Morning Glory Studio

Unraveled Wednesday | 18 October 2017

 

1:05 pm 

I'm sitting at the dentist's office, waiting for my 1 PM appointment...  I was called in early "to give the dentist more time with me..." No doubt there was a cancellation...  I left home without  a project to stitch... nor a book to read .  Tho' I deliberately didn't bring anything to stitch or knit (because I' stressed my write/right hand last Saturday  - I'm sort of nursing it along ),  I do have my iPad & iPhone; both have many books to read.  That's the nice thing about audible and e-books: one never need be without something to read, as long as there is WIFI access or you have downloaded the book and your digi tool is fullly charged so you can access your library. 

I have just about completed reorganizing my sewing studio! In the process, I identified several projects I plan to focus on over these last few months of 2016:

1 - a baby quilt (my great grand nephew (Bébé) Chris is going to be a big brother late January to baby Elias) ... Oops, I'm being called  for my appt; to be continued...

1:58 pm - excuse the interruption

 

 

Dental appointment over. We're having a nice autumn day: bright blue skies; the trees are turning; temp is about 70 degrees, cool enough for sleeves... I'm sitting outside of Whole Foods having lunch: hard boiled egg, grapes, cheese and apple slices. A bee decides it'd rather have some too...so I hastily  gather my things and retreat to the inside...of Starbucks. 

As I was saying: Stitching Projects:

2- Goin' Roun'  in Circles - for lack of a better title (project begun in Sisters)...it's small and whichever way it takes me is the way I go...

3 - Accidental Landscapes: I'm really eager to resume these projects and have about 4-5 ideas for several more ...and fabric to boot!

4 -  I think I have one more Top This hat to stitch and that should do it for a while. Next in the queue: finish a sock and start its mate; my poncho - nope Mary, not quite finished but close!)

Nice jazz playing in the background; I could probably unravel the rest of the afternoon here but I'd best not...need to stop at Xfinity - next door - and also pick up some items from Whole Foods ...and get back home to my reorganizing ...

Joining Kat et al for Unraveled Wednesday; do go see what they have up. What are you unraveling?

Cheers~ 

 

Puget Sound...

On the last lap of my unforgettable journey to the Pacific Northwest - in Tacoma now. Arrived about 11 am, PST this morning. Friends picked me up at the train station - yep: trains still run. The trip was very interesting - I couldn't count the number of  rivers we crossed over until we reached our destination. 

We had brunch at a restaurant on Puget Sound. The clouds...an absolute study! Believe it or not: that black speck is a bird! 

Tomorrow, Seattle! 

Cheers~

Saying Goodbye to Sisters...

 
 

Today, as we welcomed morning- reluctantly - we watched the sun rise over the mountains: mist tinged with the pinks and soft yellows.

On the road, headed N toward Portland. Listening to Isaac Albeniz, guitarist. Linda my friend and companion just remarked: “I guess going to Sisters is like going to Disney (Land/World)… I asked "How?" She answered: "Because you always have something to entertain you."

I nodded and thought: Yes! Most noticeably: Mother Nature:

• wide open spaces
• hillsides dotted with every variety of pine you can imagine;
• majestic skies filled with clouds of every shape, formation;colors;
• mountains surrounding, encircling us on every side;
• highway dotted with little clumps of yellow sage, bales of hay;
• trees are slowly and surely turning…more yellow than red at this point in early autumn.

And this is just one facet of Oregon, blessed with every type of terrain, foliage one can imagine.

Soon, Sisters - the enchanted little city with its little population of deer that roam with abandon will be just an ever-present memory ... and yearning.

Cheers~ 

diary of this day ...

 

 

 

Today has been just spectacular weather -wise: bright, sunny, comfy temps... and quiet...a perfect ending to summer and the beginning of the mad rush rush of the new Fall season. After I completed my one main task for the day: tally up and reconcile monthly XPNS (expenses/accounts), I decided to take a leisurely walk to Zeke's and sit out on the Avenue with a cup of coffee and my iPhone. I had about an hour left of A Tale for the Time Being, thinking  that would make a great walking companion. 

 Imagine my surprise when I arrived at Zeke's to find a CLOSED sign on the door. But of course, today is Labor Day and the employees deserve a day off, too. So, I decided to walk to the Franciscan Monastery, about 14 blocks  away. Along the way, I saw many trees with leaves changing to bright red; a Buddha sitting in a cirlce of stones. I arrived at the Monastery and found a seat at the Lily Pond, listening all the while to the Tale and taking in the gorgeous scenery and weather.

 I had about 40 minutes of the book left and I knew it would take me about 30 minutes to walk home, so I started my return journey. The block before the Monastery is National Park Service Grounds, a part of Rock Creek Park...and the site of the battle at Fort Bunker Hill during the Civil War. Whenever I walk to the Monastery, I pause at the park, my eyes looking deep into the wooded area. I think of those who fought and died, there on that piece of land. There are no memorials, just a sign... and the wooded area continues to thrive. Perhaps that's a sign that this country's founding ideals will persevere, too. I hope so.

 

watercolor wednesday | morning @ Zeke's ...

    Yesterday, Tuesday, I was pretty much spent; I think because I was  up and out of the house by 7:15 AM Monday, in order to meet Kayla at 7:45 AM on her first day's high school experience, as she so deftly described it. 

Today, after a day's and night's rest, I was up at my usual time and decided I'd spend a portion of MSQT @ Zeke's Coffee; I've been going once or twice a week this summer. Today was perfect: temperature a cool 72 degrees - breezy enough for a denim jacket. I sat there, enjoyed my coffee and the vista: lots of UPS trucks heading towards their delivery destinations; cars and buses whizzing by - drivers and passengers on their ways to work in downtown DC, etc; sitting at the table near me, two women on a job interview; across, a man in scrubs, on his computer - looked like he was studying. The worker who keeps the block clean infuses incense in the air as he sweeps the sidewalk; very pleasant. 

Coffee done, I walked home - refreshed and full of energy. Breakfast with Norman; washed a couple loads of laundry. On my way now to buy a Keurig so I can make chai latte…and when I return home, start phase 2 in the process of creating my WiTL 2015 album.

Here's hoping you too had a Zeke-like start to your day - and if not today, tomorrow.

Cheers~

 

december 10 day trip to nyc...

 

Well, it's now Friday and I'm back! On Wednesday, enjoyed a whirlwind trip to New York City, despite the fact that we had to board the bus no later than 6:15 am. Getting up at that hour is not strange for me - I do so nearly everyday if not earlier...but seldom am I on my way to someplace else. Thank goodness that I spent the night at my friend Pat's - or else I'd have had to get up at 4 am. 

We had a full and enjoyable day, starting with breakfast at Ellen's Stardust Diner where the wait staff sing great Broadway tunes.

Next we attended noon mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral; the scaffolding within and outside just add to the church's majesty.

 

Pat and I took a sortof wild taxi ride (for us) to The City Quilter. We had been there in 2009 and I looked forward to returning. I wasn't disappointed as you can see from my loot above.

 

Of course, no trip to NYC in December is complete without a visit to Rockefeller Plaza to see the great Christmas Tree - magnificent, especially  up close and personal . We ended the day with dinner at Cucina's on the concourse level of Rockefeller Plaza; I had grilled salmon and sauteed squash ~ yum!

We had a great time and the day  ended with wet snowflakes ~ perfect! Now that I  am rested with a calendar that is  pretty much clear for the next  ten days, I am looking forward to spending some quality time at home, attending to and enjoying the season! Stay tuned!

Cheers~

watercolor wednesday |petunias ...

The Waterlogue app is more fun to watch as a photo taken on the iPhone* is repainted in watercolors. You can watch a demo here .

I am eager to keep playing around with it...and to broaden the subjects of my paintings; so far, flowers have been it.  But, stay tuned because henceforth, I plan to post my paintings on Wednesdays, using the new title Watercolor Wednesday. 

I was introduced to the app by my friend Mary who also created the title above for the weekly blog appearance. Check out her painting, here. 

Cheers~

*Unfortunately, the app is only available for the iPhone; the developers explain why here.

inspiration...

Last Thursday, July 3, my friend Margaret and I went to the Sackler Gallery on the National Mall to see the Whistler exhibit: An American in London - Whistler and the Thames. (I regret to say that it has been too long since my last visit to the Sackler - and other national treasures - a status that I am definitely going to correct. My mother, when she was alive, went down to the mall a minium of three times a week.  I have no excuses other than I just haven't gone ; time to change that!). 

The day was beautiful (though h-o-t) and the grounds, absolutely gorgeous. As a quilter, I frequently look at line, shadow, color and see a quilt in there, somewhere. The photos I am sharing in this post - and yesterday's - are all going in my inspiration file. Perhaps someday these scenes will become a quilt. Time will tell. 

These steps take one down to the lower gallery; the sculpture hanging down the middle is the monkey sculpture: Monkeys Grasping for the Moon. (Read more here.) Even though I had no choice but to shoot into the light, I was trying to capture the lines, color and shadows. As I look at the photo, I can see lots  of possibilities ...and challenges.

The next two photos were shot at the Phillips Collection and taken in June when my friend Adele was visiting. These are photos of an Alexander Calder mobile. I just love the way the light casts a shadow on the wall. I will be quite interested in seeing how I manage to interpret this bit of inspiration...someday.

 

And when I do, know that you will see it here, first! What in your world inspires your creativity?

Cheers~

out and about selfie...

Many Mondays, on my way to my quilting association meeting, I would stop at Starbucks for a cup of hot water (for my tea) and a slice of pumpkin bread or a scone. I hadn't done that since  I don't know when. This past Monday, I decided to reinstitute that pleasant habit and was delighted with the door's artwork; love that colorful balloon ~ reminds me of a quilt. Rather appropo, don't you think?

Cheers~