Surfside Quilters Guild 01-11-22

Second Tuesday of the month, time for Surfside Quilters Guild meeting.  

 Our new meeting place is St. Matthews by the Sea United Methodist Church in San Clemente.  Not far from the Presbyterian church we met at for our first ten years.  This is the view of the Pacific Ocean from the parking lot.  WOW! 

Turning a little to the left we have a view through the cyclone fence of the I-5 wending its way south.  Ocean is off to right. 

 So many of us are old and afraid of Covid there were not very many in attendance.  Before Covid we would have at least 100 at most meetings.  Today I don't think there were more than fifty.  I was very hesitant to go, but since I am the photographer I really need to be there.  Wore double masks and thought good thoughts. 

Our Philanthropic Committee is very active and does a quilt parade of quilts that have been made and donate by members.  These quilts are distributed to many different agencies. One big effort is for the new babies at the military hospital's big Baby Shower event where every new baby receives a quilt.  I don't know where this one might go, but isn't it cute? 

And here is a huge quilt made by Karen Wendel using 2-1/2" scrap squares.  

Nice slippers!  When I arrived at the parking lot I got out of the car and looked down to see that I had failed to change from slippers to shoes!!  They have hard soles and just feel like shoes.  Poor old lady slip(pered) up!  I don't know that anyone even noticed, or maybe they just considered the source.

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About the drive 05-02-21

Other than just the thrill of being on the road, the drive to San Diego is basically just boring!  The drive down today was under lowering clouds and with light traffic.  It seemed like everyone got off on Leucadia to make a run through Starbuck's right off the freeway.  It took me 20 minutes in the drive thru to pick up a latte and a box lunch.  And it was raining!  The drizzle started just south of Oceanside and came down pretty hard in places.  Fortunately most drivers slowed down so didn't see any skid outs.  

This image is while driving through Camp Pendleton with the high security fence down the center strip.  Ocean off to the right.

VERY light traffic heading south.  Still wild mustard and other wild flowers blooming.  That funny little "flag" over the sign is a chip in my windshield.  A new windshield soon. 

This is a view of the Pacific Ocean off to the right side of the car.  It is out there, but everything was so grey the horizon line disappears as everything blends together. 

Right through the middle of this enlarged picture you can see the surf.  So near and yet so far away.  

Closer into north San Diego the rain stopped, but the clouds persisted and our group actually met inside of Judy's house.  It was so good to be together with the art quilt ladies and most everyone had something to share.  

I was the least productive and shared another background made of scraps cut to even up yardage for strips.  They vary in width, length, evenness, and sometimes I need to use a little fabric marker to fill in the thin spaces.  This background will have some shore birds appliqued where appropriate. 

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Drive to San Diego 06-26-20

The 100 mile drive to San Diego from Placentia seems to get longer every time I do it!  Since the Virus came along the traffic has been light, but when I drove down yesterday it was moderate to heavy.  Of course, it was a Friday and I arrived home about 4pm, so some of the traffic was people commuting home, or away, for the weekend.   But I never know exactly how long it will take to drive down or back.  It has taken one hour and forty-five minutes and it has taken over three hours.  Depends on traffic, accidents, weather, the stage of the moon for all I know!   Yesterday we had the low clouds that we call June Glooms, so I never did get a glimpse of the ocean.  

Just below the town of San Clemente I-5 goes into San Diego County, passing San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant and into Camp Pendleton Marine Air Station which stretches to Oceanside.  

Looking out to the west one usually gets glimpses of the ocean and occasionally an Amtrak train will go by (the tracks switch from one side of the highway to the other, so it could be on either side of the roadway).  

There is quite a stretch of land between the highway and the ocean, although in some places it seems that there is just a drop off to the surf.  But that isn't ever the way it is. The ocean is out there, way beyond the higway guardrail.

But on a clear day, like this one on March 12, 2020, the sky is bright blue and the blue Pacific stretches to the horizon.   In this image there is a rare bank of clouds over the water. 

The San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant is no longer in operation, but the wires still stretch over the highway and the domes still reflect the light.  I haven't read anything for a long time about dismantling it. 

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To Pacific Grove, CA, and back to Placentia, CA 05-29-20

The trip to Pacific Grove was a really fast one.  Up one day and home the next.  Perhaps more than this old lady can do anymore. In the future  I think I need to plan more rest time between two long drives.  I chose to drive up on Hwy 101 along the Pacific Ocean and to come back through the inland valley on I-5.  A nice loop that I have driven many times before, but separated by stays in Pacific Grove or San Juan Bautista.  

North of Santa Barbara there was fog over the ocean and hamging over the highway.  No delay, but I couldn't see the blue ocean except for a few glimpses. 

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This is one spot where I caught a lucky shot. Nothing out there for thousands of miles. 

Hwy 101 switches from freeway to surface in the blink of an eye.  There are always signs indicating what the designation is, but you can also tell when you see farm equipment moving along in the lanes.  Not on a freeway!

This is the same picture I showed earlier, but it is such a great shot and it contrasts with the next image.  This is looking east from 101 where there are miles of low hills, some with cattle, some just grass covered vacant land. 

But the railroad runs along the valley and brings signs of the big city.  Lots of graffiti on the low freight cars stopped along the way.  

And then I was in Pacific Grove where I stayed at the nice Centrella B&B which is about a block and a half from Back Porch Fabrics.  It is an old house (1893, I think) and the décor is in keeping with that era.  I have stayed there previously and it is quite comfortable and convenient to the main part of town. 

They have interesting plants in their landscaping including a bush that produces these pendulous flowers.  I can't remember their name, but they grew them in Portland when I was growing up there.  

Along a picket fence these nasturtiums were peeking out, like colorful prisoners trying to escape. 

And along the road that follows Monterey Bay there are carpets of ice plant.  This house has it instead of lawn. 

The color is wrong in this image, the flowers are much pinker. There used to be  great fields of the ice plant along the water, but it is not native and most has been removed and replaced with native plants in keeping with the state parks of California rules. 

It was a gorgeous day with just a slight breeze and there were hundreds of people out enjoying the sunshine.  Didn't see any masks or social distancing.   There were vehicles parked bumper to bumper on both sides of the road. 

The water was quite calm and the tide was high as I was driving along.  My intent was to drive through Asilomar, but access was blocked off.  Of course, it is a California State Park and therefore closed due to the virus.  So, I drove back along the Bay and headed north and then east. 

And then over Pacheco Pass along the San Luis Reservoir. 

The reservoir has many fingers that go to into the surrounding hills.  At some time since it was constructed the water rose to the level of the top of the darker area.   Not for a lot of years now.

The hills are covered with the grass which is yellow-white most of the year.  The green trees are live oaks that are native to the area. 

On the opposite side of the road from the reservoir the hills are fenced and there are many fire breaks cut into the soil.  They do have fires that run for miles through the dry grass.  With the closeness of the roadway I suspect a lot are cigarettes thrown out of car windows.  Dumb.  

Soon I was on I-5 heading south for another four hours or so.  I did stop at Harris Ranch thinking I would rest for a half an hour or so, but it was 103F and I wasn't tired enough to sleep.  Arrived home about 8:30pm and waited until the next day to pick up KoKo from the KoKo Keepers.  They enjoy him and he always seems happy to be there.  But happier at home, I think.  I'm going back into isolation.  Who knows what I might have picked up on my journey.  

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Just a brief note. 05-28-20

I apologize, I am just so tired tonight I need to get to bed.  Yesterday at Back Porch Fabrics we took down the 32 quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection that have been hanging since early February.  Not many people were able to see them because the Virus shut everything down.  Back Porch opened May 4th and there is another exhibit lined up to be hung tomorrow.  So, I drove up on Tuesday on Hwy 101, an easy drive in lovely weather and light traffic.  Of course, there were those construction zones, but since there weren't that many travelers there was only slow down, no delay.  Spent the night at the Centrella, a B&B right down the street from Back Porch Fabrics, and we started taking down the quilts at 10am.  It is always sooo much faster to take them down than to hang them.  We were done in about an hour and a half and the quilts were in the car.  I drove along Monterey Bay to Asilomar and was surprised that the entrance had barriers.  Of course, it is a state park and they are still closed in California.  So, back along the Bay with many, many people walking, riding, sitting running, etc.  So much sunshine and all that lovely blue and white surf.  Then I just headed home.  I thought I could stop if I got tired, but I just kept driving.  It was 103F at Harris Ranch on I-5 near Coalinga, CA, where I took a break.  Then just go, go, go until I was home about 8:30pm.  Really too late to get KoKo from the KoKo Keeper and my legs were shaking from the two days of driving.  I slept ten hours!  10!  Of course, I got up a couple times, but was able to slip right off again.  Today has been busy and I did not get a chance to edit any pictures.  It is on the top of my list for tomorrow.  KoKo is home so he can keep the chill off tonight, I hadn't realize how much he keeps me warm, I needed a quilt last night.  

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Dreaming of being on the road = AGAIN 05-17-20

This week I should be on the road to Washington State to visit my friends Mabel and Mac Huseby and several people along I-5 on the way up or down.  But the Virus has canceled all our travel plans.  I'm going to try for September now.  And maybe I will try driving up Highway 395 again.  It was a very nice drive several years ago and I didn't go all the way up into WA, instead turning west to visit Sisters, Oregon, though not during their quilt week.   385 can be a very lonely road, but it takes me through familiar country - Bishop, Mono Lake, Reno, and beyond.  Part of the decision would depend on how much time I have, right now I have endless time!  But no place to stay or eat or visit or....   The Virus is in charge. 

Highway 395 follows the east slope of the Sierra.  This image is from May 2018.

Looking south from from the pass north of Mono Lake.  Love the stickers on the guard rail, there must be thousands. 

Here is the Starbuck's in Alturas, CA., which is located in the far northeast corner of California.  Notice that it is not a drive in, I didn't need to stand in line either.  The hotel is open for guests. 

A very common sight in northern CA, OR, and WA.  I well remember log trucks in my childhood that had only one huge fallen tree on the back.  There were still virgin forests being logged back then.  Now the logs are usually about the same diameter because they were all planted at the same time. 

It would be fun to drive this route again.  Soon! 

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California Wildflowers 05-04-20

There were poppies on the hills around Gorman, CA  at the top of the Ridge Route.  Also some small yellow flowers that may be fiddleheads, but that is a guess.  

At one point KoKo had to look out to see what was blooming.  He is a good traveler, but does get restless sometimes.  

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Home from our travels 05-03-20

I was just too tired to post last evening after the drive home from San Juan Bautista.  It was an easy drive with mostly big trucks on the road.  More cars than Tuesday's drive up, but some of them were doing the 100mph drive - whoosh.  There was lots of room for them and other drivers just pulled over, out of the way of the speed demons/  We were all doing 70 to 80, which is pretty standard on I-5 any time traffic will allow. Without the stops it was a 5 hour drive. 

This Elizabeth Busch quilt was on an online auction to support the school her g'boy attends in California.  She had posted about it so, of course, I made a bid.  And I won.  So, now there are three of her pieces in TCQC.  The picture is not very good, although I tried to enhance it.  When the quilt arrives I will photograph it and post it again.  

Caterpillar Hill   Elizabeth Busch - Maine  1991

32.75" X 33.5"

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Ruth B. McDowell quilts at VAM 04-06-20

A very wet, stormy day in Southern California.  But I had committed to drive to San Diego to take down and bring home the Ruth B. McDowell quilts that have been there since mid-January.  Fortunately, the Virus has kept many cars off the highway, so even with the rain and the wind the trip was not so bad.  A bit less that the "normal" two hours. 

The sea was rough with the wind blowing foam off the tops of the white caps.  The clouds were low and dark.  It has its own beauty, but rather intimidating.

I had intended to take pictures of all the quilts when I went down with friends to see the exhibit, but it closed before I could do that.  Today, before we started the takedown I took pictures of the larger quilts which I cannot hang very well in my house with all the windows and doors.  

"Carpet of Gold Thread"  Ruth B. McDowell  1988  

62" h x 107w

Cotton prints, hand dyes, fabric markers.  Machine pieced, HAND quilted.  This quilt was sold from Visions 1990 exhibit and lived in Santa Cruz until the owners needed to downsize.  In 2014 drove up to buy it from them.  What a treasure, all hand quilted by Ruth.  

 "Middlesex Fells - Late Fall"   Ruth B. McDowell  1995  

65"L X 90"W  

Cotton prints, hand dyes, woven plaids.  Machine pieced, machine raw edge applique, machine quilted.   

When she was half way through piecing this quilt in three vertical sections, a member of her critique group suggested shifting the pieces up and down.  Ruth found this suggestion very interesting, but it required some raw edge applique to accomplish. 

"A Rash of Flamingos"  Ruth B. McDowell  2000  

52"L X 100"W

In 2000 this quilt was purchased by an admirer from Alaska and it hung there in the snowy climes until 2013 when I purchased it from her estate.  There are 15 flamingo bodies, but Ruth has been told there is an extra leg.  Knowing Ruth, I think someone is counting incorrectly.  

So, now all the quilts are home and ready to rest for months.  I hope they will hang somewhere else in a year or two.  

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Beautiful drive to Oceanside 03-11-20

The drive to Oceanside today was a joy.  The traffic was light and there weren't very many of those drivers that have to get in front of everyone else - weaving between lanes and trying to intimidate other drivers by climbing their tailpipe.  It was an hour and 15 minutes each way, no stress.  Lunch was very good - more about that on Friday.  

The blue sky meets the very blue Pacific Ocean. 

That pile of clouds is over Catalina Island and to the right is the non-operating nuclear station at San Onofre. .  

Going north on I-5 near Camp Pendleton, headed for that pile of clouds over Orange County. 

And off to the east are clouds over the hills behind Camp Pendleton.  No rain today.  Temp about 70F.

Empty Spools has canceled Sessions II and III because Asilomar is closed for four weeks.  I read that the virus affected passengers from a cruise ship will be housed there.  Hope they can disinfect it sufficiently because I am planning to transfer my class to the Independent Study class the last week of April.  Can't go a year without Empty Spools.  

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Home again 02-22-20

It was a rather easy drive from San Juan Bautista to home.  Light traffic and only a few of those 100 MPH drivers.  I had two stops of about 1/2 hour each, so the driving time was about 5 hours.  Rain periodically, but not very severe.  I picked up KoKo and he now wants to be on my lap every minute.  He is such a lover.  I will skip the San Diego meeting tomorrow, I hate to miss it, but I am very tired tonight and I will have to drive down on Wednesday for a scheduled docent tour of the Ruth B. McDowell quilts at VAM. 

I took lots of pictures along the way, but they were definitely "point and shoot", so will need to be edited.  One of my two stops was at In & Out Burger at Laval Rd , just north of the Grapevine.  The burger and shake gave me a boost to get over the mountains and home!! 

It was just at lunch time so they were very busy. 

"What does fresh really mean?"  Well, they peel the potatoes and slice them for fries.  And the ground beef is never frozen.  I never worry about getting sulfites in my meal. 

I had never noticed that the crew wears giant diaper pins to hold their aprons on.  Must be four inches long! 

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Placentia to San Juan Bautista, CA 02-19-20

On Feb 1st I drove home from my last trip to San Juan Bautista and there were very few almond trees in bloom.  Today, driving the same route north all the trees are in bloom.  Didn't see many wildflowers, but some uncultivated areas had swaths of tiny yellow flowers growing very low on the ground.  Unfortunately the photos from the moving car did not turn out well.  Traffic was not bad and the trip was just about six hours with two stops, one at a rest stop near Buttonwillow and the other for gas in Santa Nella.  I usually have about 30 miles of gas left when I arrive there so it is prudent to fill up.  And nice to pay $2.099/gal.  

It is nice to be with Mary again, in her lovely new house.  And tomorrow we will go to Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove to hang quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection.  Lunch is, of course, in order before driving back to SJBautista. 

Always traffic getting anywhere in Orange County.  This is where two freeways slip together and then apart in different directions.  Always lots of trucks.  Dare I drive between these to bemouths?

Over the Grapevine and into the miles of orchards, mostly almonds, blooming wildly.  Notice the tumbleweeds piled against the fence and the white beehives on the right.  Many farmers rent the beehives to fertilize their trees.  

Where there aren't orchards there are pastures which are GREEN now.  The bare area behind the fence posts is a dirt road for farm access. 

 More almonds blooming and another stack of beehives on the right. 

Here is a fallow field that used to have almond trees.  Once the land is prepared another crop will be planted  Maybe more almonds. 

Untilled land with sagebrush and weeds.  I thought that I might be seeing the Sierra in the distance, but looking  closely at the picture, I think it is just the clouds over the Sierra.  

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