Orcas! We Saw Orcas!

Last evening, around 5:30, Bob and I were sitting on our back porch when I noticed a big disturbance in the water, with spray. YES! It was a group of 6 or more large orca. They were swimming very fast, going south out of the inlet. Within a minute, they had dived and were gone. Now I can't stop watching the water to see if they come back. It is not common to see them in Case Inlet. I went to http://www.orcanetwork.org/ to report our sighting and read about others in the area. We are just thrilled to have seen them. (ps this picture was not taken by me as there was not enough time to grab my camera, but this is very much like what we observed)

Out with the Old

Yesterday, at long last, our new wood stove was installed. The small Vermont Castings stove that came with the house, pictured above, was undersized and difficult to keep a fire going.

In addition, the hearth was just an eyesore to me. It may not look so bad in the photo, because you can't see that there was an over sized "back splash" of terracotta tiles; I had painted them to match the wall at some point to try to blend it into the background. This never really worked. I use the wood stove daily for at least 3 months of the year, so having one that is efficient is more important than the aesthetics (well, maybe not MORE). After complaining and wishing to change out the stove for years, we finally got around to it. The 30% tax credit sure helped us make the decision.

TA DA! Here is the new Jotul 500, and the appropriatly sized hearth of Imperador marble. Looks a little bare, huh? Not after we arrange the kindling bucket, small stack of wood logs, my gloves and matches. That will wait for another day. Today is sunny and winter seems far off.

My Heart if So Full of "Tinsel"

I am just back from the "Tinsel & Treasure" show in Danville, CA. My heart is so full of love for these gals and for the opportunity to spend a couple of hours in a place of magic. This is not a big show with many "vendors" and large crowds. This is a collective of women who put their passion and heart and soul into their creations. Everything is handmade; everything is lovingly displayed and graciously handed over to the new owner. Having said that it is not a large show, still a crowd did form. As the doors opened at 9 am, the ladies tapping their toes outside whirled en masse to Donna. Of course they did as that was my primary destination, too. Here is Donna frantically writing out sales receipts, trying to keep the frenzy in check.

As Donna was situated on a corner, I made an end run 'round the corner before the, ah hem, ladies, beat me to it. (I'm kidding here as the crowd was friendly and there was no observed shoving). I came upon the prize items of Donna's large Napolean hats and more and more! Unless you are from Mars you have been to Donna's Blog and seen all the glittery wonderfulness I am referring to. One smart woman snagged most (all?) of these hats. But, I'm OK with it! I got to see them up close and personal. And, bought my own treasures, which are featured above and below. Above are two boxes from Donna, one with a clown theme that she told me she had whipped out the day before and the other is a set of fabulous box with glittered sides with a small crown inside. Also in the pic are some gift tags from Anna Corba. DO click on these pics to get an enlarged image to better see the details.

Here are my othe purchases: The 1/2 moon ornament from Donna; The wreath made from vintage wire, ribbon and various millinary findings plus the 2 tiny pumpkins made of spun cotton and real bullion wire from Charlene Geiger; Two ornament pretties from Iva Wilcox.

These jolly fellows are Dee Foust's. Her guys are large and in charge. One would make the tablescape for a festive party. Her booth was very popular. I was at the show from opening until closing and beyond. For the final 2.5 hours I was taking classes taught by Ulla Milbrath, Ulla's blog. Did I get a pic of Ulla? NO, and I could kick myself. But, go to her blog because there is a splendid pic of here there plus many pics of the marvelous work she does and teaches. That isn't the whole story, though. Ulla is cute and was dressed in a charmingly whimsical spooky top and skirt. This woman smiled for the entire duration of the 4.5 hours of her make & takes, offering lots of encouragement and a helping hand. All of the seats were taken, the craft tables were crowded with glue, scissors, rulers, ribbon, wire, bone folders, the kits, and all of the scraps were swept on to the floor. Guess who got to clean-up? Ulla, that's who. She is delightful and, well, I just fell in love. In addition to this show I got to share meals with my good friends Ellen and Linda. A quick trip to CA, but one full of Tinsel and Treasures.

BIG BUT

Oh, wait! Did you think I meant butt? Naw. The "big but" is that I love these boots. But... These heels are too tall. I can't walk in heels. Wouldn't these look great with...well, I don't know that I have anything they would look great with. But I love them anyway.

And this pair is too expensive. I can't buy these boots! But, these would be so great with stuff I do have, and they would beautifully complete the Martha Stewart ghostly equestrienne costume. Guess I need a plan B.

So Simple

The simplest things can bring pleasure. One of my favorite breakfasts is a slice of good bread, toasted, with butter and apricot jam. Accompanied by espresso. In Paris, a croissant and cappuccino are substituted. There was a little cafe around the corner from my favorite Paris hotel, Hotel Aubusson I don't recall the name of this tiny cafe, but every morning I was there with my usual request. For me, saying water (eau) and butter (beurre) in French are impossible, and of course I required both! This is how I started out my day of simple pleasures.

Next is riding my Buffy. He is recovering from acute lameness brought on by riding him over rocky terrain, so today we walked on the shoulder of our road to inspect a tract of land that has just been cleared. Cleared for what, I don't know: sell the timber? prepare for building a home? Then I baked a batch of Toasted Walnut Oatmeal Cookies from Martha's Halloween magazine. This is my second batch in a week. Today's cookies are for Bob to take to his sister's tonight to celebrate the start of UW Husky football. Go Dawgs! This afternoon I am going to craft cards for my friend Josef, using the "Dreamer or Swinger" theme. And modifying them to a man's point of view. Later, while Bob goes off to see the football game, I will watch "Obsessed", with Beyonce. A little left-over Thai curry from last night, a little wine, me and Gandi and TV. A simply perfect day.

DREAMER or SWINGER?

Are you a Turquoise and Diamonds lady (Dreamer)?

Or, are you a WOO-HOO lady (Swinger)? Click to enlarge each photo for clues.

Tinsel and Me

I am so excited this morning! I decided to LEAP and travel to Tinsel and Treasure . I have been thinking about this for many weeks. Donna O'Brien, one of the talented artists who will be there, has encouraged me to come and meet her. She and I are blog buddies. BUT, it would cost me JUST to get there, not to mention I will want to SHOP. The tipping point for me was: I happened upon a multi-day crafter's convention in St Louis, MO sponsored by Home Companion (aka Mary Engelbreit), with classes being given by Wendy Addison! Wendy is the goddess of all things crafted from paper and glitter. YES, I do mean the best. To be able to learn at her knee, well, well, I was struck dumb. Today, the first day to register for the St Louis convention, I started in making arrangements: registration fees, airfare, hotel...uh oh. This was going to cost a lot. Then I reflected back on my decision to not go to the Tinsel show with Donna, et al, because it would have cost...a little. In the meantime, as added incentive, Ulla was going to be teaching "make & takes". One of her projects that I signed-up for is in the above picture. Can I make a short story long, or what? So in just 11 days I will be on my way to CA for fun and friends. PS I am adding Donna and Wendy to my favorite blogs so you can go have a look. Neither of them are frequent posters, which is why they weren't already featured. But these gals are both so creative and meticulous with their work. PSS Did I say that I was excited?