Thursday, February 7, 2013 — Back On Line

Our first site of what was to come

Susan and Dennis having too much fun

The masters at work

I've never chopped garlic so fine

Chiote simmering for the vegetarian dish — Yum!

Isn't that a thing of beauty?

Our salad under way

Very serious work this

Many creative hands at work

Yesterday was definitely an up and down time for our local wifi service. They have split up our hotel grounds into two service areas — I'm sure to improve the situation, but that doesn't appear to be the current result. Anyway, you've all been in the same situation one time or another so I'm assuming your tolerant attitude will prevail. I have no choice.

I'm going to try to post the pics that didn't make it during yesterday's I T failure before it all goes off again. — Well, it worked. These are the other scenes from our glorious cooking class. It was such a happy and creative group of people there to learn and have fun. Can't beat that combination. At about 7:00 we finally sat down to eat. Of course it was beyond delicious. We had cooked it! Why wouldn't it be? We were a happy, somewhat tipsy, well fed group as we exited down the steep steps to the two waiting vans. The trip home was full of good conversations. And you all know what a hopeless eavesdropper I am. Had a hard time keeping up with it all.

Back to "Now time." The whole school is having a written placement test tomorrow because there will be a big shuffle before the next period starts next Monday. I'd like to progress just a little without doing too well and placing myself in a more stressful level. We'll just have to see. Wish me that just right, moderate (as always) outcome. Buena noche mis amigos.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013 — About That Cooking Class

Chiles at the Etla market

The land of Chile

Delicious fruit

Our guide knew her bananas

One side for pork and one side for beef

Pollos grandes

One of our group from Montreal — He was fun

Every juice possible

Eggs and fish

I am so happy that Jenny shared the details about Susana Trilling's cooking class with me before I left California. This is not something I do too often but will do again. An early morning visit to the market in Etla where we sampled anything and everything. Then a short ride out into the nearby country side to the site of "Seasons of My Heart" B &B and cooking school. I'm on my way to Biznaga Restaurant in a few minutes so I'll return to this later but will attempt to post some pics before I go, Hasta luego.

I'm back after a great Fresca salad at Biznaga but the wifi is definitely up and down by the minute so I am going to try to post what I've been able to upload and try again tomorrow. Abrazos,   Jackie

Tuesday, February 5, 2013 — A Home Away From Home

Back at Mitla with our guide and Yadin

Lolli in gorgeous purple and blue

Our guide giving lengthy explanation to Yadin

On to Monte Alban

Construction maintenance repairs in full swing

Monte Alban view down to Oaxaca City in the valley

Beautiful clouds over Monte Alban

This tree gets me every time I see it

Look at those clouds!

Mary toasting last night's dinner at Abagail's fabulous restaurant

A Teotitlan farewell with many promises to return

Staying here at "Las Mariposas" on Pino Suarez is such a comfort. Many friends from other years and delightful new people coming through every few days. It is so well located just down the street from my favorite park in Oaxaca — Llano Park. Always something going on there, I walk right through the length  of the park on my way to the Institute each morning. Today a brass band was just starting up as I walked by and some school children were obviously preparing to sing or dance or — something. Add Sunday morning's Zumba routine and the all day market on Fridays and you have something for everyone at all times.

My Spanish class is turning out to be a sliver too easy but I'm not complaining. It's good review and there is a plan to reshuffle everyone by next week. Certainly less stressful and a hearty homework assignment for tonight. — Which I haven't done yet.

Backing up just a bit, I'm planning on posting some pics from our trip to Monte Alban last week and then tomorrow I'll tell you about the trip to the huge market in Etla which was followed by the fantastic afternoon of cooking class with Susanna Trilling at "Seasons of My Heart." Three other north coasters also took part in that fun. None of it will soon be forgotten. Pam, another participant and a film maker from Montana is staying here at Las Mariposas and adding greatly to the rich mix of people.

The trip to Monte Alban was a different experience for me. Last year I went with one of the City Tours and was carefully led around the grounds site by site. It was highly enlightening because our leader knew so much about the flora still existing and its various uses by the early inhabitants. Such things as Kapoc trees played a huge role in sustaining those people so long ago. Other trees and plants were used to dye fibers as well as contribute to the food supply. Our guide knew every last little detail.

This year's visit was done sin tour leader and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Especially the freedom to progress to favorite locations at my own pace was very relaxing. I enjoyed sharing the experience with Martha, who had been my studio mate working that week with the Jacobo Mendozos. It's always fun to see a familiar site through the eyes of someone else. It adds just a nice little slice of unexpected reactions and insights.

Thanks so much to friends from home who've been checking in with me and telling me what's going on in the northland. I really appreciate even the shortest of your contacts. Some of you have also come to my rescue attending to little (or big) uncompleted chores. So happy to hear that we made the first cut with our grant proposal to the Community Foundation. The site visit took place Monday and I'm crossing my fingers for a positive outcome. It was great having Lolli down here for a few days. I'm glad to hear that she thinks she is beginning to be on the mend from a bug she came down with while in Oaxaca. I'm sending "Get well Lolli" vibes each day, girl. Muchos abrazos to all,   Jackie

Monday, February 4, 2013 — Lost pictures found

Lolli enjoying the Mitla walls

Mitla walls

Mary and Archie enjoying the sun

Jean Pierre introducing Pam

Our guide holding fast to Yadin

Can't get enough of those patterns

Pam sharing a photo with father and daughter

Oh, those patterns

Standing by the columns at Mitla

View of plaza from Abuela Restaurant in Oaxaca City

Monday, February 4, 2013

Finally found the lost photos!

I was greatly saddened when I couldn't find the photos I had taken during the welcoming fiesta at the Mendoza compound. But last night it suddenly occurred to me that when my cameral was flashing "Battery Dead" I decided to ask Jacobo's daughter Sylvia if she could capture the images on my flash card. She did successfully and I was then able to transfer them to one of my trusty little memory sticks. So over the next few days I'll try to place some of them on my posts.

While our group was at Mitla I couldn't resist capturing a few shots of our self appointed guide who was totally smitten with Yadin. He simply couldn't let go of her. Yadin did a wonderful job of translating many of his comments much to the delight of all of us. She was gracious and totally unperturbed as he held fast to her arm whenever possible.

The scenes at Mitla are some of my very favorites of all the places we have visited. The rock patterns adorning the old buildings are the essence of today's contemporary tapestries and rugs.   It makes you feel the connection like a long time line that reaches from then to now. Definitely one of my favorite places.

Today I began my four weeks of Spanish classes. Fun to be back at the Institute and amazingly walked into my class to find my teacher from last year, Ita. What a delight. I felt right at home. It's growing late so I'll post a few pictures and continue tomorrow.   Muchas abrazos,  Jackie

Happily in Mexico

Jean Pierre and Roberto

Casa Elena

Mary Z. and Sally in Diego Riviera Museum

Yael, Archie, Susan and Mary L. in Roberto's studio

One of Roberto's tapestries

Just finished Yelapa Journey tapestry and cartoon

February 3, 2013

CATCH-UP REPORT FROM MEXICO

It has been a whirlwind several weeks since I arrived in Mexico City January 14. I was blessed with an easy flight and taxi ride into town. Arrived to a pleasant greeting from the counter at Hotel Cathedral. After getting settled in my room I had a pleasant dinner visit with one of the other exhibitors soon followed by  a larger group of artists. The gathering grew and my roommate appeared to complete the scene. A good night's sleep rested us for the day Jean Pierre and Yael had prepared for us. After that, it's a blur of heavenly visits to museums and historical sites. Between the Diego Riviera Museum and Frida Kaloh's Blue House we visited an artist friend of JP and Yael's. Roberto and his wife were delightful hosts and we stayed there much longer than was planned. The whole time we were in the company of their friend Laura, whom I had met and thoroughly enjoyed last year. Some of her wonderful watermelon thread and bead jewelry was on exhibit at Roberto's and i fell in love with them. Later in Oaxaca we had coffee together in the Zocolo and I chose one necklace and some earrings of hers. They'll be such a great reminder of this lovely and interesting woman.

The second day was devoted to more museums including the unbelievable Anthropology Museum. Mexico City is incomparable.

Our third day was devoted to the trip from Mexico City to Oaxaca City. I arrived at my home away from, "Las Mariposas" a little wobbly from some sort of systemic disorder that hit me during the bus ride. Must have been an 18 hour "something" because I was fine by the next day. We jumped right into the symposium at the San Pablo Foundation with fifteen minute talks by all the artists complete with translations into Spanish and English. Very exciting to see the work and hear from everyone. That was continued into the next day at the end of which was the opening of the exhibit. That was spectacular. The San Pablo facility is just next door to the Oaxaca Textile Museum where the opening was held. Beautiful old buildings remodeled very sensitively by an outstanding Mexican architect. Simply a joy to be in its midst. I joined my north coast fellow artists and Mary Z. for a delightful dinner at the end of the passageway facing the San Pablo. Only the beginning of the great quest for the best mole. It just keeps going. Each one is  better than the last. Sometimes difficult to hold even partially to my salad regime.

Sunday we were whisked away from the city to an amazing welcome by the weaving community of Teotitlan del Valle where we were to spend the week visiting with weavers, exchanging tips and techniques and touring the area. We were welcomed at the Mendoza compound in the middle of town by an impressive brass band composed of elders down to a six year old playing the triangle very seriously. We were ushered into a dining room with a huge long banquet table where we feasted and danced and drank mescal all afternoon before being delivered to our various homes for the week. Mary, Shirley and I were taken to Casa Elena which was hugely accommodating. Very centrally located for visits to the morning market and breakfast at Descanso Restaurant. Then, each day we were delivered by little mini-cabs to our respective studios. My daily destination was to the lovely studio of Jacobo and Maria Louisa Mendoza. Tomorrow, some descriptions and pictures from their highly productive work place. Abrazos to all,   Jackie

The Real Maiden Voyage

       

—The Real Maiden Voyage —

I did a wonderful first overnight in my new (to me) little Rialta motor home over a month ago. Peter and Mary Gealey, who have a very neatly appointed Vanagon, went for a weekend outing to Westport. We explored the shoreline below the Howard Creek Headlands camp of the Union Landing State Park facelity. One would never know that such wondrous sites existed just below those headlands we drive by so innocently on the way to Usal or Leggett to reach Highway 101.  Skip would have loved knowing about the outcrops and waterfalls that abound with flowers and shoreline specimens We went to the newly refurbished and beautified Westtport Hotel and met friends for Saturday night dinner. It makes a great roadhouse and the food is wonderful. We showed our friends the newly "done" rooms upstairs because they had relatives heading this way who would enjoy staying there. All in all a fun way to start my life with my new "home away from home." I thank the Gealeys with gusto for keeping me company on my first time out on the road and overnight. It was great.

Now, I am in Gold Beach, midway through a one week trip with my friend Sandra to visit her son here. We stopped and spent our first night in Trinidad at an apartment I had reserved so that Sandra could wake to the spectacular view of Trinidad Bay. But, alas, as sometimes is the case, the whole bay was socked in with fog you could cut with a knife.

We went with Kathy, Danny and Elena to Larapin's for dinner and spent the next day having breakfast at Kathy's, playing in Arcata with Kathy, meeting Patti for a mid-afternoon salad and spending the night at the Patrick's Point State Park. #104 had an easy walk to facilities and a perfect overlook to the shore which was still socked in. The next morning we did a good tour of other areas in this huge, beautiful park, finishing up with an overlook that miraculously opened up for a yummy view of a south facing point in the shoreline.  From there we headed north yesterday, stopping at many of the sights I wanted Sandra to see, such as Big Lagoon, Dry Lagoon and others. We tried finding a place to eat at Klamath but absolutely nothing revealed itself to us, so we drove on to Crescent City where I indulged in the most delicious fish and chips with salad for the chips. We shopped up a storm at a Rite Aid in Brookings, buying everything from nail polish and remover to mini clip-on lights for saving the electricity in the Realta. We bought cleansers, scentless candles, foil and plastic wrapper to answer some of the other forgotten necessities to a little traveling home.

I'm beginning to thoroughly enjoy driving this little vehicle. Actually, "little" is a relative description for a motor  home that is just under 22 feet long. I had to tell myself for some weeks as I was trying it out and exercising it in the Fort Bragg area that it is longer than my Dodge Caravan and that I must think "wide" turns if I want to clear things in one go of it. But now I'm experiencing the rewards of those trial runs. It drives like a dream on the highway. Thanks to Steve who urged me to buy this one with it's 2002 VW motor, it has absolutely no problem on hills up or down. Every "savy" male  who has advised me has said to use the gears when going downhill to save the brakes which are evidently notorious in all RVs for being rather borderline for the kind of vehicular weight they are serving. I'm doing it and overcoming the fact that I would have to look down to the gearshift on the floor to see the designations. Of course, I'm unwilling to take my eye off the road, so that was bothersome at first until I trained myself to do it by feel instead of sight. —  I'm getting there! And I'm feeling quite joyful trucking along out on the road in this lovely, beautifully designed automobile.

Sandra's son, Jesse,  lives on a knoll high above Gold beach with a spectacular view of the shoreline as well as  the mouth of the Rogue River.

9/30 Continued: 

Yesterday afternoon we took a walk high atop Cape Sebastian …… another breathtaking view and tunnel like trail in thick coastal greenery. Jesse's two children, Marisa, (9) and Ben, (6), were always ahead of us, then hiding behind some lovely trunk and popping out with screams of joy if we hadn't discovered them. What a fun and lively little pair. We returned from that tour via a great city park where more calories were burned along with more screams with their friends.

Jesse cooked an organic chicken, made cucumber and tomato salad with yummy fingerling potatoes from his garden. Totally delicious. Jesse may be a judge in his workday hours, but he's a great tour leader, father and cook in his leisure time.

Today he took us to Port Orford where we had a classic brunch spread. I had spinach salad with salmon, Sandra and Marisa had eggs plus the works, Ben had fantastic looking pancakes with blueberries and Jesse had eggs Benedict. The children ran down a path toward the beach when we were done and they discovered the most densely fruited blackberry patch I've ever seen. What a kick to watch Ben chomping them down like a steam engine.  We moved on to a museum/historical site of an old coast guard station. Port Orford Heads State Park is well appointed with diorama and model boats from all eras plus real boats and outdoor waterfront sites of the old rail track on which the coast guart used to launch their rescue boats when heading out to save a ships and boats in distress along this rugged shore.

  

We headed back, some of the time on the old highway as many of you know to be my favorite way to go. Saw Jesse's first tiny abode where he lived without heat but close, close to surfing water. That's obviously what counted most back in those days.  Reminds me a lot of Danny when we were first getting to know him. We're back at Jesse and Kelly's on the knoll and so far only talking about leaving. Jesse is making a great smelling soup using the stock from yesterday's chicken and I know Sandra wants to stay  ….sooooo … stay I'm sure we will. Then, we're hoping to wind our way down to Harris Beach state park.  Just received the "soup's on" signal, so onward, onward. A totally good and satisfactory day was had by all.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

I'M BACK.

I've been on several single track modes over the last several months. The usual obsessive work toward finishing our building project of creating a little campus at Pacific Textile Arts moves steadily ahead. Though we haven't formally received our final inspection, we have held our first rummage sale and it yielded enough to keep us afloat. We held the first small class in the large classroom several weeks ago. Sandra Lindstrom shared her secrets for making the gorgeous embroidered needle books that she sells at North Coast Artists gallery. In the process, the class also learned to dye silk ribbon and perform a small selection of embroidery stitches with both yarn and ribbon in order to adorn the covers of their books with lovely little flowers and leaves. This was a very productive first class and we owe thanks to Sandra for all her effort and expertise.

Last week we held our first actual weaving workshop. Four days with Mary Zicafoose were spent learning the basics of ikat dyeing for tapestry and rugs and then proceeded to weave our newly dyed warps on five front row looms in our new classroom. What a joy it was in every way. Mary is a superb teacher and an inspiration in oh, so many ways. It couldn't have been a better way to inaugurate the room and our impressive collection of small and medium sized looms accumulated over the years.

In the next several days I will attach some pictures of these two classes to complete the picture. I'm just forging ahead with sharing a few words with the airways right now because I can't stand the much too long hayatis from sharing my thoughts with you. Whoever you are. I know now that it's important to my health and my very being to just write and share at least several times each week and I'm vowing to do it more regularly.

Several textile events came and went during my silence. Convergence in Long Beach took place and I actually had a great time. I took two workshops. One with Terry Flynne using Braiders Hand's new core device to enhance Rodrick's introduction to core braiding. That went well and I learned a lot but still haven't been back to the city to retrieve my braiding equipment and table loom which Richard Sutherland and Michael Hattori so kindly transported by car for me. I hope to spend a weekend in the city soon to retrieve them. Thank you for your patience, Richard.

Before going to Convergence I drove Highway 20 to Immigrant Gap and on to Echo Lake to deposit Bobby with his much loved Cayotes (Kathy and gang) who first brought him over the Mexico/California border to live in the north country.  Then, after Convergence I spent six days at Echo and then brought Bobby back to his coastal paradise.

I'm off to a meeting and will continue later. Much love to all of you.