tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16644764494195880822024-03-04T22:24:56.631-06:00ABBAABBA - Aries Blonde Blogging AggieAndreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.comBlogger764125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-59323819632878019082017-02-10T10:16:00.000-06:002017-02-10T10:16:19.623-06:00What Do You Listen For?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I can't remember how long ago it has been but in the recent past the minister at my church told a story that really stuck with me. The story goes along the lines of:<br />
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Two people are walking down a busy street in the city.<br />One says, "Oh! Do you hear the birds singing? What a lovely song!"<br />The second person says, "I only hear the traffic and talking. How do you hear the birds?"<br />The first person says, "Observe..." and takes a handful of change out and throws it into the air.<br />Suddenly all the people walking around stop and start searching the sidewalk for the change that just pinged.<br />The first person then says, "We hear what we listen for..."</blockquote>
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I've started trying really hard to keep this in mind when I'm taking my walks with Leo in the afternoon. I focus on hearing the birds in the trees or the kids playing in the school yard a block over. I try really, REALLY hard to block out the sounds of traffic from the busy streets around my house. In doing this, I've started noticing more birds and think I might have to take up ornithology just to know what I've seeing.<br />
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It is great fun to watch the progress of the birds as they pass through the area as Spring approaches. Last week there was a slew of robins around, but they have moved on through to their next destination and in conjunction with the robins I was blessed to see a couple of cardinals. Currently, I'm seeing a lot of finches and sparrows, but they are always around; I don't care though because they are still fun to watch and listen for. Yesterday, I saw a Mississippi Kite, I think.<br />
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The only downside, is that it disturbs Leo when we are going along at a good clip and I stop to stare up at the trees or roofs, because HE is the one that is supposed to cause us to stop regularly while he sniffs at ground stuff...I guess we need to just coordinate our stops.<br />
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So, what are you listening for?<br />
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And, because I want to show off some of my work, here is a close up of a small quilt I recently completed:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy85dV908HZNt1PM8dsXw4lT2pUAWzBPf5dvRd_8GCrpekVfLSUT9ebmW4HLjmtYp0wYlVZfoCUiLe_v4OpFucbhsgskf8m6s1iJ0b05X6nYBdIPtM6JRmzU6FWOF12IA5ILlAFEqEkqra/s1600/0BB4C5E0-3369-479C-8470-3B836D83A31D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy85dV908HZNt1PM8dsXw4lT2pUAWzBPf5dvRd_8GCrpekVfLSUT9ebmW4HLjmtYp0wYlVZfoCUiLe_v4OpFucbhsgskf8m6s1iJ0b05X6nYBdIPtM6JRmzU6FWOF12IA5ILlAFEqEkqra/s320/0BB4C5E0-3369-479C-8470-3B836D83A31D.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-4673505702118980182017-01-31T11:54:00.000-06:002017-01-31T11:54:12.095-06:00AQATW - I BelieveI know it has been a LONG time since I've blogged anything, but I finally got around to completing another challenge quilt for the group Art Quilts Around the World. This time the challenge was to represent "I Believe".<br />
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This came at an interesting time because I've been doing a lot of contemplating on what I do believe lately. I recently saw an interview with Oprah Winfrey and Rainn Wilson where he stated that 'creativity is a form of prayer' and that really hit home with me because this is something that I do. Whenever I'm working on something (a scarf, a quilt, whatever), I have a tendency to think about the person that I am making things for and try and embed good thoughts into whatever I'm doing. If I'm making something for a specific person (like a baby quilt) I try to envision this child and parents happy and healthy and laughing and loving one another. If I'm working on something with no specific person in mind, I try really hard to not let my mind go down into a negative space, even if I just have to say "light and love" over and over again while I'm working because I don't want negativity to become attached to the work....and yeah, I know it sounds hokey and new age-y but I don't care.<br />
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The quilt that I made for this challenge is actually called "HOPE" because I want to believe that there is hope even in these dark times (and yeah, I'm talking politically here)...that the light and colors will continue to shine through the darkness:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibz_bNn6lhDPpjLOMy77eD_FnzzHZSZe8E77hXjrWE6AhQLreibdcMm1xkZlbAlLyHB2XdH3RvkNpt0HfprdGAvd2lWcDh3YRYJYJYE2QnYiVSXG5SXBmPDb0bG305oyowtHKNRrd987XA/s1600/IBelieve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibz_bNn6lhDPpjLOMy77eD_FnzzHZSZe8E77hXjrWE6AhQLreibdcMm1xkZlbAlLyHB2XdH3RvkNpt0HfprdGAvd2lWcDh3YRYJYJYE2QnYiVSXG5SXBmPDb0bG305oyowtHKNRrd987XA/s400/IBelieve.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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To make this, I used the remains from the following quilt:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-YbeIC4ERIUM7CrCcciSbdnYboD5Sh2Sjb6ZvxIS_tVcDiwT33hxF6V253YCuIv8lmcQ6sW9i0Jh4NOSli7H1GUHh24o4EdqLjEwlgdoLsWG95NA3iOXlliSykWejJq86B-EZgtnj9CmQ/s1600/Photo+Jan+14%252C+8+53+39+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-YbeIC4ERIUM7CrCcciSbdnYboD5Sh2Sjb6ZvxIS_tVcDiwT33hxF6V253YCuIv8lmcQ6sW9i0Jh4NOSli7H1GUHh24o4EdqLjEwlgdoLsWG95NA3iOXlliSykWejJq86B-EZgtnj9CmQ/s320/Photo+Jan+14%252C+8+53+39+AM.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvA3qJ1dAoMagZ_XaawpU4pcJGt-GAnvsFd9s2rBlueAiYPwqCUNhyphenhyphenokVJiccX6EypCPHHqU_mqZMGWhcbTRIyizdoyA4uXcvjG5Z8GigPBThWENgf732Stp4gA81nJtUFq6D1Lmppg_d/s1600/Photo+Jan+14%252C+9+45+14+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvA3qJ1dAoMagZ_XaawpU4pcJGt-GAnvsFd9s2rBlueAiYPwqCUNhyphenhyphenokVJiccX6EypCPHHqU_mqZMGWhcbTRIyizdoyA4uXcvjG5Z8GigPBThWENgf732Stp4gA81nJtUFq6D1Lmppg_d/s320/Photo+Jan+14%252C+9+45+14+AM.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I then attached it all to fusible web:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KnvOGwsZshfer6bycQ_y5ir8-opezVZv8Qv3elmm3LklA5A2yOI1vyMckoiUklNyAGlcAaG-pOGgUJF3IqUExTlNFAH_dr_MyIA7LJLpHX8ywVE25Twg7o-jqDH7HgCgUhT3sJzMnHjg/s1600/Photo+Jan+14%252C+9+45+29+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4KnvOGwsZshfer6bycQ_y5ir8-opezVZv8Qv3elmm3LklA5A2yOI1vyMckoiUklNyAGlcAaG-pOGgUJF3IqUExTlNFAH_dr_MyIA7LJLpHX8ywVE25Twg7o-jqDH7HgCgUhT3sJzMnHjg/s320/Photo+Jan+14%252C+9+45+29+AM.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Then free drew the design onto another fusible web that was attached to solid black fabric that was then affixed to the colored fabric that I made.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg856vbF-28E1lVJJS_kT3vdUj5gyF99BBXnPJjZks-lqdJNv9V0UBorOBntMSVDpo9NUDxCeCUmD41GBRoCGe1K3db2Ko-qlp89ujMkRe7_k-xHWWd9to1xA_BwpBddKewPUtBgnqllSBo/s1600/Photo+Jan+14%252C+10+40+40+AM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg856vbF-28E1lVJJS_kT3vdUj5gyF99BBXnPJjZks-lqdJNv9V0UBorOBntMSVDpo9NUDxCeCUmD41GBRoCGe1K3db2Ko-qlp89ujMkRe7_k-xHWWd9to1xA_BwpBddKewPUtBgnqllSBo/s320/Photo+Jan+14%252C+10+40+40+AM.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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This was a great opportunity to get back in the creative swing for me.Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-63762983071575419092016-05-31T07:08:00.002-05:002016-05-31T07:08:47.685-05:00AQATW - Kitsch <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The latest challenge for my <a href="http://aroundtheworldin20quilts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Art Quilts Around the World</a> quilt group was called "Kitsch".<br />
I had great ideas for this, but I'm not certain the final product meets my original expectations. I ended up making a cute little peacock quilt:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFt9wZh8Q-IJGxMTkmEW8Pwpyg8DqUZy_S-8jLyZbOJrRG1qnzVBNRSZ2RbcNiR_wzwcrYCHW3NsSBqIlNkPt7NJu2LLoPdnJ1IP4nsnHjFTQkGzKH_kDITPqLN1ePCanBZpiB9G2aYM/s1600/Final+Product.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFt9wZh8Q-IJGxMTkmEW8Pwpyg8DqUZy_S-8jLyZbOJrRG1qnzVBNRSZ2RbcNiR_wzwcrYCHW3NsSBqIlNkPt7NJu2LLoPdnJ1IP4nsnHjFTQkGzKH_kDITPqLN1ePCanBZpiB9G2aYM/s400/Final+Product.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I have a friend who makes fairy wings (<a href="http://www.fairy-wings.com/adult.htm" target="_blank">On Gossamer Wings</a> is the name of her company) and in the process of making the wings she ends up with piles of little glittered circles. She has collected these for me, which I in turn used to create the tail of my peacock: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseG1_7iPvQYw1paId99jaP_pxHAhU2xPOjUhmbFsX6KHerVOHoxfzKaTz9t_-jr3sDob4kTEXIm6cByhNVtWtwSzztrIsZ6VtQqBRVdbPEh4DUDTkYQE6Ey6ulA7mKbw8ccAHoaM1A4s/s1600/Holes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseG1_7iPvQYw1paId99jaP_pxHAhU2xPOjUhmbFsX6KHerVOHoxfzKaTz9t_-jr3sDob4kTEXIm6cByhNVtWtwSzztrIsZ6VtQqBRVdbPEh4DUDTkYQE6Ey6ulA7mKbw8ccAHoaM1A4s/s320/Holes.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I wish that I had centered the body of the bird and moved it more towards the bottom of the quilt. I had quilted the background before I started adding the circles and when I finished the tail, I determined that the bottom just seemed blah, so I added some cut out flowers around the feet. Here is a shot of the tail in progress: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6kcndhWyzvXIYtXvhMWSWZtFPF0nRr7eB7itXEq_uPsNEmF3lwYf2vtBpwTzJmHJN4WZC3dQvCwp-NqZWNplhdjBJxLPGGsvQbG2C-f4yHm-WKH4NiyqyoupBt_jkkvzhAH7RDwuX6Q/s1600/InProgress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6kcndhWyzvXIYtXvhMWSWZtFPF0nRr7eB7itXEq_uPsNEmF3lwYf2vtBpwTzJmHJN4WZC3dQvCwp-NqZWNplhdjBJxLPGGsvQbG2C-f4yHm-WKH4NiyqyoupBt_jkkvzhAH7RDwuX6Q/s320/InProgress.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The body is made of velvet and I used a couple of circles combined to make the eye: </div>
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Oh, and I now recall that I don't want to work with glitter again because it ended up ALL OVER the studio and in the crevices of my sewing machine. </div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-81332402078804266332016-03-31T10:35:00.000-05:002016-03-31T10:35:04.372-05:00Art Quilts Around the World - Folklore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The latest Art Quilts Around the World challenge was to create a quilt that represents Folklore. I had a lot of thoughts running through my mind, but decided to go for something based on the trip that the ladies in my family took to Alaska last year. While there I became fascinated with the Raven and the images of the Raven in their mythology, therefore, I decided to focus on that idea and created my folklore quilt:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnfOEb6aQPZAXwhgjPRsAO5vRBP8IiqdosXKlRKAfd7TDNXqY6whIHayU31omOu3-rljdn9N4XKXSVuQpHbuBAlUKj9X3Gq7oulOMx0dUgPo3fTk2PdiV0M0gXNvCz6LHCjZBwM1XxJo/s1600/FolkloreFull03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgnfOEb6aQPZAXwhgjPRsAO5vRBP8IiqdosXKlRKAfd7TDNXqY6whIHayU31omOu3-rljdn9N4XKXSVuQpHbuBAlUKj9X3Gq7oulOMx0dUgPo3fTk2PdiV0M0gXNvCz6LHCjZBwM1XxJo/s640/FolkloreFull03.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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There are many different tales from the different people of Alaska (as well as other indigenous groups throughout the Americas) that have tales based on the Raven. One of my personal favorites is the Tlingit story is the <i>Raven Brings the Sun</i>. Here is what I found on Wikipedia regarding this particular story: </div>
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In Tlingit culture, there are two different raven characters, which can be identified, one is the creator raven - responsible for bringing the world into being and who is sometimes considered to be the individual who brought light to the darkness. When the Great Spirit created all things, he kept them separate and stored in cedar boxes. The Great Spirit gifted these boxes to the animals who existed before humans. When the animals opened the boxes all the things that comprise the world came into being. The boxes held such things as mountains, fire, water, wind, and seeds fora ll the plants. One such box, which was given to Seagull, contained all the light of the world. Seagull coveted his box and refused to open it, clutching it under his wing. All the people asked Raven to persuade Seagull to open it and release the light. Despite begging, demanding, flattering, and trying to trick him into opening the box, Seagull refused. Raven became angry and frustrated, and stuck a thorn in Seagull's foot. Raven pushed the thorn in deeper until the pain caused Seagull to drop the box. Then out of the box came the sun, moon, and stars that brought light to the world and allowed the first day to begin. </blockquote>
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And just because I really enjoyed doing some thread work on on this quilt, here is a closeup of on the Raven: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEged_SOpmzaJV3fD8po1CVKLC5hsfVsLXXRCRMZhyEFSQhW7drSxDm8cn7MAdYYjDmTLf99sMj4k3kqp8iydZfMONk1dpLlCGXCHw9fzIiJhIJRTFpOgPCpHljN1ItG2YgMDAgwrmuHj_U/s1600/folkloreclose03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEged_SOpmzaJV3fD8po1CVKLC5hsfVsLXXRCRMZhyEFSQhW7drSxDm8cn7MAdYYjDmTLf99sMj4k3kqp8iydZfMONk1dpLlCGXCHw9fzIiJhIJRTFpOgPCpHljN1ItG2YgMDAgwrmuHj_U/s640/folkloreclose03.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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Lastly, I attempted to face this quilt rather than do a binding because I felt that this didn't need to have anything stopping the flow. </div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-55401703576854784252016-01-05T18:25:00.001-06:002016-01-05T18:25:52.424-06:00Life LessonsMy first <i>real</i> job was with McDonalds. I had other jobs in college that included working in a clothing store and a sit down restaurant. While I learned many things at these jobs (how to clean a shake machine, how to make change, how to remove those annoying things on clothes that set off the alarm if you try to walk out), but the biggest thing I can say that I learned was "clean as you go"...you know that idea of cleaning things up as you complete a job rather than stack things up and end up with a big, nasty mess. <div><br></div><div>Sadly, as an adult, I'm struggling to remember this one simple lesson. Now, I am very good at cleaning my house when I am planning on having company, but normally I am admittedly disgusting...not like hoarder living in my own filth disgusting, but college frat house or maybe Amerca's Next Top Model house disgusting. I freely admit this and warn anybody to give me a couple hours warning before dropping by (partly to mad dash clean the house and partly to make certain that I have showered and dressed). </div><div><br></div><div>I was reminded today that I must commit myself to cleaning as I go. I was noticing and odd odor wafting from the kitchen and noted that I hadn't cleaned the dishes in the sink for quite some time and something in the sink had turned. Therefore, I was forced to first unload the dishwasher (I habitually just get dishes out of there when needed rather than unloading it) and then load it all back up, get some sink cleaner and scrub down the sink, and then run a disposal deodorizer. There is now a pleasant citrus smell wafting rather than the stench of death coming from the kitchen...how long do we think this will last? </div><div><br></div><div>The dishwasher did just finish running, if I were smart, I would hop up off the couch right now and unload it so that I can then put dirty dishes in the machine as they are used rather than stacking then in the sink...bets on whether <i>that</i> will actually happen?</div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-64942383387468720852016-01-01T08:53:00.001-06:002016-01-01T08:53:56.271-06:00Happy New Year...Starting OverIt has been nine months since I last made my presence known here and I have resolved to change that this year. As I try to think back over the past year, I struggle to recall all that occurred over the past year. And because of this, I must make myself document the coming year...so prepare yourselves for months of tantalizing self reflection about working from home and watching the dog sleep with a snippet of creations that I'm working on (quilting, knitting, and with any luck some ceramics if I get the kiln up and going). <div><br></div><div>With that promise made, here are a few things that I recall from the past year...</div><div><br></div><div>First, some of the quilts that I did complete: </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkohcFbQ_ohkPN1PmBZRS4eCR7dR7f8oU52RFet-8wvbT4Jk9_lVf5V4lTmmyWlm0-B04Ks9rb3KxzQH27cVIfNelLQotP3Q7_bF4Lo2jkwYtH0bG7_csvpOC-P7LvPC7IDyuQybS943Ju/s640/blogger-image-2124149619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkohcFbQ_ohkPN1PmBZRS4eCR7dR7f8oU52RFet-8wvbT4Jk9_lVf5V4lTmmyWlm0-B04Ks9rb3KxzQH27cVIfNelLQotP3Q7_bF4Lo2jkwYtH0bG7_csvpOC-P7LvPC7IDyuQybS943Ju/s640/blogger-image-2124149619.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGbkviEQP6obvt1sfH8YAkUu6QX4V4dB8pmSs-kqTFJ1FB4SJ9Xtj_3phWVRXjMPuS9LU1DjPYpDv3lEqCc_NUqiGXBcaL7HbCJ6lxMsoD9_TGIa9SMJO8VZa4J4wf0JNJVW44p0XQrmj2/s640/blogger-image-1040319964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNgsXDxBr4ImlZ5MJRmojFbdXwkhMj7EC7EQiEs76DbOx4_U1ISXlRnedwuC25bxK9dql848B0Xmj_HrrahKrJY7Dc28MbUC_yYW8OU8JDwn6_WG-p3KmgdB2ychuL-UDHZ4_e-T2vX0MN/s640/blogger-image--202038989.jpg"></a></div><br></div>This is an example of what I see ever night as I eat my dinner...</div><br></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-27390282315414382982015-03-31T08:44:00.000-05:002015-03-31T08:44:00.241-05:00In The Garden<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The current challenge from <a href="http://aroundtheworldin20quilts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Art Quilts Around the World</a> is called "In The Garden". I had a great time doing this quilt. I originally thought about doing a keyhole that you are looking through to see the whole amazing garden but couldn't figure how to do that on this scale. I then decided that I wanted to go the route of a secret garden and finding the door to it hidden along with the key. </span></div>
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This is the quilt that I came up with. </div>
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The first thing I did was quilt the wooden gate by taking hand painted brown fabric and tracing the grain of the wood on my table onto paper, pinning that to the brown fabric, in sections, and quilting. Here is just the wood. </div>
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Next, I cut the piece down to the correct size, and added the lock and vines. </div>
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Then I sewed individual leaves using fusible web to make them two-sided. Once the leaves were made, I determined how best to place them on the vines and sewed down only the stems so that the leaf can blow in the breeze. I then attached a red ribbon with a small key with the word "dream" on it that I purchased from a store on Etsy onto the vines. </div>
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I decided that I didn't want to do a conventional binding on this, so I just satin stitched all around the edge and left it a little rough. </div>
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Like I said at the beginning of this post, I really liked doing this challenge and think that this is one of my best pieces to date. </div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-90809411803479778012015-03-24T19:40:00.001-05:002015-03-24T19:40:35.439-05:00What To Do....I am constantly struggling with finding my path in life...my purpose....my raison d'ĂȘtre. This is something that I've been struggling with since college and my current spot in life is really one that I basically stumbled into. My choice in colleges was based on a football game. My degree was based on the fact that I just needed to pick something and get a degree since I was doing it all on my parents' dime and they were only so patient in letting me dilly dally around in school trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I got my first real job because I needed to have insurance. From there, for the most part, jobs came to me because I knew somebody who liked the job that I did and would hire me away from my previous position.. I really only sought out a couple of jobs....everything else just kinda happened to me, not that I can really complain because it has allowed me to have a pretty good life. <div><br></div><div>However, that doesn't really help with my search. I mean deep down, as many of you are aware, I want to be an artist...but how to do that and continue to earn a living and not become a drain on the rest of societ in my later years. So, for the time being, I've implemented a mandate on my own time that inset aside a certain amount of time every day to be creative and to feed that inner artist. Primarily, I set a timer mid-morning and go up to my studio and sew for 25 minutes each morning. I know I should probably feel guilty doing this, but I justify it by telling myself that if I were going into the office that time would have been spent visiting or, if I were a smoker, going and taking my smoking breaks...I just take sewing breaks. </div><div><br></div><div>So, along with these thoughts, there are so many other things that are on my mind....do I find a way to downsize....do I move....how do I find my zen? Today, I watched a couple of documentaries that made me stop and think about these things again. First, I watched one called "A Mile, Mile and a Half". This movie was about this group of hikers who hike The John Muir Trail in Yosemite. Watching this makes me want to get all athletic and outdoorsy and take up camping and hiking and take a month off and go rough it through the mountains....won't happen, but I can dream. </div><div><br></div><div>The other documentary that I watched was on tiny house movement and this is something that I could actually consider...okay, maybe not a tiny house, but downsizing to something more reasonable and getting rid of so much of my stuff.... This movie really made me think, again, about how ridiculous it is the way I buy things...I have way more than I ever will need or use....except fabric. So, do I start taking steps towards downsizing? And if yes, what to do first...</div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-28582507691731966982015-03-12T09:40:00.003-05:002015-03-12T09:40:48.099-05:00Criminal Minds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've been binge watching the television show Criminal Minds over the last couple of weeks while working. I just started Season 8, which is when Jeanne Tripplehorn joined the cast and Paget Brewster left. There are a couple of things that come to mind as I am saturated with this show....<br />
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<li>Two of their main characters have the same name. Aaron Hotchner, the team lead, and Erin Strauss, his boss. </li>
<li>The writers of this show are sick, sick, sick....Who is able to come up with and write this stuff? </li>
<li>I really need to update my dental records for possible identification, if it comes down to it. </li>
<li>I would never hold up to any form of torture. </li>
<li>Maybe it is because I'm watching these, but I really think that people are idiots....they always get into cars with strangers, or leave with strangers, or pick up strangers, or leave their kids alone, or run upstairs instead of outside....why do they always head towards the second floor? Oh, and there seems to be a lot of men out there that cheat on their families. </li>
<li>I want to be Penelope Garcia...she is totally cool and smart....oh and she has a really special relationship with Derek Morgan (hubba, hubba). </li>
<li>I always love the quotes that they have at the ends of the episodes. </li>
<li>If these stories are based on real stories out there, this is a truly weird and broken world. </li>
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I'm going to have to find a much lighter show to binge watch once I'm finished with all of these. </div>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-68052179894606548932015-03-03T09:17:00.000-06:002015-03-03T09:17:29.129-06:00Human Touch<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I think we all are aware of the importance of human touch and yet it dawned on me yesterday that I'm seriously lacking in this. I went to a class last night at my church and realized that it was the first time that I had been in my car and actually drove anywhere in over a week. Then it dawned on me that aside from the pizza delivery guy last week on my snow day, I haven't really had contact with another person in that same amount of time.<br />
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My first thought was that in order to alleviate this, I should probably start going to the office and being around people, but then remembered that even when I went to the office, I would duck into my office and still not really touch anybody there.<br />
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So, what is the answer? Well, for one, I am finally getting a chance to snuggle with <a href="http://weewatson.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Sara's Wee Wonder</a> for the first time in a very long time. Then on Thursday, I am going to dinner with some friends who are in from out of town, which means I'll at least get a hug. That should do me for awhile, but I really need to figure out a way to get a steady fill of touch....maybe I'll just have to splurge and set up regular massage....</div>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-48827889337635444822015-02-28T06:36:00.001-06:002015-02-28T06:37:46.097-06:00Hermit's Log<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am excited to report that I am only a few random acts away from securing the title of "Weird Neighborhood Lady".<br />
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Yesterday, I decided to try and clear the sidewalk in front of my house of snow so that it would be "safe". Mind you, I didn't bother to do anything to provide safety in front of my house last week when we were iced in and the sidewalks were probably truly dangerous. </div>
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So you may be asking yourself, aside from my choice of what form of precipitation requires clearing, does this action go towards my hopeful title.... Well, first, I didn't actually wait for the snow to stop therefore all of my work was quickly voided by Mother Nature. Second, I used a broom; yes, I swept my stoop, the sidewalk in front of my house, and about half of the sidewalk in front of my neighbor's house...if did a pretty good job since the snow wasn't real sticky, and heavy. Third, I did this work while dressed in yoga pants, a t-shirt, my dad's quilted flannel shirt, and slip on shoes with no socks...I basically looked homeless. </div>
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Admittedly, I did have a purpose for clearing the sidewalk, I wanted it to be clear for the pizza delivery guy...yeah, I'm not willing yo get out on slick roads but I have very few qualms about paying somebody else to do it just so I can have one last hurrah of unhealthy sustenance before March 1, which is when I join a gym and start (again) with a course of whole foods in preparation for getting in good shape for my family's trip to Alaska in the summer. </div>
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The next question I have to ask myself, though, is what can I do to amp up the weirdness so that I can clench the title....must ponder. </div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-44726960094185723862015-02-24T16:11:00.002-06:002015-02-24T16:11:55.479-06:00Quilt Con 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">This past weekend I drove my mom and a friend if her's down to Austin to attend Quilt Con 2015. This was put on by the International Modern Quilt Guild. There was a juried show of modern quilts, workshops, and lectures....and, of course, vendors. We all attended a couple of different lectures and spent a great deal of time looking at the quilts and spending way too much money at the vendor booths. </span></div>
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Here are just some of the quilts that were on display: </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Face #1 by Melissa Averinos</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grove by Casey York</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the Box by Jenny Voss</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barn Remnant by Kim Eichler-Messmer</td></tr>
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The keynote speakers were some of the women from the <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/fabric-of-their-lives-132757004/" target="_blank">Gees Bend Quilt Collective</a>. I highly recommend checking them out as they are a very interesting group. They provided stories about their coming up in the world and how they learned to quilt but the best part was that they spent a lot of their time on stage gracing us with some beautiful sung spirituals. It was very moving. </div>
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The song they opened with and kept referring back to was a rendition of "Give Me Flowers While I Yet Live". This is a wonderful song about giving thanks and compliments to those in our lives while they are alive; that we should wait until somebody has left our lives to give them the praise that we have for them. </div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-90304202227522913722015-02-12T07:19:00.001-06:002015-02-12T07:19:33.239-06:00Remembrances and Plans<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It has been a year since Dad passed away. The past couple of years have been weird and challenging and foggy but things are on the up-swing.<br />
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The year prior to Dad's death, I was in a depressive fog that didn't really allow me to fully enjoy my life. Plus, there was Dad's declining health that we all had to contend with....but I can't blame my non-engagement in life on that. Yes, the last couple of months before his passing were spent pretty consumed with helping take care of him, but that doesn't account for the other 9 months. You would have thought that I would have been happy...I mean, I was working at a job that valued me, I got to take a great trip to Hawaii and give something wonderful to my folks, I got to witness my friend Sara wed the perfect man for her, and I know there are so many other really good things about that year that I'm not recognizing primarily because of this weird fog that I was in where I felt like I was just watching everything but not really participating in it and hearing this horrible voice in my head saying that I didn't belong.<br />
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Then, this past year, I spent much of it still in this fog. Again, I've had some great times. This past year has been spent on really reconnecting with my family. I've spent more time with my Mom and my sister than I have in a very long time. Mom and I have taken some great trips together and realized that we are pretty okay traveling together. I feel more at ease with my sister than I have in a very long time. But still, for the majority of 2014 I was still just watching my life pass me by. I still wasn't engaging in living my life and at this point in time, I really need to stop this whole watching of the life and truly lean into my life and live it.....this is it......embrace being alive.<br />
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With that being said, I'm making the effort to embrace it. I admit that I may still not be the most gregarious person on the block and when I'm with people I will still be more of a stand back and watch than a jump in a participate....but part of that is because I really do enjoy watching other people and don't feel the need to be the center of anything...usually.<br />
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I am also tapping into my creative side more and more and, while I may not be any good, I am going to post here more of my artistic endeavors...so be prepared.<br />
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So, enough confessing and emotional vomiting..... On with the day......</div>
Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-78925084460688195142015-02-01T07:00:00.000-06:002015-02-01T07:00:02.391-06:00Structure - Golden Gate Bridge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The <a href="http://aroundtheworldin20quilts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Art Quilts Around the World</a> challenge this round was "Structure".<br />
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This could be so many different things, but I immediately thought about architectural structures (although I did briefly toy with an idea of rock structures found in nature).<br />
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I landed on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. When I lived there, I always enjoyed driving across that bridge and even made a walk across it once. During that walk I took some great shots of the framework of the bridge, and that became the impetus for my piece:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinnMdtDtZjXQEmC5Hjp6MFj7nU-FUDUcxcvpSYS7n8aDiyL4R-CJTV8ItFKRIF7Cn8i_qaMz3X-kQZUTUR4k0rLPdg3cgOwt5nKO24EiC0uZ4grO4C1Fiio2KN-op_92LhMkcyxSTm-Em/s1600/GGQuilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjinnMdtDtZjXQEmC5Hjp6MFj7nU-FUDUcxcvpSYS7n8aDiyL4R-CJTV8ItFKRIF7Cn8i_qaMz3X-kQZUTUR4k0rLPdg3cgOwt5nKO24EiC0uZ4grO4C1Fiio2KN-op_92LhMkcyxSTm-Em/s1600/GGQuilt.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I decided that I would do a white border (although I'm not thrilled with the actual binding) to hark back to the old school pictures that would have white borders around them. I didn't do a lot of quilting on this piece as I really wanted the fabric to speak for itself (and trust me this sky around San Francisco will look very similar to this). Other than the binding, I couldn't be happier with this....and in creating this, it gave me some ideas on how to translate photographs into quilts.<br />
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Every one of these challenges is an opportunity for me to learn something new and to add to my repertoire....bring on the next challenge!</div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-63720691852154911842014-12-02T16:44:00.001-06:002014-12-02T16:44:58.669-06:00Christmas DecorationsWhile driving through the neighborhood today, I've started to notice that decorations are going up. I'm sure they are lovely at night when they are all on and going strong, but at 10 am they are just a little sad. I call this yard "Christmas Character Mass Murder Scene". <div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWjszLHO_LWWH9A0iis28pVWH9IK_4eDhvVWZhyZ6MEJpef0xVpbGJEtgELR2VF5BztSNcCc_Ag8wa4cAmwxA3fKjmMWvef_FVXN7iPgvM6yucZeqPof7Khghod0h7KQDxfPXvyRMq4dt/s640/blogger-image-1178010048.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDWjszLHO_LWWH9A0iis28pVWH9IK_4eDhvVWZhyZ6MEJpef0xVpbGJEtgELR2VF5BztSNcCc_Ag8wa4cAmwxA3fKjmMWvef_FVXN7iPgvM6yucZeqPof7Khghod0h7KQDxfPXvyRMq4dt/s640/blogger-image-1178010048.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCGXhIDMxkPIv7j-nTZ7yHVLcosKsrRAQZl6I69mAjk5-e2GYePh0Ja_zOMAY6D7HpGveuxJk3h1BOZ9ALksTG2N-A2AxzRtGPqjt2c6zaiKQrKVEOJ-S-vt5qs_GoTAiq81pWCAkoLfQ/s640/blogger-image-1939578246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCGXhIDMxkPIv7j-nTZ7yHVLcosKsrRAQZl6I69mAjk5-e2GYePh0Ja_zOMAY6D7HpGveuxJk3h1BOZ9ALksTG2N-A2AxzRtGPqjt2c6zaiKQrKVEOJ-S-vt5qs_GoTAiq81pWCAkoLfQ/s640/blogger-image-1939578246.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Too morbid?</div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-52539338942390072372014-12-01T09:51:00.001-06:002014-12-01T09:55:37.101-06:00Farewell Tour - Enchanted Rock<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">This past weekend was great! There was lots of family time and there is nothing better, especially when much of that time is spent laughing. </span></div><div><br></div><div>The weekend started out with Thanksgiving at my sister's in-law's. We all brought contributions to the meal and then ate and ate and ate with some football watching thrown in as a bonus. For those of us that aren't big football watchers, a game called 'Head's Up' was played. This was a lot of fun as it is a game where you have to guess a word of phrase while being given clues by your teammate (although we didn't play with teams but just had everybody shouting out clues). </div><div><br></div><div>On Friday, mom, my sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, and I all piled into the car and drove down to Fredericksburg, TX. We got down there mid-afternoon and dropped our stuff at the hotel, which was a block off the Main Street, then walked up to the main drag and walked around, did some minor shopping, and lots of people watching. We grabbed dinner at a really great restaurant called Rathskeller. After dinner, we stopped for some fudge and then walked down to the square and watched the Christmas tree lighting then headed back to the hotel. It wasn't even 8:00 yet, but Fredericksburg is one of those small towns that pretty much shuts down when the sun goes down. We all gathered in my and mom's room and played a couple of rousing rounds of Head's Up and once again finished the night with lots of laughs. </div><div><br></div><div>On Saturday, we got around early so that we could get to Enchanted Rock State Park early before the crowds showed up (and they did show up). Mom made the decision to take the path around the rock and left some of dad there. Marti, Graham, Kathleen, Colin, and I headed up the rock. Graham and the kids headed off like mountain goats while Marti and I took our time and enjoyed the scenery (and breathing). When we all reached the top we found a nice area without other people around and took a moment to send Dad on his way. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFX3XRDsFABLGz3-D_zn0uXVA6KhMb5yAffSQL5KSTVb2aK57y97zTKMwW2_mBX_AyUvYQBk1mSKba_Lb84gjwMxQAO81Fq43dN3rPLIkH-fkR9a-JPLv4-vKOkLAbs23FfbrT-LQDBrm2/s640/blogger-image--832912180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFX3XRDsFABLGz3-D_zn0uXVA6KhMb5yAffSQL5KSTVb2aK57y97zTKMwW2_mBX_AyUvYQBk1mSKba_Lb84gjwMxQAO81Fq43dN3rPLIkH-fkR9a-JPLv4-vKOkLAbs23FfbrT-LQDBrm2/s640/blogger-image--832912180.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>I know he will enjoy this view. </div><div><br></div><div>We then did some more mountain goating around: </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXpH_SmroaMRVTratBYkyfNu0UYKNi8D2U7DY0f_NwNhlTHMRcAl5IXxf1ilrXlvYfoH7egkkT6ukE4brDMk4u2854-SDK4-qpdg1f5zRQBq8A09hFQdSIXfsL57PG1aQvbo6wRFLeblG/s640/blogger-image-2072970820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXpH_SmroaMRVTratBYkyfNu0UYKNi8D2U7DY0f_NwNhlTHMRcAl5IXxf1ilrXlvYfoH7egkkT6ukE4brDMk4u2854-SDK4-qpdg1f5zRQBq8A09hFQdSIXfsL57PG1aQvbo6wRFLeblG/s640/blogger-image-2072970820.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-lcO0rImNv23L7wQaa_BCBxyqJ66sx6oijw-2PjaoxAtrpFJPpusMbecL-V4gKn90SRSZDK3flyy7KmoNCRF2Vf5mWKgrLkJZ2-QhVXqVHlaET-kDtTQ4-Ug1ncI0tpcnIRnYEZnPj55/s640/blogger-image--1038668885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-lcO0rImNv23L7wQaa_BCBxyqJ66sx6oijw-2PjaoxAtrpFJPpusMbecL-V4gKn90SRSZDK3flyy7KmoNCRF2Vf5mWKgrLkJZ2-QhVXqVHlaET-kDtTQ4-Ug1ncI0tpcnIRnYEZnPj55/s640/blogger-image--1038668885.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And saw some beautiful scenery:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5fIp0OCMEya0kEmPnBR8DDBzAzt1EqMPrYFtWGrAaxZBS38ZTapvkvY2jeIzDrdD59WovQTTwkhfSlhq2I-6_ZQwPXzBQboCzR9wGIOisvaZH-yI-HCLFqgyLFR6_6F2xk0p5kJcEig3/s640/blogger-image--83796136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5fIp0OCMEya0kEmPnBR8DDBzAzt1EqMPrYFtWGrAaxZBS38ZTapvkvY2jeIzDrdD59WovQTTwkhfSlhq2I-6_ZQwPXzBQboCzR9wGIOisvaZH-yI-HCLFqgyLFR6_6F2xk0p5kJcEig3/s640/blogger-image--83796136.jpg"></a></div><br></div>When we finally got off the rock, we headed north towards home, but made a detour to Dublin, TX where they used to bottle cane suger Dr. Pepper. Sadly, they no longer make it there, but we were able to experiment with some other cane sugar sodas...and I think all sodas need to go back to using cane sugar rather than corn syrup, but that is just me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After that we headed home and relaxed. It was a great weekend and I'm so thankful for the memories we made. </div></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-76148641978143671832014-11-30T08:34:00.000-06:002014-11-30T08:34:00.526-06:00Flights of Fantasy - Whimsy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The most recent challenge for <a href="http://aroundtheworldin20quilts.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">AQATW</a> is called "Flights of Fantasy" with the expectation to delve into the various worlds of fantasy for inspiration. My inspiration was my friend, Angelia, who makes fairy wings for costumes and is also a wonderful fairy named Whimsy. Here is my quilt:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwilDnngGE9_vWGaSuU7p4gT9xuSSy6T0puXdwNpWaFVnyMb5dzEeihyphenhyphen7B0C5gxhWzqgmfGaoEzyHWAkOUx18eLVSd83rgTUHN6YF2rmxfVxJClgGgYeVeWygXI7_nzWEpS3NH_K69nD1N/s640/blogger-image--1417121406.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwilDnngGE9_vWGaSuU7p4gT9xuSSy6T0puXdwNpWaFVnyMb5dzEeihyphenhyphen7B0C5gxhWzqgmfGaoEzyHWAkOUx18eLVSd83rgTUHN6YF2rmxfVxJClgGgYeVeWygXI7_nzWEpS3NH_K69nD1N/s400/blogger-image--1417121406.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I did this by painting on fabric using Derwent Inktense blocks and added a tulle skirt. Here is the finished painting with skirt: </div>
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I then went back in with embroidery thread and fancied her up:</div>
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For some reason, her hair and bodice make me very happy. </div>
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And for reference, here is a picture of my inspiration:</div>
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You also need to check out her website <a href="http://www.fairy-wings.com/gallery.htm" target="_blank">On Gossamer Wings</a>. </div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-67297648838415964402014-11-04T18:52:00.001-06:002014-11-04T18:52:51.767-06:00Houston International Quilt ShowThis past weekend I missed out on seeing Laura and Ash at the Watsons, but already had plans to take a bus trip down to Houston with my mom to spend the day at one of the largest quilt shows in the world. <div><br></div><div>I went over to mom's on Friday evening and took Leo with me for a couple of reasons... 1) I wanted to see how he would do on a trip to grandma's and 2) I didn't want to deal with him freaking out over the trick-or-treaters on the street and I knew that in my mom's complex we wouldn't have that issue. He did really well at her place. She has hardwood floors, so that was a little challenging to him especially on the stairs up to our room, but he got the hang of it...he just needs to slow down a bit, but maybe he'll learn. Admittedly, I didn't sleep well on Friday night as Leo wouldn't really settle and I thought he needed to go outside more than usual...which meant I had to get up, put his collar and leash on, and take him outside (I'm used to just opening the back door and waiting for him to come back in). </div><div><br></div><div>Saturday morning we all got up, my brother-in-law and nephew came over to dig some stuff out of my mom's patio space and later my sister and niece came over and the six of us went through some of dad's stuff that has been in the garage since we cleared out his shop from the old house. Leo spent the morning out in the yard with us, tethered to a table leg, but happy that he could be in the sun and watch all his people at one time. After lunch, my sister and her family left and mom and I headed up to her "wet" studio where we played with some fabric painting techniques, of which I will have examples to show at the end of the month. </div><div><br></div><div>Sunday morning mom and I got up way before dawn so that we could meet our bus and head down to Houston. We left the house a little before 5 am, after a not so steady night because to be honest, we weren't certain which clocks were automatically falling forward and which weren't and for some reason both of our iPhones were acting weird saying they were on Eastern time zone....but it all worked out in the end and we made it with time to spare (and time to nap on the bus). My sister, Marti, came over around 8 am and rescued poor Leo from his crate and took him to spend the day at her house....as far as I know he was a perfect gentleman and only minimally traumatized their dog, Sadie. </div><div><br></div><div>Mom and I made it through the show and most of the market at lightning speed and saw everything....I think. It was a great day...oh, and on the way home, we stopped at a place called Woody's Bar-B-Que where we had smoked, bacon wrapped quail breasts....YUM! </div><div><br></div><div>We retuned home about 10 pm, about an hour after Marti brought Leo back and returned him to his crate but needless to say, he was thrilled to have us back home (yeah, he is very much a momma's boy). </div><div><br></div><div>Here are a couple of pictures of quilts from the show....I have to say I was so amazed at some of the work that I saw there, these artists amaze me! Sadly, I didn't think to get the names of the quilts nor the artists and that is bad on me. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4prViY7lxRK7PfjasVzaOJhmD04MD4W0vmTiSk8cbYJlKB1Awv_7z-PN1GGcRhdGdvomgR3_cfh4I_htofMFXfQMQJwe93rrYg0nnNwCyjOWxJlA_9uy5bP5Fw-ZnRlqS0HNN6ivX3lZf/s640/blogger-image-1934984606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4prViY7lxRK7PfjasVzaOJhmD04MD4W0vmTiSk8cbYJlKB1Awv_7z-PN1GGcRhdGdvomgR3_cfh4I_htofMFXfQMQJwe93rrYg0nnNwCyjOWxJlA_9uy5bP5Fw-ZnRlqS0HNN6ivX3lZf/s640/blogger-image-1934984606.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68Gx7bv0Bi71W2zzeEkM4z-Rx52MW5Ujx-CrCdXeyL1WpT4kGuNbD6ix4EEi6uaZNfA0yL1fzY_7KMhmija74P7Md_D2CRPHCkPjYEVI0nWXP4WV4OTDnvR8q9FgBl5fGf-XKxFL5oLU5/s640/blogger-image-4491674.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj68Gx7bv0Bi71W2zzeEkM4z-Rx52MW5Ujx-CrCdXeyL1WpT4kGuNbD6ix4EEi6uaZNfA0yL1fzY_7KMhmija74P7Md_D2CRPHCkPjYEVI0nWXP4WV4OTDnvR8q9FgBl5fGf-XKxFL5oLU5/s640/blogger-image-4491674.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is the only one that I know the artist because she belongs to the Art Quilts Around the World group. This one is by Shruti Dandekar and it is titled "The White Rainbow". She has quilted the Braille spelling of the colors of the rainbow.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVl9Y7LOtTPaBIDY2xGpQkN62EVIfCn_X0ij-gvEahyoORVaEaNYgjBTPGIWJ63tO1ceAzAz90sqeXZX-p1EMhKTGgK8aUkJetNM-XWNgegaX4akp_hmCieQrQRtz7-0n7AbnFfIRKE9MZ/s640/blogger-image-221613758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVl9Y7LOtTPaBIDY2xGpQkN62EVIfCn_X0ij-gvEahyoORVaEaNYgjBTPGIWJ63tO1ceAzAz90sqeXZX-p1EMhKTGgK8aUkJetNM-XWNgegaX4akp_hmCieQrQRtz7-0n7AbnFfIRKE9MZ/s640/blogger-image-221613758.jpg"></a></div>She then included the color in the actual color of the thread used in some of the quilting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh496jUb9TDz5mBkJ4O4_FAlH-QZYSKm5nxKS8a3U_v46D6wr2DITASyjesisSxBYMowM9BZ3AC0G1jXxsH23g57jfwFhpI6YUkVb5VQCfE0DKkyZpkI1FCXG7Iz2L3uJRWBs5W2Wj3r36Z/s640/blogger-image-313513949.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh496jUb9TDz5mBkJ4O4_FAlH-QZYSKm5nxKS8a3U_v46D6wr2DITASyjesisSxBYMowM9BZ3AC0G1jXxsH23g57jfwFhpI6YUkVb5VQCfE0DKkyZpkI1FCXG7Iz2L3uJRWBs5W2Wj3r36Z/s640/blogger-image-313513949.jpg"></a></div><br></div>Well done, Shruti...this is great!</div><div><br></div><div>And here are a few more that just gobsmacked me...</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOL8-YHaLYA9qBSpA3PNXmJxfDf8jhc5ulIqmoyiiQdWiMQqtW4Fpqd7w4IsqVC19ozZK7iCRNwOBx74k29iTtneZLJxp8DQHVYIj8binLXzZ4_iXMgDRLB7sxFPHFo94XNQLz2pGfk7P/s640/blogger-image-2140927515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrOL8-YHaLYA9qBSpA3PNXmJxfDf8jhc5ulIqmoyiiQdWiMQqtW4Fpqd7w4IsqVC19ozZK7iCRNwOBx74k29iTtneZLJxp8DQHVYIj8binLXzZ4_iXMgDRLB7sxFPHFo94XNQLz2pGfk7P/s640/blogger-image-2140927515.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvOS7-zneMZkfKth5nNM8Nbz9V0XDZCLWcjTMajGXZGU1Idi445PWydvEE7fh7qMGSG5kFPZKhBgWKE27bG536xwsZ25zzp7Lri6ROgvw1cLkfUNT8aGkF5FJ_LlVJ5Yw86YqcPcha_nq/s640/blogger-image--1267256482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxvOS7-zneMZkfKth5nNM8Nbz9V0XDZCLWcjTMajGXZGU1Idi445PWydvEE7fh7qMGSG5kFPZKhBgWKE27bG536xwsZ25zzp7Lri6ROgvw1cLkfUNT8aGkF5FJ_LlVJ5Yw86YqcPcha_nq/s640/blogger-image--1267256482.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Of course this one makes me want to do a portrait of my own little beastie...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_0ONje8z-uqNEuZTH7Mn8z-U7L6M15Tyl2DjxUUDmCRLDJXgS-jJaCrIY30xb5CSHzvNhuIO13dqOzui3NyaF2KQpJmkkyH74CzMnD55k25_3LoMH6QOLZ5jptF_BCkiyNq4EyJRvA7a/s640/blogger-image-1265060082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI_0ONje8z-uqNEuZTH7Mn8z-U7L6M15Tyl2DjxUUDmCRLDJXgS-jJaCrIY30xb5CSHzvNhuIO13dqOzui3NyaF2KQpJmkkyH74CzMnD55k25_3LoMH6QOLZ5jptF_BCkiyNq4EyJRvA7a/s640/blogger-image-1265060082.jpg"></a></div></div></div><br></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-55990019898238556232014-10-29T21:19:00.001-05:002014-10-29T21:19:56.439-05:00Mom Trip Wrap Up - FinaleSo, there are two stops left on this grand tour that mom and I have been on. <div><br></div><div>The first stop was at the St. Louis Arch. Mom and I took the tram to the top of the Arch and the view was spectacular but I will gladly NOT get back in that tiny tram card. Thank goodness on both the trip up and back we didn't have a full car because I <i>really</i> don't think I could have managed...and yeah they warn you regarding claustrophobia, but never imagined that experience. </div><div><br></div><div>Shot looking up:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxjY-6qcfesIbwGamZv7A3RQ4EozU414E5RlY5ys7giyQCJAEiczDzthEVDpQrcrycCtwQZ2IDme3qnfr8uwW1NjuOLRiYcz3M1iVeZL37QnR3Ad6bZ4QMW1cM8tttlYPpPEZl5qTs7zW/s640/blogger-image--30964667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxjY-6qcfesIbwGamZv7A3RQ4EozU414E5RlY5ys7giyQCJAEiczDzthEVDpQrcrycCtwQZ2IDme3qnfr8uwW1NjuOLRiYcz3M1iVeZL37QnR3Ad6bZ4QMW1cM8tttlYPpPEZl5qTs7zW/s640/blogger-image--30964667.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Shot from the top:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsd5hqcKmg2sb493ZqxgZeeeR1jSARLVxMW_kN36LSbQTWwjJwJWXJEhakrj5q8rjJuuRMpGDSwaGAQO6Lh7cYRZRxG5t5Vn7I5wYKKNOwAWyTiMtDw1b4Qa1JMd8O7VamknxGlrWxp55/s640/blogger-image--495028073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsd5hqcKmg2sb493ZqxgZeeeR1jSARLVxMW_kN36LSbQTWwjJwJWXJEhakrj5q8rjJuuRMpGDSwaGAQO6Lh7cYRZRxG5t5Vn7I5wYKKNOwAWyTiMtDw1b4Qa1JMd8O7VamknxGlrWxp55/s640/blogger-image--495028073.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Mom and me:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjOiiwOMVYzov1BpViNKiyMZEjOJwltCDVtvXdI7tlXoAe8riavlRPLwdhp6OO6zL2c0Ed70-mWlTxAacje17Xl2SAjjJnsDdO1v0iwi4rO3oIo3rSw9JgIBHfzMvKA4CA9YrCbmeoqlZ/s640/blogger-image--1996044726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjOiiwOMVYzov1BpViNKiyMZEjOJwltCDVtvXdI7tlXoAe8riavlRPLwdhp6OO6zL2c0Ed70-mWlTxAacje17Xl2SAjjJnsDdO1v0iwi4rO3oIo3rSw9JgIBHfzMvKA4CA9YrCbmeoqlZ/s640/blogger-image--1996044726.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A shot down the track and stairs next to the tram rail:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRNDGeyoV-D2oQnga4LwCt4ilWvyLNWt_vxdaJFUyC1Pf-4gAideF1r6dwP6TbIqyelbYw_aBVGrUfiC5eKbtxIU3fB8_bYE2t3uPSiN0wW32i2jt3h7MBNqxOSwHN9Njf6Xy-oCgVoOp/s640/blogger-image--1213566368.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRNDGeyoV-D2oQnga4LwCt4ilWvyLNWt_vxdaJFUyC1Pf-4gAideF1r6dwP6TbIqyelbYw_aBVGrUfiC5eKbtxIU3fB8_bYE2t3uPSiN0wW32i2jt3h7MBNqxOSwHN9Njf6Xy-oCgVoOp/s640/blogger-image--1213566368.jpg"></a></div><br></div><br></div>We stayed in a nice suburb of St. Louis and got ourselves around at an early hour the next morning and headed out to Bentonville, AR to go and visit Crystal Bridges art museum and grounds. Our original plans were to get into tone and maybe hit the museum or wait until the next morning and get around late to make the final leg of the drive, however, mom was looking at the weather and there were storms expected the next day, so we opted to get all of our stuff done and get out of town and on the road early. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So, when we got to the museum, they had an exhibit of current "up and coming" artists. I have to say that I was less than impressed with most of the work. I mean, there was one exhibit of fans mounted on a wall stacked on top of one another with sombreros in between each that would float up as the fans spun....it was all just totally weird. There were some other weird exhibits of video "art" or, well, I just can't explain it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After, we went through the exhibit, we went walking on the grounds. There is an overlook above the museum that is tucked away and mom and dad sat there each time they would visit the museum, so we decided that we would leave some of dad there. However, when we got to the spot, there were a bunch of young adults hanging around and cutting up, so we decided to find a quieter spot and just as we found a good spot it started to rain we sprinkled dad at the foot of a tree and left the pleasant rain soak him into the ground. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Couple of shots of an exhibit called "Animal Farm" and is a play on George Orwell's book:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9q__oitCUCZ2XMt0BnsAHS6Rlh0AMAfsjwcnhw8IQ134zxMhi5gl_PRgcIOGWkWqBR7EWCSGyPuGmapzHbVz54FoyqeXRRH9fl1mMg6XJ9LkaraIkxbc82YDuWkHnmdypkLF9RQFXQz1/s640/blogger-image--1610654349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix9q__oitCUCZ2XMt0BnsAHS6Rlh0AMAfsjwcnhw8IQ134zxMhi5gl_PRgcIOGWkWqBR7EWCSGyPuGmapzHbVz54FoyqeXRRH9fl1mMg6XJ9LkaraIkxbc82YDuWkHnmdypkLF9RQFXQz1/s640/blogger-image--1610654349.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HbA8NHEUyftIXlTmpSls5JcC8QYqd-IqBbENxmkHliKP06BY0xg8nkyGhtxPh1EFOGqeGzIdjmLVDVfFV3Mhu8jPbn_Pj3RkArjeAfoOo-4gVWAI0IeVUbegWiz3ZGSeRPHfZSEiuarE/s640/blogger-image--1902761086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4HbA8NHEUyftIXlTmpSls5JcC8QYqd-IqBbENxmkHliKP06BY0xg8nkyGhtxPh1EFOGqeGzIdjmLVDVfFV3Mhu8jPbn_Pj3RkArjeAfoOo-4gVWAI0IeVUbegWiz3ZGSeRPHfZSEiuarE/s640/blogger-image--1902761086.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">A view of the grounds near where we left part of dad:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hnbUonDfZ_fvp4Gp6rnn3acTaIjN0_kXOHUYsONUxxAHMa_puBMcMS5aHjvNnHU8v0VG1_-v79d0uJDRhZQrKaIDDF9WdBjfiH9Kxf_BVp0tqi8OZRBWxUfBkXwsOzUXJiRxjrhufdYl/s640/blogger-image-243753010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hnbUonDfZ_fvp4Gp6rnn3acTaIjN0_kXOHUYsONUxxAHMa_puBMcMS5aHjvNnHU8v0VG1_-v79d0uJDRhZQrKaIDDF9WdBjfiH9Kxf_BVp0tqi8OZRBWxUfBkXwsOzUXJiRxjrhufdYl/s640/blogger-image-243753010.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Metal tree that is outside of the entrance to the museum:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIUfUZv87iOiXevdQrOTZDRwmte_Yd4KVZa3vppbSEWV7ZuWX_ecPvKZ4Ywh9AIOhxg6mKI8OZIPK1l0DxWFneHrkb4uzz6nk2muzJVIpbVoPYduYcbgJsbIO70GBMuXR6RXHG0tXV4AQ/s640/blogger-image--1536730771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMIUfUZv87iOiXevdQrOTZDRwmte_Yd4KVZa3vppbSEWV7ZuWX_ecPvKZ4Ywh9AIOhxg6mKI8OZIPK1l0DxWFneHrkb4uzz6nk2muzJVIpbVoPYduYcbgJsbIO70GBMuXR6RXHG0tXV4AQ/s640/blogger-image--1536730771.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div>After our walk around the grounds, mom and I headed to the town square where we found a <i>really</i> wonderful Italian restaurant where we had dinner (sadly, I can't remember the name). And then we walked around to the Walmart museum (zoo, the excitement) then headed to the hotel. </div><br></div>The next morning we headed back to Texas....in pouring rain. But, we made it through and I came home to a very excited puppy. We transferred mom's stuff to her car and she headed out for her final hour drive back to her own home. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It was a great trip and we both learned that we can travel together....but we both agree that it was good to get home and back to our own beds. </div><br></div><div>So, until next time....Mom, thanks for the memories.</div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-7736550308657891982014-10-22T19:08:00.001-05:002014-10-22T19:08:06.327-05:00Mom Trip Wrap Up - Part 3<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Tuesday, October 7 </span></div><div><br></div><div>This morning mom and I got around early and headed to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. I have to say, it was beautiful. I highly recommend seeing this beautiful piece of our country. There are lots of hiking trails and a lighthouse and Lake Michigan and just wow....</div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTEHp_j53bjUPgFeifkNT9uxkd4Er6o17CswTggSgSqIYCazFQhevMZUG7FDVT4LXscTuj8zEXMYJZk4QyfNkSDnpscZOz7cmCxqCmlySW3zBRgJ5BVOPsilq_aS-eSHXdEaEQHQNJ_35/s640/blogger-image-739786971.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidTEHp_j53bjUPgFeifkNT9uxkd4Er6o17CswTggSgSqIYCazFQhevMZUG7FDVT4LXscTuj8zEXMYJZk4QyfNkSDnpscZOz7cmCxqCmlySW3zBRgJ5BVOPsilq_aS-eSHXdEaEQHQNJ_35/s640/blogger-image-739786971.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Uvh-svH-Y0TTKrK43yllYJSeiyO4a1wYnuuLEA_P3zNTJa6YFOceiLEIXjPa2uKqLi7uZpcTE27oW7ns7mMSzAyLuJ96ge6cH5y_eMo-z0IeiI_MAsxmQmKCx1Yz38195RKzLRB3PrPQ/s640/blogger-image-1466776495.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Uvh-svH-Y0TTKrK43yllYJSeiyO4a1wYnuuLEA_P3zNTJa6YFOceiLEIXjPa2uKqLi7uZpcTE27oW7ns7mMSzAyLuJ96ge6cH5y_eMo-z0IeiI_MAsxmQmKCx1Yz38195RKzLRB3PrPQ/s640/blogger-image-1466776495.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj556g5EReaX69MXLxRr0UB682SglRdWJx_J7Y7Cb0vgQITXjLt85F7eAZs8SOjr4Fopdy_h9GxtAduZ3W-kMBJfjRQEqYYtsYU40B6grzLRt7Sq6SQJ1ol6ALtGja8JrwZTjiM2fo6Wx2Q/s640/blogger-image-1283372050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj556g5EReaX69MXLxRr0UB682SglRdWJx_J7Y7Cb0vgQITXjLt85F7eAZs8SOjr4Fopdy_h9GxtAduZ3W-kMBJfjRQEqYYtsYU40B6grzLRt7Sq6SQJ1ol6ALtGja8JrwZTjiM2fo6Wx2Q/s640/blogger-image-1283372050.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYPzSNuWzqFoCw6oU2XE075MnQFUGqYBBofHfPtxLvp25v229GR9dieIhYW0KqEODNBZ5_vAyhLzOI0AHvqeagF9u59z0ruOQI23Kazas2TUWd6tGx7OLMArTsrVOd9YS3gAnOqiIAoZE/s640/blogger-image--1096978663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIYPzSNuWzqFoCw6oU2XE075MnQFUGqYBBofHfPtxLvp25v229GR9dieIhYW0KqEODNBZ5_vAyhLzOI0AHvqeagF9u59z0ruOQI23Kazas2TUWd6tGx7OLMArTsrVOd9YS3gAnOqiIAoZE/s640/blogger-image--1096978663.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVFj5Qzz-rgQzOAnCPjOHJG5pBs4_RG04j1xOonv652kqanyRJ7KZCC-tCd0EoOAgp_xLa8acnxrji6vVBc1Hfo9iaE5bbfegn4yMx7XkpqiwTNUHNHsYZ5UKCtzQGTpe-Xb7krU0QwCI/s640/blogger-image--1157878830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVFj5Qzz-rgQzOAnCPjOHJG5pBs4_RG04j1xOonv652kqanyRJ7KZCC-tCd0EoOAgp_xLa8acnxrji6vVBc1Hfo9iaE5bbfegn4yMx7XkpqiwTNUHNHsYZ5UKCtzQGTpe-Xb7krU0QwCI/s640/blogger-image--1157878830.jpg"></a></div><br></div></div>After we left the Dunes, mom and I headed south to Holland, MI where we stopped in a place called DeKlomp Wooden Shoe and Delft Factory where they make, well...wooden shoes and Delft ceramics. I bought a couple of unfinished shoes with the intention of sanding them and then painting them or doing something creative with them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As this was our last few moments in Michigan, we needed to hit up a fruit stand in order to purchase some locally grown apples. While she was picking out fruit, I was fascinated by the squashes and gourdes that they had. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEici0LUMZ-VbeTl9EPO0rE0uf1Ofgo2g1UOIdSFM0PVMHVbpWvHgV6QU9RTxGSIj-9IDXN3uPHVho47nFqyOkCQPD9uOMl2qBaGup0VIrrAc54EpF0vYV-BLBKji2jYguq7kDCsb-B8wfAe/s640/blogger-image-1878869146.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEici0LUMZ-VbeTl9EPO0rE0uf1Ofgo2g1UOIdSFM0PVMHVbpWvHgV6QU9RTxGSIj-9IDXN3uPHVho47nFqyOkCQPD9uOMl2qBaGup0VIrrAc54EpF0vYV-BLBKji2jYguq7kDCsb-B8wfAe/s640/blogger-image-1878869146.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVobGQ55vIDEOVETs1BbJQd-icbyBIbF_-I8z17enhJ2ixrG7qd1bhlxATBXcAdD1RZ8tTkepBUgwpFAjbHEr-k1VxA42kRsZ8B0pHUcd55-4HO5T_fQr1k8uKd_sSTvoAhbR83ZQ_hVMQ/s640/blogger-image-293223947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVobGQ55vIDEOVETs1BbJQd-icbyBIbF_-I8z17enhJ2ixrG7qd1bhlxATBXcAdD1RZ8tTkepBUgwpFAjbHEr-k1VxA42kRsZ8B0pHUcd55-4HO5T_fQr1k8uKd_sSTvoAhbR83ZQ_hVMQ/s640/blogger-image-293223947.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgJIrc4K_Lr_x9DuvUC8AH3zgzNUi4HzAFtBvl5l8dd44GxPBppnvwXHltTYSShyphenhyphen7YGjZcPuxx05Mkaozcw4fB_K_jVcSkaTKG0hFbiqJ17pE3cZm8WCHPqGJoMQdddic79iT_iJrTdjD/s640/blogger-image--303788639.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHgJIrc4K_Lr_x9DuvUC8AH3zgzNUi4HzAFtBvl5l8dd44GxPBppnvwXHltTYSShyphenhyphen7YGjZcPuxx05Mkaozcw4fB_K_jVcSkaTKG0hFbiqJ17pE3cZm8WCHPqGJoMQdddic79iT_iJrTdjD/s640/blogger-image--303788639.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOOY8ORYPJOaMBAsnzNo2qKXuS7Y98LiljKcSm-QjiGgKm_Jpqpifs9Jawx5BnZzjfM6kGEcH7g1LWYUPOYTGFPWmPll19qJm8l9cFgTG6cjSZcgUnT8dKP8ZLb3xoGTwpE0azu0-9PB7/s640/blogger-image-1845649003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkOOY8ORYPJOaMBAsnzNo2qKXuS7Y98LiljKcSm-QjiGgKm_Jpqpifs9Jawx5BnZzjfM6kGEcH7g1LWYUPOYTGFPWmPll19qJm8l9cFgTG6cjSZcgUnT8dKP8ZLb3xoGTwpE0azu0-9PB7/s640/blogger-image-1845649003.jpg"></a></div><br></div>We wrapped the evening up with dinner in a little town called South Haven, MI. The food was fair and there were loud annoying people all around us, but it was all worth when we stumbled upon a place to watch a beautiful sunset. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgoIOE0FjrRJ6XgV9yfl6onQD5cZLCgat010XpJ6ptPaqQnBnb_rZu_RmMJ9cbxHSN8b87N6L3wHiIVUQ-m8m4NwYbCyDGohAlEFuSuXE6ZkGxwzaeDuzXd4EHuB6nPnjP_kOBYSWnpz_j/s640/blogger-image-1125440140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgoIOE0FjrRJ6XgV9yfl6onQD5cZLCgat010XpJ6ptPaqQnBnb_rZu_RmMJ9cbxHSN8b87N6L3wHiIVUQ-m8m4NwYbCyDGohAlEFuSuXE6ZkGxwzaeDuzXd4EHuB6nPnjP_kOBYSWnpz_j/s640/blogger-image-1125440140.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMEoSGfi4YmmmaWzZfscSYSGlh3xUfmGrXeR5RqbJZOjibljMfUs5PsVxxIopIAqNHvJzeMfXSIDZaTQuL7kc28oLbJz92wY6JDtt0How0r541lKpUU0b4pMfgvhhyojZZOG2LSEaLWID/s640/blogger-image--448225039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxMEoSGfi4YmmmaWzZfscSYSGlh3xUfmGrXeR5RqbJZOjibljMfUs5PsVxxIopIAqNHvJzeMfXSIDZaTQuL7kc28oLbJz92wY6JDtt0How0r541lKpUU0b4pMfgvhhyojZZOG2LSEaLWID/s640/blogger-image--448225039.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GtGKeW1aQI2-Xq1Yt06GuiOGepN6yBF78Fe4_2sdgyQkZyRbvEI-8w8qjLmRTilki_2t8ELUoEVeB-XZA7R-FDjEJgTy-dRrXs8BK8lT2pk7VR0E9B6gQgvu2EzfFm6oqPOXbrJTiAvo/s640/blogger-image-1846533372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3GtGKeW1aQI2-Xq1Yt06GuiOGepN6yBF78Fe4_2sdgyQkZyRbvEI-8w8qjLmRTilki_2t8ELUoEVeB-XZA7R-FDjEJgTy-dRrXs8BK8lT2pk7VR0E9B6gQgvu2EzfFm6oqPOXbrJTiAvo/s640/blogger-image-1846533372.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>After we watched the sun slip below the horizon, we headed off to Benton Harbor where we were spending the night and getting closer to home. This day was chalked up as a really good day in nature. </div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-36939203220700199612014-10-21T15:48:00.001-05:002014-10-21T15:53:52.957-05:00Mom Trip Wrap Up - Part Two<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Monday, October 6 - Today we got up and took the ferry over to Mackinac Island, but before we headed to the ferry station and while I packed our luggage into the car, mom ran back over to the restaurant where we had dinner and left a little bit of dad there (did I mention that we had some of his ashes with us with the intention of leaving some at various places?). Well, there was a small hand-made, wooden boat in front of the restaurant that on a different trip dad ended up getting into a long discussion with the guy that built the boat, so mom and I thought it would be appropriate to leave dad there.<br />
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The ferry ride was a pretty decent trip although a little chilly. For these Texas gals, those morning temps of upper 30s and low 40s were quite bracing. The first thing that we did after arriving at the island was to stop in this little store and I promptly purchased a stocking cap and the cutest matching fingerless gloves (had to be fingerless so that I could still use my phone camera). We then started touring the island. For those of you unfamiliar with Mackinac Island (pronounced like Mackinaw), this is a quaint, exclusive island with beautiful homes and a fort and The Grand Hotel (and it is so fancy that if you aren't staying there you can only go so far onto the grounds without them shooing you away...no gawkers here and if you ARE staying there, in the evening women have to wear dresses and men have to wear suit jackets). There are also no motorized vehicles on the island. All transportation is via bicycle, horse-drawn carriage, or your own two feet...we opted for the last. It really is a beautiful place and I think it would be lovely to go and stay at one of the (not The Grand) hotels or B&Bs that are located all over the place and really take some time to explore the island, but that wasn't our option for today so we just did our sight seeing and then caught a late afternoon ferry back to the mainland then drove down to Traverse City, where our next overnight stop was. </div>
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Here is a shot of the Main Street on the island. </div>
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This is The Grand Hotel from a distance.</div>
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This is as close as we could get to the hotel before we were yelled at. The porch there where the yellow awnings are contains the longest porch with a ton of rockers that people who are guests have the privilege of sitting on all day and staring off across the water of Lake Michigan. </div>
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A view from down at the water level. </div>
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Another of the hotels that might be a little more affordable and closer to the actual water. </div>
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A shot across the port as we waited for the ferry to take us back. </div>
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I did get to see a HUGE flock of Canadian geese sitting up near the fort preparing for their migration south as well as a family of otters frolicking in the lake as we ate lunch.<br />
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It was a really nice, peaceful day spent doing nothing more than walking around and breathing really fresh air and just taking in a local that provides a peak into a bygone era.<br />
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The drive down to Traverse City was pretty uneventful. We got to the hotel and were really too tired, and too lazy, to want to go and find a place to sit down for dinner, so we opted to just order some pizza and have it delivered to the room....and then it was off to sleep as we had lots planned for the next day and many miles to cover....</div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-87645651365782659252014-10-20T22:01:00.001-05:002014-10-20T22:01:47.083-05:00Mom Trip Wrap Up Part 1First, my calendar math was way off.... So here are the <i>real</i> final days of the trip. <div><br></div><div>Saturday, October 4 - mom and I head out early in the morning and head to Niagara Falls. We catch a tour bus that is only supposed to take 4 hours but ended up to be more like 5 and a half hours. But, we ride the Maid of the Mist and get up close and personal to the falls. We then do the Cavern of the Winds tour and get even more up close and personal. We bought some fudge because we really aren't very good together. And there was a strange "4-D" movie experience that was part of the ticket that we purchased. It was a 3-D movie, or at least we got 3-D glasses but then while in the theatre there was a breeze and they would spritz us with water "from the falls" at particular moments. I have to say it was an exactly pleasant experience since the whole day was pretty cool and rainy and the 3-Dness of the movie did a real number on my eyes. After the tour, mom and I hopped in the trusty car and headed to London, Ontario. This was about a 2 hour drive, not counting the hour it took to drive through customs at the Canadian border. This day was, I believe the only time that I actually snapped. These last 2 or so hours of driving were in the dark and in a portion of the world that my US atlas didn't really cover. At one highway interchange about 45 minutes across the border we decided to not listen to the Onstar directions and briefly ended up going the wrong way. I was having residual blurriness from the movie and being tired and needing to get my eyes checked, so I snapped at mom and told her that I needed her to help read the signs more. We pulled off shortly to switch drivers because mom wasn't having blurry eye issues at the time and I wasn't really fit to be behind the wheel of the car. I grabbed a protein bar and after eating that I felt much better and realized that I had actually been shaking. So, what we learned from this little episode is to 1) not question Onstar when we are on a Canadian highway in the middle of nowhere and 2) not to let me get hangry (that would be hungry and angry combined). Neither of us should have gone all day having eaten a McDonald breakfast, a bag of chips, and some fudge....not smart and we made certain that we did much better the rest of the trip. (Sadly, I have no pictures to post of this portion of the trip because I have been too lazy to download them from my camera and I didn't take any with my phone.)</div><div><br></div><div>Sunday, October 5 - Our original plan was to go to Sault Ste. Marie, MI and see the locks that are there and see the ships move between the lakes. This had been a spot that mom and dad had visited and dad really enjoyed it, but as we were driving this morning, mom took a look at the map and proposed that we see if we could cancel our room there and get one in Mackinaw City instead, which would keep us from having to back track and would allow more time on Mackinac Island, which was our primary destination for Monday. As luck would have it, we were able to change our plans and got into the hotel early evening (we didn't get away from London as early as we had planned as we needed to rest from the tense night before...another reason to change our plans and cut out a extra couple of hours of driving). After we settled into our room, we walked to a little place next door called Darrows, which as it turns out had been a spot where mom and dad ate once on their travels. It was here that mom and I had the best cherry pie. We the walked down to the bridge and got caught in the rain, which wasn't too terrible as we just returned to our room, changed into warm stretchy pants and tucked into bed for the rest of the evening. </div><div><br></div><div>Here is a shot from the bridge coming back into the United States. <br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIO3UDdC4V7TAFl6X7wyK23634vONuEt7GVqlmnvakVwHi-S3z_wj7feIlJFsJGmgdGDftZzV7YSJ3LOmvlLq6blzIe-Sfj1gdsXdeG1Ed0pQD5hOfhj3yzcjf4hYN46pGQPcCvDMxpDC0/s640/blogger-image--1663190727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIO3UDdC4V7TAFl6X7wyK23634vONuEt7GVqlmnvakVwHi-S3z_wj7feIlJFsJGmgdGDftZzV7YSJ3LOmvlLq6blzIe-Sfj1gdsXdeG1Ed0pQD5hOfhj3yzcjf4hYN46pGQPcCvDMxpDC0/s640/blogger-image--1663190727.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is a picture of me and mom at a ready stop in Michigan. We had an ongoing activity of taking a picture and texting it to my sister and quiz her on if she could tell where we were. And yeah, I have zero makeup on... I decided to give up on that on this trip, not that I wear very much anyway...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqP2q3fFUjbqb6naAuTMxFYKrF483PldvQSNhMIHr9oIpN7kys4i7i8qoNGBECe_v-g5fEwU6RI1oD6ofw-oRpscwIXrmFhJWb2rSwSr47Tq_M1LQcOfegb2qPpahe-zIz9DDd7-_RYo6I/s640/blogger-image-1790549535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqP2q3fFUjbqb6naAuTMxFYKrF483PldvQSNhMIHr9oIpN7kys4i7i8qoNGBECe_v-g5fEwU6RI1oD6ofw-oRpscwIXrmFhJWb2rSwSr47Tq_M1LQcOfegb2qPpahe-zIz9DDd7-_RYo6I/s640/blogger-image-1790549535.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Some more of the beautiful fall color that we saw at hand rest stop on the way to Mackinaw City. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnT2Fvih7lwU71ncY8MmskRnvS2IVLfjKn_74bbj8xOYO_SlYiQ8wnlrabNw5Lw6MGqYpBFPb1RHu_puWOKTglWBlW2BEdXKzNXOhZPfR_wNA9adK5_wNXhpVeamEFojPJX4gtHpVwL01/s640/blogger-image--1721601522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnT2Fvih7lwU71ncY8MmskRnvS2IVLfjKn_74bbj8xOYO_SlYiQ8wnlrabNw5Lw6MGqYpBFPb1RHu_puWOKTglWBlW2BEdXKzNXOhZPfR_wNA9adK5_wNXhpVeamEFojPJX4gtHpVwL01/s640/blogger-image--1721601522.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It is really hard to tell, but this is a picture from our hotel balcony of the Mackinac Bridge. If we had gone on to Sault Ste. Marie, we would have crossed this bridge twice. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdk2Q5hZL5Fq-ILnOio9subQ7_Ru_wDQjuBb3YiMxGGIFUFg7Z9NlGfBbc6LZkWKHJgiwBv4LocqUGk3InfkwwhZPgMvYU6KejR89lKGdLYHGGsUoaD1kHAm0EpxEkSFOBr3IeUVGEeTbE/s640/blogger-image-1615500166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdk2Q5hZL5Fq-ILnOio9subQ7_Ru_wDQjuBb3YiMxGGIFUFg7Z9NlGfBbc6LZkWKHJgiwBv4LocqUGk3InfkwwhZPgMvYU6KejR89lKGdLYHGGsUoaD1kHAm0EpxEkSFOBr3IeUVGEeTbE/s640/blogger-image-1615500166.jpg"></a></div></div></div></div><br></div><br></div></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-44324048303714974912014-10-06T19:40:00.001-05:002014-10-06T19:40:02.688-05:00Mom Trip Days 6 - 10<div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Wow, how time flew. </span></div><div><br></div><div>We spent the week at Turtle Art Camp, as mentioned previously. We learned how to use an air pen to write on fabric as well as how to airbrush on fabric, which was a lot of fun. </div><div><br></div><div>Each morning I would egg up and walk with Suzie, our host/instructor, and her golden doodle, Libby. We would get back to the house and get ready to start the day. We would spend the next 3 hours in the studio, break for lunch, and then get back to work for 3 to 4 hours in the afternoon. We would then go out some place for dinner. </div><div><br></div><div>On Tuesday evening, we went to Wooster College where we attended a lecture by Amy Tan, the author. It was a great talk. Amy Tan was very interesting and now I want to go back and re-read her books. </div><div><br></div><div>In general, the whole week was wonderful and I was very worn out by the end. Here are some pictures of our projects at the point that cap'n was completed. </div><div><br></div><div>This is my "Family" quilt that us still in progress. </div><div><br></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYd9_hjqGRZ0Zy8NEsfDuJvOmb93VjJMzZFPH1n76C8sK2djcLAyo453rz1-cIAkz5nXJJKxiG1wCtUDfQfmejsubz3wLCxwKgHIQ925BUsIDNzBlwp4FCzb0DIhXMLsGEekG9_H047u9/s640/blogger-image-653987144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYd9_hjqGRZ0Zy8NEsfDuJvOmb93VjJMzZFPH1n76C8sK2djcLAyo453rz1-cIAkz5nXJJKxiG1wCtUDfQfmejsubz3wLCxwKgHIQ925BUsIDNzBlwp4FCzb0DIhXMLsGEekG9_H047u9/s640/blogger-image-653987144.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This is a picture of my mom learning how to use the airbrush. We started out learning on paper towels but quickly jumped to fabric. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYeMxMm3qGBuUIWjdobBL6zvCMJkeHKcomNEMvpUUJty0aW9ysG9ulfSuIlNvN9_mNhYc0iuVODgKXufUwIqmKtNPAIHHwz0BVxYiSkgqp7OWO4FQI2t4Ri1HGAPVQmbUuJOKA8PfxVj-/s640/blogger-image-998859096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYeMxMm3qGBuUIWjdobBL6zvCMJkeHKcomNEMvpUUJty0aW9ysG9ulfSuIlNvN9_mNhYc0iuVODgKXufUwIqmKtNPAIHHwz0BVxYiSkgqp7OWO4FQI2t4Ri1HGAPVQmbUuJOKA8PfxVj-/s640/blogger-image-998859096.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div>We decided to do a collaboration quilt with each of us (mom, me, our classmate, and our instructor) taking a quadrant but also adding to one another's work as we changed paint colors. Here is a shot of the final product: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5sQwiudgAvtZkZ3_c2HFrI_YhYbtNuLvzWs7MoiKgTlF5j7qiPpaCCWBaDn_8n_pZ0caIqtlYPxSW70FpSv73fKwrN9VIsWWhn4vf9YX8g95N9E50NEgexpYGu6Hc_xy3C6m91VSux2K/s640/blogger-image--708813324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5sQwiudgAvtZkZ3_c2HFrI_YhYbtNuLvzWs7MoiKgTlF5j7qiPpaCCWBaDn_8n_pZ0caIqtlYPxSW70FpSv73fKwrN9VIsWWhn4vf9YX8g95N9E50NEgexpYGu6Hc_xy3C6m91VSux2K/s640/blogger-image--708813324.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">We then cut thus up into fourths so we would all have a part of our work to take home with us. Here is a shot of our work from the week. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlUUrCHnuMjjbN1fy_rVBCA-EJH43QaOvEDYonGbnd_zHYejaVo4uZWK2HjPeYgLv1UOULSLa0tnp3aPMgJM_ZbH6rbuLBTBMy_n_ZImaO3BIqdXAGQGfetNpBrG1buuPg5ZFv15DwSh1/s640/blogger-image--76982722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlUUrCHnuMjjbN1fy_rVBCA-EJH43QaOvEDYonGbnd_zHYejaVo4uZWK2HjPeYgLv1UOULSLa0tnp3aPMgJM_ZbH6rbuLBTBMy_n_ZImaO3BIqdXAGQGfetNpBrG1buuPg5ZFv15DwSh1/s640/blogger-image--76982722.jpg"></a></div><br></div>It was a great week and I have a lot of ideas that I am taking away from the camp. </div></div></div></div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-32892737078104360222014-10-01T06:02:00.000-05:002014-10-01T06:02:00.320-05:00Monochromatic - A Study in Red<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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The latest challenge from <a href="http://aroundtheworldin20quilts.blogspot.com/#!/" target="_blank">Art Quilts Around the World</a> was titled "Monochromatic". </div>
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I had so many thoughts that I wanted to do, but they were all in blacks and grays and I really felt that I needed to do something with color. My normal go to color is blue or blues and greens or purple...all nice cool colors. </div>
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So then I had to start thinking about what I wanted to depict. About this time my mom gave me a book about different art quilt techniques and different ideas for fabric manipulation. As I looked through this book I came across the instructions for weaving and I knew that is what I wanted to do, which just left my color choice. </div>
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I knew that I had a little bit of red mottled yarn left from scarf I knitted last winter and knew that is what I wanted to be my base....so now I needed to figure out the weft (or the warp, I can't remember which is which and in my world that is okay). I ended up going to Etsy and purchasing a bunch of recycled sari silk ribbons. Once those arrived it was a matter of just doing it. </div>
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In the end, I decided to leave the extra ribbon hanging and just did a satin stitch around the edges with the same variegated red thread that I quilted with. Here is the finished product: </div>
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Here is a close up of the quilting. I started with the Sanskrit "Om" and then shadow quilted around. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIkmc2z58J8BES83EOgn-DaVCoeRmH_66ax3PebZ5VJ2Y_DMlJvyBeMFyFJwVPjf5uSNUrhg38wKNeS7YwbXQE1RjXBrgpJvvwP1HbY5GXNmUwy9MC9bKdpCzNUl4fZmt2dReR_uRTVJT/s640/blogger-image--1664150803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkIkmc2z58J8BES83EOgn-DaVCoeRmH_66ax3PebZ5VJ2Y_DMlJvyBeMFyFJwVPjf5uSNUrhg38wKNeS7YwbXQE1RjXBrgpJvvwP1HbY5GXNmUwy9MC9bKdpCzNUl4fZmt2dReR_uRTVJT/s400/blogger-image--1664150803.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And, just to give you an idea of what I started with, here is a shot of my "loom" with the first couple of rows of woven ribbon. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PtmmFQpbDv8rMmFRD9tIjTNVaIP48rB5c6Qz-AXYmDcYgdbwylfD1coLpisUhU2WkNneI_gKWhdzkAuuoYJoM7UQ-vyqBDR8zJHsPvlDkvcV6isd94JrRLp_wtJfhPnYE58HmSNju772/s640/blogger-image-1945871769.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2PtmmFQpbDv8rMmFRD9tIjTNVaIP48rB5c6Qz-AXYmDcYgdbwylfD1coLpisUhU2WkNneI_gKWhdzkAuuoYJoM7UQ-vyqBDR8zJHsPvlDkvcV6isd94JrRLp_wtJfhPnYE58HmSNju772/s640/blogger-image-1945871769.jpg" /></a></div>
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Now, on to the next challenge... </div>
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Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1664476449419588082.post-68985967706057672872014-09-30T21:11:00.001-05:002014-09-30T21:11:54.269-05:00Mom Trip Days 4 and 5We have been in "the studio" for two days now and have really been able to unleash the creativity and are learning a lot. It is all really great fun to learn a new way to express yourself using paint on fabric. It is also incredibly tiring. I can't express how tired I am by the end of the day, but I do want to try and get this down before I slip off to Never Never Land...<div><br></div><div>We start each day with what the instructor, Susan Shie, calls "Library Time". This is a time where we take 10 minutes and just draw or journal without talking just to clear our minds. Actually, let me back up a bit... Susan is an artist that does almost folk art pieces and they are all covered in writing and tells a story and journaling her life and/or what is happening in the world at the time that she is working on a particular piece. But, to unleash the creativity in us we all have to start off drawing as if we were 6 year olds without stopping and thinking whether it is realistic or what anybody eels thinks about it and just let the juices flow. </div><div><br></div><div>So, we draw or journal for 10 minutes during Library Time. Then we decide what the theme for the day is going to be. Yesterday, we made a list of things from which to draw inspiration from and then we go from there. Yesterday, our theme was "Time". That is pretty broad and left everybody open to do whatever they felt like doing. I got to thinking about the passage of time and settled on the Riddle of the Sphinx. Here is my outline drawing that I started with before I started adding color: </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VZA90uTtkCb2-0HU6dYaWaU5rTwivHYtRpHxu2t2XQgWXStuBCy2iFRDDhNasTzCdFbQRrKMAPYIyXgr7K18Q7qifqvFocpdFGRjEQc16xtKrhimYJsET3LTmiH3r9LqrjqsQvM6by1n/s640/blogger-image-389541226.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5VZA90uTtkCb2-0HU6dYaWaU5rTwivHYtRpHxu2t2XQgWXStuBCy2iFRDDhNasTzCdFbQRrKMAPYIyXgr7K18Q7qifqvFocpdFGRjEQc16xtKrhimYJsET3LTmiH3r9LqrjqsQvM6by1n/s640/blogger-image-389541226.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>And here it is with color added:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4sQfxw2gpdlkeXPBTUXSFKvKCHj3wHDm_j-WG9F6bJKBIPHMOCwd_ifHVwkOIQMbt0aZaa7Ntw3rIVXIiKz4kVmyUguCbAFUiBJVFos7Y1H-U0tkDvhq5Vi_jA_dv7MI8V1PEg4A1VRn/s640/blogger-image--451996801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4sQfxw2gpdlkeXPBTUXSFKvKCHj3wHDm_j-WG9F6bJKBIPHMOCwd_ifHVwkOIQMbt0aZaa7Ntw3rIVXIiKz4kVmyUguCbAFUiBJVFos7Y1H-U0tkDvhq5Vi_jA_dv7MI8V1PEg4A1VRn/s640/blogger-image--451996801.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Here is a picture of our instructor and my mom's piece on the table on the lower right:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0QlNosDljHF3_iQk8UEy_thGvwIqs3gybkFhAIMhmrSNeJWi1m4uZTY6-IfB_7Ow5B9Xpni8wYXkfNbIlbV6aLboNZIp3Xkp0UFNcj4TUE3XcmjKdvupztGr_5IQuQjQlmBjbFFLTg6k/s640/blogger-image--884219976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH0QlNosDljHF3_iQk8UEy_thGvwIqs3gybkFhAIMhmrSNeJWi1m4uZTY6-IfB_7Ow5B9Xpni8wYXkfNbIlbV6aLboNZIp3Xkp0UFNcj4TUE3XcmjKdvupztGr_5IQuQjQlmBjbFFLTg6k/s640/blogger-image--884219976.jpg"></a></div><br></div><div>Today's theme that we were to work on was "Family". This is what I drew thus far:</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7aN7NpZ4qCHhFitVydUaPevCuKX6aaCLPfJKX0PToHRvsq_dtkVcd6LkvDBAYLdrQznP4Q7o6nNhNDuEMHdfKAm1MY-256AWGBrwfkntuZPMOCoR2LZkWzwde_2MYbJ6YW2f-EKF7ADT/s640/blogger-image--1874715512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7aN7NpZ4qCHhFitVydUaPevCuKX6aaCLPfJKX0PToHRvsq_dtkVcd6LkvDBAYLdrQznP4Q7o6nNhNDuEMHdfKAm1MY-256AWGBrwfkntuZPMOCoR2LZkWzwde_2MYbJ6YW2f-EKF7ADT/s640/blogger-image--1874715512.jpg"></a></div>I've just started adding color to it and will work more on it tomorrow, along with our next theme. </div><div><br></div><div>On top of the class during the day today, this evening we went and saw a lecture from Amy Tan, author of "The Joy Luck Club" among many other books. It was in interesting talk about the "Heart of a Writer". She talked about her family and where her writing comes from within her. All really neat stuff to hear. Now, however, if am struggling to keep my eyes open, so will wrap up for now. </div>Andreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08929569545015653128noreply@blogger.com2