Wooly owls

 

Some wooly owls have come to roost in my lantana! I spent the last week stitching up seven of the little creatures from a pattern by www.rebekahlsmith.com.

I'll let them fly away at Christmastime.

 

Here's a closeup of the lantana in my backyard. I just planted it a few months ago and it has really exploded. It loves the hot, dry desert climate here in Tucson.

Here's another blooming plant that I saw on my neighborhood walk this week. The birds seemed to love it, but I couldn't get a photo of them.

In other news, I just bought my lifetime Senior Park Pass online, which will give me free access for the rest of my life to national parks and other recreation areas, including Sabino Canyon right here in Tucson. You must be 62 to purchase it. I wish I had bought it when I turned 62, because now only two years later it has quadrupled in price to $80. But that's still a bargain unless I kick the bucket in the next year.

Have a colorful day

La Calavera Catrina at Tucson Botanical Gardens

 

You know how much I like bold color. Well, last weekend I went to the Tucson Botanical Gardens thinking I would enjoy a leisurely stroll among the lush plants, which I did, but I was also wowed by giant brightly colored sculptures in La Calavera Catrina exhibit. 

The eight- to nine-foot-tall statues, by Mexican-born, Los Angeles-based artist Ricardo Soltero, portray Dia de los Muertos's most recognizable figures, large joyful skeletons born out of social satire depicting the upper classes in Mexico.

The exhibit was organized by the Denver Botanic Gardens. This is the first time it has been shown outside of Denver and it is a real treat for those of us in Tucson. I'm just showing a few of the sculptures -- go in person if you have the chance! It runs through Nov. 29, 2020.

Signs explain the meaning behind each figure. For example, the one above is covered with Monarch butterflies. Butterflies represent change and transformation in Mexican culture. The Monarchs migrate south to Mexico during the fall around the Day of the Dead celebration and symbolize the return of the souls of the dead for the joyful holiday.

This lady holding a basket of marigolds is La Vendedora de Flores. The Mexican marigold is one of the distinctive elements of the Day of the Dead. Its color evokes the sun, which in Aztec tradition guided the souls of those who had passed on. The petals were used to form a path for the spirits of deceased loved ones to follow from their altar to the door of what had been their home in life.

About the artist: Ricardo Soltero (born 1962) is the set designer for the largest Dia de los Muertos celebration in the United States, which takes place every year at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles. He is a sculptor and costume designer (no surprise there), who uses materials including fabric, fiberglass, papier-mache, wood, and recycled items.

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Dungeness Spit, gondola and Feet & Forks!

This final installment about my trip back to Washington is all about water! So much blue after all the  desert rocks in Tucson.

My sister Kathleen and I spent an afternoon beach walking and taking photos at the Dungeness Spit in Sequim. It was gorgeous weather and clear enough to see Mount Rainier on the horizon.

Silvery driftwood was piled up and beachgoers stacked rocks into photogenic pyramids. 

Another day Kathleen and I wandered through Port Townsend, where I took this photo of the sun sparkling on water. The pace was lazy in the warm sun, and we spent a long time just leaning on the dock railing watching the water.

But the most memorable water fun was the surprise gondola ride arranged for me by the Feet & Forks!

It was a leisurely one-hour ride around Gig Harbor in an authentic 25-year-old gondola from Venice. Our gondolier was from Orange County, but he did sing in Italian.

We shared the harbor with sailboats, kayaks, paddleboards, and yachts.

One interesting tidbit shared by our gondolier was that this eucalyptus tree (which normally wouldn't grow well in the chilly Pacific Northwest) has its own underground heater. He also pointed out a vacation home  with a lazy Susan in the driveway. You back your car out of the garage onto the lazy Susan and it rotates so that you can pull out front first onto the street. That would be nice to have!

Earlier in the day, the Feet & Forks walked along Commencement Bay in Tacoma in beautiful fall sunshine. We saw two huge sea lions -- that's the head of one below. Then we bought halibut tacos at a seafood shop and had a picnic before heading back to Gig Harbor to rest up before the surprise gondola ride. After that, we continued to be blessed with good weather and enjoyed an outdoor dinner at the Green.House. (Yes, that period is supposed to be there in the name.)

I sure do miss my walking group.

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Sweet things from Spokane

 

I spent last week in Spokane with my daughter and her sweet bunnies. This is the first time I've been able to see her since Christmas. One of our first stops was Starbucks, where we masked up for drinks and our first photo together of the year.

But before Starbucks, we went to her house to cuddle her five bunnies. So much furry love and twitching noses!

I gave her a belated birthday gift, a Talavera pottery rabbit from Mexico that is about the same size as the rabbit tattooed on her arm.

We did a lot of walking, and on one urban hike we spotted these four rabbit statues in an area of trendy shops and condos.

Also spotted on that walk was a sunflower in one of the little gardens. A lot of the condos had little vegetable and flower patches out front.

We walked six miles, and at the halfway point (the cupcake destination) we settled on the patio of Boots Bakery and had four cupcakes: chocolate peanut butter, red velvet, double chocolate, and coconut. They were sooooo good. Boots is a completely vegan and mostly gluten free bakery/bistro/coffee lounge downtown.

Another tradition when I visit is a stroll through Manito Park, whose rose garden was in full bloom. It's a popular spot for weddings.

We spent a lot of time smelling the roses and discussing which ones she could smell but I couldn't. 

We also drove out to Green Bluff, an area outside of town that has a lot of small family farms. It was a gorgeous, warm, sunny Saturday, with a fall festival going on. The main festival was too crowded and most of the people weren't wearing masks, so we retreated to quieter farms.

We picked our own apples and pears, far from the festival crowds.

The vistas there are beautiful, like this one:

For a different type of scenery, we hiked at Riverside State Park - Bowl and Pitcher, below, which was more rugged.

And last but definitely not least, her boyfriend made us a waffle bar for brunch one day. He made cinnamon waffles from his own recipe and set out a tableful of toppings, including coconut whipped cream, fruit, peanut butter and chocolate chips. Then he cleaned up. What a sweet treat!

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Quilts from vacation

 

I went back to visit some friends in Washington over the past few weeks and I was surprised by this wonderful wool appliqué quilt made by the Woolies group that I left behind when I moved! I was so touched. It's the first time anyone has made a quilt for me!

Each of them made a coffee cup block and then Pam put it together and Carolynn quilted it. You can see the steam in these closeups. Every one is a little treasure, and I'm going to hang it in my entry.

I also met with my Sew Day group (all of this was socially distanced). I haven't met with a single quilter since I moved (the guild isn't meeting), so it was great to see what others have been doing. 

Here are some show and tells from the two groups:

Pardon the interruption. This is the taco soup that Linda J. made for Sew Day. There were also chocolate cupcakes at Woolies.

Seems like everyone was getting into the Christmas spirit early. I know I've made a bunch of Christmas gifts while isolating at home.

On my way out of town, I stopped at my favorite quilt shop -- the Quilted Strait in Port Gamble -- and bought some fat quarters in this lusciously colored collection. I'm thinking of a blue desert sky, green cactuses, and sunset borders.

Have a colorful day