Our upstairs neighbor told us a hummingbird built a nest and raised a family on top of her wind chime. I find this amazing. I was even more amazed watching "Fabulous Frogs" on Nature, narrated by David Attenborough. It was on PBS this past Wednesday, but it will likely be repeated.
Yesterday one of my high school friends came by for lunch and a needle-felting lesson. I tried a new recipe and tested it on Mr. Gadget for dinner the night before. He gave it a thumbs-up. Chicken puffs. As I usually do the first time I try something new, I followed the recipe exactly. But next time I might add some mushrooms. Many variations are possible.
Mr. Gadget just left to do some bicycle shopping. He's already done lots of looking, so I assume today he'll be making a purchase. He asked if I wanted one, but since I already have a bike in Connecticut that I don't ride, it seems silly to get another one that I won't ride either.
"I'll take a chair down to the beach and enjoy the ocean view while you pedal along the bike path," I told him. "I might watch the lifeguards too."
So the weekend looks like a busy one. On Saturday there's an arts and crafts show down by the beach, and on Sunday there's an antiques/flea market in the old part of town. Both usually offer lots of whimsical photo ops....and you know how I like me some whimsy.
Last Friday Mr. Gadget and I drove up to the San Francisco bay area to attend a graduation party for our niece. Mr. Gadget's brother, father of the graduate, recommended a place to stay--the Union Hotel in Benecia. It was quaint, he said, with early-California charm.
It sounded interesting, and I learned from doing some research that it was known to be haunted. Mr. Gadget, a staunch non-believer, decided to humor me and we made reservations.
It wasn't long after checking in that we discovered it wasn't exactly as advertised. No "touches of European elegance."
Saying it was "luxuriously appointed" was quite a stretch.
"Distinctive amenities" were definitely lacking.
Did we encounter any ghostly activity? We're not sure. Mr. Gadget heard talking in the hall during the middle of the night--something that had been reported by earlier guests who found no one there. And when I pointed to the sign in the lobby that said we should leave our keys under the door when checking out early, the lights went out leaving us to search for the elevator button in the dark.
One thing's for sure. If we ever go back and have a need for lodging, we'll look for a much more upscale haunted hotel.
Mr. Gadget and I are now at the Calcondo....a little bit earlier this summer than last. We have a family graduation party to attend next weekend, and we've never been ones to miss a party.
Our trip out on Saturday was a little bit different than usual.
We were on a brand new airplane on its inaugural flight. JetBlue was introducing their new Mint class. The first few rows have big cushy seats that lie flat for sleeping. If you opt for one of those seats, you also get a gourmet meal. We didn't opt, so we slogged all the way back to row 23---being careful not to whack one of the opters with our carry-on bags---and settled into our much-smaller seats with our brown-bag sandwiches.
We got quite a send-off too---a colorful chorus-line of JetBlue employees. Other than that, it was business as usual. The satellite radio didn't work and they were out of peanuts. But there are always bound to be some early bugs.
Mr. Gadget and I have this travel routine down to a science now that we've been doing it for more than a few years. He brings very few clothes because he's built up a sizeable west-coast inventory. This allows me to overflow into his suitcase with my craft supplies.
So now we're pretty well settled in, and I'm happy to report there were no new plumbing problems to greet us. But there were a few ants running around, and I'm sure they've sent their scouts back to their neighborhoods to alert the others that those people are back and they have food.
I'd been thinking about making some fabric flowers. Maybe a nice arrangement for the dining room table....where we hardly ever eat because we now have an island and two bar stools. I know it's not the most proper way to dine, but at least Mr. Gadget doesn't notice when I dribble soup down my chin.
This is my first attempt. While it's not great, I can see possibilities.
And it gives me confidence to garden even though I wasn't born with a green thumb.
It's funny how sometimes, right after you mention some sort of new plan, the stuff you need to carry out that plan just kind of falls in your lap. Like a paper bag for instance. A frog-sized paper bag.
It's a long story, but since I haven't been blogging much lately, I figure I owe you one.
Quite a few years ago, I found a great sewing pattern for a butcher-style apron. It was wonderfully adjustable. The tie was one long piece that was threaded up through a casing on one side of the front and down through another casing on the other side. You could pull up just enough of the strap at the top to fit your head through. Here's a picture:
I was sure I'd have a real hot seller at craft fairs, so I made a bunch. In lots of fun novelty prints. Unfortunately, they turned out to be just lukewarm sellers. Soon I was stashing the unsolds away in the closet--also known as my overstock warehouse.
Just before last Christmas I was talking to Barbara, my neighbor, and she told me she was having a hard time coming up with a gift idea for our neighbor, Luigi, who always takes care of her mail and newspaper when she travels.
"I know he loves to play golf," I said. "Does he like to cook?"
She said, yes, he did barbecue when the weather was nice. I told her about an apron I had in my warehouse with golf bags on it and wondered if she thought he'd like it. And, if she thought he would, I'd give it to her....since my craft fair days are over (but don't quote me on that). She was thrilled to say the least. It was one difficult gift challenge she could cross off her list.
The other day Barbara and I were chatting again and she mentioned that she'd been to Luigi's for a BBQ on Memorial Day.
"You know," she said, "Luigi loves the apron. He wears it all the time. He cooks in it and he gardens in it." Right away I began to feel much better about my lukewarm aprons.
"I have a favor to ask," she went on. "He wants to know if you would make another one for his brother-in-law in Spain."
"Hmmmm," I hummed. "I'm pretty sure I won't be able to find the same fabric after all this time. But I might be able to find something similar." She understood and said it wouldn't be a problem.
When I got home I looked around the Treehouse and discovered, down inside a box of this-and-that, another golf apron. I guess I assumed lots of golfers, or golf widows, would be shopping at those early craft fairs and they'd be shoving each other out of the way to get to my fabulous aprons.
So I gave the apron to Barbara to give to Luigi, and insisted that this one would be complimentary just like the first one. But, of course, Luigi wouldn't let my good deed go unrewarded. He brought me a nice bottle of chilled white wine. So now, thank goodness, Mr. Gadget won't have to make a special trip to the liquor store.
The alligator is finished and now resides with his new owner, my friend Linda, in Tallahassee. She's named him Luther after a real alligator that lives in the lake near her home. She seems very happy to have an inside Luther and an outside Luther.
Luther was made from paper mache and paper clay. I painted him with a base coat of olive green and then dry-brushed a lighter green over that. Then I added some accent colors, per Linda's request, so he would coordinate with the colors in her guest room.
Luther had very humble beginnings.
He was an ordinary brown paper bag--coaxed into shape with some masking tape--with wire leg bones stuck in where I guessed the legs should be. I used a product called Fast Mache to cover him, and to add some bulk where I guessed the bulk should be. None of my projects involve any sort of scientific or mathematical calculations. I fly strictly by the seat of my pants. That's why I call everything folk art.
I'm pleased with Luther. I never know what I'm going to get when I'm flying without a flight plan.
Now I'm thinking it might be fun to make a frog. I've got frog colors in my paint box. I'll be needing a frog-sized brown paper bag though. I guess it's time to send Mr. Gadget out for another bottle of wine.
