Merry Merry Christmas

This was my drive early last week... It's been raining since then, but it still feels like winter.

Wishing you and yours, the same thing too.

Sunday Afternoon

The smell of chi tea rises to mingle with the yeast of bread, waiting to proof. Head down, the needle slips between the stitches, first one side then the other. A rhythm is set up, a gentle tug brings the pieces together. Side by side, snug, the pieces begin to form a whole. It's not done, by no means, but it is coming together. After three years of forming the fabric, taking the time to put it together is an act of patience. I want it done now. But it will be done in it's own time. I've got to put it aside, again, and work on things promised.

The sounds of football fill the living room, while songs of Christmas fill my head. Rain falls. Sunday evening moves into the work week.

Two Things

My Eyes! My Eyes are burning! This weekend I attempted to make some eyes out of sculpey clay for some Christmas projects I am working on. This is my absolute first time working with the stuff and it seems to be pretty forgiving. But. User error indicated that I am not very good at following directions or even pictures. My eyes were lopsided, fingerprinted, and not even as cute as the pictures showed. Regardless, I baked them for the time/temp indicated on the side of the clay and my "translucent" clay burned. Underneath the black is the translucent clay - now an interesting shade of burnt. I think I am sticking to button eyes.

It rained this weekend. It was the first rain of the 2008-2009 rainy season. We picked up all of .85" in 24 hours. Now, it probably won't rain again for the next three weeks or so. It hasn't rained since April 23 - and we received nearly 40" of rain in the last rainy season. Saturday afternoon I kept looking out the window - alternately seeing misty rain in the sunshine, or, the flutter of freshly hatched semi-transparent wings on the ba-jillion bugs... Ugh.

I'm bored...

So I'll leave you with something pretty to look at while I go turn on the "get cleaning" music and dance around the house. For me, "Get Cleaning Music" = the B-52's, Dire Straits, Spiller, C+C Music Factory & Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. Who do you listen to when you've got to get moving?

Love you later!

David Bruce Winery

This past weekend we went for a very short drive up our mountains to one of our favorite wineries - David Bruce Winery.
It was just a quick trip with a purpose - to pay back my BIL. When he visits Hawaii (quite frequently!) we sends me bags of Kona Coffee. And not just a couple, but more than enough to keep my habit satiated.

But you can't go to a winery without tasting, even if you know what you want to buy. So we tasted. Or, rather, I tasted, he sniffed. They were pouring four different wines last weekend -

1. 1. 2002 Pinot Noir, Bien Nacido - a vineyard wine made with grapes from only the Bien Nacido vineyards in the Santa Maria Valley. This was by far the best wine we tasted this afternoon. It was fruity with just a hit of tannins to keep it from being too soft.
   2. 2005 Sangiovese, Paso Robles - Paso Robles is a beautiful section of California between here and Los Angeles. It's a straight shot down Highway 101 into the valley and has some great wines and vineyards in the local. Unfortunately, I don't appreciate Sangiovese. It's spicy and seems to be watered down when I taste it.
   3. 2005 Petite Sirah Central Coast - Sunset Magazine named this a "food friendly wine", and I can see that. It's a very mild wine that will not overpower most anything you could throw at it, and has a sweet red-fruit flavor that most people will like. I personally prefer a Merlot for that - it's just got a bit more body to it than the Petite Sirah.
   4. and another 2005 Pinot Noir - I don't remember if it was the Sonoma Coast or the Central Coast, but it was not as good as the Bien Nacido Pinot Noir. It was a bit weak and watery and not really what I was looking for.

I had a good time tasting, but picked only the Bien Nacido from the tasting to forward on to the BIL. He also received some Pinot Noirs from the Russian River and the Sonoma Coast. To your health!

LA Sunday - Huntington Gardens 3 of 3

After the Japanese portion of the Garden, we went to the recently installed Chinese Garden, also known as the "Garden of Flowing Fragrance". As this garden has only recently begun, the bones of the garden are found in the architecture, as opposed to the plantings. Therefore, not much fragrance flowing just yet. From the Japanese Garden, you enter the Chinese Garden into a walled courtyard, with chrysanthemum imagery in the windows and lotus on the end caps of the roof tiles.

The floor of the courtyard, "Plantain Court", is an amazing job of interlocking panels of stone - round white rocks tipped on the side to make the inner medallions with black rocks in linear fashion to make the borders. Something to remember, if I ever have a courtyard garden. It might be difficult to sweep up and be hard on bare feet tho. Mmmm. Keep thinking then.

The centerpiece of the garden is the "Lake of Reflected Fragrance", not quite balanced as of our visit. But there are vistas from every vantage point. The lake is actually located on a piece of land which naturally collects water during the rain, however, we haven't had rain for quite some time. The limestone rocks surrounding the lake are supposed to represent the craggy mountains in Chinese paintings.

Passing through the "Corridor of Water & Clouds" was a joy. The "Wall of Water & Clouds" was topped with more of the roofing tiles from the entry wall, waving across the top in an echo of either a wave or the far mountain peaks. Each of the windows to the far side had a different pattern of fretwork installed and the zig-zag path lead us to the next place of beauty.

The "Love for the Lotus" pavilion is an intricate piece of architecture, with more to "find and seek" than I can imagine. There is fretwork and carving and views and and and...

Unfortunately, by this time, the docents of the garden were starting to herd visitors toward the entrance/exit of the garden, so we were not able to make it all the way around the Lake. One of the views, so exquisitely framed, was the "Pavilion of Three Friends" where bamboo, pine & plum share a grove.

At the exit we were greeted by this Chinese "Lion Dog". All in all, the Huntington Gardens and Library are worth several repeat visits. If you are ever in the LA area, make the trip to Pasadena to go. We arrived in the afternoon, and were only able to visit three of the FOURTEEN!!!! different gardens, let alone any of the art or library exhibits. I hear tale that the Children's Garden is awesome and the Conservatory has quite a collection of the odd and unique plants.

I had a blast on my trip to LA, not only because of the things we saw, but because of the people I was with. It was good to have a girly weekend, and to take a solo trip. I think that all women should feel comfortable and have the opportunity to take trips alone. There's a sense of - power? accomplishment? satisfaction? some of all, but not in a bad way - in fending for yourself, taking the time to stop when you want to, to not worry about anyone else's schedule, and taking a trip by yourself. Do it.

Oops! Or Where did the time go??

Time got away from me, and now I need to finish up my trip to LA. But I have to interrupt the regularly scheduled programming for a couple of notes:

1) My yarn projects for Christmas are officially complete! Wahoo!!! I have some things that I may do, but they are completely optional. I'm so very pleased with myself. Sorry, gotta gloat about getting something done anyway! I'd show you pictures, but then you wouldn't be surprised.

2) The quilt for my MIL is at the quilters. Yippee!! The thing is huge, it just kept growing on me. The woman said she'd try and work it in ahead of some of the others in her queue - since MIL is now in the nursing home - and I should have it before Thanksgiving. I can't wait to see it quilted. I'll have to add the binding once I get it back. I have some fabric that's going to look like Fruit Stripe Gum wrapped around the edges.

and 3) I know that Craig Ferguson comes on really really late at night. But I appreciate him even more than David Letterman or Jay Leno, so sometimes I will record the show just to see what in the heck he's got going on. If you don't know, this past year (or maybe 2 now?) he became a US citizen and is very interested in the political process. I watched the other night, I just had to share his opening monologue with you. I don't know how to embed YouTube just yet, but one day I'll figure it out. So click the link: Craig Ferguson Political Rant It's not an ugly rant, just one that makes a lot of valid points. And then click this link... Craig Ferguson Part 2

LA Sunday – Huntington Gardens 2 of 3

After marveling at the beautiful blooms in the Huntington Rose Garden, we passed the pair of Lion-Dogs guarding the entrance to the Huntington Japanese Garden. Where the Rose Garden was a riot of color and exuberant blooms, the Japanese Garden is a 9 acre canyon of green calm. The Japanese Garden was begun in 1911, and the mature plantings reflect the age. As you descend under the wisteria arbor, your first view is of the Japanese house on the far side of the gully.Closer in the foreground is a Japanese half-moon bridge, over a koi pond. Too bad for us, the koi pond and stream were undergoing renovation. However, the image of peace is persistent, despite the missing water. Traversing the gully to reach the Japanese house, you take time to notice the details like the Buddhas bordering the stream bed, or the lion head adorning the ridge-line of the bell house.





Once past the bridge and back up the hill, the 19th-century Japanese house offers a small vignette to reinforce the feeling of calm. Although not a tea house, it does have the set-up for a ceremony. It is filled with shoji, alcoves for display, and straw floor mats. Again, the details are what make the place special. The end-caps of the support beams are carved with floral scrolls and a lotus blossom perched atop what looks like a koi tail hugs the roof line.



We continued down a zigzag bridge through a stand of bamboo. The zigzag path is thought to confuse evil spirits who only travel in straight lines. The pathway led to a walled-in Zen rock garden, or karesansui. This dry landscape garden was added in 1968. The ginko trees were mature and beautiful in their greenness. Too many people, however, did not allow for the meditative factor that such a garden normally brings.

The Zen garden opens to a courtyard filled with Bonsai. There, various members of the local societies had either donated or were caring for a large number of bonsai trees. This juniper (could be a cypress, I'm not sure) is one of my favorites. They also had bonsai pomegranate and grape vines, complete with fruit.





Some of the details that I'd like to remember for when I get the urge to finally do something about my yard. I love the half-moon bridge and willow, but I like the zigzag path/bridge through the bamboo more. The rock wall that held back the hillside from the stone stream consisted of a variety of black granite slabs, some were smooth polish, some were rough cut, and some looked like leftovers. It was interesting in that it had texture, but it was calming in that it was of a consistent material.


Also, this "river" of mondo grass that wandered from the path outside the bonsai courtyard and down into the more native garden. It was placed under the oak trees and had large rocks bordering the curves so it seemed to flow naturally down the hill. It was also bordered by hostas, nandinas, azaleas, rhodes, and lilies. Although very green in the heat of the summer, I cannot begin to imagine what it would look like in the spring. I really think this would be awesome on my uphill yard. Assuming of course, that I could convince the deer not to eat it, and the moles not pillage it.

LA Sunday - Huntington Gardens 1 of 3

Sunday found us heading in the direction of Pasadena, CA, someplace new to me. We ended up at the Huntington Library, Art Collection & Gardens where we spent a very hot and humid day enjoying the gardens. The gardens are actually a collection of gardens, and we managed to see quite a bit of the Rose Garden, the Japanese Garden and the Chinese Garden. And that's just too much for one post, so today we'll look at the Rose Garden.

Arrival found us hungry, so a brief lunch was had in the Tea Room of the Rose Garden. After refreshing ourselves, we headed out into the garden and took a walk. The three acres of rose gardens were originally planted in 1908, but have been in a constant state of change over the years. Also, since the Rose Parade is held in Pasadena on January 1 each year, they hold off on pruning the rose bushes back until January 2nd. I can tell you, they looked like they needed some mid-year pruning.

The Temple of Love begins your tour of the Rose Beds, a nice classical statue of a goddess and cupid in a small circular temple. The Temple is circled twice, the interior roses are the white roses above, "French Lace" and the exterior circle are the peach roses below, "Tamora". The Huntington website has a map of the rose beds, complete with rose names on it. Quite handy.

The Rose Gardens also feature several specimen trees, like the Montezuma Cypress from Mexico. These cypress trees are over 90 years old, and are still going strong. They have a wonderful drapey feel to them.

It's a beautiful rose garden, and I am at a loss for words. Instead, I'll let pictures say the 1000 words I wish I had.

Saturday - Shopping & Eating in LA

Saturday morning I made my "famous" buttermilk biscuits for my hosts and slathered on lots of homemade strawberry jam.

Afterwards, we headed out to a yarn store - the Knitter's Studio (not pictured). I had found a place on Friday, but that store was full of discontinued, acrylic and novelty yarns, so I was sadly disappointed and will not review them. The Knitter's Studio, however, was just what I was looking for. They had cubbies wrapped around the perimeter of the store, nicely organized by color, style and maker. It was a joy to fondle the cashmere and silk yarns. I ended up with four skeins of Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed in a beautiful aubergine color. I have to say aubergine instead of eggplant since Debbie Bliss is an English company. After feeding the parking meter three times (!) I managed to make my purchases so we could move on. If I lived in LA, they would be one of my favorite yarn stores. They were setting up for a beginning knitting class around the work table, complete with cupcakes & coffee.

We then headed to an extra large art & craft supply store called Pearl. They had a great selection of goodies for all your creative needs. However, I had to say no for purchases since I didn't really have a project in the works that I could legitimately buy for. I even passed on the sketch & notebooks! Can you believe it? Mostly because I couldn't find them when we were ready to check out.

By this time we were starting to feel a bit of a hunger clench in our bellies, so we headed in the direction of the ocean and ended up on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. I had suggested sushi since I don't get many takers in my family, and ended up at this interesting Balinese looking place called Monsoon. I ended up with a Rainbow Roll and a beef noodle bowl. I flustered the poor waiter by asking what he would have to eat for lunch. I wasn't picky about what to eat, just wanted something good. My friend had the Saikyo Yaki Black Cod, which is marinated in Miso Paste before it's cooked. My goodness, that was yummy. If I ever see it on another menu, I'll be having that for sure. The decor was pure Asian tongue-in-cheek, complete with brass dragon lanterns from the palm leaf ceiling and a stone "happy" fertility god in the ladies room. Fun!

The architecture in Downtown Santa Monica is unique. They are trying to infuse the city with a sense of community, so all new & remodel work is going with three tiers. The bottom floor is retail space, the second floor office space, and the third floor housing. Evidently, it's being snapped up, because there is no where to turn without seeing some new construction. But, for the older buildings, you have to look up to see the more interesting parts. We were parked on an upper level of a garage, so I got to take pictures looking down on some

of the details. A long stop at Michael's had me lusting after beads, but I don't need a new set of tools! I put them back again. And again. And again.

So what do we do then? Head to another bead store, called Ritual Adornments. We wandered around, running our fingers through the lovely pieces of stone, glass, wood, and other fabulousness. I wish I had taken out my camera - a bowl of skull beads would have been a perfect Halloween photo op. Ah well. I still managed not to snag any beads on my shopping trip.

The sun was past the mid-day point, way past by this time, and we had an hour or so left on the parking meter, so we hit the beach for a walk in the waves. We hiked up our pants, took our shoes off and headed up the coast line, with no destination in mind, just enjoying the last of the sun and the waves splashing. Just enough time to get a little bit of sun and exercise.

Headed back to the apartment for some homemade guacamole and chips and watching Phelps win yet another race. All in all a good day.

My Friday in LA

Early Friday morning I joined the fuzzballs on the patio in the cool stillness of the LA dawn. It was quiet, something I've grown to need every day. My hostess has quite the collection of green things on her postage stamp patio, but there is a calmness in those things. The hummingbirds were chattering, waiting impatiently to be fed. And the cats were enjoying the fresh air, wondering if the birds would dare come close enough to swipe at. The apartments came alive around me. The garbage trucks were in the alley. A neighbor upstairs was obviously getting her kids ready for school, an Asian language floating down. Another neighbor was practicing singing scales, she still needs practice. A Slavic couple was banging dishes around eating breakfast, but by about 8:00 all was quiet again.

After my hosts had left for the day, I readied myself and headed into Beverly Hills to find the all important coffee and pastry. Success at the Coffee Bean. I had a lovely Carmel Iced Coffee and Chocolate filled Croissant. It is a different vibe in downtown Beverly Hills. The men are in their business suits, women are dressed to the nines, fancy cars, cell phones and connections being made on the street. I'm such a hick sometimes. I walked up and down Beverly Hills Drive, peeking in windows and checking out the people. I still haven't been to Rodeo Drive, even though I've been near there three times. Maybe next time.

After the breakfast, I headed in a westerly direction, hoping for inspiration to strike. I ended up at the Santa Monica Beach with a couple of thousand of my nearest and dearest friends. This is what the beach looks like at 1:00 on a Friday afternoon. Can you believe all those people are not working? OMG! When I found a perfect parking spot - really I did - I tried to put my money in for a two hour stint. But no, I was to be denied, and only allowed to stay for an hour.


Actually that was pretty good. And my view was not as bad as it seems. I had lucked out and parked near the Santa Monica Pier, which is the home of an amusement park on the water. There was a "NO SWIMMING" zone due to the dangers of potentially getting thrashed against the piles. Fortunately, everyone else thought "NO SWIMMING" meant "NO SITTING" and I had about 20 yards of beach front property all to myself.

NOTES of the moment: Waves crashing, harsh sky light, overcast. Long walk from the car to water, sand feels good on my feet. Screaming kids, happy kids in the water chasing the surf. The clickity clack of the roller coaster as it climbs the first hill. The tin music of the Ferris wheel and a helicopter scoping out the show on the beach. Humid and warm, but the breeze off the water is nice. Tourists with their cameras, like me. A couple of Amish (Quaker?) women, in black, covered from head to toe. Families holding hands, parents to kids. 'Tweens walking the beach looking to be seen. The scene is a study in greys, bordered by the bright primaries of the amusement park.

As my hour drew to a close, it was a good thing. The sun, though shrouded by the clouds, was intense and I managed to get just the smallest bit of sun color to my skin. I walked back to the car, feeling the warm sand between my feet, feeling the warmth of the sun on the back of my neck.

I got in the car and headed back in the direction of the apartment. I was hungry and hot though, so when I saw the Westside Pavilion Mall, I paused for a moment and went for a walk in the air conditioning. I had a bite to eat at the Food Court and managed to snag a pretty sweet backpack from Gap Kids. The hubster thinks it is the ugliest thing he's ever seen, but that just means he's not going to steal that one from me later on. My devious plan has worked!

The rest of the day was spent reading, planning, and having some good food with friends.

More sooner than later! Hope you are having a good weekend.