From Florida…

Posted on by
Reply

I’m teaching in the Tampa Bay area and I have to say that the Florida I have seen is really beautiful. It’s very lush. I think that you would have to beat back the vegetation to keep from being grown over! 

I’ve seen birds that I don’t see at home. One day during class (with the Manatee Quilters) I looked out and there were birds with long, curved beaks poking around for insects in the grass. Some of the women in class knew what they were, but I have forgotten. Ibis maybe? It takes me longer than one sighting to put the name and the bird together in my mind. Whatever they were, they were fun to watch.

I’m in Sarasota now with Friendship Knot Quilters, staying near a golf course with many ponds. Haven’t seen any alligators yet, but I am told that they are definitely here. I walk early in the mornings (before dawn) and am sticking to pavement! I took these photos today on my walk (after the sun came up). the golf course is how I have always pictured Florida in my mind. The shapes of the leaves on the fan palm really caught my eye.

Flying

Posted on by
2

I flew last Friday (on American) to North Carolina to visit friends. After all of the flight problems I was surprised to get to DFW (Dallas-Fort Worth) and find the place nearly deserted. There was no one in the security line! It was sort of amazing. Lots of personnel, no passengers. I was on the one flight to Raleigh-Durham that made it out on Friday morning. My flight home on Sunday was uneventful as well. These days, that’s all one hopes for.

While I was in NC I got to visit with Hollis Chatelain and see the exhibit of her quilts that was hanging in the Duke Chapel. It was truly moving. If you get a chance to view these quilts be sure to take it.
We walked through the Duke gardens that afternoon. I have never seen so much wisteria in one place in my life (we don’t get much wisteria in Sherman, TX). The scent was close to overpowering. The grounds were beautiful. It’s worth a visit!

Word Power

Posted on by
1

My son, Jeff, sent me a link to the Free Rice site today. On it you will find a pretty decent vocabulary game that is good for your brain and raises money (in the form of rice) for those in need. The more words you guess correctly, the more rice is donated to the United Nations World Food Program. The money/rice comes from the advertisers on the site.


Jeff is in grad school at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. He finds a lot more of this kind of thing than I do. Part of that is being at Hopkins and part of it is that he’s 22 and on the internet a lot more than I am. But, as he says, the only down side to this is the time you spend playing. 

FYI – “nudibranch” means sea slug!

Hello from Linda the other half of Piece O’ Cake!!!

Posted on by
1



We recently made a driving trip from Grand Junction Colorado to San Clemente Calif. Our son Jerry and his wife Viviana live there.

It was an interesting drive. The scenery between Grand Junction and San Clemente is very diverse. On the drive you see snow capped mountains and desert together. As you drive toward Utah it changes to red rock formations. Which can make you say OOH! a lot.
The best part of the trip was when we left the Mojave Desert and drove into Southern California. In this first picture the hills were alive with color.  
What a sight after a few years of the hills being brown from the drought. I love the yellow mixed with the different shades of green. It made me want to make a quilt colored like early spring. With touches of purple, red, and orange from the flower colors.  
I always want to visit the quilt shops when I am traveling. In the second picture is Material Possessions in Lake Forest California. This is one of my favorite shops. I can always do some serious fabric buying here. I wish I had the time to visit all the shops in the area and along the way on our drive. Maybe next trip.
I will be at Becky’s in Sherman Texas next. Let you know what’s happening there in the next post.
Linda

My Husband in a Kilt for Breast Cancer Research

Posted on by
Reply

I’m home from California and unpacked. Linda is here! We’re working on projects to be made with our newest collection of fabric. More on that later. But today my husband wore a kilt to work! 

Steve is Dean of the Sciences and a full professor of biology at Austin College in Sherman, TX. Several of his colleagues have had breast cancer. When they formed a group to raise money for research he was happy to join them. As he says, some of his favorite people have breasts!
Seven people volunteered to be “fools” on April 1st to raise money. The vice president for academic affairs was the Easter bunny. Another professor, Steve Stell, in the religion department was a prom queen (definitely a sight to behold!) In that context, Steve looks downright manly, don’t you think? 
There are other activities that we are taking part in to raise funds. If you would like to donate to the cause (and it’s a very good cause) click here to go to the American Cancer Society’s donation page.

Becky’s Coffee Cup Quilt

Posted on by
3

I finished it! Well, almost. I think I’m going to add a bottom border. Surely I have the perfect fabric (or fabrics) for that. It will have to be quilted and bound and then it will really be done. I very much enjoyed taking a class from Ruth McDowell. It was good to be a student again.