Somewhere the map from Valerie Goodwin's class devolved into ignorance and, despite my interest in map quilts I'm confused how to sew something other than a paper map re-creation, petrified of making a mistake, worried that the resources will dry up or disappear. As if I'd ever run out of fabric in my lifetime.
To avoid facing these issues, I've been sewing sawtooth sashing for the Rocky Mountain Trails/New York Beauty quilt. A good thing since they've been in a pile for a couple of years. With 38 complete now, I'm halfway through.
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| Sawtooth sashing strips |
I finally forced myself to start cutting and sewing fabric for my first map quilt. Funny thing. As I sewed, the project became easier. Yes, there are
With the map top completed, there was absolutely no quilting this weekend. Instead we visited friends in Humboldt County. First we drove through coastal redwood forests. Topping out near 400 feet, they are the largest trees on earth, grow in cool regions near the ocean from San Simeon north into Oregon, and collect much of their water from fog.
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| Humboldt Redwoods State Park: Founder's Grove |
Taking a break, we walked the Founders' Grove loop at Humboldt Redwoods. It's less than a mile, very flat, and includes some of the largest trees in the park. The opening in this redwood is much taller than me; my outstretched hands couldn't touch the top. Inside the hollow extended two or three stories. How many people have sheltered in this cozy room over millennia? Top right is the root structure of a toppled redwood. Bottom right is the 346-foot Founders Tree. I never could get the entire tree in a photo. That sign is about two-feet high.
It was foggy and chilly. Temperatures on the road were mid-60s (17 degrees C) but dropped to the 40s on the trail. Brr.
Back in the car and on to Eureka where we toured the Dick Taylor Chocolate factory. This "bean to bar" chocolatier started when two carpenters read about chocolates on the way to a wedding. They purchase beans from several places to make single source chocolates. On the table are two cocoa pods with a roaster behind them. Afterwards they let us sample all their varieties. I liked the Belize but the others preferred Madagascar chocolate.
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| Dick Taylor Chocolate factory tour |
With beautifully clear weather we took an afternoon harbor cruise on the Madaket, the oldest boat in continuous service in the US. It also contains the smallest licensed US bar. Don't you love all the qualifiers? We saw several islands with numerous birds and sea lions.
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| Madaket harbor cruise ship |
Sunday morning meant a trip to Los Bagels. On their opening day they had a problem with the bagel maker. Instead of bagel shapes, they got slugs - oval shapes with no hole in the center. They cooked those anyway, topping them with a mix of dried onion, garlic, and seeds which they named Slug Slime. They are a big hit to this day as well as a lesson to us all. Not every mistake is a disaster. Open-minded thinking can help us all reorient our results.
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| Los Bagels, Arcata CA |
Enjoy the day, Ann