Violet Protest and hang loose saguaro

 

I just finished five squares for the Violet Protest project, which aims to send 50 handmade red and blue textile squares to each member of Congress -- 26,750 squares total. Each square must use the same amount of red and blue, which when combined make violet.

The squares are being sent with a message that we support these core American values: respect for one another, citizenship, compromise, country over party and corporate influence, courage, candor, compassion and creativity.

Before being sent to our lawmakers, the squares will be exhibited at the Phoenix Art Museum this year.

In other quilt news, I decided to sell my "Joy" quilt and listed it on my Etsy shop, www.sherrielovescolor.etsy.com. I made it when I was trying to recover from the loss of my marriage and it served its purpose, so now it's time to send it out in the world to bring joy to someone else.

Last night's sunset reminded me of the colors in "Joy."

Now it's time for the saguaro photos! This first vista is one I gazed at for quite awhile the other day while resting on a bench in Catalina State Park. It was so quiet and peaceful. I only saw one other hiker on the one-mile loop, and the only sounds where an occasional whisper of a breeze. It was about 70 degrees.

This next sassy saguaro is giving us the hang loose hand! A mutation causes the growing tip of some saguaros to form into a crest-like fan, so they're called crested, or cristate, saguaros. They're rather rare, so hikers get excited to see one in the wild. This one is near the Pima Canyon Trail in Tucson.

While I was hiking on that trail with a friend, we stopped to chat with a young woman who had a beautiful desert tattoo on her arm. Each plant has a story behind it that's special to her. She plans to extend it down her arm with images of the desert underground, including the little creatures that shelter there during the heat of the day. Some tattoos are bleh, but this one is a work of art. 

Have a colorful day