What a Week...

I left last Friday, driving across the central valley through Lodi, stopping for strawberries at my favorite local stand on Lower Sacramento Road, then driving across highway 5, through the delta toward Rio Vista and over the Antioch Bridge.

We lived in Antioch when this bridge was rebuilt  in 1978. Our oldest son walked across it with a group from our church and city officials, before they let any cars drive over it. A very exciting day for our, then, ten year old. It's still an interesting bridge.
We spent many Forth of July evenings watching fireworks down on the river. They would set them off on a barge in the river. It was twice as beautiful because the water reflected all the fireworks. Good memories.

I got to my sister's place and settled in. The dogs were there to greet me. Fozzie was waiting in the window.

He's a little dog with soft "poodle" hair and an attitude.  He knows me, now, so I'm on his "OK" list.
My sister has recently redone the upstairs bedroom and bath for guests. This was the first time that I slept in the newly decorated room. It was charming and wonderful.

A small European style loft for her "up-country" sister. I couldn't ask for more when I visit... except for THIS...

See the white wave rolling in on the distant hills. That's what we call "nature's air conditioner". That's one of the things I was hoping for when I left the hot foothills of Amador County and there it was... beautiful, coastal FOG... the wonderful, cool fog that rolls into the San Francisco Bay, usually after a warm spell, and prompted Mark Twain ( or some say Jack London.) to write,
"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."
This can be very true (no matter who said it.).
There was fog on the hills almost every morning. It spread over my sister's house quietly in the morning and when we went for a walk it followed us into all the hills and valleys around her home.
We took walks with my sister's son and the dogs...

This is Lilly. She's a German Shorthair Pointer and that's Fozzie below her.

And we took a walk with my sister's neighbor... and her dog. It's kind of a doggiefied neighborhood. Everyone has a dog... and everyone walks.

This road goes up to and boarders Briones State Park.

What a view from the top... and there's that fog again.

I love walking in this area.

Tomorrow we will go to my grandchildren's swim meet in Alamo and I will overwhelm you with bragging rights and tell you what amazing little swimmers they are.
The Bean is already learning how to look like an Olympiad.

 Look at that stance... notice the concentration... the serious look.
He is all about winning...

 Michael Phelps would be impressed.
Tomorrow, we will, take the kids to swim lessons, eat at Micky D's, give Mommy a break when she gets sick, go to Ross and celebrate the 4th of July. It was a busy week.

"Glory be to God for dappled things..."

When I went down to my sister's house for Easter, she had many beautiful decorations in her living room but one stood out above all others.
This is called a Santos Cage Doll.

These dolls were, in history, very large and carried in parades and religious pageants. They represent Christ, the Virgin Mary or Patron Saints.

Most are reproductions now, because many of the originals are in museums or damaged beyond repair.  You can learn more about these dolls at this site. This website also sells them.
Sis wanted to buy one of these dolls but they were really expensive. Well, as good things do happen, she was in (are you ready for this?) HOME GOODS one day and she found this reproduction cage doll sitting on a shelf just waiting for her.She grabbed it up and brought it home.

The top is a resin of some kind and the bottom part (the cage) is wood.The bodice and sleeves are hand painted and distressed.

The arms and hands are movable and can be posed in many positions.

OK!... RIKI?? DIANA?? Do you notice something hanging from lovely Madonna's shoulders?

Sis has adorned the doll with your jewelry.
I'm talking about Riki Shumacher and Diana Frey. These two artists are jewelry makers of extraordinary talent. Sis and I took a class from them last year in Pismo Beach.
We first met them at Asilomar Art and Soul. We all took a class from Nina Bagley. Then we found out that they were doing a workshop together at Riki's home in Pismo Beach and we knew what great jewelry makers they were... so we signed up. We had such a great time.

 The top one is Diana's. She always puts a little bling in her pieces. The bird and the words, "Nature beats in perfect tune.", the beautiful connections, the old rhinestones and pearls all make this such a lovely necklace.
The bottom one is Riki's. She is a master when it comes to soldering and her pieces always reflect nature in some way. Well, maybe not always, but quite a bit of the time. Above the nested egg it says "Sense of Wonder". I love this piece. Recently, Riki has been going in a  "blingy" direction.... branching out with bling. Can't wait to see some of her new work.
These two women are very good friends, so I think that they share ideas and blend their creative talents ... but you certainly can tell which necklace was made by which artist.  Each is very distinct.
Please check out Riki's blog called Riki Jewelry* Romantic Relics and
Diana's new blog called Tattered Adornments.
Sis has the talent to put all these things together and make her own "collage" of creativity. She does this all the time. It's a gift.
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And as for the world coming to an end today?
I really don't think so. I may be wrong. No one knows anything for sure. but I don't think that God would start anything in Spring with all his efforts at their peak.
This morning I walked out into the garden and a butterfly landed on a rosebud. It took my breath away.... The astounding beauty of this butterfly on that rose. God would not destroy this.... or any part of this. I think that someone is misinformed.
This is what I consider "rapture".... a butterfly on a rosebud.
... and God saying, in my head, "It will be OK."

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Pied Beauty

 Glory be to God for dappled things...

For skies of couple-color as a brinded cow;

For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches wings;

Landscape plotted and pieced-fold, fallow, and plough;

And all trades, their gear and tackle and trim.

All things counter, original, spare, strange;

Whatever is fickle, freckled (who knows how?)

With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;

He fathers-forth whose beauty is past change:

Praise him.

~Gerard Manley Hopkins~