Monday, June 29, 2009

Wine-eyed Susan


rudbeckia, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

This flower is a rudbeckia, or commonly called "Black-eyed Susan" The specific name of this rudbeckia is "Cabernet". With its deep red almost brown with purple eye the best name for this flower is the "Wine-eyed Susan." After my trip to Denver this week I hope to travel up to Sonoma for a little wine-eye myself.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Summer is here!


Fourth of July, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

The June gloom is over and the sun is out for the summer. It is hot today but I love it!. This week I have moved the buffet out of the dining room and on the truck to Colorado. I have tidied up the room and painted the baseboards.
The fourth of July is only 6 days away. I hope you all have a fun day celebrating our country's freedom. I made this quilt 4 years ago. My favorite fabric is the Hawaiian red. This quilt hangs for the month of July every year.

Dining room clean and sparkling


dining room, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

After lots of cleaning, moving the buffet to Colorado and a little touch up, Sophie is enjoying a well deserved nap

Sophie


Sophie, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

I have awakened Sophie with my photography. Sorry Sophie!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Melly's pescatore


Melly's pescatore, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

We all have our muses: Ten days ago I took a workshop from Melanie Testa on soy wax monoprinting. At dinner Saturday night not only did we eat food but we also talked food. I asked my art teacher if she had a fantasy dish what would it be? "pasta" and "shrimp". So Melly, this one is for you. I used the cappelini pescatore from Francesco Buto on the foodnetwork.com site and then tweeked it a bit. I used fettucini for my pasta. I found some beautiful shellfish...scallops, tubed squid and of course jumbo shrimp at Whole Foods. I used fresh organic tomatoes, Sauvignon Blanc, free range chicken stock. I further seasoned the sauce with ancho (cayenne would also be great) pepper flakes A must: shallots/ not onions and a light pasta sauce....because fish is light and needs mild complementary flavors. I finished off this sauce with about 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt. Try F-N posted recipe or try mine....it's pretty yummy. For dessert try key lime pie. Thank you for the inspiration, Melly!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Fathers' Day


fathers day, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

It is the fourth Sunday in June....Fathers' Day. My son, Brad and my son-in-law, Ryan are great fathers to their little girls. Maybe they will get special syrup on their pancakes this morning. And maybe a card personally made. Maybe there will be a barbeque in the back yard. Or maybe these dads will just spend a part of the day relaxing. I am glad you are such good fathers and that you enjoy that part of your life. HAPPY FATHERS DAY, guys.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Thursdays with my California girls


waving at the train, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Thursdays are my day with Ella and Kate. I pick Ella up from Kindergarten and we do something together. Most of the time she wants to go to Golden Spoon for a frozen yogurt. Then we go home and play Uno or scrabble or just water the roses. Then we pick up Kate and do something all together. It's Kate's choice and she always wants to go to the BEACH!. This Thursday was no exception. The only difference was that it was the last day of Kindergarten and so the last day of our little routine. Kate loves the train. In San Clemente the train travels along the ocean so that is the beach of choice. She loves the train but is a little leary of the the loud horn. So she hold her hands to her ears in anticipation. Here she sits on the top of the slide waving to the train as she realizes that it is safe to uncover her ears. Where is the train going, Kate? "San Diego!" You are right sweet little girl. Then off she goes to slide, swing and collect rocks on the shore. She puts the rocks in her pocket to take them home to Mommy. Ella usually finds beautiful colors and then takes Kate to wash her feet in the foot shower before we go home. I have so much enjoyed sharing Thursdays with these precious little girls. They bring me so much joy. Next Thursday will be different.

San Clemente


San Clemente, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

jump!


jump!, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

choosing rocks


choosing rocks, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Ella and rocks at San Clemente

rocks in the pocket


rocks in the pocket, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Melly's pasta


Melly's pasta, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

The beginning of a pasta dish starts with pasta and fresh organic tomatoes. I need to find some shrimp and fresh basil before I start cooking. To be continued.....

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

This is a portal of the Navy Training Center in San Diego.  Our workshop was at the San Diego Watercolor Society, housed in one of its buildings.  My father-in-law, Robert West DDS and my uncle, Richard Thompson DDS ( UDT team member) trained here in preparation for their duty in the Navy in WWII and the Korean War.  I felt a tremendous amount of reverence and respect as I wandered the grounds during my workshop free time.

Monoprinting workshoop with Melanie Testa


my favorite, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

This weekend I indulged myself in a workshop taught by the fabulous Melanie Testa and assisted and arranged by Jane LaFazio in the old Navy Training Center in San Diego at the San Diego Watercolor Society. Melanie came from Brooklyn to teach us her technique for printing with dyes using soy wax as a resist. We will use our products in small art quilts later but this weekend was devoted to technique. There was a variety of women artists attending and therefore a huge diversity of dyed fabric on Sunday evening. In between "playing" with wax, dyes and color we shared some time around the grounds, having a glass of wine and enjoying beautiful San Diego's Point Loma and Shelter Island. On my walk Sunday morning I welcomed the morning catch from the game fishing boats. Thank you all for an inspiring weekend.  Click on any of the photos and it will link you to my flickr page where you can see more

group project, back side


group project, back side, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Kitty


Kitty, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Gifts from my garden


Spotted Tohwee, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

I saw a pair of these in my garden this morning proudly carrying a fresh caught worm each. They hopped off carrying their breakfast. This was the first sighting in my own garden. I hear them in the morning but until today I had not seen them. What do they say "The early bird gets the worm?" Sophie and I were lucky to be out early this morning. (This image was taken from a photo by Bob Smith)

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

The butterfly room


butterflly room, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

This is my guest room or nursery. We call it the butterfly room. There are birds and butterflies and lots of polka dots in this room. My girls like to play here and have sleep overs with Nana. Unlike the messy room it still is representative of its name.  The quilt is a Yo-yo design.  

butterfly room


butterfly room, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Birds and butterflies float from the ceiling

lemonaid stand


lemonaid stand, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Remember your first lemonaid stand? These adorable little girls all made their first one today out of a shipping box. Good repurposing girls! and the lemonaid....also resourceful. There was a party for baby Kai today and there was an abundance of lemonaid. These little entrepreneurs took advantage of the extra and sold it back to their parents and guests!!! Oh what fun!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Messy room studio????


Messy room 1, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

What happened to the famous messy room? This is the last of the upstairs rooms that I have cleaned up, thrown out, spackled and painted. It echoes in here it is so empty. Have I lost my mind. I hope I can still be inspired in this room. So far I am still cleaning and packing and painting. Next room: downstairs. Wish me luck

messy room 2


messy room 2, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

messy room 3


messy room 3, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Ella's open house


Ella's open house, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Ella invited her family to Open House at her kindergarten to show us her projects at school. Kate enjoyed her trip to school and helped Ella count the straws for the calendar part of her day. After the open house the girls thought it would be fun to climb the little tree. Ella is a pro at climbing trees and was very helpful in showing Kate how to do it. Kate did just fine "by myself". It was a fun evening. I am glad I got to go. Nine more days of kindergarten and then its on to first grade in Denver!

Ella in tree


Ella in tree, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Kate climbing tree


Kate climbing tree, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Gifts from the sea


gifts from the sea, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Today after my yoga class I walked down to the beach at the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach. This is a public beach that just happens to be the frontage to a fabulous resort. I don't remember the first time I went to the beach as a child but I still and always have enjoyed walks on the sand...barefoot of course. The sand feels so good as it meets the bottom of my feet. Some beaches have very fine delicate sand. Some have rocky pokey sand and some, like today's, have larger grain sand that massages the soles of your feet with a little crunch. Today the tide was very low and it allowed me to look into the tide pools and find the hermit crabs scurrying from place to place underwater. There were a couple of skimboarders enjoying the little waves, a woman reading her book and a couple trying to capture the perfect photographic opportunity. But for me I found a few treasures along the beach. The mussel shell (such a gift to find them connected) was freshly washed up. The tumbled shell was an old soul and the seaweed....well it was just common stuff. I enjoyed it all. Beats work anyday

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

The end of a beautiful bloom, in memory of my friend, Brian


Peony, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.

Last night I got word of the death of a friend...a young friend. Brian Minton took is own life last week....a mystery no one will understand least of all the one who acts. I loved Brian. He was a friend through my daughter, Whitney and her husband, Ryan. They all met at the dog park in Richmond Virginia 7 years ago when their dogs were puppies learning to get along with others. Brian became part of their lives and so also mine. We spent all holidays and birthdays together; shared wonderful meals went to children's movies (sometimes without any children) and enjoyed intellectual banter. I am so sorry that he no longer could visualize being on this earth. My family is so sad and confused. We will all miss him

Kate and Brian


Kate and Brian, originally uploaded by cabanagirl.