More on Morro Bay visit 09-21-17

Blogger is messing me up again.  I redid these pictures twice and Blogger keeps putting them in the opposite order than they should be.  You can read from the bottom up if you want to be "in order".

 

These were only two of the great quilts that were part of Show & Tell.

As I remember, this one is paper pieced and it is spectacular. 



  

This calm, soothing flying geese quilt is just gorgeous, but see the back below! 

 

I don't usually show quilts unless I have the name of the maker, but perhaps the makers will see this and send me their names.  This is the back of the flying geese quilt above.  Such a wonderful, colorful, wild back to such a calm quilt.  I love both sides. 

 

 

Del Thomas at the beach at Morro Bay rock.

Liz Williams at the beach at Morro Bay rock.

This is a terrible picture, I know.  But I couldn't get any closer to the sea otters.

A view of the sea otter "nursery" in a cove near the rock. We thought we could count 14 mommies with their babies. 

At one time the rock was mined and the rocks used to create the causeway from the  mainland.

This view is from the causeway and the huge parking lot.  Most of these vehicles are parked by the surfers who were trying out a not very convincing surf.  We didn't see anyone rise to the top of their board. 

 

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Home from Morro Bay 09-14-17

What a great group of ladies at the Gold Coast Quilters Guild in Morro Bay.  If you are ever there on the second Wednesday of the month, visit them at St. Timothy's Catholic Church at 1pm.  They are friendly and welcoming.  There were about 70 in attendance and they seemed to love seeing the quilts and hearing my stories about them.  I did hang "A Rash of Flamingoes" and Ruth's "Carpet of Gold Thread".  The guild supplied four hanging stands, so, with the one I brought, we had five quilts hanging.  One of them was Freddy Moran's eye-popping "Orange Peel Surprise" from 1997.  The fabric on the back is filled with birthday things - hats, streamers, cakes, etc., it is a long time favorite.   

 

The trip up to Morro Bay on Tuesday was four and a half hours and the trip back yesterday took six hours, but we stopped for gas and also to have a bite to eat at the Starbuck's in Montecito.  The last couple driving hours were after the sun went down, but there wasn't any construction on the I-5 and the traffic was moderate.  We only ate out once because Liz had made sandwiches for us to eat on the road going up.  Before the meeting we had a delicious breakfast at Kitty's in Morro Bay.  Eggs, link sausage, fried fresh potato slices, toast, coffee, and one of their yummy homemade apple muffins.  The location isn't on the water, but we didn't miss having a view while we scarfed down our perfect breakfast.  We  also drove out to the "Rock" and watched the surfers, the birds, and the sea otter "nursery" where there were at least a dozen nursing moms with their babies.  Fortunately we had binoculars and could get a better view of them about 40 feet away. 

 

Altogether a great, but fast trip.  I slept ten hours last night with only one potty break.  This morning I drove down to San Clemente to pick up KoKo at Nancy Ota's house.  After we came home we both had a little nap.  Traveling is hard on all of us!   

 

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Back home again, only to leave again tomorrow! 09-16-16

Along with my friend Liz I drove up to Morro Bay to give a program on Wednesday.  We left on Tuesday about 4:30pm, but had a stop in Santa Barbara to deliver some things I brought back  from Maine for a fellow student, since she was flying.  Then we decided we needed to eat and found Bouchon, an elegant restaurant downtown where we had soup (onion for Liz and velvety corn for me) and delicious crab cakes.  The service was somewhat slow and we took too long, so were driving on Hwy 1 in the dark.  I just don't see as well as I once did and it was a sort of scary drive.  By the time we got to our motel it was 11pm.  Fortunately, the program for Gold Coast Quilters was at 1pm Wednesday, so we were able to rest up a bit, have a nice breakfast at the Coffee Pot and visit the "nursery", which is a great shop that sells plants, pots, fountains, statues and a lot of other lovely things.  I left some money to support the economy. 

 

The ladies in the guild were very welcoming and friendly and seemed to enjoy seeing the quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection.  I took about forty pieces of a broad range of styles, artists and ages.  I try to hang as many as possible so they have a chance to get up close and really see the workwomanship and techniques used.  

 

We stopped for a late lunch at the Taco Temple on Main Street (old Hwy 1) near Spencer's Grocery.  What they call a taco we might call a loaded tostada - no way could one pick it up in their hand to eat it.  Knife and fork required.  We shared a cup of Albondigas soup, just to see how authentic is was and it was authentic.  One big albondigas and lots of hominy.  Yummy.  But, be warned, one taco is a meal for a big eater!   The burrito at the next table might have served three normal eaters.

 

Then on the road home.  Again we were driving at night, but instead of darkness, we had construction, accidents, bright lights, and heavy traffic.  I was so tired I missed the turn off in Pasadena.  Remind me not to drive at night, uh?  I dropped Liz off at her house and was home by 10pm.  I picked up KoKo in the morning about ten.  Then today I dropped him off with Nancy Ota so I can be gone for one night for meetings in SDiego.  Poor guy probably wonders if I will ever stay home with him.  But I know he is happy to stay with Dee or with Nancy or with Cherie.  Or, really, with just about anyone.  He is the most adaptable dog I've ever known.  

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I'm still here 09-11-16

I'm sure you think I dropped off the earth after my marathon drive.  But I had to hit the ground running when I  came home because I had so many things to take care of.  I'm sorting quilts tomorrow for a program at Gold Coast Quilt Guild in Morro Bay at 1pm on Wednesday.  And Tuesday morning is Surfside  Quilters Guild meeting  after which I will be driving with  Liz to  Morro Bay.  It is about four hours - depending on the traffic..  We'll be home on Wednesday evening so I can tackle a quilt that is on deadline and there is no way it will be done.  But it will at least be further along than it is now.  The weekend is San Diego for the Visions annual meeting and on Sunday my art quilt group.  I hope I can be caught up with myself by the last week of the month. 

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