In Absentia

Yes, folks, I was gone.  Off to Long Beach, for the Quilt Festival.  I'd been looking forward to it for months, hoping to find just the elements necessary for some crazy quilts percolating in my brain.  But if I'm off to Long Beach, should I confine myself to Long Beach?  Or should I visit relatives in the area?

I left abruptly on Thursday morning, when my dad verified that indeed he was in town and game for dinner.  I spent the day driving to Escondido, and spent the evening with him.  The only picture I thought to take was one of a succulent, growing from one of my mom's pots.  She was a prolific potter, and her work is spread around the property.  Can you tell that this one was put out before she died, and tipped over sometime in the past 12 years?  Time marches, that's for sure!  The plant is twice the size that it appears in the photo.  The pot is the only pot holding it.

From Esco, I traveled to Long Beach, arriving at the Festival around noon.  We had a lingering breakfast at A Touch of France, Daddy's favorite breakfast place.  The only picture I took in Long Beach was taken as I arrived.  I've always come in from the north, and usually on a bus.  This time I drove in from the south, through Westminster, and caught sight of the Queen Mary.

Can you see her?  Ahead of the cruise ship and behind the people?  It's not so easy to frame a photo when in the middle of traffic!

I spent about 4.5 hours at the show.  Is it bad to say I was disappointed?  Maybe I've become jaded after both Houston and Paducah within a 6 month span.  The vendors weren't vending what I was looking for - but don't worry, that doesn't mean I didn't buy, it just means I didn't buy what I had on my list.  Many of the quilts were repeats from Houston.  As I walked through the show, I thought, "I've seen that, I've seen that, I've seen that..."  Ordinarily I would have taken the time to savor and read about every one, but I knew that I had to get on the road by 4:30, if I wasn't going to sit in traffic for hours on end.  By the time I left, I'd visited every vendor, had lunch, and glanced at the majority of the quilts.  A strange quilt show experience for me.  It still has me scratching my head.

I drove to "the valley" (notice the small v) to visit my sister.  Her place is STUNNING.  It sits in a residential neighborhood, and from the outside looks like any other place.  But the inside?  I've never seen anything like it.  Well, I've seen pictures of the Getty museum, that might be something like it.  She has an eye for abstract art, and has been going nuts on Etsy.  I didn't realize they were a source of  original art as well as crafty things.  I'm going to have to shop more.  :)

She is a professional dog walker.  On Saturday, I went to work with her, hiking in the hills.  It was a light hike.  I'm not sure I could keep up with her on a tough one!

 The dogs love her, and come when she calls.  Except for Daisy and Monkey, who are both on leashes.  Daisy tends to eat rocks, Monkey runs away. 

 Let's see, can I name them all?  Timmy, Priscilla, Lucy, Bella, Clayton, Daisy, Monkey, Sneetches, Duke and Baci.  You remember Baci?  Here he is, trying out his camouflage.

And when it's time to go home?  Well, they were all tuckered out!  (That's Clayton, winking at you, and Bella giving the stare down.  Monkey is at her hip, and Daisy is staring out the window.  Sneetches blends in with the back, and Duke's ear shows in the bottom right corner.  The others had already been returned to their respective homes.  What a morning!

Before I left, I snapped a picture of one of her new fiber acquisitions.  Isn't this clever?  It's pieces of felted wool, cut into strips, and sewn down the center.  It's spectacular.  The full view doesn't give you the correct color - the close-up is more accurate.

The textures made me want to touch it, but I didn't have any white gloves.  ;)

I'm hoping to take a picture of my purchases before I unpack them.  Stay tuned 'til next time!