Asilomar II ~ Gifted Hands

These hands are gifted. They belong to the jewelry artist, Nina Bagley. I have been reading her blog, Ornamental, for over a year now. Not only does she make wonderful jewelry, but she is a photographer and writer too. My sister and I had tried a few times to sign up for Nina's workshops but failed to get in because they fill up so fast. So, in September of last year when Sis was visiting for a weekend we were looking for a workshop that Nina might be teaching at and, lo and behold, we found a 3 day class on making a necklace( my sister's favorite thing to do ) and making a collage book( my favorite thing to do )..., so we signed up that night and sent in the deposit. We were finally going to take a class from NINA BAGLEY. Wow!!...,and it would be within driving distance from home and it was in Asilomar. This was a dream come true.

There are not too many things that get me really excited anymore. Guess I'm getting old and..., I don't know, I'm just a farm girl who loves where I live and take life as it comes.
I believe that each day is something to look forward to and I always love the unexpected things that happen...,thing you weren't expecting ..., the beautiful Gray Fox that ran across our road in front of me today when I came home; the King Snake at our entrance yesterday trying to climb a rocky incline and sliding back down, as his beautiful markings moved with his skin to find a firmer grip. These sights and all of nature move me to tears sometimes but travel and events lately have been for others and this time I was going JUST FOR ME. I was really looking forward to this workshop.
When we left my sister's house it was with great trepidation because our mother was not doing well and we had almost decided to stay home, but with Mom's blessing we got into the car on Sunday and drove to Monterey. Both of us were like kids again. Not only were we excited to learn all the new artistic techniques but to meet NINA and see what she was like. Well, she's a dear sweet person who wears her heart on her sleeve. I should have known this from her writing. She is a clear drink of water with a lovely southern drawl and she speaks her mind. The drawl is very charming. It's North Carolinean.
She showed us how to make a necklace with all the right tools. We learned how to make jump rings and how to connect beads.We made p-loops, s-hooks and what we call "Nina knots" (wire that is wrapped around itself) that make each connection look beautiful.We made coils, clasps and toggles until my fingers just wouldn't straighten out without making strange noises. We learned so much the first day that my learning curved brain could hardly eat dinner and go to bed that night.
The next two days were spent building the book. We were given the front and back metal pieces which we tarnished and embellished and then we were to make 8 to 10 collage pages. I got 3 done. But, in my defense, only 2 people out of 19 of us completed the book. We weren't expected to finished everything and the last afternoon I worked on my necklace instead of the book. The necklace is an on-going artistic endeavor. I have enabled myself and invested in a BOOK. It's called Making Wire Jewelry; getting started. This is hard to admit but I think I'm jump ring challenged.

These last photos are some of the class work. I will not tell which ones are mine. When the book is completed I will take some pictures and post it. The necklace will never see the light of day.
My sister's necklace was stunning. She wore it to dinner Wed. night. Everyone that saw it commented on it. ..., next year I think I will take the "demented doll" class.

I talked to Mom this evening. She is doing much better. She sat in her wheel chair for 2 hours today and even sat outside in the sun for a while. She sounds good and was watching TV when I called. The physical therapy person came yesterday and showed her some light exercises she can do to gain strength. They will be coming again to help her. She also has a home health nurse that comes to see her and she says that the ladies that are there at the rest home have been so good to her. They are wonderful people. We are so lucky that she is in such a good place. Here's to all the CNA's at Sunnyvale Care Home. We love you all!

I will continue to post photos of Asilomar tomorrow. Hopefully before 9:00 p.m. at night. I had to go to the doctor today in Sacramento so I got this post going a little late.

Asilomar; a beautiful place to be.

"Asilomar with her many trees,
Her silvery water,
her ocean breeze.
Her sand dunes white
arise with grace:
Oh! Nature lovers,
it's a wonderful place." ~e. briar, m. weber & a. eatwell~ 1935~

...and it was. My sister and I drove from Lafayette, on Sunday, down hiway 101 to Monterey and into Pacific Grove. The Asilomar Conference Center is a refuge nestled in the dunes and forested shoreline of the Monterey Peninsula. It is a wild preserve founded by a group of women that were determined to build a community that would support education and improve the lives of woman in the early part of the century. They helped create a retreat for the YWCA that would be available to anyone who wished to gain knowledge and learn new things to improve their lives. Julia Morgan was the architect for the buildings. The buildings are of the Arts and Crafts style and only local wood and stone was used. More recently apartment style rooms were added with all the modern emenities. There is a spirit and a feeling of pilgrimage when you arrive here. There is a feeling of refuge that quiets the business of life and gives you permission to slow down.

The view through the doors of Merrill Hall at dusk.


This was a trip that almost didn't happen. Mom went into the hospital on Friday morning and we had decided not to go. I arrived two days early thinking that we would just cancel the trip and I would spend the week at my sisters. Mom, although having trouble breathing, told us we should go and the doctor said that he was sure she would be returning to her care home in a day or two. He told us that she would be all right and that we should attend the workshop because it was only 2 hours away and Mom would probably be in the hospital until the day before we would get home. On Sunday we decided to go.

I got home yesterday afternoon to my little house on the hill. The Prospector, Maggie, Carl (aka,the pupster) and Annibel were all here to greet me. It is so good to be home. The goats were a bit distant, but that's to be expected. Brownie kind of ignored me but Bart told me he was glad I was back. I will be going back down to see Mom in a week or so unless there's an emergency, then sooner.

Tomorrow I will tell you about the Art and Soul Workshop, our teacher Nina Bagley, how much fun we had and how Mom is doing.

Cookies for a Good Reason?

I bake cookies for a lot of reasons. Sometimes for no reason at all. Yesterday I baked cookies out of guilt..., for the Prospector.

"Guilt? Why is that Farmlady?" Well, I'm leaving for a whole week, again, and I just thought that I should do something nice for the man who will take care of everything here and hold down the "fort" while I'm gone. This is not to say that I only make cookies when I'm leaving town. I don't need a reason to bake. I bake "Just because" most of the time.
But this time I'm going away for fun and frolic. My sister and I are going to the Art & Soul Retreat in Asilomar, Ca. near Monterey and Carmel. This is a workshop/festival on the grounds of the Asilomar Conference Center right on the Pacific Ocean. It's so amazingly beautiful. I stayed there years ago for a choir festival and have wanted to go back again ever since.

So the cookies are a part of my guilt for leaving; a bit of nervousness about what to expect when we get there; and just plain excitment.

We will be taking a 3 day class from Nina Bagley. It's called Mystorian Necklace & Book Workshop. Nina is a gifted jewelry artist who I have come to know through her Blog: Ornamental. She is an amazing artist and we have always wanted to take a class from her. We are really looking forward to this trip.
Tomorrow I will drive to my sister's house, see Mom and stay overnight. Sunday we will drive to Asilomar and check in. We will be back in Lafayette on Thursday and I will stay there until Saturday or Sunday to visit with Mom and have dinner with my son.

This is going to be so much fun!!!

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Cookies: Oatmeal, cranberries and pecan with orange peel. Same recipe as chocolate chip cookies but substitute dried cranberries for choc. chips and pecans for walnuts. Um, um good!

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A note: Nina's dog Aspen died last week and she has been very, very sad about losing him. If you could leave a comment to console her I would appreciate it. These creatures are so much a part of our lives and when they leave there is a gate left open for a long time. I just want her to know that no dog will ever take Aspens place but there will be another animal that will need her love..., and love her in return. I know where of I speak.

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....