Christmas break

Today I go from a household of 1 to a household of 8 for the Christmas season. The second fridge is on, the food cupboard has been stocked, baking done & Bob is safely home from the -10 to -30 temperatures of Mongolia to an overcast, wet but pleasant Brisbane.

However you celebrate the Christmas-New Year period, have fun, be safe, spread love & joy & see you soon.

Lunch with friends

One of the many pleasures of the Texas residency last month, was conversation with Jane Dunnewold & Lisa Kerpoe, over lunch in San Antonio. Above L-R Lisa, me, Jane. These lovely ladies are passionate about their work, research & refine techniques for textile artists & both publish their knowledge in wonderful books.

I know what an impact Jane's book Complex Cloth had on my work & her latest-Art Cloth is going to influence the next wave of surface designers.

And I had to visit the Alamo while in San Antonio.

Polar bears

These cute fellas are in the Queensland Art Gallery water mall. Scott Redford from the Gold Coast is the artist.

Christmas comes early

Last night we had a delightful early Christmas at a niece's house. Aileen & Peter had each room decorated in a separate theme colour & it was a magical wonderland, with woven paper hearts hanging throughout the house.

The colours on the verandah, where we ate, were purple & blue & we were asked to also wear 1 of those  colours.

What you can't see is the constant rain or hear the happy chatter & laughter of adults & children.

The salads are covering my ham, turkey & potato bake! Yes, that's a cup cake on the side, decorated in the theme colours.

Dear blog readers, thanks for your continued support throughout the year, it has been a pleasure getting to know you. May you have a joyous Christmas, if you celebrate it & my best wishes go to each of you for peace, happiness, love & creativity throughout 2011.

Cows heads

Many years ago, when we lived in Darwin I had a great collection of cows heads collected from the bush, so I was really delighted to find decorated ones in New Mexico.

Sadly I lost my collection when we moved as Bob took them to the dump, without asking!

Cactus syrup

The Prickly Pear Cactus Syrup covered many shelves at the Sandia Peak lookout kiosk. Wonder if the bears are partial to this?

Kate, we didn't see any bears on our travels, but I would have been very wary of them, having seen them in action demolishing a car, at a drive through wildlife park in Indonesia.

No bears here

We don't have bears of this variety in Australia, just Drop Bears, [Aussie term for Koalas]. It was an intricate way of opening the bin, but bear proof & was located on Sandia Peak, 9,876ft, the highest mountain top in New Mexico, overlooking Albuquerque.

Street art

Inspiration in Childers is under foot, on the footpath. Lots of mosaic designs & rubbing possibilities, which I took advantage of.

Yes Mel, Jan & I were thankful the road opened the next day & a blue, cloudy sky accompanied us home.

The Big Wet

Friend Jan & I drove North, 336 kilometers to Childers to collect the STATE of the ART quilt 10 exhibition quilts. It was overcast & grey & rained heavily after Gympie & we encountered flooded creek & river crossings.

But we got through just in time, as the road was later closed due to the flooding.

This is the line of stranded motorists in the centre of Childers. All accommodation was quickly booked out, but we had our beds for the night & a memorable night it was, with a drunken disturbance down the hall. This is how I celebrated my 35th wedding anniversary, while Bob is freezing in Mongolia- life is never dull!

Johnsons of Madrid Gallery

Imagine my delight when we entered the Johnsons of Madrid Gallery & I saw textile work by Deidre Adams! So nice to get up personal with it & friend Patricia Gould was on her way to the gallery with her work also. Drop in if you're on the Turquoise Trail in New Mexico.

Back to 'normal'

 

If you are in Brisbane between now & December 19, don't miss this treat of textile delights- Fabulous Fibres- Nature as Designer from the 11 members of the Textile Art Group. On at the Graydon Gallery, 29 Merthyr Rd, Newfarm- Mon-Sat 10am-6pm & Sun 11am-5pm.

Linda, I find returning to 'normal' life after a trip is always achieved when dealing with the mountain of mail that has piled up, but fond memories linger forever. Something I've left behind is the morning tea 'extra' with my coffee- in this case a Bear Claw [delicious walnut filling in a Danish] as an extra 2 kilos came home with me on the waistline!

Too hot for me

Hot & spicy food is something I can't eat, so I was amused by the shrine to this hotness in a Madrid, NM cafe.

The coffee & pumpkin pie was delicious & not a hint of chili.

Proof

While out deer spotting at the Franch, I was captured on the wildlife camera. Thanks for proof of place, Karey. This was my last ramble around the property & I spent some time watching the squirrels scamper around in the woods. The most I saw of the very alert deer were their white tails held high in the air & disappearing fast!

Cerrillos

Thank you dear readers for following me on our recent travels through the USA. It was a fantastic experience, to be relived a little longer. Cerrillos, New Mexico was a quiet stop on the Turquoise Trail, the interesting road between Santa Fe & Albuquerque. Many towns have been used in movies & Cerrillos is no exception. It has a great atmosphere.

Home

I am safely back on home soil- very damp soil, as it has rained all weekend & weeks while I was away. Garden is in growth heaven. Thanks for the well wishes for my journey, which took more than 24 hours from La Grange to Brisbane by car & plane & waiting in terminals.

Some of my favourite views at the Franch.

AiR #17

I begin the long flight home today, but will continue to share some of the experiences from the States with you. It has been a time for many enjoyable 'firsts', wonderful people, new friends, great food & fond memories.

Farewell Windy Hill Lane.

Oldest

A Mass was taking place when we arrived at San Miguel's on Sunday afternoon. Opposite the church was the oldest house in the USA & not so old, delicious pizza.