Summer Fun, and Almost Done

We've had multiple consecutive days of WARM weather!  Today the whole family is going to Lagoon, the closest thing Utah has to Disneyland.  Should be fun, although I don't know how many of the wild roller coaster rides I'll be doing.

I have also been working hard on my Tangled Textiles piece.  It is mostly done, I just have to add some embellishments by hand, and finish the edge.  I think I'm going to use the zigzagged edge with perle cotton.  Easy to do, and I like the look.

The creative muse seems to be returning to the studio in fits and starts, but I can feel her presence more and more.  I'm planning a dyeing day soon, either with my WAQ friends or at home.  I've got some clothes I want to make with fabric ready to go.  And I have at least two quilts to get quilted!

I am becoming a real thrift store junkie.  While we were in Reno, Sean jokingly asked me to buy him a shirt- a Tommy Bahama silk shirt that retailed for $110.  Ha ha!!  Then when my brother and I were checking out the Saver's in Reno, he found a beautiful blue Tommy Bahama shirt in Sean's size- for $12.  I bought it, the look on Sean's face when he saw it was priceless.  I scored another one in our store a week ago that just got mailed off to him.  Then Friday, I found this-

Sorry the picture is fuzzy, but I took it with my phone and I'm not very good with it.  I scored a TB silk shirt for me, in a lovely black/blue/sage green flower print.  Love it!  It's gotten to be like a treasure hunt, you never know what you'll find.  I'll bet three-quarters of my closet is now recycled treasures from Saver's.  I have four or five silk shirts, all from Saver's.  Unbelievable!

And a monumental event that any woman could relate to- I went shopping for a swimsuit for the first time in over ten years, and found one I like at a price I'm willing to pay.  I look pretty good in it, sixty years old or not!!

Time for breakfast, hope your weekend is a fun, warm one!

St. Pete, Part 2

The Sunken Gardens was a wonderland, a cool oasis in the midst of St. Pete. My comment about how nice it would be in the summer was met with an immediate reply- NO PLACE is cool in Florida in July!

There is a wedding lawn- and expanse surrounded by trees and colorful foliage.



In addition to the flamingoes, we also saw a variety of tropical birds.



I loved these plants against the rough concrete wall, the play of light and shadow.



And, there was fruit in addition to flowers.



Even the view upwards was inspiring!



We took several breaks on our walk to feed and soothe the baby. She finally settled down and slept in her stroller. Here's a picture that shows the problems I had with color. Sean is wearing a black shirt, but you'd never know it here!



This large flower was on a wall, with what looked like ivy.



After we'd walked every path in the gardens, we drove here--



We each got to sample three fruit wines. I tried raspberry, a blend they call Category 5 after the hurricane rating system, and and orange-coffee mix. They were all delicious! Shannon said the cranberry was really good, and would be wonderful with Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, I live in one of the five states that does not allow wine to be shipped there. Drat!

Finally, we went to Clearwater and had a late lunch/early dinner at a beachfront seafood restaurant. I learned how delicious grouper can be- I had it Cajun style. Afterwards, Shannon and I walked along the beach while she collected some shells. It's hard for a Rocky Mountain resident to believe that it is almost November!!





A perfect ending to a wonderful day.

Llama Fest

Yesterday was the annual Llama Fest at the Krishna temple, so we took a drive up there. We had Jaden with us, we thought he might enjoy seeing the llamas up closes.

I never cease to be amazed at the detail that went into this building.



The entire temple is done in this style, and it is just breathtaking. I may not share their spriritual beliefs, but I can appreciate the artistry that went into this.

We had great seats for the llama race! I'm trying out the different settings on my camera, and tried the action setting for these. Here's all the llamas and their handlers getting their directions before the race-



And off they go, heading to my right--



run out to the pasture, around a tree, and head back to the starting point, which is now the finish line!



Some llamas were more into this than others, clearly!!

They have added a pavilion in back of the temple, with a stage and seating. When we got there, Los Hermanos de los Andes were performing. They had quite a routine going with their sticks.



I love this view of the koi pond, with the mountains in the distance.



There were plenty of fish in the pond, swimming among the lily pads. Some of the fish were HUGE!

There were a couple of vendors, so Jaden got this little drum, I think similar to instruments they use in the Andes. It had McQueen from Cars painted on both sides of it- which meant Jaden loved it, and I just mutter under my breath about disgusting American commercialization.



It was a fun way to spend a Saturday evening.

Hey, I've even gotten some fabric stuff done! I've needed something to hold business cards so I sat down and made a couple last night with Timtex and some of my hand dyes. I liked these so much, I'm going to make a couple more than are longer and have several pockets in them. No more hunting for purses or wallets with multiple slots that actually hold your cards!



I also got the studio cleaned up from my last bit of dyeing- now I can get going on a couple other baby-related sewing projects. And, try out my new screens!

Hope your weekend was a good one!