A Day in San Francisco

Its been awhile since I posted on my blog - I got distracted and out of the habit. But, I'd like to share about a recent fun day that I spent in San Francisco at the Ferry Building. I've finished 2 sketches so far, but I took many photos so I may do more. My husband was attending a day long workshop, and he invited me to go along and spend the day at the Ferry Building while he was in class. We planned to meet up later for dinner. He suggested that I use my time to sketch and paint. It sounded like a fun idea to get away for the day. It would take me away from my normal routine and "free me up" to sketch and paint. 

I arrived in San Francisco as I got off Bart at the Hyatt Regency at the Embarcadero Center. I found myself in the middle of a lot of activity on a Saturday morning.  Just outside there was a row of craft booths. I snooped around a bit and found several interesting items, and then continued across the street the Ferry Building. Outside I wandered through the Saturday Farmer's Market and saw many things that would have been fun to buy. But, being 'on foot' for the whole day sure limited my shopping options. Later I wandered through the shops inside. 

I kept looking for a quiet place to sit and sketch .... but there were crowds everywhere and few places to sit. I finally found some place to sit, but by the time I picked up some lunch and returned -- the seats were taken. Bummer. So... I ventured in the little bookshop to kill some time. Finally around 3pm I found a place to sit and sketch and I started sketching this page. I finished the next day at home.

Apricots and memories

Its that time of year again in California when the fruit of summer is ripe and abundant. In our yard we have a treasured Blenheim Apricot tree, weeping Santa Rosa Plum tree, Asian Plum tree, Peach tree, 5-fruit tree (grafted with plum, apricot, peach, ...I can't remember the others), Meyer Lemon tree, strawberries, blueberries, other assorted berry bushes, and grape vines. Lots of fruit!!! My favorites are the Blenheim Apricot, Santa Rosa Plum, Meyer Lemon, and berries. Additionally we have quite a crop of tomatoes and other vegetables.

It has been fun watching our fruit arrive especially on the Blenheim Apricot tree because I have a perfect view of it from my kitchen window. The anticipation that I felt while waiting for the fruit to turn orange - sort of felt like waiting for the holidays to arrive. Then the ripe fruit arrived (apricots and plums) in abundance and my husband and I kept very busy enjoying it and preserving it by canning, and making jams and cobblers.

The apricots bring back fond memories of my growing-up, where my childhood home had a Blenheim Apricot tree in the backyard. The tree was left over from the orchard that existed before our neighborhood was developed. I remember years and years of picking apricots in the summer and helping my Mom with canning, jams, and making cobblers and pies. At the time I didn't appreciate all the apricots and the work associated with them, but I am sure glad now that Mom taught me how to process all of the apricots. I've always loved my Mom's apricot cobblers and pies! I also remember picking up the rotten apricots that fell on the lawn and patio - icky clean-up. You had to pick them up because you didn't want the apricot pits to get in the lawn mower! I sure learned that it was much better to pick the apricots off the tree before they fell.

The Santa Clara Valley used to be full of Apricot orchards and other fruit orchards. In fact the valley earned the nickname the "Valley of Heart's Delight". Very few of the orchards remain as the valley has been taken over with businesses (including high-tech) and residential areas. I feel lucky to have my own Blenheim Apricot tree in my backyard!!

Are you enjoying the fruit of summer?

P.S. I've been away from my blog for a long time, but I hope to start posting images more frequently.  
 

Ah so ...... ah shucks!

Friday night .... after a long week at work, I was looking forward to a relaxing evening at home with a great glass of wine. I ventured into my stash for a bottle to open, and picked out a bottle of Petite Sirah. Just as I started to open it with my trusty "Ah so" wine opener there was a surprise snap!  One of the prongs of the cork puller snapped off, leaving both the cork and cork puller still in the bottle. Dang! Frustrated and disappointed, I handed the bottle to my son and he calmly got out the old-fashioned screw-cork-puller. It did the job, but I prefer my "Ah so" and I'll miss it! I guess nothing lasts forever!!

What is your favorite type of wine opener? and have any of your favorite tools bit the dust lately?

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

I wish you all a day filled with sweetness. 

I've been away from my blog and my artwork for awhile, and I'm really missing this creative corner of my life. I'm pushing my internal 'restart button' and looking forward making time for some art in my days again.  I've missed you all......!

Spring flowers!!

Wishing you sunshine and spring flowers!!

Spring is on its way....

At the end of February I wanted to work in my sketchbook, but I was at a loss for what I wanted to do. I didn't want to take on 'too much' so I had an idea. At the time there were 4 more days in the month, so I drew 4 small squares on the same page and made a deal with myself that I only had to fill one square each day. That way I wouldn't feel so overwhelmed either at coming up with ideas or doing all the work to fill a whole page each day. Just one little square...  This is what I came up with for the week...

Was it one of my best pages? No, but it did let me 'dip my toes in the water again' and I had fun. That's what its all about anyway... Happy sketching!!
P.S. Get out and enjoy the arrival of Spring!
.

Coral Blossoms of the Flowering Quince

A delightful sign of Spring is finding some vibrant coral colored blossoms of a Flowering Quince. My first encounter was while walking on a nearby path in the winter. The vibrant coral blossoms against the barren winter landscape along the path really caught my attention. What a delightful discovery! 

What signs of spring have come along your path?

Another Kitchen Boo-boo

About 30 years ago we bought our first “Microwave”. They were very expensive at the time and there were some health concerns about using them. Anticipating having a family, we thought that the convenience would help us out. Over the years our microwave saw more and more use. 

Probably about 10 years ago the simple handle on the door broke. It was a mechanical button ¾” by ½” that broke off – it just fell to the counter. The rest of the microwave was still functional, but we couldn’t open the door without the button. I waited a few days thinking my husband would fix it. But, then I had an idea…. I went upstairs and came down with a “Bandaid”. I secured the button to the handle with the Bandaid which allowed for the push in/out action. Bingo – it worked and it lasted several years. When the Bandaid finally wore out we replaced it with another. Finally a couple of years ago the motor for the microwave bit the dust and we were forced to buy another. 

Fast forward to last week… with our newer microwave we suddenly had a familiar problem. The larger “button” to open the microwave fell to the counter. This is a much larger button, about 3” to 1.5”. I chuckled when I saw my husband disappear upstairs and return with a couple of Bandaids… This larger button is now held in place by 2 Bandaids. 

Who would have thought Bandaids would be so useful in “home repair”…..    

P.S. The use of "Another..." is a follow-on to my previous post ("Oops") about another kitchen tool. What will it be next?

Evening touchpoint...

I noticed an interesting sight in the evening sky as I was driving home from work the other day. A bright sunset caught my attention, sort of like my Dad tapping me on the shoulder to say "hi". As I pulled off the freeway, I reached for my phone to record a picture to use in painting this memory page. I miss Dad very much, but I'm grateful and I find myself smiling every time I think of him sending me special 'sunsets' from above. I love these special moments! Thanks Dad! I love you!

Oops

Ever have one of those days when you're going along, happy and busy as can be, and all of a sudden life throws you an "Oops"?  This happened to me recently when I was making a batch of Banana Bread - using my favorite kitchen tools. My oops was that one of my long time favorite kitchen tools 'bit the dust'. How sad! Although my son was eager for me to 'throw it away' and reduce the count by one, I wasn't inclined to move so fast. I wanted to do something - to reflect on the happy times that I've had with this favorite 'kitchen toy'. Tonight I finally made the time to reflect .....

NOLA: An afternoon in the Garden District

Our excursion on Wednesday to the Garden District included a ride on the St. Charles trolley using our "Jazzy Pass". It was fun looking at the interesting architecture of the homes in the district as we rode by on the Trolley. Our first stop was to visit the Lafayette Cemetery No. 1.  There were grey clouds in the sky and the drops of rain that came our way as we wandered through the cemetery. Interesting to look at the variety of graves and markers. I wandered outside the gate and SURPRISE.... across the street was the famed Commander's Palace - our destination for lunch. So, while I waited for my travel buddies I got out my trusty stool and art supplies and I sketched the bright blue building as I sat along the sidewalk. I added the paint later at home. It was another fun-filled day during my NOLA Adventure 2011!!

P.S. Yes, the stitches down the center that you see are an indication that I am half way through my journal!!

NOLA: Napoleon House

What a delightful dinner in the quaint Napoleon House! I enjoyed reading about the building's storied past while we waited for our dinner. It was a fun place for our group of painting buddies to enjoy dinner and a drink together. Next time I visit NOLA I'll have to go back! 

<<< This is page 23 in my NOLA Live! journal from my visit in 2011. >>>

Final images from Oak Alley Plantation from my 2011 visit

During our tour of the Oak Alley Plantation we saw many interesting artifacts and learned interesting historical tidbits. We were greeted at the front door by a cheerful woman dressed in period attire. The home was finished in 1839 for a couple married in 1834. The architect was the father of Salina, the wife. The 28 Oak trees were planted in the early 1700's by an unknown Frenchman - with 14 leading up the front door and 14 leading out the back. The Oak trees provide a beautiful canopy of shade on the paths leading to and from the home.  The home was furnished with period furniture including a rare "Punka" or "Shoefly Fan", for which the slaves would pull a cord to move it during dinner. Even the beds were unusual - one was called a "Rolling Pin Bed" and the master bedroom included a "Pineapple bed" - with wood cut pineapples as a sign of welcome.  A rusted bell hung in the garden at the side of the house. The bell reminded me of our own family bell that my Father got from the World's Fair in San Francisco in the early 1900's. I was intrigued hearing about the "Courter's Candle' and took some pictures of a souvenier one in the gift shop. 

We concluded our visit with lunch in the Cafe. I enjoyed a meal of Chicken Fricasse, Buttrmilk pie, and Iced Tea. After lunch we all visited the gift shop to find a few special things to remember our visit.  It was a fascinating visit and I hope to visit again in the future. 

More images from Oak Alley Plantation

I remember walking around the Oak Alley Plantation house as we waited for our tour and feeling like a little kid as so many details caught my eyes. I wanted to capture as much of it as I could, so I took oodles of photos to sketch and paint from later on. Having a son studying architecture heightened my interest in a lot of the details, and my own love of the outdoors and gardening attracted me to the garden with all of the manicured hedges. Throughout our tour, and walking around the grounds, I kept wondering what it must have been like to have lived in this beautiful home and peaceful setting.....

More Memories of NOLA Live 2011

The signs of Fall are starting to show, and it reminds me of last fall when I traveled to New Orleans by myself to meet up with Laure Ferlita and others for NOLA Live! What a wonderful time I had!!! My journal still has many blank and half-filled pages, but I really want to fill them all up as I have so many fabulous memories from our experience together - and I don't want to forget any of them. I'll continue to post 2-page spreads from my book. I'm a little obsessive about posting them in order from beginning to the end of the book...

Just looking at these pages in my journal rekindles my memories of visiting these three notable places - sort of like wetting or reconstituting watercolor - it all comes back to life!

Monday night we had dinner in Mother's Restaurant, a casual restaurant very popular with the locals. After dinner we enjoyed coffee and Beignets at the famed Cafe du Monde. The next day we drove out of town a bit to visit the Oak Alley Plantation. What a wonderful place to visit! This is just my first image for Oak Alley .... more to follow.  

P.S. Check out the links above that I've included for these 3 places that we visited.

A beautiful day on the bay.....

I recently enjoyed a lovely day with my husband and son Sean in San Francisco overlooking the bay and sailboats that were participating in preliminary America's Cup races. It really was a gorgeous day - clear as could be. The big event is next year, but we enjoyed watching some of the preliminary races leading up to the main event. It was a great excuse for us to take a break for the day and check out the excitement. This image is painted from a photo that I snapped at the observation area at the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge. 

P.S. When I decided to paint a new image for my blog tonight - I was stumped .... what should I paint? My blog has been pretty quiet these past months and I'm  having trouble getting my momentum going again. However, I have been working on some interesting images of San Francisco as I'm just finishing up an Imaginary Trip to San Francisco trip/class with Laure Ferlita. So... a recent 'real day' in San Francisco came to mind and I looked through my photos from my special day. Having recently painted an image of the well-known bridge in Laure's class, I felt a bit of courage to tackle my own photo tonight.  

Strawberry fascination

One of my many pleasures of the summer season is seeing our garden grow and enjoying the harvest. 

My son surprises me from time to time with a collection of freshly picked strawberries from the garden, which includes several types of strawberries. The strawberries that he collected most recently are of the "Loran" variety and I found them quite fascinating. I don't know if this is unique to this variety, or it was the first time I was really paying attention...... but when I saw the strawberries on the table I immediately chuckled. They looked like they were each wearing a "Granny Cap"  (like an old-fashioned night cap) with a little white ruffle at the bottom of the cap that looked like it was gathered with elastic. Looking closer I realized that this was the blossom still intact between the greenery and the stem, and the strawberry fruit. The combination of the strawberries along with their 'Granny caps' were so cute it was hard to eat them and have them disappear.

P.S. Yes.... it has been a quiet summer here on my blog, but I want to get back to posting more frequently. I miss all of my blog friends!! I hope you all had a wonderful summer.

Summer harvest: Nectarine - Lime Jam

You might wonder what I've been up to .... lots of excitement with a son's college graduation, two sons home for the summer, visiting the other son, and FRUIT in our backyard. We've enjoyed lots of fresh fruit, but we had more than we could consume. So, not wanting to let it go to waste.... husband and I have kept very busy.... He has been canning lots of fruit as his mother did, and I've been making jam. This year I've made Nectarine - Lime Jam from a recipe that was printed in our local paper, and I think that the lime keeps the jam from being "too sweet". 


How is your summer going???

The view from my Son's window...

My oldest son has been sharing some photos of his time in Japan. I was quite taken with this photo as it shows part of his plane (P3) contrasted with a beautiful sunset or sunrise (I can't tell which one). I felt as if the photo was calling me to paint it - and I considered it a challenge. Thinking about my son last night, as he nears the end of this deployment in Japan, got me inspired to take on the challenge and paint this image. As I was painting I was thinking of how this has been a fun way for me to keep in touch with my son despite the many, many miles between us. I can't wait to see him again!!!

P.S. I've included his original photo in case your're interested in the view that inspired this.  

Martial Cottle Park

I'm very excited that a new Park, the Martial Cottle Park, is coming to an area near my home. It will focus on preserving a bit of history of the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was once promoted as the  "Valley of the Hearts Delight", after two centuries of an agricultural economy started by the Spanish missionaries. Over time the focus in the valley shifted from agriculture, including many orchards, to technology. We are very fortunate that Mr. Walter Cottle Lester generously gifted some of this special property to the County of Santa Clara in combination with the State of California for the purpose of a community park. The park is named after Mr. Lester's grandfather.