Sunday, August 19, 2018

Interlude in San Diego

We spent the past few days in San Diego, for my dad's 90th birthday party.  Our hotel looked out on the water, directly at the Star of India.  I'd been aboard LONG ago, when I was in 5th grade.  No time like the present to introduce hubby to part of my childhood memories.

 I doubt you can see it, but there was a sailboat drifting by the porthole.  Looks like a quilt inspiration to me!
 Night fell while we were aboard.
As we left, I spotted this embroidery.  Quite the motto, and one that should be brought to mind when fear reigns amid poor choices.
We spent the next day at the San Diego Zoo.  Boy has it changed in the 30+years since I've been there!!  The zoo of memory is just gone.  They even messed with the flamingo pool, flipping it 90 degrees and decreasing it by at least half.  So small. Like an ordinary zoo.  I missed the giant welcome that I had been so accustomed to!
 Wouldn't you know it?!!  My camera's battery died just as we began our walking tour!  I didn't get many good pictures, as I was trying to juggle my phone.  I just can't take a decent picture with my phone, that's all there is too it.
 They've turned the SD Zoo into something resembling Disneyland, complete with 4D movie theaters.  wow.
 This is Otis.  He weighs 9000 lbs, and is 42 years old.  Apparently he's not too friendly.  The only ones to share his 150,000 gallon tank are a couple of birds and hundreds (thousands?) of fish.
After the zoo, it was back to the Maritime Museum ships.  We boarded the HMS Surprise, which was the ship featured in the movie Master and Commander.
 We entered a Soviet submarine, which had obviously seen better days.  There were numerous breaches in the hull, but they were above the water line so we were "fine."  yikes.  Sure we were!
 From there, we boarded a Spanish galleon.  I was fascinated by the crows nest structure.  I thought it looked like a giant doll.
 I also spent my time aboard the galleon trying to get a good picture of the heron? that landed on the ship next to us.  He seemed to be pretty familiar with it.  Maybe it's his?
And now we are home.  I feel so "jet-settie," flying to San Diego and back for less than 48 hours.  But it was a good trip, and now I have no excuse not to get back to my quilt project.  It's moving along, ever so slowly.  Hopefully this week will make great progress.

Goals!  They're good!

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Still Plugging Away

I'm still working on piece #2 for the Katie PM class, despite the fact that the deadline was 8/8.  I missed the deadline.

I was working to make a piece that felt tranquil, calm, and peaceful.  This is what I came up with:
 Tranquil?  check.  Calm?  check.  Peaceful?  check.  And boring.

I tried adding some seaweed, and wouldn't you know?  It livened it right up!!
 I sent both images to Katie, who said that yes, the green needs to stay.  She also instructed me to keep at it.  I won't get my prompts/direction for piece #3 until I have piece #2 completed to my/her satisfaction.  In the past week, this is what I've added/changed:
Yesterday, I created the palm frond.  Today, I'll begin with the applique.  I'd like to get this together soon, because quilting it should be a lot of fun.

Goals, and all that!!
Ciao!