Telescopes and Sleet in Hawaii

Thursday Day Four November 13, 2009

Mynah birds with size sixteen feet thumping about on the roof awakened us. The roof is tin and carries sound quite fervently.

Breakfast was a repeat of the previous day and we headed out equipped with warm jackets and gloves. Our first stop was the lava flow from 1984. This was at the end of a five mile very bumpy run of what might be described as an off-road pathway. The understory was quite dense in parts, feral pigs roaming about in the underbrush. The lava flow was coarse and bumpy but covered with an incredibly soft leathery gray lichen coating. There were patches of ferns here and there; some bright pink smart weed and in the distance I could hear birds in the forest. Lava is quite fertile and with the amount of rain here, new soil is quickly formed.

Our next stop was driving through the sides of Mauna Loa up to the telescope area. Mulleins, a common weed in Wisconsin were spaced along the roadside looking rather like planned sculptures. The lava varied in color from deep rusty red (from it’s iron content) to dark black to gray to brownish. The texture also varied from smooth to very hard to spongy to looking like an experiment making fudge gone wrong with ripples and caked areas. Part of the area underwent an Ice Age and that was still a different texture.

We arrived at the telescope visitor center, bought a sticker admonishing us to be wary of the invisible cows ( free range cattle, dense fog, and unsuspecting tourists are not a good mix), and then proceeded to the actual living quarters/dining area of the telescope workers. As guests of my brother-in-law, we were invited to a lunch of kimshee burgers and spinach soup. Our next stop—the telescopes.

It is hard to imagine snow in Hawaii or being cold or being in the middle of an ice-hail-sleet storm—but there we were. The telescopes are huge and impressive; all the parts being trucked up a 17% grade to 14000 feet.  Day and night crews work the telescopes, the mirrors are resurfaced, counterweights applied to balance new pieces of equipment—-and then after supper we watched a video of time-lapse photography shot of the things seen through the telescopes and the telescopes themselves.

After a significant amount of hail ran down the back of my polar fleece, we climbed back into the car and drove back across the saddle to Kona. The land here is ranch land dotted with cattle pens; the other  side of the island is Kona—home of Kona coffee. Coffee plantations are small, on the hill-sides, and require a great deal of hand labor as each bean must be individually picked and they do not all ripen at the same time. A bit further down there were huge groves of macadamia trees.

It was getting quite dark and so we decided to skip South Point and head home.

Supper was pizza, salad with avocado, and something that looked like strawberries with whiskers—but were like lichees—you peeled off the bright red exterior to reveal the pale white shiny peeled grape like interior around a single seed.

 More photos are here on smugmug at:

http://ysr612.smugmug.com/Family/2009-Hawaii/Day-4-11-12/10418994_J9ahV#732494348_aWtnD

A closeup look at Pele

Wednesday Veterans Day

The day started with breakfast—Virginia sausage and eggs and toast. Our first stop was at Walmart to get some bottled water for the day—and I found a hula dancer for my truck dashboard.

We headed up the mountain and stopped at an orchid factory/show-place. There were hundreds of orchids on display and many more in the back greenhouses. Ladies were invited to wear an orchid, over the left ear for ‘taken’ , over the right ear for  ‘available’ and over both for ‘taken but still available and looking’. A packet of papaya seeds captured our fancy.

Next we stopped at the winery, and did a small tasting of several wines and left with a bottle of red plus two jars of mango and passionfruit butters. By this time  it was lunch—the Lava Rock Café was nearby—and we each had a shrimp-crab wrap.  A local favorite is potato/mac salad which is potato salad with macaronis.  We split a passionfruit cheesecake.

Then on to the volcanoes. Steam poured out of various vents; the calderas were huge; tree molds were interesting—it is so desolate—

Supper was salad with fresh avocado.

**Sorry I didn’t write more about this day but I was really tired. I did take a lot of photos though–the orchids were gorgeous and I could have spent all day there. The ranger that did the tour was adorably gauche but incredibly knowledgeable. I kept getting left behind because I was stopping to take photos–it is truly an artist’s wonderland. There is a artisan shop filled with all sorts of local wood carvings and painting and prints. I could have spent all day here too. Then there was the cute little quilt shop next to the Lava Rock Cafe–also filled full of all sorts of fun things. I bought two pieces of batik that were designed by an Hawaiian–made elsewhere–and two patterns–with no intention of making them–I just like to look at them.

 more photos are here on smugmug at

http://ysr612.smugmug.com/Family/2009-Hawaii/Day-2/10409496_68JLT#721174260_DGxaZ

Hawaii

It’s been nearly a month since our trip to Hawaii and I took a lot of pictures. It’s taken me awhile to edit them all but thought I’d post them in order along with my blog entries—I was too busy during the day and too tired at night to spend time on the internet.

November 11, 2009

Monday was a very long day. The flight from Houston to Honolulu is 8 hours long and the seats are even tinier than I remembered. The plane had an inflight GPS which showed the plane’s location. There is a lot of water between Baja California and Hawaii. I took some photos but slept some and then read a book on my Kindle.

We spent about two hours in Honolulu airport before our final flight to Hilo. I wished I had schedule two days in Honolulu but there is always another time. Carol met us at the airport with shell leis in hand; it was now quite dark; the sunset in the tropics lasting all of about two minutes.

Their house is quite lovely and full of curios from their life in Tonga and their art collection. Our room is upstairs with a lovely mango wood floor, lots of windows, and I feel as though I’m living in a wonderful treehouse.

Don got caught in the bad weather on  the mountain but arrived mid-morning yesterday. We drove around some, I got to play in the black sand beaches. The water here is so clear—and a bit chilly. The only wildlife we saw were college students clad in bathing suits and bikinis, with bottles of wine, pens in hands and textbooks on their blankets. We had lunch at an ice cream shop and stopped for a sample of the  local ice cream.

Then we headed back home to rest a bit before our evening event—a sake tasting. The event was held in what looked to be a church basement with the long tables and gray folding chairs labeled on the back and pillars supporting the ceiling. We sat around the tables staring at our score card—with circles and names of the different sakes. It looked a lot like a bingo card. They served some pupus—appetizers—that were as fun to guess what they were as the sake’s names. There are fourteen colors and our task was to find the one that was ours—-I don’t think saki comes in my color.

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at the volcanoes.

photos are here on smugmug at:

http://ysr612.smugmug.com/Family/2009-Hawaii/Arrival-in-Hawaii-Day-One/10543303_aAAFz#732289965_Mx7iq

Sunday and the Pink Fire Truck

I know everyone has  been most envious of me–still at the Quilt Festival–but alas, alack, I have actually been to work and to a couple of doctor’s appointments plus stood at my window watching the rain—-my truck is tearing my sidewalk up; water comes up over my shoes when I walk on the lawn–it’s like walking on a huge soaking wet sponge.

So here is my account of the last day at Festival.

 

 

Today is the last day. Sherry poured herself a bowl of pills (er, Cheerios) this morning while I was still half asleep. I drank coffee—and somehow it does not energize me—but makes me want to sit around in my nightgown. I was late to my class that morning—by Susie Monday—on making inspiration cards. With a variety of simple techniques—fabric paper and collage, we each made several cards—which Susie then reduced. It was amazing how gorgeous they all looked after being reduced. Sherry made several spectacular cards using color as her theme—somehow I managed to glue my fingers together.

 

Since I had parked again in the outward lot, I had walked a bit to get back to the convention center. I took photos of the sunrise and the reflections on the buildings and then followed two officers who were placing fliers about the arrival of the Pink fireTruck. So after class—and before our final shopping, we investigated the Pink Fire Trucks.

 

 I put on pink bunker gear including helmet and tried to convince their official dog to come out for a photo.

 

 

 

 

I don’t remember when I took photos of the quilts—but there were several that I remember. Inge and Steen’s work is always spectacular—it is so reserved and serene—they are the nicest people and their work reflects it. A group quilt by a Japanese sewing group featuring their sewing rooms was fabulous in its details—sewing machines and cats in the cupboards, and rolls of fabric, and projects underway. Barbara McKie’s Seals was a favorite with the crowds and then there was the antique quilt of half-square triangles in red and blue that I fell in love with.

 

Reluctantly we each bought a needlethreader for ourselves—its’ hard to admit that you must have aids—and then some more yarn—and then it was time to go home.

 

Tomorrow it’s back to work. Sigh.

 

 

Saturday at Houston Quilt Festival

Can it be almost a week afterwards?

To continue my story: I know everyone is wondering what will happen next?

 

I had to have been extremely tired yesterday because I awoke to the sound of coffee beans being poured into a grinder—I thought they were pills that Sherry was taking in the middle of the night. It was after seven!

 

We took our time mostly chatting and drinking coffee so it was nearly eleven before I parked my truck—I can’t do that parking garage even though it is right across the street. Sherry bought her quilting frame while I walked back from the lot near Annunciation. It was a beautiful day and I wished I had time to wander through Discovery Green—a park overlying the parking garage. There is a series of huge globes along the pathways, a small pond where you can rent a remote control sailboat for half an hour, lots of benches and grass and lovely flower beds all in bloom.

 

Lunch was with Ricky Tims—and it was fabulous. He used a variety of musical instruments but my favorite (and his) was the Canadian Christmas Carol. Sherry had to leave a bit early to pick up her bag and get to her class on Happy Villages taught by Karen Eckmeier. Unfortunately, Karen was ill and Betty Blais from Embellishment Village filled in for her. She told them that if someone called from her booth, she would have to go but that someone from Quilts Inc would come and perform a tap dance for them. (Hmm—wonder who that would have been—and what sort of costume—and what sort of dance)

 

Colleen Davis and Improvisational knitting class begins

My class was with Colleen Davis on improvisational knitting. She had a suitcase full of jackets and shawls and sweaters and although half of the garments were for a different class, she let us prowl through them all, try them on, and quiz her on the stitches. The garments were a lot of fun—knitted pieces, felted around various objects such as peanuts or Styrofoam balls or wooden beads and then pieced into a garment. For a few minutes I wished I lived in Wisconsin where sweaters can be worn nearly year round.

There were lots more–a whole suitcase full but these were the ones I elbowed my way in to take photos. I’ve done one piece with a knitted background–but wonder what would happen if I tried knitting and then felting???? 

 

one of many lovely samples

another sample

linear knitting

 

 

 

 

 

Here is her website—it was a fun morning—too bad knitting isn’t faster.  http://www.toboldlyknit.com/

 

After class, we did a little more shopping –some really luscious yarns—cashmere and alpaca and silk– and then my iron that hops up on it’s little feet.

 

We ate leftovers from the refrigerator that night—both us too weary to do much more than run the microwave.

I’m a Movie Star

Flags flying in front of the George R Brown

We got up early and arrived at the George R. Brown around 7, both of us fearful traffic would be heavy and detoured with the possibility of the President flying into Hobby airport. Sherry had a class first thing—painting an eye with Bonnie Caffery—a class she had wanted to take for years but had always been full. She was nervous but I made her go; I had a second cup of coffee while I watched people get in line for the opening of the show.

 

 

Look at that line

The line extended down the escalators and all the way down the hallway to the very end of the center with everyone chattering excitedly and waving at friends. There was a line outside too but I could not get outside for a view—but I remember in past years, the line was two blocks long.

 

Make It University was open and I signed up for and was fortunate enough to win a coveted spot. Alma patiently directed us in making a lovely wooden pendant with fabric, a ‘jewel’ and puff paint. Some of the pieces were quite lovely; mine was rather smeary with paint blobs, my fingers still not interested in doing my bidding.

 

The Queen with her new Boa from the resale shop

Lunchtime was with my fellow fabricators and time for the great reveal of our collaborative book projects. The table was littered with prunes—the official treat. And for me, a box of Moon Pies, a Southern delicacy this Midwesterner had never had. This year, our theme was our house and each of us had a specific room to decorate. My room was the basement and I thought that everyone would have James Bond and his roadster practicing in their basements.

 

 

Fellow Fabricators

With much laughter we read each other’s books and were surprised to be interviewed by Bonnie Caffery and will appear sometime soon on Quilts.com.  I’m sure I will have lots of offers to star in upcoming movies but I promise to be nice to everyone I knew before I became so famous! I do hope Bonnie got my best side.

 

In the afternoon, I spent some time at the Misti-fuse booth and listened to the two other workers endlessly explain the same process but with the same level of enthusiasm as the first time I heard it that day (and probably the fiftieth time for them). Then I spent an hour or so at the SAQA booth with MaryAnn Littlejohn, Laurie Brainerd, and Martha Sielman. We had a lively discussion regarding PAM (professional Artist Member) and the Portfolio. I must have looked really weary as they all told me to go home early.

 

It was a long day and I didn’t think I did all that much but it was good to take off my shoes and socks that evening. Sherri’s two daughters, boyfriend, and son brought us food from FryBirds (?)—I had a vegetarian burrito that was so huge I could only eat half; and Sherri had a plate of nachos that looked wonderful.

Four in the morning is awfully Early

View from George R Brown convention Center

Four is an early time for the alarm especially when crawling into bed the night before but how could I miss Festival?

 

It was still dark when I pulled into the parking lot but buses were already pulling up. It didn’t take long before lines were forming in front of the coffee kiosks and registration. I had to hustle to my class with Ann Johnston.

 

The class was full with twenty-five eager students; many from overseas. My tablemate was an expat living in Mexico. We worked all morning; nearly everyone else must have inhaled a package of cheese and crackers for lunch because when I returned from lunch—there were lots of practice blocks up on their design walls. I rather struggled with the machine assigned to the class and so managed to get through just one of the three exercises.

 

first exercise

Second part of first exercise

 

 

 

 

 

 

I hadn’t intended to buy much but somehow several things hopped into my bag.

—Aunt Philly’s toothbrush needle.  My good friend and I had both dreamed about these for years thinking they were beyond our budget—she bought it for me today! And herself!

—two bags of weaving samples in wool and silk/cotton that I think will be fun to felt

—a packet of Japanese sewing needles

–a single felting needle holder that looks a lot like a seam reaper

–Ann Johnston’s new book on Design

 

Wondering through the aisles I saw lots of friends; Jamie Fingal was demo’ing free motion quilting, Lyric Kinard was describing a DVD with surface design techniques, and Jane Davila was maintaining order in Make-It-University.

 

My feet were tired.

 

We had dinner with Sherri’s son—a tuna steak sandwich for me and meatloaf plate for them. The restaurant’s ceiling was painted with angel wing dog-bones and dogs.

Climate Change Blog Action Day

Climate Change in Blog Action

 

Today is Blog Action day, a day in which bloggers around the world all write about the same topic.

 

Climate Change which I interpret as environmental responsibility is this year’s topic. I think there is a natural cycle in weather changes that we are as successful in changing as wishing for a hurricane to not form this year. How we managed to escape another hurricane this year cannot possibly be due to anything ‘we’ did or thought. A grand conspiracy by some group of companies that stand to profit by hurricanes or a particularly evil person’s idea of fun or an invention by a particular political party to sway elections is a great plot for a movie or best-seller—but not realistic.

 

I do, however, champion responsibility. Green zones in cities, clean water and air, trash properly discarded, and judicious use of resources—all of them—and living in a responsible way. Using something just because it is there and throwing it down because someone else is supposed to pick it up is simply deplorable. Stuffing your body with food, getting something new although the old one works just fine, driving around the parking lot endlessly to get a ‘close’ spot are just as damaging to the environment as a candy wrapper tossed out the car window. And although I think the beach cleanups and neighborhood cleanups are misguided—the same empty lot near a set of ‘nice’ houses gets ‘cleaned’ each year rather than engaging the apartment dwellers near an overgrown wooded lot filled with appliances, and furniture, and fast food wrappers—I still stop to pick up trash and put it in the trash can.

 

If all of us were not too good to think about what we do and reduce our personal excess, to live responsibly with terms of our personal environment, then surely that will spread and the whole world will be a better place.

 

more blogs are at:  www.blogactionday.org

 

It’s early in the morning on Thursday and I’m heading to the Houston Quilt Festival. Hopefully I can post from there tonight.

Just Another Day

Thistle

Today was spent waiting for the FedEx delivery truck. The delivery was extra special and had to be signed for—and if I wasn’t here to sign for it, it would be returned. It wasn’t fancy jewelry or chocolates or a new sewing machine or plane tickets to an exotic location. No, it was simply medication—medication that must be kept refrigerated and I am hopeful will alleviate much of the pain that plagues me.

 

And so, I opened the front door and the blinds to the windows, positioned myself within clear view of the street and set for myself the task of organizing my photo files. I figured out how to rip my newly acquired remastered Beatles albums and play them in the background while displaying two windows side by side and worked on a printed outline of the categories. Most of the files had been sorted into ‘best’ and ‘extras’ which really meant duplicates and blurry ones and ones I needed to just delete. At first I looked at every photo, moved a few that were extras into the best group; relabeled some, but then just went for the gold—and deleted all the extra files. My laptop is nearly full and just barely crawling along. The final outline is printed and stored neatly next to my laptop and I promise myself I won’t let it get into such a mess again.

 

What was really depressing was the volume of work I did not produce this year compared to previous years. There were only pieces made for assorted challenges—all very small and four donation pieces—with only one being truly new. Most of the year was spent in finishing up what I call ‘regular’ sewing projects—nothing new or interesting—just regular ‘stuff’.

 

But the year is not yet done—and maybe with that new medicine I’ll feel more like working—if my sewing machine and brushes and paints remember who I am.

Red Cotton

No photos were allowed inside the museum but outside in the garden, red and green cotton were in full bloom.

Last night was the opening of the Fiber Art show in conjunction with the Texas Federation of Fiber Artist Conference hosted by the Houston Fiber Artists. The juror was Tim Harding, an artist whose work I have long admired and who is most gracious and eloquent. I first saw his work hanging in a gallery in Kansas City while attending a Surface Design Association Conference and nearly fell over the stairwell trying to get a close look at his work. His work is multiply layered silks, stitched, and then cut and folded back to reveal the colors underneath. Some of the pieces have a landscape quality about them but they are all meticulously fabricated and gorgeous.

 

Houston’s Craft Museum has a lovely gallery space and it was crammed full of luscious examples of fiber art. There was a huge range of media ranging from felted sculptures, weavings, more traditional quilts, embroideries, and things that were fiber but difficult to categorize. There were almost too many pieces to fully appreciate each one and the place was wall to wall people. Several pieces were stunning from a distance but up close inattention to craftsmanship detracted from their impact.

 

Two of the most interesting pieces (besides mine, of course) were ones that I find difficult to classify. Oscar Silva used a fine buttonhole stitch to define squares in yellow and burgundy on carpet warp; glued an acorn cap in the center of each square and had little pieces of florist wire with bits of turquoise paper wrapped around each end—there were hundreds of these. The other pieces were actually two done in a similar style by Linda Lewis. Also on a background of something that looked a lot like carpet warp, there were either holes that looked like ‘O’s or actual ‘O’s applied in rows. I looked for her amongst the crowd—to quiz her about her method—the artists all had nametags with our piece printed on it—but my back told me it was time to go home.