My 10 days in California were the best!! The sun shone every day the temperature was in the 70’s.
Sheila and I took a little road trip up the central Californian coast via Solvang,
as far as San Simeon and Hearst Castle,
… and then a little way further to see the elephant seals… the highlight of the trip as far as I was concerned. Still photos don’t really do them justice. (My new camera takes video so anyone who shows the slightest interest is subjected to the full experience.)
A sunset at Morrow Bay was awesome,
and the mission at San Luis Obispo was picturesque,
Bubble Gum Alley, not quite so beautiful…
I lost count of the quilt stores and yarn shops we visited. Birch Fabrics in Paso Robles and The Treasure Hunt in Carpinteria were the two I’d most like to live near by… I stocked up in anticipation of a few future projects.
On the way home we called in to see Leora Raikin at her home to do a little shopping amongst her African Folklore Embroideries and were treated to a lovely lunch outside in the sunshine. I bought six new embroideries, some silk ribbon and an Ndebele doll to add to my two others in my studio.
But all good things come to an end at some point and I put my socks and closed in shoes back on to come home…
Just in time for the Great Blizzard of 2011!!
Here is the view from the dining room window once the snow stopped coming down…
and from the kitchen on Thursday morning when the sun came out again…
All this “weather” has kept me at home and I have been sewing… but most of my efforts have been directed towards my Riverwalk Quilter’s Guild challenge piece which I guess I’m not really supposed to display here until after the judging in March. I had assumed that my finished project would be due at the March meeting but I was wrong! It needs to be turned in on Tuesday so I have been hard at work… I will add the binding tomorrow and then it will be up to the members to decide.
Julia, Matt and Benjamin were in town this weekend and called in to see us so I have to add an up-to-date picture of Benjamin… he’s had a haircut and looked a little less street urchin like than last time I saw him.
I hope he liked the t-shirt I bought him from my travels!!
Lyric Kinard is coming to speak and teach at the guild this week. I am looking forward to playing hostess. Another fun week to come in the life of Catherine?
