I'm Going to Texas

Friday, April 21, 2017

If at first you don't succeed ...

Note: I had so much to write that I divided things up into four posts, all of which should show up on your screen as you scroll down.

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I couldn't decide whether to make Saskia's peace pin in blue and green to match her beautiful, watery pictures of the Netherlands, or to go with earthy natural dyes from the Texas Hill Country. So I did both ...

The first from a thrifted green linen shirt, the second a windfall lichen dyed linen napkin. They were backed with indigo shibori cotton and thimble flower dyed muslin respectively ...

And then, because we're still waiting on our granddaughter's appearance, we headed out to Gruene Hall to hear the Mystiqueros. Knowing Saskia heard them play in the Netherlands a few years ago, I decided to wear one of the pins.

As we walked over to the hall, Don said, "Doesn't Bart de Win usually come around this time of year?"

"Now that would be cool," I replied.

And sure enough, as we entered ...

there he was ...

Even though they didn't play It's Only Rain, we did get to hear Rain All Night ...

Then Bill Small turned over his usual bass, and picked up a six-string ...

while Mark Nelson, who often paints during Gruene Hall shows, worked away ...

Bill was absolutely shredding it ...

which was when I realized ...

that he was Mark's subject ...

Now, for this synchronicity to make sense, you have to know that I watched Mark paint Bill once before, but was too timid to ask about buying the painting. This time, however, I took a look when Mark walked away during the set break and decided to work up a little courage ...

Then I went over to Bart de Win and showed him this post written by Saskia two and a half years ago

http://www.saskiavanherwaarden.com/2014/10/westerly-wind.html ...

"That's my living room!" he exclaimed. After which I told him about the connection between his house concert in the Netherlands and my Texas Hill Country blog

http://imgoingtotexas.blogspot.com/2014_10_22_archive.html ...

By the end of the evening, we purchased Mark's painting of Bill and headed home with Saskia's peace pin well-embued with Mystiquero magic ...

But still no granddaughter. Next up: we're gonna try house guests from Virginia. Maybe that will do the trick!

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Road trip!

We're trying our best to encourage our soon-to-be-born granddaughter to arrive sooner rather than later. Since having a party for a 20-some people on Easter didn't do the trick, our next gambit was a 170 mile road trip. The draw was an Indivisible rally in Kerville focused on environmental issues as our member of Congress is (ironically) the chair of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, but currently hell-bent on dismantling the EPA. The rally featured several speakers ...

and a roadside sign-along ...

after which we headed home at 75 mph, as I tried to take pictures of wildflowers ..

And for those of you who think Texas is flat and dusty ...

there is a reason we call it the Hill Country ...

I confess, we did stop along the way to pick up a souvenir ...

What's that to the right, you ask? My hastily wrought rally sign ...

which may see a little more action this coming weekend, unless our granddaughter decides to (finally) make her appearance.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

3 + 1 = 4

Addendum: Link to peace pin arrival here ...
http://louisemaywatson.blogspot.com/2017/04/peace-pin-arrives.html

More pins sailed away to Nancy in California, Judy in Pennsylvania, and Cynthia in Vermont ...

plus one that got away unphotographed to Louise in England because I was so excited about the moon stamp that I put the pin in the envelope and sealed it before realizing the omission.

Sunday, April 16, 2017

Easter revisited

We experienced our St Louis family's Easter from afar ...

but consoled ourselves by having our Austin daughter visit with her family ...

and a few friends ...

15 adults and 7 children in all (one at 9 months old was too young to pose) ...

and definitely too young to draw ...

or hunt Easter eggs with the big kids ...

There are three more babies expected to arrive before next Easter, at which time G ...

will be able to help his little sister find eggs and bunny tracks ...

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Wascally wabbit

Getting ready for an Easter gathering.

Picking mealy blue sage and grasses for the tables ...

Dyeing blown eggs in a vinegar/water steam bath with an old silk scarf (red), mealy blue sage (green-ish egg on the right), red cabbage (blue-ish egg to the left) and lots of onion skins (rich browns) ...

Our porch garden (mostly) defanged ...

with the very spiny chollas replaced by less hazardous succulents ...

and the converted chaise planted with a second crop of herbs and lettuces ...

One of Don's woodplay efforts landed in a planter ...

Speaking of Don ...

I'm thinking our guests tomorrow will be delighted ...

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Gathering momentum

More pins are heading out into the world.

One for Dana in Washington who spoke of cerulean blue skies, and also wrought this study in blue for Dee Mallon's Hearts for Charleston

https://deemallon.wordpress.com/2015/08/16/hearts-for-charleston-dana/

The second for Joyce in Virginia, who loves green and natural dye colors. I confess I thought back to our former home in the Virginia Tidewater as I stitched hers ...

And a third for Jude, who lives on Long Island where I grew up 50 years ago. It was stitched on vintage linen from one of my mom's tablecloths, dyed with windfall lichen from the Texas Hill Country, and backed with more tablecloth linen dyed with indigo ...

I'm sending it with a notecard picked up in Santa Fe, New Mexico after seeing Gustave Baumann's 1920s woodcuts in a museum ...

And as I was thinking back 50 years to growing up on Long Island, this quote seemed timely ...

Although I confess to still feeling this way more often than not (with deep regret that the distinctive voice of Amy Krouse Rosenthal, author of the delightful children's book Little Pea, is now gone from the world).