Flowers

It’s a delight to see all the flowers!

The oleanders are in full bloom. 

 

As are the Matilija Poppy, lantana, rock rose, myaporum — others too. 

A fleeting burst of beauty.

 

Space

Yesterday, one of the neighborhood cows gave birth to a tiny black calf. I was hunting all day trying to find the calf, but momma is protecting the baby well. 

If you look very carefully, you will see a smidge of black...that’s the calf! Maybe tomorrow I’ll get a chance to see the baby.

We spent 10 days in NYC, WDC and Williamsburg. The first two cities have no open space, while there is some in Williamsburg. Still, looking at all this space and open land, without houses, apartments, traffic, sirens, loud horns, and a billion of your closest friends, is something remarkable. 

The roses are blooming and they are magnificent! Given this and so much more, I’m glad to be on the Pacific Coast and not the Atlantic Coast!

 

On Vacation—Part 3

 

Our next stop was Jamestown which is about 10 miles from Williamsburg. Jamestown was colonized in 1607 when several hundred settlers arrived from England in 3 small ships. The purpose of the settlement was to make money for the “company” that sent them over. Making money in tidewater Virginia in 1607 was not easy. The first money making venture was blowing glass. The glass making enterprise did not work. (Interesting factoid: today the glassblowing venture is turning a profit)

This is map of the original settlement along the James River. There was a church and living quarters and not much else.         

We first visited Jamestown in 1973, and we were told the “story” of the settlement. Now 40 years later, the story has changed as they’ve disovered many artifacts, building sites, and skeletons. The scientists and historians have been able to identify many of the skeletons and tell their story of hardship and hope. In the end, the colony did survive and it even made a profit by growing tobacco! 

If you visit Jamestown today, look at the Monument, take a ranger led hike thru the settlement then visit the museum to learn about the diggings that are on-going. Finish your visit with the glass blowing exhibit where you have a chance to buy a piece of Colonial American history. Jamestown is very interesting.

 

 

On Vacation—Part 2

From Washington, DC we took the train to Williamsburg, VA. If you have not been on AmTrak for awhile, think about taking an American train. While the WDC train was a little bit late, we made up the time and arrived in Williamsburg in a little over 2 hours. We arrived at our destination on time, but the taxis were gone. No problem, the station master gave us a ride to our hotel. Gotta love Amtrak!

 

The next morning we were greeted with flowers. The azaleas and dogwood were in full bloom. What a treat.

The College of William and Mary had beautiful flowers too.

We walked all over colonial Williamsburg enjoying the ancient buildings and

...the costumed folks who re-created individuals who had lived in Williamsburg in 1699-1710. 

We loved the old town...and the next day we went to Jamestown.

 

On Vacation

I had a whirlwind vacation last week—nine days in New York City, Washington, DC and Williamsburg, VA. We visited a lot of places and saw a lot of stuff and had a lot of fun. 

The new World Trade Center and Memorials to 9/11 were on the list. Looking at the destruction caused by the 9/11 terrorist attacks was hard to comprehend              

 

 

This is the bell that is rung at the 9/11 Memorial. It stands at Trinity Church (the oldest church in NY) and it’s made by the same maker of the Liberty Bell. 

From NYC we went to WDC. This is the National Cathedral—the rainbow of color comes from all the stained glass windows.

Of course we saw a lot of Monuments like the Lincoln...and the VietNam

The reflections of living folks in the cold black granite are a sad reminder of the lives we lost forever. 

There were not many dry eyes at this memorial.

The White House...

 

Our Capital...and so much more (I’ll post more pictures later).

The next stop on the trip was Williamsburg, VA...a short 2.5 hour train ride away.

 

 

 

 

It’s Orange

I think this is the brightest blanket I’ve made in a while. It’s a lap blanket in 2 shades of orange with a wiggle line between the  colors. It will make a ten year old feel warm in more ways than one. 

Spring and Things

It’s April and that means Spring is in the air. The flowers are having a grand time. Rock Roses, and Lavender and Azaleas and Dogwood and everything else are strutting their stuff. It’s a beautiful time of the year.

It’s also Awards Time at Chico State...and this year my young friend received the prestigious Volunteer of the Year award and scholarship  

And last but not least, it’s birthday season...and I’ve been celebrating for a couple of weeks ... with more to come.

Stuff

Nighttime at Lake Ellis in Marysville.

 

What happens when you are away for birthday parties? You celebrate them late

...and have a cake decorated that says it all. 

Meet Dixie. She greets me every morning when I walk. She is in a large field with two very woolly sheep who are not good company. I think she is lonely. 

1951 Studebaker

I saw this beautiful 1951 Studebaker the other day...and since her owner was there, I asked him a bunch of questions.

He bought her from eBay 11 years ago and he’s slowly been restoring her. In 1951, this beauty was driven down the streets in style with her bullet nose and fancy lights leading the way. Her hood ornament even lit up!

 

Her deep wine color told the world she was not ordinary. Look at those suicide doors! At the time they were advertised as the easier way to get into the back seat of the car.  The back seat was roomy with both head room and leg room AND a pull down arm-rest in the middle of the bench seat, so two people could sit in comfort!

 

The curved back window with the sleek chrome bar down the middle is an added touch of class. This car even had an automatic transmission, which was very advanced in 1951.  

If you look at the dash board, you see an integrated state of the art AM Radio (no add-ons here). There’s a dash mounted rear view mirror giving the driver a clear unobstructed view out the front window.  The Studebaker Land Cruiser was a luxury car. Back in the day you could buy this beauty for less than $2300. That was a lot of money for a car when you consider the following facts:

What Things Cost in 1951: Car: $1,800 Gasoline: 27 cents/gal House: $16,000 Bread: 16 cents/loaf Milk: 92 cents/gal Postage Stamp: 3 cents Stock Market: 269 Average Annual Salary: $4,200 Minimum Wage: 75 cents per hour 

Sadly, all good things come to an end. The Studebaker Brothers Manufacturing Company that started in 1852 making wagons in South Bend, Indiana, ceased production in 1966. My dad said that was a sad day for cars. To that end, it’s a treat to see one of the icons of American automobile history still looking gorgeous 67 years later!

Coasters, Angels and Blankets

I’ve branched out...I’ve designed and made a few coasters too. I placed an angel on top of the coasters to show their size...just big enough for a glass not to leave a ring on a table. 

I’ve just finished another blanket...and 

...it’s ready to be delivered to Project Linus.

Another R

Reflections 

 It’s the time of year to look back, evaluate, reflect and make plans to move forward.

The optimism of Spring.

 

Three R's of Spring

 I’m not talking about Readin', Ritin', nor Rithmetic...this is another set of "R's"—

Rock Roses or Rockies for short...these fragile flowers just started to appear...soon, the bushes will be covered in pink!

Redbuds...the second R. For a short two weeks a year we enjoy the magenta madness of the redbud...then the trees leaf out, and melt into the background...until the following spring.

Roadwork...the third R of spring. After the rains, the gravel road needs some repairs.

The grasses are greening, the wildflowers are beginning to blossom, the rabbits are acting crazy...spring is just around the corner.

Sunset 1-2-3

Sunset 1

Sunset 2 (a few minutes later)

Sunset 3 (still later)

Beginning to end—less than 10 minutes. Ephemeral beauty.

 

Spring Might Be On The Way

I love walking in the early morning. It’s that calm time of day before things begin. While the sun is rising and the critters are starting to shake off sleep, the rooster crows, the horses bray, the jackrabbits leap great heights ... and then comes the noise! The geese and ducks just don’t know how to be quiet. They squabble a constant banter of quacks and honks making sure the rest of us get up!

After the recent rain, the ponds are full. Look carefully and you see our pair of Canada Geese have returned for another spring at the pond. They will be starting their new family soon. The ducks are taking a morning swim. The grass is just starting to get green. The promise of spring is in the air.

 

Easter Angels

Last Easter I made bunnies...a bunch of bunnies

This Easter I’m making Angels...I know, no one has ever heard of Easter Angels...but here they are!

One angel led to...

Five angels ... and that led to a ...

Garland of Angels and then...

A mess of Angels...They are fun to make! Angels come in all colors too!