs I was sending to Canada for a swap.  I didn't know who had my name until my mats came in the mail this week also from Canada...not the same person and here they are.....

Laurel Burch and Batiks...a couple of my favorite fabrics!

Here we go again!!

Good ol' Texas weather!  Fortunately it was not as bad today as they had forecasted.  I think after missing the number of inches forecasted last week (said only a powder and we got 2-4 inches), they over predicted today.  It was icy this morning but the sun came out about 10:00 this morning and all the roads/walks cleared off....but after all the schools had announced closing!

I am big into "coincidences"...a couple of years ago I started keeping a list of them as they happened....like hearing a new word or phrase, or an idiom, tale, peculiarity...etc. that I have not heard before or for a long time...then I hear the same two or three times in the period of a couple of days.  For example, today I was talking to my daughter, Andrea this morning on the phone....in the course of our conversation, she said the phrase "drinking the Kool Aid" in reference to "buying into a way of thinking".  I had not heard that before so asked her where that came from...of course, after she explained the reference to Jim Jones' suicide events, I knew what she meant.  Now, the coincidental part...later in the morning, I was watching a show I had "tivo'd".  I am a big SciFi fan, and I was watching "V" (probably the only person in the world who watches it)...anyway, during the show...someone said something to the effect that "when they landed, everyone was drinking the Kool Aid"!  Now that is a coincidence!!  Twice in one day....OK..so that makes me a little weird!

I have been working on  my Christmas placemats...am just about finished....now if I can just remember to get them out next year at the holidays!!  I also decided to make a table runner and a table topper while I had all the fabric out.

Crazy weather!!!

And we were supposed to just get a dusting of snow...the bulk was to be South and East.  Goes to show what an inaccurate job it can be to predict weather...Mother Nature is really in charge!!

But I am getting quite a bit of sewing done.  I finished my "Mug Rugs" for a swap.  I am sending mine off to Canada.  And I am now working on Christmas placemats!  I am determined to have them ready for this year!!  I have had the fabric, some of it, for a couple of years and always wait until right before the Holiday Season to start them...so they don't get done...go to the bottom of the "to do" list...not this year!!  (Maybe!)

 My "Mug Rugs" for a swap! They are 10" x 6" and made with some of the fabric I won last year in the Quilting Arts drawing.

Br-r-r-r-r-!!!!

Texas is NOT supposed to be this cold!! As I mentioned before, the Fort Worth Stock Show is going on.  It runs through the coming Saturday; and there is almost always at least one week when the weather is just terrible!  This is the week...on Saturday when we were there it was 80 degrees..today it is barely 20 degrees with ice every where.

And it is Super Bowl Week...Oh, the hype!!!  The Packers and the Steelers are in town with all their fans who probably think we Texans are real pansies because this kind of weather is right up their alley!  It is too bad that the weather will curtail some of the planned activities though as I know a lot of time, money and effort have gone into them....not that I planned to take part...I am more of a passive observer of the festivities!!!

My kaleidoscope: "Totem" 

My studioQ group met yesterday...when the weather was still nice!  What a creative bunch of ladies!  And my kaleidoscope quilt was pieced enough to show. Here are some of the various works from some of the gals:

The front of Beth's journal...we are encouraging each other to keep a journal of ideas.

Bethany has been experimenting with stamping with fruits and veggies...this is her Mushroom print.

Susan had several things to show...this is a mini made from leftover scraps.

And Heather showed one of her quilts from her Nancy Crow class.

Needless to say, I have not gotten out of the house today, so all the activities that I had planned to do this week are dwindling...not that I am complaining!  I love staying home and now have an excuse to do so!  In fact, I am pretty sure I am going nowhere tomorrow either!!

A Great Family!

Our first born on her first birthday-1966

Today is our oldest daughter's birthday...and she got to celebrate by staying home from work because of the weather!  We had gotten together to celebrate over the weekend, so the bad weather allowed her to spend the day with her immediate family!

National Honor Society Induction..Kathleen, second from right

Last night we attended Kathleen's NHS induction ceremony..what a gal!  Less than two months ago, she was having back surgery and today, a lovely young lady all dressed up entering a prestigious organization. There were 60 inductees..a great looking bunch of kids!  Most all of her family fan club were there...both sets of grandparents, her mom, dad, and brother...probably one of the largest cheering sections there.

Kathleen with all her grandparents

Fort Worth, A Great Little City!

Yesterday, we went to the rodeo with all the family....we have been going as a group of 12 to 18 for over 16 years now.  We used to go out to eat all together after the matinee, but all the restaurants have gotten so busy it was hard to seat a large group without waiting forever.  And since our oldest daughter's birthday is February 1st, we have been coming back to our house and having dinner here for a few years...celebrating her birthday and our rodeo tradition at the same time...seems to work out really well!

The Fort Worth Stock Show used to be the Fat Stock Show...meaning the big, beefy cows and hogs, etc.  But with all the emphasis on healthy eating the past few years, the powers that be changed the name to just Stock Show...and the look of the calves and all being shown have taken of a different look from when we were kids....very straight backs, lean bodies as opposed to big, thick chested animals.

Yesterday was really warm!!  The temperature was at least 80 degrees...and the Stock Show grounds, the midway and all the exhibition halls were really crowded!  I had been having some allergy problems and being around all the dusty, hay-filled barns and then the rodeo arena didn't help much...this morning I was a mess with stuffy nose and sneezing fits, but by now I am quite a bit better.  If it wasn't so much fun to go and be with everyone I would skip going!

But according to the weather...we have worse winter ahead....possible ice/snow/wind...yuck!  And it is to be the coldest yet...below 20 degrees!  I guess I need to change my "out my window" picture!

This and that!

I have been working with all the pictures I have downloaded to my new Mac laptop...For some reason, many of the folders of pictures that I had put on the external hard drive for storage were duplicated...sometimes more than once. So I am trying to get them all straightened out on this computer.....there are literally  thousands of them!

This picture from an old slide was taken when we lived in Alaska in 1964-66...we had only been married a few months when Dick was transferred there courtesy of the Air Force.  And then we made a return visit to the area a year ago...46 years later.  Since the quilt I am now working on is from the fabric  I got in Juneau, and has totem poles on it, I thought this was appropriate.  I have the kaleidescope  nearly finished...just need to put all the sections together, then add some sides and get it quilted.  I haven't decided whether I want to add beading or not...will see.

Busy week coming up...Friday night we are going to dinner and a concert with our daughter's in-laws, Saturday we are all going to the big Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo, there will be about 12 of us, then out here for a BBQ dinner to celebrate my oldest daughter's birthday and other daughter will be spending the night as she lives about 80 miles away....a little far to drive back home late;  it is always good to see her for a long visit anyway.

 Then Monday, I have the studioQ bunch here...that is my art quilt group..Monday night is our granddaughter's National Honor Society Induction.  Tuesday there is a Diabetic Support Group meeting which I may attend..not sure.  Wednesday, my third class for Diabetic Education...Dick has been going with me which is a big help to have an extra set of ears to hear all about it.  Thursday is our poker bunch, meeting for dinner and card playing. And I think that is all for awhile...so maybe I can get some really constructive quilting going!!!

Cold!!!!

We are having our first really cold weather this year....it is now 32degrees at 9:00 AM and I know that may not seem really cold to some, but to me it is COLD!!!  It is also very gray out which makes it feel even colder...fortunately, I am lucky enough to be able to stay home and just feel sympathy for those who need to get out!

I am listening to Diane Reames on NPR as I write...the discussion is about the lack of civility in politics...perhaps instrumental in the craziness of the Arizona shooting tragedy...I personally believe there is a definite connection....we all need to realize that our words can be heard by all...the crazies and those who are sane, and it is an obligation of those especially in the public eye to be very careful of how they voice their opinions to incite others to their way of thinking!

And now on a happier note!  Work on my Kaleidoscope continues!

                                   Phase I of my Kaleidoscope  

                                      Phase II of Kaleidoscope
                                      

                     Layout of paper piecing for Kaleidoscope with phase III on paper!

Each phase I complete seems to create the need for another phase.  I am working now on phase III.. I design on paper first, then break it all into a paper-pieced project...so I think phase III is going to be the last!  Most of the fabric I have used is from our trip to Alaska last year...2009.

Good start to the new year!

Kathleen hasn't gone back to school yet, so on the days her daddy isn't working from home, either I or her grandad have gone in to spend the day with her.  I was there on Monday, and we had a great day catching up on the first season of "Glee".  We got through about the first six...will finish next week.  That is really a cute show...I especially like it because I KNOW the music!!

I have a new toy...for my birthday, Dick had gotten me a little arm band radio with ear plugs to listen to while at the gym working out and walking.  It didn't work very long so I took it back and upgraded to a SanDisk little clip on called a Sansa....it is about 11/2 inch by 21/2 inches...unbelievable!  It plays FM radio and will hold up to 1000 songs!  It is so tiny, it just clips on to my sleeve...so light I hardly know it is there...I am in awe of today's technology!!!

While sitting in the doctor's office yesterday, waiting my turn, this little ol' lady struck up a conversation with me.  She is also in awe of technology, but not in a good way!  I think it is too bad when people won't even give it a chance...but there will always be those who do not like change!!  A definite sign of OLD age!! (but not always....I do know of a few much younger than I that don't handle change well!)

A New Year!

2011!  Wow..if it goes as fast as 2010, I may just spin out of control!  My main goals are similar to my birthday goals of my 70th birthday...and so far...one day into the year I have been working on completing a quilt design...my kaleidoscope. It is a growing concern!!  Every time I finish one phase, I decide to add another!  But I am liking it...it is fun to work on something that one really likes!

Spent New Year's Eve with family...eating and playing games..we played "Taboo"...a very fun game that is very good with a crowd and all ages.  Then today, talked to my bro in Illinois and my daughter in McKinney...so all in all, a very good start.  Kathleen is doing so wonderfully after her surgery...will still be home from school for a couple of weeks.

And the TCU Horned Frogs won at the Rose Bowl, beating out Wisconsin!!! yahoo....go Frogs!!  Very good game!!!