- Life is short ... enjoy every minute

As we were out cactus and bush whacking this morning, my eye was caught by two perfect feathers. This is unusual ... it is rare enough to find one perfect feather, let alone two.

"Kachina feathers!" I called over to Don.

At which point he noticed many more feathers, some bloody ... no body to be seen ... but there was a hole at the base of a nearby tree, a den perhaps, so we gave it a wide berth as we gathered ...

                                  

wondering if it was a fox that did the deed ... although I'm beginning to suspect the local stray cat that frequents our neck of the woods.

Anyway, the feathers are now in the freezer ... a strategy suggested by our hosts at Ravens Ridge who claim it kills the mites that otherwise turn feathers into ragged shadows of themselves.

Later in the day, we headed to the Fiber Art Show that I first read about on Grace's Windthread. Underlying Order would have caught my eye had it been there, no question about it.

I asked if photos were allowed ... and was pleased by the affirmative answer.  As we strolled through, Don was taken by a piece that brought Kachinas to mind ...

Note the feathers ...

                                                                     

and by the golden piece behind it ...

the color more faithfully captured in this detail ...

                                                   

But my eye was caught by this rusted gem ...

which included a fair bit of hand embellishment along with machine stitching ... 

Turns out it was made by a neighbor just down the road ... a kindred spirit, for sure ...

                                                   

But I've saved the best for last and will let the pictures of Sara Coppedge's Enigma speak for themselves ...

A day well spent, not a minute wasted ...