I do miss it

My desk top computer.  Still working on it/with it, trying to decide what to do.  Use my lap top as a desk top? Get a new desktop?  Also sewing sewing on costumes so no real post at this time.  Please do check back as I hope to be fully functioning soon.

A room with a view

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All taken from my room at the Holiday Inn Express in Astoria, Oregon.

So long.

Not my Computer

Oh, no, not my computer.  But it's true, my computer is dead.  This is the one I've had for years that had all my photos and all my music on it.  Computer doctor son-in-law is coming to have a look at it, but I'm pretty sure I'll be computer shopping very soon.  Since I have very few photos on this , my laptop,  I'll see what I can do to make it worth your stopping by today.

Besides sewing knitting, quilting, beading, reading and acting in musicals, I also enjoy photography.  I think I have shown some photos from my trip to Astoria, Oregon with my grandson.  Here are a couple more.

 We went to this bunker which was built in WW1 and used in WW2.  We were there in the evening.  I liked this stairway.  It led to the top of the bunker which is why there is light there.

Without a flash as one of the teens dashed past me and away. It looks rather like a specter.

A look down the outside corridor.

I like this, but I don't know what it is.

I liked the way this one turned out. This is just across the Columbia River in Washington.

Under the Astoria-Megler Bridge.  We were walking back from dinner.  This is a scarey, wonderful bridge.




I'm off to a 3 sister's get-away.  We're meeting up in Cayucos, California.  We're going to stay right on the beach and be senior beach bunnies.  When I say senior I mean it.  Stay tuned, there may be photos.

The Monkey on the Branch

 

A number of years ago, my daughter and a friend saw Eddie Izzard perform a funny sketch about learning French.  I never saw it back then.  In fact I only looked for it on Youtube so I could mention it here with a better understanding  of what made it's way into my sewing.

In the sketch, Eddie mentions learning some French phrases that were difficult to use in an everyday conversation.  One of these phrases is, "Le singe est sur la branche."  (The monkey is on the branch.). My daughter then noticed that there were figures of monkeys on branches here and there.  Yes, on fabric.

About that same time I bought a pattern (at the Cotton Ball) for an over night bag.  I also bought fabric I felt reminiscent of  a Victorian satchel.  It had monkeys.  Here is the pattern and the bag I made from it for my daughter. 

Pattern by Amber Creations.  Amber is a niece of the former owners of the Cotton Ball and worked there at the time I bought my pattern.  Later I took a class on the bag with Amber.  It was lots of fun.  Amber and her then fiance (the guy in the photo) signed the pattern for me.

Can you see the monkeys?  They are not, however on branches.  She liked it anyway.







 Why do I mention this?  Why am I going on about  monkeys and branches?  I'll tell you. Remember last time, when I mentioned curtains.  There I told about the kitchen curtain with a farm scene.  All gone now.   The fabric was so old and didn't go with the paint very well.  (Is this woman nuts?  Where is she going with this?)  

Voila!

 

Here is a close up of the fabric. What so you see?  Les singes sont sur la branche. Wearing jackets no less.

  

By the way,  I have made the satchel eight times. Here are some. The first being the one I made for my other daughter who doesn't feel the same way about monkeys or branches.

 For my friend, Cathy

There may be a monkey on this one.











I will close now with a link to the Eddie Izzard comedy piece on French.  Here is a warning.  He says the 'f' word  twice, but nothing else offensive.  It's pretty funny.  Le Singe Sur La Branche.

Ci vediamo presto.  (This is Italian for: we'll see each other soon.) I'm better at Italian. 

Just posting.

Country CurtainsHappy Weekend.  It's kind of weird about weekends now that I'm retired.  It wasn't too much of a transition, however, because when I was working I worked many weekends and holidays.  But because I now have every day off, I sometimes forget when it's a weekend and try calling some business or other.  Being in the production of Les Miserables, has helped me to beware of what day of the week it is.  It's not a job, but I must attend. Imagination Theater in Placervillie, CA   is where I'll be most of the time for September, October, November and December.  It's going to be great!

Check back here for more costume pictures.

My second child, Alex, is here visiting me from Arizona where she is the Emerging Technologies Librarian at Cochise College.  (You know I just love saying that.)  This is part of the reason there are no updates. on my challenge.  I am still knitting and sewing, but not as much as I will when she has to go home.  I want her to stay and perhaps live around the corner from me.

Did you know that to become a librarian you must have a Master's degree in Library Science?  Yep, you do.  Here is Alex at her graduation.  She is entitled to wear that drape( it's called a hood) at every graduation ceremony in which she participates.  Fancy.

And here she and I are behind our Foster Grants ( they're not really that brand) when I visited her last year.  We were at the Biosphere 2 outside of Tucson.

Biosphere 2

Changing the subject now. About 3 years ago I completely redid my large living-dining area. Floors (I had always wanted wood),  paint (color not off-white) and furniture ( Pottery Barn and IKEA).  Then I got curtains ( Country Curtains and PB). I had made the small curtain for the kitchen earlier from a farm scene fabric and the glass deck door curtain from a sheet.  You remember me mentioning sheets?  Well, now.  The glaring problem is that door curtain.  It's awful, a kind of dead grey-blue.  Well, readers, look what Alex found.

A little slice of this on the door would be pretty nice.

Here are two others I also like.  All of these are at Housefabric.com.  Here is the  page.   And there are more to see.

You can see the door and it's pretty awful curtain in a Christmas photo from last year.  Also the curtains from Country Curtains are visible  No PB furniture showing, but the table cloth is from there and there's an IKEA bookcase to the right of the door.

Come back and see me, but don't wait until Christmas..