Next May...., Asilomar.

Where did that sister of mine go? This visit was way too short. Two days are not long enough at all. We didn't even have time to make the beds....



















We have this wonderful habit of bringing something for each other when we visit. She arrived with this great, old witch. I love the expression on her face. She doesn't look like she ever "casts spells". Maybe she just goes around looking for children so she can read them stories. Maybe she's just an old witch and has decided to retire.
















...., and it was wrapped up in this charming Halloween bag.
















Thanks Sis. Thanks for coming up for a few days and for bringing me the sweet old witch. I love her. I think she'll like it here.

We actually did go somewhere yesterday. We drove over to Amador City to shop in a few favorite stores. One of our absolute favorites is Sandy's Country Living. It's one of those little places that you can't go into without buying something. Lots of Halloween things and vintage pieces that you just don't see in other stores and her prices are always reasonable. We didn't buy a lot , but we sure had fun looking. You can always get wonderful "ideas" in Sandy's store. She is a great buyer and decorator.

Today Sis had to leave after lunch so we stayed home and just relaxed . We did get on the internet and we registered for the Asilomar Art and Soul Workshop next May. We have been trying to get a class with Nina Bagley, a jewelry artist , for a long time and the classes would fill up so fast that they would be closed before we could register. Well, we finally made it. The 3 day workshop is called "Mystorian Necklace & Book. We will make a necklace using some of our own "found objects" and also make a book that is a story made up of gathered relics and embellishments. We can't wait. I don't know if any of you have ever been to Pacific Grove. It's on the Pacific coast, between Monterey and Carmel. This is where Asilomar Conference Center is and it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. We will be staying at the Center and they will feed us...., and it's within walking distance of the ocean. Doesn't that sound wonderful?

The Prospector is still fishin'. He called tonight and said that they caught 11 fish today. He's having a great time. The weather is beautiful and the lake is low. The weather is great there because he's in the mountains. Here, today, it was 100 degrees . Summer has decided to return for a while. I'm so tired of hot weather. It's time for a change and I'm ready , ready, ready....

Sisterhood and Vegetable Soup

My sister has arrived for a couple of days. It's so good to have her here. She comes from the busy bay-area; filled with thousands of people and cars and everyone going 100 miles per hour; so when she gets here it's like a retreat...., a bed and breakfast for family only. She takes a nap, cuddles with the dogs and takes a walk outside. I love watching her unwind . Later we will have something to eat and probably do something wild and crazy, like watch a movie and go to bed early. Doesn't that sound exciting?

We will have chicken-vegetable soup for dinner and , of course, bread pudding for dessert.

It's a sisterhood weekend. The prospector is gone for a couple of days, and we can do anything we want to: stay up all night, go bar hopping (right!), drive up to Lake Tahoe, or down to Vegas. The sky's the limit. As long as we are home at 4:00 p.m. to feed the dogs and take care of the chickens and the goats. I guess we won't be gettin' in too much trouble. So...., soups on. Care to join us?

Wordless Wednesday: Figs

Morning Sanctuary

The weekend was busy. The days long and the mornings early. Monday was another early rise and a drive to Sacramento. So.....,

....today I stayed home. Sat on the porch with my dog, Maggie and talked about life....,

....picked some flowers and watched the early morning become brilliant sunshine.

This is where I find my heart and renew the frayed edges of my soul .

What a Wonderful Weekend!

The Open Studios was a great success. Three members of our gourd club(myself included) did a two day show that turned out to be a lot of fun. Christie, Silvia and I spent both days showing visitors what "gourd art" is; demonstrating techniques, telling everyone about the history of gourds and selling some of our artwork. Christie offered her lovely home in Amador City as the second stop on the tour. She has a wonderful studio and garden area that made it really easy for us to display our gourds.


There were steady streams of people coming and going and they all wanted to know about gourds as "art". We were the only site that displayed gourd art and folks seemed very interested in how they grow, are dried and then made into art. They loved seeing what the gourds look like before they become a work of art and most of them wanted to know all about the different techniques and how each of us create our own, very different, art. We talked so much that we didn't do much demonstrating. Everyone was having such a good time.
The weather was wonderful and didn't get really warm until Sunday afternoon. I don't think it ever got above 85 or 90 degrees, though. When we started Saturday it was cloudy, almost like high fog. That was just strange for this time of the year. I was in heaven all day Saturday. When it did get warmer on Sunday we just put up a couple of umbrellas and everything was just fine. This was a lovely place to have a show.

I want to thank my brother-in-law and his wife for driving all the way up here with their family for the day. I was so surprised to see them. Someone should have taken my picture when I realized it was them; it was a true double-take. Thank you for coming and giving me moral support.

I also want to thank my friend Lori for stopping by. I really appreciated her thoughtfulness....., and she was wearing a gourd pin that I had given her. Thank you, Lori.

All in all, it was a really wonderful weekend.