A Perfect Day

Bye bye New England, and Atlantic Ocean! I always get a seat near the window so I can look outside. This was taken right after takeoff from Logan International Airport in Boston.

I am always amazed how densely packed the LA area is. That's downtown LA in the distance.

It's easy to say I went to California to see my granddaughter, but of course I was eager to see my son.  I arrived in sunny (dry and not too hot) California at lunchtime, so we went out to have some lunch together.

This was the view from my seat. Can you see the Pacific Ocean? Yeah, how tough is that?

OF COURSE we had to get ice cream! I had Strawberry with Balsamic Vinegar and Black Pepper! It was so good. And YES, I bought a new pair of glasses frames. More on those later. This was in Manhattan Beach. After our ice cream we walked down to the pier.

I have long learned to believe that everything I have ever heard about California is true. After all, where else would you see a guy lounging in an inflatable pool AT THE BEACH? No, we don't know how the portable pool got filled with water.

My son kept getting compliments on his shirt (he got it at Old Navy).

There is a small aquarium in the Manhattan Beach pier. My DGD and I got to touch live starfish and sea anemones.

Later I started reading Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to my DGD. (Yes, it is by THAT Ian Fleming, and it is wonderful. NOTHING like the stupid movie of the same name. This is an excerpt from the Vogue book review at the time: "The car is divine. So is the book.") I am happy to say she got more excited the more I read and we were able to finish the book before I left.

(That is my Digital Pinwheels quilt on the couch behind us.

Later, my DGD and I donned aprons and we made lemon curd. I was showing her how to separate the eggs in the photo above. After we put the eggs in the pan, I had her measure the sugar and add that to the pan too.

"SUGAR? Memere," she asked curiously. "SUGAR? In Eggs??" She wrinkled her nose. "Are you sure?"

I smiled, "Yes honey, you'll see."

Next we grated the rind of a few lemons (DGD and I both LOVE lemon!), added lemon juice, butter a bit of salt, and then started cooking it on the stove. DGD was bored by then, until I put a spoon in the custard and offered her a taste. Her whole face lit up! "THIS IS GOOD!"

I laughed.

I got to sleep in DGD's. bed when I was there. Can you see the dinosaur quilt I made for her? The the pink quilt in the foreground is one of mine too. My son's house has what I call the greatest concentration of Lynne Tyler quilts anywhere in the world aside from my house. It's fun to get to know my own quilts after some time apart.

We had dinner, and then went to bed. I slept like a rock.

It's taken me a week to recover. OH! I had the best time.  

More later.

Love, Love, Love

My son, his cat, and the Magic Carpet quilt I made. Love, love, love. This picture tells why we make quilts.

Yeah.

Be Still My Heart!

It's the most wonderful kind of magic when a quilt goes to the RIGHT person.

 My DIL loved this quilt from the moment I started making it, and it was pretty much destined for her right from the start. Looking at this photo I am really, really pleased I laid out the blocks the way I did.

I had asked the kids to take the quilt out for some beauty shots, and these are much better than I ever could have imagined! This one was taken at the Manhattan Beach pier.

This was taken under the pier. Gosh, in this photo my DIL looks like a queen and the quilt is a regal cape. My granddaughter is pretty cute too!

My DIL wrote, "I love it so much. It [the quilt] looked fantastic on the beach but it will probably never hit sand again. It's already been washed and is getting ready to be put on the bed."

A Time For Friendship

Sometimes you finish a quilt, and it tells you where it wants to go. The Grand Prismatic wanted to live with Val in Nova Scotia.  I "met" Val about 2-1/2 years ago when she sent me the most incredible letter thanking me for inspiring her to get creative in her quiltmaking.  She has since gone on to make this stunning beauty. I enjoy her risk-taking and her irreverence. She's been having a rough go lately, and I felt she needed a hug, so I stuffed the quilt in a box and sent it on.

It's the Holiday Season, and it's important to cherish and be thankful for the ones we love. Sometimes a quilt is the next best thing if you live faraway.

I've added a page to the blog. It's called Quilts and their Owners, and the link at the top of this blog. Many of my quilts are arty quilts that aren't meant to be used, but this group of quilts is definitely part of the "wrap me up and feel the love" variety.  Enjoy.

Happy Birthday Dear Son!

Happy Birthday to my dear son!

He made this name panel all by himself. I tell my students if he can do it, they can do it too.

When my friend Helen from Oz saw this photo she said he was a "spunk," which is an Aussie term for a cute guy.

 One weekend we took three partially busted laptops and built one functional laptop that ran Linux. We had a ball, and this photo always makes me smile every time I look at it.

He is a Third Black Belt in Karate (hence his blog name, Mr Karate).

He loved Gizzy (the cat who came before Millie), and Gizzy loved him.

 This photo was taken at a birthday party several years ago where we had brownies and ice cream instead of cake. If you're a 3rd degree Black Belt and bicycle 40 miles a day, you can eat four homemade brownies and a big scoops of ice cream any time you want.

Even when he was really little he always had a sense of humor. Here he was hiding from me.

Happy birthday my darling. I love you lots. I love your new wife too!