California Inspiration Part 1

Thanks for the comments on my previous travelogue posts. I'm happy to hear that at least some of you are finding it interesting. As promised, in this and the next post I'm sharing some things that caught my creative interest. Let's start with Dave's Stuff: Utterly Useless, Absolute Necessities. This hard to define Wofford Heights business caught my eye as we turned to climb up the steep twisty road to our cabin and I was fortunate to talk the niece and her daughter into stopping there after an emergency run for forgotten supplies. However, if you look closely, you will see a chain across the entry and we quickly noted a "closed" sign. Well, I can't blame Dave - it was Christmas eve. Bummer - it looked a really interesting place.

And then I spotted these - oh man. I had to get out and take a picture. Out jumped the grand-niece with camera as well. (We found out later that these are made from old propane tanks and are meant to be garden planters.)

We thought a few pics of these guys and we'd be on our way. But our eyes kept catching more faces, more critters. I've started following the Twitter Feed "Faces in Things @FacesPics (Admit it, you see a face)". I already have the tendency to see faces where none exist. After looking at a few on this feed, it just made it worse. I don't know what this "automatic action" thing is but I definitely see a face. Can you?

This one reminds me of an old animated cartoon figure, something I think in one of the original Micky Mouse cartoons perhaps. What's that bright yellow thing lurking in the background?

Well, no two ways about it, someone has been having fun accentuating faces in things without them. We realized we were surrounded by all kinds of repurposed metal objects, transformed into art. The cameras snapped away.

Oh, dear, our enthusiasm got the attention of Dave himself, who lives on site. He offered to let us inside, and warmed to us once he realized we thought his collectibles were very cool, not just a bunch of junk. That's when we learned that he was the one who had made the various sculptures, his thing being taking steel parts, machines, whatever, and transforming them into fun critters and other things. We also learned that he is descended from one of the first pioneers in the area and with a little prodding, Dave shared some interesting history with us. And much to Dave's surprise and delight, we actually made some purchases. Merry Christmas, Dave!

Come Ride With Me...Part 3 (with obligatory family shots)

My traveling to California for the holidays was my chance to see a part of my family I have not been with for too many years. Three generations were in included, with my brother and I representing "the elders" and 3 of his 4 kids making up the second generation. Two of those kids have families of their own now, providing the third generation and bringing our total to 12 people. The holiday plan was not to all converge on my nephew's house and spend Christmas there, but to converge on his house and then drive to a "cabin in the mountains." I had no idea what to expect, but was hoping at the least we'd get out of the brown haze. Our route took us up a narrow winding canyon that did get us away from the smog I could see trying to push its way in.

The Kern River flows down this canyon, and I was captivated by the rock formations. Couldn't get a decent picture of the river, but there were large boulders and rock layers like this all turned on end.

Eventually we emerged into a valley, an area once known as Whiskey Flats - lots of gold mining went on in the surrounding mountains. More boulder-strewn mountainsides along the road. Parts of this area are in Sequoia National Park.

Caravanning in 3 cars to the cabin

I think by now we were at about 2,000 feet but soon to head up another twisty and very steep road to the cabin which reportedly was near 6000 ft elevation. Occasionally we could get a view of the valley below.

It started looking very much like northern Idaho, all straight up and down and finally some pine trees. Had there been snow, we'd have needed chains to get up to Alta Sierra, our home for 3 days. We did see evidence of snow along the road and on shaded roofs, but the temps at the moment were still 50's to 60's.

And here is our "cabin". Yeah, not exactly roughing it, and located in essentially a little development. Houses on either side of us very close and up and down several roads.

As high up as we were, there were houses even higher. I spotted this from that second story deck.

The house was heavy on bear decorations, but this big elk really dominated. Christmas stockings were hung on the antlers, but Santa decided maybe once he filled them, it might be a good idea not to leave them hanging there.

There were two bedrooms and this loft - I was beginning to get used to sleeping with a lot of people after two nights in coach on the train - hey, at least this crew were family.

What would Christmas in a "cabin" be without a wood stove burning real logs - perfect to set the mood.

We packed in a ton of food to prepare in the more than adequate kitchen. This is me with my sister-in-law, Rosie.

We brought a Christmas tree, and small children still full of wonder: my great-nephew Ethan.

And there were teenagers too, glued to their various devices. This is my niece, Valerie, and her son Matthew.

Lots of presents also hauled in, and an amazing number of them held shoes. If you know lacrosse, then you will know how special these lacrosse shoes are. (Me- I have no clue about lacrosse).

My nephew Eric is an anomaly in the family. He kept referring to himself as the alien because he's never felt he was like the rest of the family (we soon figured out he's a lot like me). For one thing, he towers over everyone else - we really can't figure out where he gets his height. So I couldn't resist having shots of me with him - no problem seeing over me - and then his dad (my brother) - having to stand on tip toe and crane his neck to do the same.

Finally, here's great aunt Sheila with Eric's kids, Ethan and Averie, 9 and 6 years old respectively. I don't dislike kids, but I've never been comfortable around them, and have never had any of my own, so my mantra is usually "I don't do kids." Not totally true because over the years there have been a few kids that I did very well. But generally speaking, I stand back and hope for the best. I swear, kids are like cats who make a bee-line to the one person in the room allergic to them (that would be me). These two wasted no time engaging with me and being quite impressive with how well behaved they were. Maybe they were warned??? At any rate, I really enjoyed my time with them (and sleeping in Averie's bed!).

Next post - I come out of my travel daze and spot some inspiration! 

Come Ride With Me...Part 2

Continuing my holiday travelogue, now it's time to board the Coast Starlight which runs from Seattle to Los Angeles. But I'm not going that far - I'll be changing to the San Joaquin line early the next morning. But for now, I'm back in coach with an interesting seatmate from Vancouver, BC, heading into new territory. While I've traveled along the interstate to California many times, I've not taken the train down this route. Too bad it will be pitch dark in a few hours. My fellow adventurer and I feel lucky to have the first seats by the stairs as there is even more legroom and we don't need to hoist our bags into the overhead storage. I'm about to spend night two sleeping in coach - it didn't seem worth the money for a roomette since I will be transferring at six in the morning. I shouldn't have been so cheap. But in the meantime, my seatmate and I find we have lots in common, and the conversation makes the time fly by. He opts for dinner in the dining car, a new experience for him which he gives a thumbs up, pleased with the vegetarian option, and I grab lighter fare from the club car, also good. I have such a hard time keeping my eyes open on the train, and though I read for awhile, I soon gave up and drifted off for the night.

The train was a bit early getting into Sacramento where I'd be getting off. Well, of course, since I am not a morning person. A group of us got booted off at 5:45 a.m. to make the long trek in the dark from track 5 to the station proper. This reminded me of some of the treks I've taken from one airport concourse to another as we descended into tunnels under the tracks and emerged a  long ways later near the station, and I wished my duffel bag, small as it was, had wheels. And it was cold, as cold as Idaho when I left - glad I had not packed my gloves away. I had a shorter layover here, thankfully, because the station is in the throws of renovation, revealing nothing of what beauty or charm it might have. A low false ceiling and lots of scaffolding plus pigeons that wandered off the street in the hopes of being fed made me glad I wouldn't be there long. The Wikipedia entry has it so right: "...the station interior is full of scaffolding to facilitate the work being undertaken, causing the passenger waiting space to be visibly claustrophobic." And here I thought it was just me.

Through some scheduling quirk, the next leg of my trip was by bus. Yes, I know, but it was a nice bus and only an hour to the station at Stockton where we would at last board the San Joaquin line to Bakersfield. It was light now and I was reminded of what I never liked about the landscape in this part of California. Just too dry and brown and lacking in substantial vegetation for me, no offense. The station in Stockton seemed off the beaten path and felt a little dodgy as well as tired around the edges. I was glad there were so many others waiting with me and that it was not the middle of the night. I was reminded that not all station stops are equal.

At this point, I realized I hadn't had my shoes off in over 24 hours and one of them was rubbing a toe. I took the opportunity to give it some air - like my holiday socks?

I'd noticed them sometime during the night when I'd momentarily come awake, but now I looked up and there it was, framed in a window - a palm tree. For no good reason, I hate palm trees, at least in California.

And yes, now I'm in the land of palm trees, waiting for another slightly late train.

While waiting, this fellow's attire caught my attention. No one dressed even remotely like him and he didn't seem the least bit self conscious. I really did wonder what his story was.

Last leg of the trip was essentially in a commuter train - not unpleasant but not the same kind of seating as coach on the regular lines - and very long, about 4 hours through a very boring stretch of California made bleaker by the terrible air quality. Its saving grace was wi-fi access and it got me to my destination with little fanfare. I'd been peeling layers for awhile now as the temps began to climb and stepped off the train to temps in the 60's. I was whisked away to my nephew's home where a tree in the front yard sported the colors of autumn, some of its leaves scattered across the green lawn - ah yes, California Christmas! I was given my grand-niece's room to bunk in and the pleasant surprise of being able to sleep under the wedding quilt I made for my nephew and his wife. And I indeed slept well after my arduous* journey!

*In retrospect, I realized that part of what made this particular trip seem "not for the faint of heart" was all the transfers from one train to another. For those of you thinking it would have been easier to fly, well maybe, but I remember all too well long flights with one or more transfers (no direct flight for me to Bakersfield), long treks from plane to gates, long drives or shuttles to and from airports (1-1/2 hours to the nearest airport to me), and red-eye flights (only two flights to Bakersfield a day for me - very early morning or late afternoon). For me, train travel is logistically easier (the station is 10 minutes away), I am treated like a valued customer not a commodity and given lots of help along the way, and Amtrak rarely strands a rider if trains are running late - more about that when I share the return trip adventure. And food! You always have access to food & drink and can move around freely about the train and step off to stretch your legs and get fresh air at some of the longer stops along the way. I do sometimes think I'm an anomoly loving this less stressful form of travel so am always surprised at how many people are getting on and off at my little town. And I was gratified to hear all along the way that every train I was on was a sold out. End of commercial...;-)

Come Ride With Me...Part 1

I've been back not quite a week from my holiday travels and as usual, I marvel at how long it takes me to unpack, catch-up and return to routine. Nearly there, with blogging about the trip one of the last things on my list. My destination was family in Bakersfield, CA, my mode of travel Amtrak. I've never enjoyed flying, liked it even less once the TSA got involved, and have successfully avoided it since moving to Idaho in 2006. So far, the train or my car gets me where I want to go. Granted, I do have to board the train in the middle of the night, but I'm a night owl anyway. I'm not in that big of a hurry, so the leisurely pace and hours watching the scenery fly by suits me. This particular route, though, was my longest train trip yet - 36 hours with multiple changes of trains. Definitely farther to CA than I expected so there was a bit of mental cheerleading before boarding - you can do this!

First leg of the trip had me heading west to Portland, OR. I've been on this route before, but have always gotten off short of Portland to visit my Hood River friends. I ride coach, the train giving passengers roomier seats that recline more than those on planes and much more leg room, so getting some sleep is possible. This time I left 30 degree weather and snow on the ground to wake up along the Columbia river to overcast and grey. But people who live in this area are a hardy lot and were out walking their dogs and running on this Sunday morning.

I had concerns when I moved into my current abode that it sat so near the railroad tracks. Those tracks really are just yards from my back yard. Yes, the house does shake from time to time, and there's a certain amount of rumbling as trains pass, but some of that is buffered by a screen of trees which allows only a glimpse of cars. I live in a development of rentals so I just figured that was one of those things one had to expect. Imagine my surprise as we got closer to Portland to see luxury houses wedged between river and train tracks with absolutely no buffer of sight or sound. Some looked even closer to the tracks than my own house. Now I don't feel so bad.

Lots of bridges crossing the river down this way. I could just catch a cool reflection of one from my view out the window.

Sometimes under, sometimes over, the train crosses highways. That's a lift bridge and I was intrigued by that white building next to it.

All these pictures are taken from the Washington state side of the river, but eventually, the train too has to cross it into Oregon. Look - there's our bridge and some welcome splashes of color.

Sequence of 4 shots through Amtrak window while crossing bridge.

And then the girders of the bridge were flashing by my window leaving abstract images on my brain. I tried to capture some of them as they flashed by.

The train had been nearly an hour and a half late leaving from home, but managed to make it up and even get us to Portland a little early. By 10:00 a.m., I was hauling my bags off the train and settling into historic Union Station. I'd done a little research before I left and frankly, was not all that keen on the architectural style. Still, maybe there'd be impressive stuff inside like I found in Seattle's King Street Station that I spent some time in a few years ago. No, it seemed pretty bland by comparison.

Maybe I was just tired. I wasn't the only one - several people had stretched out on benches in a side waiting area - we had a 4 hour wait for our train heading south. Somehow, I wasn't surprised that this man was reading Zane Grey - he just looked the type to like that kind of wild west literature. 

I killed some time reading, writing, nibbling on the lunch I'd packed, and then doing some laps around the room. That's when I spotted some decorative ironwork through a window. A peak outside showed many of these flourishes on roof supports. Well, it was something.

So maybe I should give the main area another look, now that I was waking up a bit. While not having as much variety and detail as the Seattle Station, the ceiling did have these decorative elements.

For all the time I spent there, I was not compelled to get out my sketchbook. I seem to have this problem when I travel. Too tired and disoriented to focus or care, actually, not letting anything catch my interest. Maybe later. To be continued in the next post...

Another year has snuck up on me...

Hey - 2014 - what are you doing here? No way all 12 months of 2013 have elapse already. I haven't begun to address all the things I figured I'd get to when I put together my "Reminders!" list in January. Sure, a few of them did get done, and of course, there were those unanticipated ideas and projects that just had to go to the head of the line. But really, I missed a lot of days of productivity for one reason or another, and it doesn't seem fair that just when I find my drive and energy return, 2013 decides it's done and gone.

So, 2014, you will have to be content with 2013's leftovers, cause that's what I put at the top of my plan for you. There were some pretty interesting and exciting things on that list, so you shouldn't feel too badly that I'm not coming up with "new and even more exciting" things to fill your days. I've jotted down a few specific things for January and already I sense my eyes are too big but it's all stuff I've put on hold for a couple of months. I'm rarin' to see those things done, curious to see how they play out. And then, then I hope to start on a series that is just for you, 2014. The long awaited "water series" feels ready to launch. Can you be ok with letting me tie up loose ends from last year knowing that I saved this series for you? I think we can do great things together and frankly, I'm so ready to get going.

Holiday Break

I'll be spending the holidays with family, something I haven't done for quite some time. So besides being derailed by the usual holiday preparations, I've also been attending to all the little things one must when getting ready for a trip. The newspaper and mail have been stopped, end of the month bills paid, library materials returned and a book picked out to pass the time in transit, to name just a few of the things getting crossed off the to-do list. The closest I've been to my sewing machine has been to sew the hems of a couple of new pairs of pants for the trip, perfect fits except for length (unless I want to go buy some platform shoes...). I'm so used to spending the last couple of weeks of the year wrapping up projects or leisurely working on some low priority itch that I find myself a little torn emotionally. I am so looking forward to this time with family, and the trip itself while at the same time feeling a weird sense of loss about not being home to putter in the studio.

Well, that's just habit talking. We get into routines, forge traditions, feel off balance when we are pulled out of them, willingly or not. And then we return refreshed and ready to hit the ground running. At least that's what I anticipate for me. And for my readers, I wish a safe holiday, one in which you allow yourself time to enjoy your own traditions or share in others, carve out some quiet time for yourself, create or rejuvenate. See you in a week!

A little printing and more cafepress

I'm down to the last few Christmas cards, some which will go with gifts, and so I took a bit of a break from writing yesterday to do some printing on fabric. (Sssh, don't tell anyone that some of these are presents!) I'm using cotton sateen that comes adhered to a stiff paper backing in a 24" wide roll. While my Epson Workforce 1100 does not accommodate rolls, let alone anything this wide, it will print up to 13" wide, and this particular backed fabric when cut to size feeds so well through it. The resulting prints look as sharp and true to color as if printed on photo paper - I just love it!

This printer hasn't gotten much use in the last couple of years, and when I printed something off on paper a few months ago, I got some odd lines running through my graphic. Printers that sit tend to develop heads that clog up. Sure enough, when I did a nozzle check, there were gaps in the test print proving that the heads required cleaning. I also took the time to check alignment to assure good clean and accurate prints. If this all sounds like Greek to you, I suggest you check the manual or help screens for your printer and work through these basic maintenance steps, particularly if you have been unhappy with the quality of your printing lately.

The difference between ICM & Adobe RGB settings

Another thing that is worth checking is the advanced setting for color matching and other settings found within the preferences or printer set-up (like unchecking "fast printing" and checking "envelop" to accommodate extra thickness). If what you see on your screen differs from what prints out, it may just be a mismatch of settings. I'd written down the settings that seemed to give me the truest color match on fabric in the past, but when I printed my first image, it was not very close. I checked the other settings I could choose from and decided to try a different one, and it was much closer to my screen image. Now for those of us just wanting to get on with it, all the time I spent yesterday morning cleaning and aligning heads and changing settings from the defaults might rankle, but with the price of ink and fabric, it is worth taking this time to get your settings right. I am so pleased with the results. And as so often happens with me, as long as I was set up and on a roll, I worked on and printed an image for my next art quilt. Holidays or not, the creative urge cannot be denied!

Angel of the Rock Journal through cafepress

And now for a commercial break. I've changed the image on another item in my cafepress shop. My "Angel of the Rock" art quilt is in a private collection, but you can enjoy it on the cover of this 5" x 8" journal. The journal is available with 4 paper options: blank, college ruled, dot grid or task pages. And does anyone use mousepads anymore? If so, perhaps you would like the mousepad I offer with the image of one of my journal quilts "Texture". Happy shopping! 

Holiday Break

The creative journey is on hold as the studio work table has been taken over by Christmas card preparation. I do enjoy this process, choosing cards that resonate with image and sentiment, recapping the year in a letter for those I only connect with periodically from season to season, adding a personal note to show this is not just an automated process. I guess I enjoy it also because I love being the recipient of the cards and letters that show up in my mailbox each Christmas. It's a different kind of staying in touch from our ubiquitous electronic one, a tradition I doubt I'll ever give up.

I've also been busy updating my cafepress shop - it's not too late to order gifts in time for Christmas. My "Idaho Maple Leaves" image has been added to the tile coaster (available in both framed and unframed versions) and keepsake box. And you can now find my "Willow" quilt on notecards that can be purchased individually or in packets of 20.

Still available are t-shirts and sweatshirts, mugs and totes, stickers and magnets with my Idaho Beauty Block logo and motto (Quilting...an alternative lifestyle) as well as two calendars of my favorite art quilts and journal quilts. And don't forget the new items with oak leaf image recently added. Happy shopping!

Postcard Postcards

Oak Leaf Fabric Postcard - Sheila Mahanke Barnes 2013

I think I'm done making oak leaf fabric postcards for awhile. It's been fun and informative and just a little bit addictive. There may be more of these in my future, but for now it's time to move on. And as much as I might like to make one for each and every reader, that isn't going to happen! Instead, I've added an image of one of my oak leaf fabric postcards to some of the products in my cafepress shop. The next best thing to the actual postcard might be the picture on a photo postcard. They come in sets of 8 and can be purchased here. I've also added the image to a lovely mahogany tea/recipe box and a business card holder.

I know I've said this before, but I do plan on more updates to the shop. In the meantime, check out my two calendars of favorite art quilts, cards, mugs and gift items. Some of these may be going away soon.