24 Hours in Central Oregon

Art/Craft, Family Time, Good Fun, Just Life No Responses »
Jul 142010

We spent 24 hours in Central Oregon over the weekend and I learned the difference between a ground squirrel (left) and a chipmunk (right).  They both have stripes on their bodies, but the chipmunk also has stripes on its face.

The main focus of the trip was the 35th Annual Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show.  I read Susan Beal‘s post about her trip to the show last year. Last year was our first full summer in Oregon and I had not even finished my first quilt project, the Doll Quilt I had started earlier in the spring at a class at Bolt, but I knew I wanted to go the show  in 2010.

It was a very slow morning getting out the door and after a lunch picnic on the road, we finally pulled into Sisters at 4pm.  The show ended at 5pm.  I set out to take pictures of as many quilts as possible.  I quickly refined my goal and only took pictures of the quilts that really drew me in.  Rob and Henrik tagged along and also entertained themselves by visiting the local bike shop and a fountain.

(rob's photo)

There were beautiful quilts

Quilt by Betty Anne Guadelupe

Quilt by Barbara Fontaine

and beautiful patterns everywhere.

Quilt by Bryce Hamilton

Quilt by Sue Harney

Quilt by Janet Storton

Quilt by Janet Storton

Quilt by Jamie Richter

And then I came upon Jean and Valori Wells’ quilts.  I first saw this one by Valori.

Quilt by Valori Wells

Quilt by Valori Wells

When I saw it from a distance I wasn’t really very inspired by the colors, but I was so drawn by the quilt’s composition.   I kept walking closer and closer and taking more photos.  When I got close enough I realized why I was so entranced.  It had been expertly crafted by a skilled quilter.

I then saw a couple of Jean’s quilts.

Quilt by Jean Wells

Quilt by Jean Wells

I had seen the Landscape Quilt (above) in Jean Well’s Intuitive Color & Design.  It was great to see it in person.  The New York City Scape Quilt (below) is also in the book and it was stunning in person.  It was so blustery in Sisters during the show that all of the quilts were in constant motion.  This quilt was so narrow that it was had to get a good photo as it was whipped around by the wind.

Quilt by Jean Wells

We finally made it to the Stitchin’ Post around the next corner right as the fire engine rolled up at 5pm to start taking the quilts off the side of the Stitchin’ Post Building.

(rob's photo)

I tried to capture a few of the beautiful “Employee Challenge” quilts before the firefighters got to them.

I spent the next hour inside the Stitchin’ Post and Henrik drove the fire engine

(rob's photo)

and watched Jean Wells (in the distance) watch the firefighters take down the quilts.

(rob's photo)

All the quilts were down when I finally emerged from the store.  I used huge amounts of self restraint and only bought a few fat quarters.  I picked out one from Valori Wells and a couple from Laura Gunn.  It was a whirlwind tour and I had fun.  I hope to spend more time enjoying the quilts next year.

We spent the night in Bend and went to the High Desert Museum the next day.

Henrik really enjoyed exploring

(rob's photo)

(rob's photo)

and trying to catch fish

and playing Hoops at the Homestead Ranch.

E.O. Wilson shared some wise words.

It was quite auspicious that there was also a Pioneer Quilts Exhibit.  I found the book Quilts of the Oregon Trail in the gift shop afterward.  It includes more information about quilts from the exhibit.  I just requested it from the library.

Quilt themes are continually recycled.  This was such a nice companion exhibit to the Outdoor Quilt Show the day before.  Here are some of my favorites.  Flash photography was prohibited so some of the photos are a little dark.

Churn Dash Piecework Quilt–Circa 1875-1900

Rose of Sharon Applique Quilt–Circa 1950-1900

Double Nine Patch Piecework Quilt–Circa 1850-1875

Patchwork Quilt–Circa 1850-1900

Pineapple Block Quilt–Circa 1875

We stopped off for rest area break at Government Camp and were drawn on a quick hike a short way up the mountain.  Mt. Hood was absolutely beautiful in the distance.

We saw beauty up close also.

Henrik did some dryland training

and some machine maintenance.

We had limited time and finances for this trip, but we made the most of it and we all had fun.  I hope you are also able to squeeze some fun into your schedule and budget this summer.

Posted by Wendy at 13:23 Tagged with: , , ,

Fourth of July Week Photos

Art/Craft, Good Grub, Just Life No Responses »
Jul 092010

It has been a busy week.  Here are some of the highlights….

Henrik pruned our Honeysuckle.

The flower celebrated Independence Day….silently.

Independence Day dinner

and dessert.

I made a Quilt Block Tee as birthday gift for a four year old girl.  Henrik wasn’t sure he wanted to let it go….

Her mama told me that she loves owls.  I am so glad I was drawn to pick this fabric for her.

We experienced a miracle nap yesterday.  Henrik blasted past his previous car nap record of 40 minutes with an amazing 60 minutes.  He completely slept through our trip to the Buckman Farmers Market.  Rob sat in the car with the a/c running in 100 degree heat while I raced through the market.  Henrik’s world came crashing down around him when he woke up and discovered that he had missed the market.  Luckily, I picked up a couple pretzels at Fressen Bakery and that helped soothe the trauma.  There is always next week….

Laura Gunn spoke at Modern Domestic last night and shared her process of turning her amazing paintings into exquisite fabric designs.  Her tote bags feature her beautiful floral prints.  The poppies are my favorite.

She demonstrated a very interesting (and new to me) appliqué technique for applying the flower to the backing.  There is a great summary of the process here.  You can download the free Morning Poppy quilt pattern here.  I am looking forward to trying out the appliqué technique.

We are drowning in summer here.  First spring rain, now summer heat.  The fans are encouraging the warmth to flow through the house.  I yearn for equanimity….

Posted by Wendy at 22:58 Tagged with: , , , , ,

The Bird and the Beauty of a Smile

Just Life No Responses »
Jun 042010

I was out in the car with Henrik last week mid afternoon.  We had come to a T in the road and were at a stop sign waiting to turn left (west).  The traffic was pretty heavy coming from the left because of construction.  I had been waiting for a while and then I saw a car approaching from the left with their right turn signal on, which indicated that they were going to turn onto the street where I was waiting.  There was no traffic coming from the right (heading westbound) so I pulled out as the turning car made their right hand turn.  I gave it a little gas to make sure I cleared the lane of traffic before the lineup was able to head eastbound after the turner vacated the lane.

As I entered the lane heading westbound I discovered that it was no longer an empty lane.  The driver behind the turning car decided not to wait and pulled out into the oncoming (westbound side heading eastbound) lane, which was where I was pulling.  I quickly hit the brakes and our car lurched forward.  The other car swerved around me and continued heading the wrong way down the street.  As the zigzagging driver careened around the front of my car he skillfully removed one hand from the steering wheel and flipped me off.  It has been a solid decade, maybe two, since I have been flipped off.  I started laughing out loud.

Later in the day Henrik and I were in the car again.  We were on a detour due to another area of road construction.  I was approaching a four way stop where I planned to turn left.  There was a car approaching the intersection on my left just before me so I stopped and waited my turn.  There were no other cars at the intersection.  As the car on the left began to pull in front of me a cyclist approached the intersection also from the left.  The intersection was at the peak of a decent hill.  As the rider hit the crest at the edge of the intersection, he stopped in a track stand.  I had the right of way and he was waiting for me to go (I would like to acknowledge and thank all cyclists who stop, or at least slow, at stop signs—it happens too rarely here).

I immediately waved him on.  He deserved to be given the right of way.  He had just climbed a multi-block hill and he had fully intended to wait his turn.  As I raised my hand to wave him on, the cyclist’s face broke out in the most amazing smile.  I smiled back and prepared to make my left turn.  As the cyclist crossed in front of our car he caught my eye again and he was still beaming at me.  I only waited a few extra seconds for the cyclist to cross the intersection, but the beauty of his smile was worth it.

It is so easy to make someone’s day.  Can you make someone smile today?

Posted by Wendy at 23:22 Tagged with: , , ,

The Great Blue Heron Croaks

Just Life No Responses »
May 212010

The Great Blue Heron is the official bird of Portland.  Its call sounds like a croak.  Hopefully my call will sound a little sweeter.  I am now on Twitter.  Listen for me @Breathe_Beauty!

Posted by Wendy at 17:12

Mt. St. Helens Haiku

Just Life No Responses »
May 182010

Mt. St. Helens blew

Ash rained on me like grey snow

A child’s world darkened

Posted by Wendy at 22:17 Tagged with:

May Day Alphabet

Family Time, Good Grub, Just Life No Responses »
May 012010

Happy May Day!  We traveled through nearly the whole alphabet today.

Art (visited the Portland Art Museum)

Bread (ciabatta from Pearl Bakery for French toast for dinner)

Calla Lilly (in our yard)

Diggers and Dumpers (new book from Goodwill)

Eagles (Bald Eagles circling overhead)

Flowers (in our yard)

Gifts (given to Henrik through the fence by the kids next door)

Horses (staging for the May Day gathering)

Imagine (an unstructured weekend)

Journey (Henrik’s first on his 2 wheeler to Goodwill)

Kolus (Thunderbird in Henrik’s new Learn the Alphabet with Northwest Coast Native Art book from the Portland Art Museum)

Ladybug (new t-shirt I am sewing for Henrik)

Music (at the Portland Farmer’s Market)

Nightcrawlers (“golly, a penny a piece”)

Overjoyed (watching our garden grow)

Pretzel (none for us—the Fressen Bakery was sold out!)

Quite (quiet time wasn’t so quiet today)

Respect (for big and small)

Storm (hail damage to our broccoli from last week’s storms)

Tree (limbed up for more garden sunlight)

United (working in the garden)

Volvo (our 850)

Worker (International Worker’s Day solidarity)

X, Y, Zzzz (time for bed)

Hope your day was as enjoyable as ours.

Posted by Wendy at 22:41 Tagged with:

2 in 2 Days

Just Life No Responses »
Apr 292010

Rainbow April 28, 2010

Rainbow April 29, 2010

I look for beauty every day.

Posted by Wendy at 22:21 Tagged with: ,

Oil Slicks and Slick CEOs

Just Life No Responses »
Apr 292010

It was West Virginia earlier in the month and Kentucky today.  Recent coal mine deaths have brought the danger of coal mining back into the spotlight.  I just ache every time I hear about a mining disaster.  The loss of so many community members at once, and often times multiple members from the same family, is so tragic.  In addition to the human loss, unless you live nearby, it is often easy to be unaware of the environmental damage caused by mining.  Whether the scars are resulting from the clearly visible mountaintop removal or the often invisible waste left behind as tailings seep into groundwater, mining severely degrades the environment.

In chorus with the recent mining tragedies, the oil industry is also in distress.  Yet, I am surprised that even with eleven people missing from the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, the potential for environmental devastation from the leaking oil seems to be eclipsing the heartbreak of missing workers.  Loss of human life and loss of ecosystem viability are both tragedies.

Some involved in resource extraction are enjoying excessive earnings, but the workers, their families and the environment are not among them.  The Greenpeace website is packed with information and photos about the Deepwater Horizon debacle.  They also have multiple resources about renewable energy and the new Cape Cod wind farm.

Why isn’t renewable energy given more funding for research, development and installation in homes and businesses?  What can you do to decrease your need for oil, coal and other nonrenewable resources?  We have renewable options available through Portland General Electric.  Do you have renewable energy available in your area?

Posted by Wendy at 22:04 Tagged with: , , ,

Satya, Ahimsa & Earth Day

Just Life No Responses »
Apr 222010

Ghandi inspired us to “be the change we wish to see”.  He lived his life by embodying the principles of Satya (truth) and ahimsa (nonviolence).  Mindfully bringing truth and nonviolence into our daily lives betters our relationships with each other and with the Earth.

Happy Earth Day.  Love a tree.

Posted by Wendy at 22:50 Tagged with: ,

Anna Lappé & Earth Day

Good Flicks, Good Grub, Good Reads, Just Life No Responses »
Apr 192010

Anna Lappé spoke at Powell’s last night about her latest book Diet for a Hot Planet.  I haven’t read the book yet.  I decided to start back at the beginning and read Diet for a Small Planet and then move on to Hope’s Edge.  I did read Grub when it came out.  I was thrilled to be introduced to Anna’s coauthor Bryant Terry.  I love his Vegan Soul Kitchen cookbook.  I will be raving about his Chilled Heirloom Tomato Soup when our tomatoes ripen this summer!

I especially liked the section in Grub on acquisitions and mergers in the organic industry.  It was really useful to see how some of the companies I support, when I thought I was supporting “the little guy”, had actually been acquired by much larger, and often not-so-organic, corporations.  If the options are equally delicious, I will always try to support the smaller company.  Diet for a Hot Planet has a similar section called Spin.  Anna goes offers more current examples of the greenwashing of the organic industry.  McDonalds has actually released an Endangered Species Happy Meal in Europe as part of their green platform.

Anna spent a lot of time speaking of hope.  The subtitle for her book is; The Climate Crisis At The End Of Your Fork And What You Can Do About It.  Halting the current climate change crisis depends on everyday choices of everyday people.  We have participated in CSA programs in the past, but this year we decided to grow as much of our own perishable food as possible.  Our vegetables will travel zero miles to get from garden to plate.  This type of commitment to decreasing the carbon footprint of our daily food is happening all over the world.  What is at the end of your fork?

Earth Day is this Thursday.  There are lots of events planned all over the country.  In addition to more interactive activities, I would like to propose that you spend a few hours in front of the TV (who would have thought???).  There a three great programs on PBS this week in celebration of Earth Day.  Check your local station or PBS for times in your area.  In Portland, the movie Earth Days will be on American Experience tonight.  On Wednesday, Food, Inc. will be P.O.V and Dirt will be on Independent Lens.

Earth Day is a great opportunity to start taking positive steps toward a more conservationist/environmentalist approach to life.  People all across the country will be taking their first step or their hundredth in solidarity.  “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”—Confucius

Posted by Wendy at 18:12 Tagged with: , , ,
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