Gail's Excellent Adventures

Priority Alzheimer's

2011-10-28T12:34:00.007-06:00

I've been involved with the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative since it was founded by Ami Simms whose Mom was afflicted by this terrible disease. Their main fundraiser is the sale of Priority Alzheimer's Little Quilts -- quilts that fit into a priority mailing envelope. Their goal was to bring 1500 little quilts to International Quilt Festival in Houston, and THEY DID IT! All sales go directly to fund research for Alzheimer's Disease, which also afflicts my mom, who now lives in an Alzheimer's facility.
This is one of the quilts that I donated to the 2011 Priority Alzheimer's Project. This "Tiny Trees" will be for sale in their booth on Row T of the main exhibit hall at International Quilt Festival, Houston.

Here's a link to another of the projects undertaken by AAQI, "Alzheimer's: From Heartbreak to Hope" Each of the purple rectangles bears the name of a loved one who was afflicted by the disease. The strips were taken around the country and people lined up in droves to add the name of their loved one. Each of the strips was quilted and bound to make this amazing exhibit.

A Bear of a Year

2011-10-26T20:04:00.002-06:00

Emaciated black bear cub at The Wildlife Center, Espanola, NM

I don't know if you knew that I also post bird and nature blogs at New Mexico Birds. I usually post a couple of articles each month, mostly about birds. But, my most recent installment is about Black Bears and the high number that are being found starving and injured during this record drought year. Wildlife and nature are a major part of my life, and I'd like to begin including links to those posts here too.

Days for Girls

2011-09-25T18:36:00.006-06:00

My small quilt group, Designing Women, has undertaken several charity projects, but Days for Girls was quite different than any of our previous endeavors. This worthy group collects and distributes women's sanitary supplies to women in Third World countries, primarily Africa. Did you know that in these areas, girls must miss school and women must miss work due to their monthly menstrual cycle? It made all of us realize just how lucky we are to take these supplies for granted.
Days for Girls supplies four different patterns for pad holders, in different sizes, to meet varying needs. This is the simplest to stitch the diamond shape. The organization also insets all the snaps that are used to hold them in place, so we didn't have to worry about that.
The Cutting and Organizing Crew: (l to r) Lisa Stewart, Pat Drennan, Mary Chappelle (who brought the idea to our group), Twila Bastian (our hostess for the day) and Debbie Caffrey.

Cathy Combs concentrated on making flannel pads that would fit into the pad holders.

So did Cynthia Figueroa-McInteer!

Five newbies joined our group for the "sew-in", including two teens. All of them are part of Hawks Aloft, the avian conservation group that I also head. From l-r: Amelia Porter, Lizzie Roberts, Rhianna Roberts, Chellye Porter and Lindsey Porter.

Here Lizzie shows off the cutest pad holder ever!

Amelia's pad holder is doubly cute!

Anita McSorley took on the task of top-stitching the pad holders.

Ta Da! And here is our finished pile of pad holders, 105 in all. All made from scrap fabrics from our stashes. We also made a pad to fit into each pad holder.
It was a great project, particularly meaningful for young American girls who learned more about the lack of basic sanitary supplies in some countries. Days for Girls supplies a goody bag that contains two pad holders, 10 pads, and also soaps and other hygiene supplies. Check out their website and think about have a sew-in with your group. You will be glad you did!

Quilting by the Lake - 2011

2011-08-10T21:40:00.001-06:00

A Fabulous Class

Tricksters at QBL

2011-08-10T21:18:00.004-06:00

Imagine my surprise when, after returning from lunch, I asked a question and several sheepish faces stared back at me. Finally Joanne exclaimed, "Don't ask me! I have the smallest head in the class!". That really got my attention and I wondered just how it was that she knew that. It turns out that they were busy using their flexible curves for another purpose besides drafting quilting patterns -- measuring the circumference of each other's heads.

Friday night was QBL Show and Tell, where each teacher and her class get up on stage to show the results of the week long class. Imagine my surprise when my class marched up on stage, flex curves in hand and then donned them as head ornaments!

We simply had way too much fun at QBL!

And, without a doubt, I had the best students in my class!

The Very Special QBL Class

2011-08-03T12:15:00.002-06:00

Nancy Sporn displays her work in progress.

It isn't often that the chemistry among a class rises to this level. It ranks among the most fun class ever! Students were skilled, creative, and mischievous. We bonded almost immediately. Of course, the SuperGlue helped the bonding process.
Joanne Williamson created a sawtooth border effect through careful selection of background fabrics.
Linda Santana used rainbow geese to surround her star.
Charles Johns' star features intricate edging to highlight each star point.
Sue Colwell's design is growing beyond the circular design.
Drafting the design.
Paul Leger and his star featuring rainbow colors. This is part of a larger project focusing on a community celebration in his home town.
Sally Ickes got the prize for bringing the most fabric to class.
Amy Quinn and her star.
Kitsee Demeree took classes from me many years ago. It is thanks to her lobbying efforts that I was invited to teach at QBL this year. Thank you, Kitsee!

QBL - Accommodations

2011-08-02T20:26:00.002-06:00

QBL is held at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse, where the dorms are brand new and the rooms are arranged in suites. No traipsing down the hall to the communal bathroom. My Suite-mate was one of my favorite teachers, Libby Lehman. We had not been at a venue together for a long time -- so many words, so little time. Libby has special travel accessories, like this Baby Bird blow dryer, so small it would fit into a nest.

Quilting by the Lake - A Very Special Conference!

2011-08-02T20:17:00.002-06:00

Jeannette Rossi and her star and Pointy Dude border.

The first class was a two-day Sensational Stars and Circular Borders class, followed by the three-day Flying Colors class. Almost everyone signed up for both classes so it was more like one five-day class, my favorite thing to teach.
They got a lot done too. Here Irene Dietlin shows off her star with the Flying Diamonds border.
Doris Prol got the prize for the fastest sewer in the class. She moved at light speed and it was all I could do to stay ahead of her, demonstration-wise.
Here, she shows off an entire goose strip, replete with Flying Fishies.
Cynthia Moreland opted to surround her star with a Flying Goose border. It was the mostest fun with totally great students.

Quilting by the Lake - The Auction

2011-08-02T19:58:00.003-06:00

My first year teaching at Quilting by the Lake in Syracuse, NY. Hosted the the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, they ask faculty members to decorate an apron to be auctioned off on the final night to raise funds for scholarships. This is what my apron looked like when it arrived. Pretty ordinary!
I thought black and white graphic prints might just do the trick. And, I found a couple of rainbow goose strips to go along with the B/W fabrics.
Stitching ... Stitching ...
All done! Now, for the auction part! We, the teachers, collectively decided on a beach theme. A field trip to Walmart yielded beach towels, a beach ball, little balls (100 of them), and a cute little bucket. Libby downloaded beach boy music. Jane Dunnewold stuffed the beach ball under her apron! Imagine that! Then ...
We got to dance on stage as our apron was auctioned off. In all, they raised $5,000 for scholarships! Way to go QBL!

The Bathrooms, er, Toilets

2011-05-28T16:21:00.001-06:00

Did I mention that sheep are big business in New Zealand, with 4 million people and 40 million sheep? And, that Kiwis have a good sense of humor!

The Glaciers -- Fox and Franz Josef

2011-05-28T16:07:00.004-06:00

Geology on a massive scale! Imagine the power that carved these steep glacial valleys.
And, on a more detailed level, the glacial ice carved the rounded, intricately patterns rocks that litter the valley floors.

Mike and Madeline scampered right up to the base of the now retreating Fox Glacier.
While at Franz Joseph, the current glacier is a fair trek up the valley. We lacked the time necessary to fully explore this one.

Justine and Karen enjoyed the walk

as did Shirley.

We were left with a sense of awe and insignificance at the power of ice.

Donna Stewart, The Wool Patch

2011-05-28T13:53:00.004-06:00

At Harihari, we visited Donna Stewart and her husband in their home, a tea with outstanding scones, and more surprises.
Donna works exclusively in wool, and had a small basket of hand-dyed wool for sale. Her business, the Wool Patch, will be undergoing changes soon. Donna is pursuing her dream, and after eight years of trading and meeting some wonderful people, she will be studying art and design full time at Christchurch Polytech. Donna's work is unique and all of her quilts are wool. This one features many of New Zealand's rarest birds.
While this quilt is more traditional.
Everyone, especially Jane, really enjoyed the show and tell, but the biggest surprise was ahead - -

PUPPIES! Their Jack Russell terriers had produced six little pups one month earlier.
Justine holds up one of the pups so it can get a smooch from our driver, John.
Betty was instantly in love. I suspect there will be a puppy in her near future.
It's a good thing that we would all have to get on a trans-Pacific flight. Otherwise, we might have had to scrap over who got to take one home. Here, Judy bonds with another pup.
While we were acting like besotted fools, Mama Dog just took it all in stride. Thank you, Donna, for sharing your home with us.

2011-05-28T13:43:00.003-06:00

At Hokitika, on the west coast, a storm was brewing on the Tasman Sea. The west coast of New Zealand is rugged with mountains that plunge down to the sea. Consequently, there is an abundance of driftwood on the black sand beaches.
This coast captures the flavor of wild nature as these huge trees, or remainder of what had once been, rolled onto the beach.

Some of the logs were massive.

Storm on the Tasman. It was a privilege to be there.

Autumn in New Zealand

2011-05-28T13:34:00.002-06:00

As our group moved into the mountains of South Island, fall colors were evident. At Wanaka, we experienced the first snowfall of the year.

Crossing over the pass to Westland, colors were stunning.

Kaikoura: Albatross Encounters

2011-05-22T12:00:00.004-06:00

But, the primary reason that I wanted to be in Kaikoura was to go out on a pelagic birding trip with Albatross Encounters. It is, without a doubt, the best pelagic in the world, if the weather cooperates. This was my third trip with Captain Gary and it was every bit as wonderful as I had hoped.
The continental shelf drops abruptly to the ocean floor about 2 miles offshore here, creating a nutrient rich upwelling of water and huge numbers of oceanic species, like Royal, Shy, and Wandering Albatross, as well as Giant Petrels, Cape Pigeons, Gannets, and more. The birds are so close that you could almost reach out and touch them, although doing so would definitely risk the loss of digits.
We were 9 strong on this outing, more than half of the tour participants came out with me. Betty loved the close-up views of the birds. This Southern Giant Petrel, below, posed for the camera while waiting for a turn at the chum basket.

I think our group must have taken hundreds of photos. Notice the calmness of the ocean on this day.
Our captain told us that this Northern Royal Albatross was a very old bird, possibly 50 years old. Apparently, albatross plumage becomes paler with age. The peach coloring is a remnant of breeding plumage. Upon our return to shore, we were greeted by this shag and gulls. A wonderful trip, not to be missed if you are in New Zealand.

2011-05-22T11:53:00.002-06:00

Next Stop -- Kaikoura, where we had a bit of tea and cookies at Patch Of Country Quilt Shop. Here, Justine found a new-to-us "kiwiana" print that featured native New Zealand birds.
Dave and Betty enjoyed the brilliant sunshine on this warm day as our snacks were set up outdoors. Quite a charming little shop.

Blenheim, South Island

2011-05-22T11:40:00.003-06:00

Blenheim, locating in the heart of wine country, is a working town, with a path along the river. Imagine my surprise when, during a solo evening walk, I came upon this delightful mural that stretched for a good distance.

Fall was definitely in the air!

And, sunrise the next morning was positively brilliant.

Wine Country - Gibson Bridge

2011-05-05T19:55:00.003-06:00

The Marlborough region is renowned for its fine wines. Some of the very best are never exported. We picked up a winery map at the local quilt shop, the Quilt Barn, and I asked what they recommended of the many that were in the area. Gibson Bridge, in Renwick, had won numerous awards, including Marlborough's Best Cellar Door 2010. It was settled and we were off to find them in our rather large bus.

Well, we didn't realize the size of the winery we were about to visit. They had never before had a large bus stop in front of their tiny showroom. Owned by Howard and Julie Simmond, their 6 acres of grapes are mostly Pinot Gris with quantities of Syrah, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Gewürtztraminer. It didn't take Howard long to collect his thoughts and then treat us to one of the most remarkable wine tastings I have ever experienced.

The 6 acres of grapes are hand picked and pressed. Only the best for the Gibson Bridge grapes. Two bottles went home with me that day, with special packing to pad them in my now seriously overweight suitcase. It's so worth it for something this special. Another suitcase and an extra bag charge, but two precious bottles now reside in New Mexico waiting for that special occasion to arise. I already know how good it will taste!

Good-bye Wellington, Hello South Island

2011-05-05T19:44:00.003-06:00

What a dramatic view from the ferry that would take our group to Picton on South Island.

Mary, who hails from Dallas, TX thought the ferry was terrific.

Marci and Ina, from Albuquerque, were busy taking photos.

And Shirley and Judy, from Prescott, AZ, just relaxed and watched the scenery. It was on this ferry ride that we saw Blue Penguins as we motored through the Marlborough Sounds. And, a King Shag!

Zealandia

2011-05-03T20:57:00.005-06:00

We learned much about the threats faced by New Zealand's native birds when it comes to introduced predatory mammals, rats, cats, stoats, and possums. The NZ Department of Conservation spends millions of dollars each year, trying to control their populations. There are several predators free preserves on off-shore islands, but Zealandia is one of the first predator-free, ecological preserves on the mainland. With a predator-proof fence that keeps the mammals out, the birds are free to come and go. The difference is immediately apparent on approach to Zealandia. Riotous bid song fills the air. The cacophony is much like what must have greeted the earliest settlers to the unspoiled island. Kaka are plentiful at Zealandia, boisterous and confident.
A pair of Takahe had been recently introduced to Zealandia. Takahe were thought to be extinct until a small population was discovered in the Murchison Mountains on South Island in New Zealand.
Looking up toward the top of the valley.
Zealandia also boasts a breeding population of Tuatara, ancient reptiles native to New Zealand. Tuatara can live 100 years or longer.
We saw many native species that were impossible to catch with the lens of the camera, Stitchbird, Saddleback, Tomtit, New Zealand Scaup and, of course, the inimitable Tui. A pair of New Zealand Falcons has a nesting territory in the park, but they were not evident during our visit. Zealandia - a must see location when you nest visit New Zealand!!!

Wellington Quilter's Guild

2011-05-03T20:47:00.003-06:00

The Wellington Quilter's Guild hosted a pot luck dinner for our group and what a spread they provided. We really enjoyed their hospitality and the "show and tell" they had arranged. Sadly, I forgot my camera that night so don't have any pix, but as it turned out we seemed to run in the Wellington girls quite a bit in Queenstown, so I was able to snap this image of Sheryl Anicich and her quilt, "New York Garden". The quilt was part of the traveling exhibit and book, "Made in New Zealand II".

Wellington/Minerva/Ann Scott

2011-05-03T18:59:00.002-06:00

Anne Scott is the publisher of New Zealand Quilter magazine and the owner of Minerva in Wellington. Here, Ann shows off one of her quilts, that was part of the traveling exhibit, "Made in New Zealand".
Anne's shop has tons of quilting and fiber books as well as a gallery with rotating displays.
"Welcome to My Pacific", another quilt in the traveling exhibit, was created by Carol Newsham
Minerva had a doll exhibit during our visit, big ones, tall ones, short ones, small ones.

But, this is the little fellow who stole my heart!

The Black Swan

2011-05-03T14:48:00.003-06:00

Lake Rotorua hosts a population of the Australian Black Swan, one of only two species of swans that are not white. There are seven species of swans in the world.
Since the tour was now well-indoctrinated into my passion for all things feathered, they were pretty darned excited to see and photograph the black birds.

Te Puia Geothermal and Cultural Area

2011-05-03T14:36:00.003-06:00

Once our weaving class ended, we were treated to a tour of the Te Puia geothermal area.

We stayed for dinner and were treated to Maori traditional dances. This woman had the most amazing voice, like that of an angel. Note the flax skirt around her waist and the second one around her shoulder.

Maori men performed warrior dances

They invited their visitors up onto the stage to learn the dances too. Not as easy as it looks.

Madeline took it all in.

The two brave ones in our group, Karen and Madeline, got up on stage to dance the woman's dance using these swinging balls, again much harder than it looks. After a great dinner, we headed back to our hotel near stinky lake Rotorua.

Te Puia

2011-05-03T14:12:00.006-06:00

Te Puia is the heart of the Maori Cultural World. Their mission is to be the centre of knowledge and excellence for the preservation, presentation, education and growth of traditional expressions of Māori arts, crafts and culture. This woven flax garment is simply incredible.
Their gallery features some incredible weavings, all done from flax leaves, including the floral arrangement.
We took a weaving class, so we too could learn this art form. Looks pretty easy in this picture, where our teacher, Teresa Murray, whipped out this sample in no time at all!
Teresa showed us how to score the flax leaf and then use a paua shell to remove the fiber.
Once the fiber was removed, the remaining strands were rolled along the leg to form a twisted rope. It takes hundreds of these strands to make each grass skirt. Our team got started! It is not nearly as easy as Teresa made it appear. In fact, I toiled for two hours, inadvertently destroyed several flax leaves and, finally managed to get two strands done.
Next, we all went down to the boiling pool, to boil our flax. Teresa showed us how it was done.

Dave was one of her helpers.

Karen, a New Mexico native, was the other helper. Here they are removing the boiled flax. This is the collective work of 18 students! The lesson that I learned here is that if you ever want to own a grass skirt, just pay whatever the asking price is! It will be worth it!

Flax weavings hang beneath the roof along the walkway at Te Puia.

We saw this ancient Chief's cloak and woven skirt in the gallery too. It would have been used by a Maori chief and was adorned with real Kiwi feathers.

Rotorua

2011-05-03T13:34:00.005-06:00

Our hotel was located at the southernmost end of Lake Rotorua, in an area known as sulphur flats. (read stinky). But once you got used to the aroma of rotten eggs, the birding was rather good! The inland lake has a good population of Black-billed Gulls, a species that frequents inland lakes and is the most threatened gull species in New Zealand. Good numbers of Pukeko were present foraging among the gulls. Check out this funky PukekoMania blog with lots of humorous images and not so funny hazards. We saw Pukeko in wetlands throughout New Zealand, a truly gorgeous blue rail with a bright red bill, and legs.

Sunrise was spectacular!

Sulphur Flat is home to many endemic species, including New Zealand Dotterel, White-fronted Tern, and Black-backed Gull.
At Rainbow Springs, we visited a Kiwi breeding facility where eggs are removed from nests located in the wild, hatched and reared in captivity, and then released near their nest sites when they are large enough enough to defend themselves from stoats, rats, cats, and possums. We also got to see the native Tuatara, the ancient reptile, unique to New Zealand.
Dave and Betty, who hail from Wisconsin, posed in front of the giant kiwi at the park.

Sheep and Working Dogs - the Agrodome

2011-05-03T12:53:00.004-06:00

Meet Mr. Merino, one of the most desired breeds for the production of wool. New Zealand is renowned for its sheep and the working dogs that are part of the team.
At the Agrodome, in Rotorua, we watched a demonstration of the different breeds of sheep and the different kinds of dogs that are used for herding.
The show was entertaining and educational with hilarious parts, such as when a dog was herding ducks, and the audience was invited up to help milk cows and bottle feed lambs. Lenelle, the Australian on our tour, enjoyed the photo opp.

Judy, a proud octogenarian, handles the just-sheared wool.

And, Cora, who LOVES dogs, got a chance to pose with her handsome new friend. Cora missed her new puppy who stayed home in California, under the care of her hubby.

Hamilton Quilt Guild Meeting

2011-04-30T12:46:00.003-06:00

That afternoon, we visited the Hamilton Quilter's for their monthly meeting, featuring Daphne Phillips, an octogenarian, and one of the most prolific quilters ever! Daphne shared many of the quilts she had made over the course of her quilting career. Most inspiring was her 'can do' attitude, not to mention all of the quilts she had made.
Ellen (in the flying goose jacket) checks out some of Daphne's handiwork.

Donna's Quilt Studio, Hamilton

2011-04-30T12:34:00.005-06:00

The next morning we visited Donna's Quilt Studio. Noted for her funky quilt fabrics, friendly staff, and fun quilting classes, Donna specializes in contemporary fabrics and original designs. Donna, and daughter Ashley are the go-to girls for the “something different” you’ve been trying to find.
Here, Ashleigh helps ring up sales for our group! One of the interesting phenomenons about our tour was when the group of 18 quilterly types, excluding Mike and Dave, descended en masse on a quilt shop.

Dinner at the home of Kerry and Marion Manson

2011-04-30T12:12:00.004-06:00

Many, many thanks to friends, Kerry and Marion Manson, for hosting a really fun evening where we could relax, meet new friends, enjoy some wonderful treats (like pavlova!), and "Show and Tell". Here, Katherine Parrott Reeves, shows off her quilt Te whanau o nga awe kaka. Translated as the "Red feathered parrot family, this quilt describes her family and heritage. The images in the quilt are of Katherine and her 3 brothers. This quilt is featured in the 2009 exhibit and book "Made in New Zealand II", organized and published by Anne Scott, owner of New Zealand Quilter magazine and Minerva, located in Wellington.
Here, Robb Jerebine shows off her plaid creation. The image doesn't really do justice to this charming quilt.
Donna Ward, and daughter Ashleigh, show off quilts from a miniature challenge in which they participated. Donna, Ashley and mom, Merle, all taught at the Remarkables Symposium in Queenstown, three generations of quilting teachers!
I showed off my Flying Colors Sampler, one of two quilts that were small enough for me to carry along on this trip.
Meet "Not Bruce" and "Not Robert". Seems that when we made the nametags for the group, we used everyone's given names as they were listed on their passports. It was after a little beverage indulgence at the party that our mistake became apparent! Not Robert is really "Mike", a New Mexico resident. "Not Bruce" is a friend of the Manson's and husband to Robb.

Onward, to Grandmother's Garden

2011-04-30T11:46:00.003-06:00

Leaving Auckland behind, our group traveled south to Hamilton, stopping at Waitomo Caves to view the glowworms. Our first quilt stop was at Grandmother's Garden where two large, incredibly mellow dogs seem to take all the visitors in stride, and a large cat as well.
Grandmother's Garden opened in 1984. It was the inspiration of Hazel Wolff who had just returned from living in America where she had become 'hooked' on patchwork and quilting. Animals are an obvious passion of Hazel's as evidenced by this fun quilt that hangs in her classroom.

Kelly Tarlton's Antarctic Adventure

2011-04-30T09:34:00.005-06:00

With the afternoon free, I opted for a visit to Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World which was a dream of Mr Tarlton, created in the abandoned sewers of old Auckland. Here, they have two species of penguin on display, Gentoo and King. The Gentoo Penguin shown in the foreground here, might be found on the Subantarctic Islands of southernmost New Zealand. Oh, how I would love to be able to visit these one day and see the penguins in the wild.
Kelly Tarlton's has a breeding population of King Penguins. The parents and their young a isolated from the other birds to prevent aggression. King penguins breed on seven sub-Antarctic island groups with large populations on the Falkland Islands, Macquarie Islands, Heard Island, Iles Crozet and Marion island.

Juliet Fitness, Quiltmaker

2011-04-29T15:14:00.004-06:00

Next stop on the tour was tea at the beautiful home of Juliet Fitness in west Auckland. Juliet is an amazing quiltmaker, and her work is unique. The wide array of styles was impressive.
Her home is located on 10 acres, in suburban Auckland. With the historic native vegetation, special permits were required to clear enough land to build their home. Consequently, the vegetation comes right up to the house, a fantastic display.
Juliet is known for her creativity, use of color and techniques that she uses in her quilts.
She has a good sense of humor too, as evidenced in this small wall handing of a Kiwi.
Her friend, Allison, helped serve tea and cookies. We ate the most unbelievable snacks, Kipper Biscuits and Fruit and Nut Slices. Yumm!!!

'Nuff said about Juliet's sense of humor!

Shopping Auckland

2011-04-29T14:45:00.004-06:00

Day two of our tour found us visiting more quilt shops, beginning with a stop at Patchwork Passion, owned by Robyn Burgess.

Robyn specializes in exquisite Japanese fabrics, 1840 reproduction fabrics and hand-dyed woolens. We departed with heavy packages.

Dye-It Fabrics

2011-04-29T14:23:00.005-06:00

We enjoyed morning tea at the home-based business of Janet Ryan, who specializes in hand-dyed fabrics, some of which are stamped with Kiwi-ana birds and symbols.
While Janet and her friends graciously hosted tea and snacks, the tour participants got their first taste of my other passion -- birds. I heard a little Silvereye singing in Janet's garden. Many rushed out to see what I was looking at.
One of our North American house plants, the Aloe Vera, grows to gigantic size in subtropical Devonport, and even blooms. I was only able to capture a bud, however.
Mike, a.k.a. Not Robert, quickly became our photographer extraordinaire with his Canon 7D. He also hails from New Mexico. He managed to capture another New Zealand bird in Janet's garden, a Tui. We were then off to High Tea at the home of Hugh and Helen Bedford, with its spectacular gardens nestled right in the midst of urban Auckland.

KiwiQuilts, Auckland

2011-04-29T14:15:00.004-06:00

That afternoon, we visited KiwiQuilts, a home-based, online quilt shop. Mary Metcalf opened her home to us, offering us afternoon tea with beautiful quilts to ogle, spread around her living room. To our delight, we found different Kiwi-ana fabrics, so more was added to our traveling stash.
One of the quilts found a new home with Karen, one of our tour participants who hails from her home state of New Mexico.

The Quilting and Textile Tour Begins - Devonport

2011-04-29T13:48:00.004-06:00

After a glorious three days up north, I returned to Auckland to meet the 17 tour participants. Although some had flown all night, we headed right off on the ferry to Devonport where we visited Cushla's Village Fabrics and our group had their first taste of Kiwi-ana fabrics. I think they bought out the shop. We met our coach here too. While we boarded the bus, a Pohutakawa, the New Zealand Christmas tree, shed one of its limbs. Amazingly, within minutes, two guys showed up with saws, quickly dismantled the downed limb, and cleared the road -- all by hand!

At the Devonport Library, I discovered this quilt made by the local quilt guild. It was behind glass, so there is some glare. We were on our way!

Mangawhai Heads/Pakiri Beach

2011-04-29T13:14:00.002-06:00

The furthest north that we traveled was to Mangawhai Heads, looking out toward the Hen and Chicken Islands. Wild flax was abundant along the coastline.
With a beautiful sandy beach to the south, a protected preserve for shorebirds, inaccessible except for access from the south and by boat. We could look but not touch.
Another stop on that day was Pakiri Beach, where our birding tour will visit in November 2011. One of the species we will seek on that trip is the Fairy Tern.
With a population of around 45 individuals that includes approximately 12 breeding pairs, the New Zealand Fairy Tern is probably New Zealand's most endangered indigenous breeding bird.It is ranked as an endangered species, and carries a 'Category A' priority for conservation action. A Department of Conservation Recovery Plan is currently in action.

Kawau Island Flora and Fauna

2011-04-29T12:37:00.004-06:00

We found a family of Weka, a flightless member of the rail family. Both parents and two young were present, allowing close up views. Kawau Island website includes some information on the species of birds that are found there.
Eight species of rails, gallinules and coots breed in New Zealand. Evidence shows that 8 other species have become extinct between the arrival of the Maori and European settlement.
This North Island Fantail was remarkably cooperative for a tiny bird that spends its life flitting around in search of insects. The Fantail is one of the few forest birds that has benefited from the large scale clearing of forest and the creation of scrub habitat.
In 1862 Kawau Island was purchased by one of New Zealand's first governors, Sir George Grey, as a private residence. He employed architects to significantly extend the mine manager's house to create the stately mansion that still stands today, fully restored in its sheltered sunny bay. In the valley behind the house, the governor created an extensive garden containing plants and animals from all over the world.
In the valley behind the house, the governor created an extensive garden containing plants and animals from all over the world. It is here that we walked among the expansive gardens, seeing many species of birds, but no kiwi since it was daytime. Among the many animals on the island are several species of wallaby, one of which is now extirpated from its native habitat in Australia.

Kawau Island

2011-04-29T12:29:00.003-06:00

So, this is not Kawau Island! But, it looks just like an island one might be shipwrecked on. Very small and would probably not support even one person.
We took the mail boat to the island traveling to different locations and dropping off and picking up mail. This is not the mail ferry!

Collecting the outgoing mail.

Kawau Island was originally settled by early migrations of Maori people. From time to time tribes contested for the right to live on the island, which was eventually abandoned in the 1820s after a particularly bloody skirmish during the musket wars. A manganese mine was established on the island in the 1840s; shortly after, copper was discovered by accident. Fascinating ruins of the underground seashore copper mine, a pumping engine house and a small smelter remain today.

My friends, Marion and Kerry Manson! Gorgeous weather that day!

Pied Oystercatcher

2011-04-29T12:27:00.001-06:00

Just way too cool! The tide was in when I was beach walking so there wasn't much space. This one allowed me to get quite close (but I did use a zoom lens)

Matakana, Northland

2011-04-29T08:34:00.002-06:00

Following classes in Auckland, I headed up to Northland with friends Kerry and Marion Manson. This part of my journey was all about relaxation. We walked on the beach, where I got my first glimpse of some of New Zealand's shorebirds, Pied Stilt and Pied Oystercatcher, which interestingly comes in bi-colored or straight black plumage! And, I remembered my fondness for Flat Whites.
We took a boat trip out to Goat Island, where I was surprised to see this Pied Shag building a nest. It's fall down there! My thought was, "How weird is this? These birds must be confused!" But, it was me who was confused, because when I looked it up in my guide book, I discovered that they have two nesting seasons, spring and fall. It makes sense, biologically, since the weather is rather tropical in this part of New Zealand.
This native Wood Pigeon posed for the camera, perched in a tree beside the deck of the batch that we rented. This is what New Zealanders (Kiwis) call beach houses.
The view from our balcony, looking out toward Kawau Island, our next destination!

New Zealand April 2011

2011-04-07T22:42:00.002-06:00

Leg one of my trip began with classes for the POP Quilters and the Auckland Patchworkers Guild. Above are just a few of the stars designed on day one of a 2-day class.
After completing her original designed star, Wendy Johnson decided to work on a manageable-size project during day 2. She designed this cute little tree and star that she plans to use as a quilted Christmas Card. By the time she arrived at guild meeting the following day, it was quilted and bound.
Nicola Graham was working on a sunburst that would become part of a much larger design. In her other life, Nicola designs wedding gowns and formal wear.
Marney Lyons designed this terrific star, using a unique print that really accentuates the overall design. All of the students were "stars"!!!

Oh baby!

2011-03-25T13:54:00.003-06:00

Does it sometimes seem like everyone you know is having a baby or grandbaby at the same time? That's happened to me lately!

And of course I don't have any extra baby quilts on hand for gifts. So I ordered some tiny white baby socks and onesies from Dharma Trading Company and dyed them to match.

I think they are very cute and they will look even cuter when they are worn by a baby.

Who am I?

2011-03-25T13:49:00.002-06:00

On Sunday, I am off to New Zealand for a week of teaching and three weeks of leading a quilting and textile tour of New Zealand. My bags are packed and I'm ready to go! There will be 16 people joining me. With that many folks, I knew we would need name tags. And no ordinary stick-on tags would do! So, I drew a pattern for my signature tiny tree, paper-pieced mini-quilt with a neck strap that we could use for a name tag. My super creative assistant, Donna, had the great idea to add two pockets, so the name tags would be functional as well as decorative. She also machine embroidered everyone's name on the tags. Aren't they cute! I will put a few goodies in the pockets before I give them to the folks on my trip. Wouldn't these make great name tags for going to a quilt show? Look for my newsletter coming soon for instructions on how to make one for yourself.

The Raffle Quilt is Finished!

2011-03-25T13:39:00.003-06:00

The 2011 Hawks Aloft raffle quilt is completely finished. Michele Hymel did the spectacular quilting and Donna Barnitz applied the binding. It looks just beautiful! I hope you can see some of the intricate quilting in this photo. Because of the southwestern design of the quilt we decided not to do our usual feathery quilting and instead did geometric and southwestern style quilting. We debuted the quilt at the Monte Vista Colorado Festival of the Cranes and sold a bunch of raffle tickets. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. If you wish to purchase tickets, please send me a check made out to Hawks Aloft and mail it to me at PO Box 10028, Albuquerque NM 87184. Please be sure to include your name, address and phone number. I will mail you back your filled out ticket stubs. The winning ticket will be drawn at our annual Christmas party in December.

2011-03-18T10:23:00.000-06:00

Many times I am inspired to create a quilt by a piece of beautiful fabric. That was the case with this little sailboat quilt, “Sailing Away”. I had a beautiful piece of hand-painted fabric by Mickey Lawler of Skydyes that reminded me of a gorgeous New Mexico sunset, where there is definitely a lack of water. Still, I was inspired to use it as a backdrop for a sailboat. This quilt is featured as a pattern on page 38 of the March/April 2011 issue of Quiltmaker Magazine. So, you can make it too!

Kerrville and Fredericksburg, February 2011

2011-02-21T16:37:00.002-07:00

One of my favorite things about quilting is the sisterhood of like-minded women who make up this amazingly supportive community. Some of my best friends in the whole world are those that I met in quilt class. At the Kerrville Quilt Guild, Holly Nelson showed her quilt, Galactic Migration that she started in one of my classes in 2003. Beautiful! Thank, Holly, for sharing.
At the Verein's Country Quilt Guild in Fredericksburg, I was particularly touched by the story behind this quilt, made by Laura Killenwald. Laura was born in Mexico,but moved to Texas when she married. She became a citizen in 2000 and made this quilt to celebrate her new country.
The Verein's Country Quilters make a mean raffle quilt. They don't have tickets yet, but I left my $5 with the program chair, Kate Hunter, who promised to get them for me as soon as they are available. Simply a stunning quilt!
One of the wonderful things about Texas Quilt Guilds is that they welcome other guilds to their meetings to sell raffle tickets for their groups. I left some $$ with this group too.
And, the final stop in Kerrville was to the quilt shop, Creations, owned by Julie Milam and Kathy Thompson. Creations is located in an old Victorian building and each room has a different them. They have GREAT STUFF! Check them out next time you are in the area.

Along the River

2011-02-20T09:18:00.006-07:00

Female Merlin. Photo by David Powell.

My favorite time of day to be out along the river is the few hours after dawn, before the human masses take over the day and the wildlife goes into hiding. Last week, when it warmed up (finally!), was particularly eventful. As I walked south along one transect, I saw what appeared to be a Cooper's Hawk eating something. Upon closer approach, I looked up to watch in wonder as a female Merlin dined on a small bird, right over my head. Sadly for me, I was sans camera that day.

Common Merganser image by David Powell.

At dawn, I watched two male Common Mergansers idling along the North Diversion Channel in Albuquerque - spectacular!

Bald Eagle image by Doug Brown.

Along the more remote stretches of the river, I frequently observe Bald Eagles and Red-tailed Hawks that roost overnight in the large trees. At one location, I've observed a black morph red-tail on each and every survey. Amazing!

American Coots in battle. Image by Doug Brown.

Although it might not feel like spring to we humans, for birds it is courting time. Males battle for females. Two male mallards in the main drain were showing off for a female, dipping and diving. She returned the display. Sadly, I didn't get to stay long enough to see which was the victor.

And, lastly, coyotes, beaver and porcupines are among the many mammals that call the bosque home. I am privileged to be able to watch them. It sure makes getting up so early worth it!

Hawks Aloft Raffle Quilt Retreat 2011

2011-02-11T19:01:00.004-07:00

It took a team of 13 makers and three dogs 1 and 1/2 days to make the top for this year's raffle quilt. The design is by yours truly and inspired by my new fascination with Navajo rugs. The 13 humans are Donna Barnitz, Ruth Burstrom, Debbie Caffrey, Ed & Mary Chappelle, Steve Elkins, Mike & Michele Hymel, Anita McSorley, Chellye Porter, Lizzie Roberts, and Sam Sanborn and me.
Each year we retreat to the cabin in the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico for a weekend of, not relaxation, but . . .

Sweat Shop Central!

In short order, we got down to business working on the center design.

Mike and Ed are the official cutters.

Ed does double duty as a paper remover. The entire quilt is paper foundation pieced (except for the bird's heads that were appliqued by Anita).

Steve and Lizzie make great sewing partners!

All that paper has to go somewhere!

Laney helps hold down the paper while she guards her favorite toy, a pumpkin, that she never leaves out of sight.

Debbie displays the center diamond.

We started on Friday afternoon and by late Saturday the top was stitched. So, we switched from serious sewing mode to New Mexico relaxation mode with a traditional dinner with the traditional pre-dinner drink -margaritas! It was quite the festive evening.

Sunday morning is a time for sharing stories as we sit in front of the windows, drinking coffee and watching the birds outside.
Pogo, who was attending his first quilt retreat, wasn't so sure about all the people and all the activity, so he took to hiding in the closet.

Shoes and jackets in the mud room, outdoor wear abandoned for inside activity.

Sunday morning after coffee was set aside for a hike to the overlook where the snow was only ankle deep.
Here, Chellye and I pose with the two unwilling dogs, Gabby and Laney. There was so much to do and so little time. Why waste it holding still for a photo!
The view from the overlook of Jemez Springs. We look forward to returning for our 2012 retreat. The quilt has now gone home with Michele Hymel, who has a longarm quilting machine and a very talented quilter! We hope to finish all of it in time for the Monte Vista, CO Festival of the Cranes in mid-March. We'll have raffle tickets very soon.

To Market, To Market to buy a . . . lot of great stuff.

2010-10-30T16:22:00.002-06:00

One of the great things about going to Quilt Market and Festival is seeing all my quilting buddies. I found Paula Nadelstern showing off some of her newest work.
And, I met Ginny Eckley, who is a master stencil maker and makes the exact right sort of stencils for the resist-type dyeing that I prefer. Check out her website!

One of the really great things about attending Market (the wholesale part of the show) is that you can really spend time looking at all the amazing quilts without having to jostle with all the Festival attendees. They are superb and the competition is stiff. The prize winners won't be announced until Wednesday. I wonder if some of my favorites will be among the winners.

Quadrille - 2010

2010-10-19T13:34:00.002-06:00

Here's the newest quilt with flying geese galore, intertwined with a colorful star. The geese were made from a rainbow pack of hand-dyed gradations by Starr Design Fabrics, and the backgrounds were hand-painted by Mickey Lawler of Skydyes. This was a fun quilt to make. Donna B and I worked on it together.

Top Row Retreat

2010-09-25T18:38:00.004-06:00

I'll be teaching on a quilting cruise hosted by Stitchin Heaven, with fellow teachers Carol Doak and Eileen Sullivan, in March 2012, with stops in the Carribean. It's a paper foundation piecing cruise! So, instead oh having everyone make three different projects, each of us made a row for "our" cruise project. Mine is the top row! I finished it at our quilt retreat at the cabin.
Our quilting group, Designing Women, had a blast, sewing, eating, and . . . . .
hiking! Three of us brought our fur-kids. This is Mary C and Pogo.
And, Mr. Gab, the most excellent hiker. Hard to photograph though, since he's a dark charcoal gray, hence his full name, Gabbro. It means igneous rock.
This is Donna, who owns Cathy C. She was the newest dog to the group, only having been rescued within the last twelve months.
Miss Elaenia, formerly a puppy mill breeder, came to live with me about 18 months ago. She hikes well, but would prefer to be a couch potato.
At the overlook, looking down into the Jemez Valley, lies this intricately woven piece of wood that suspends a rock above the earth.
Debbie Caffrey is the newest member of our group. She joined in January 2010. She is an outstanding chef! We ate way too much! Good thing we went hiking.
In our group, we do have a few rules. Here, Michele was awared the No Whining button. Guess what she did to earn it! She has to keep it until someone else in the group whines in her presence, AND she has the button in her possession at the time. She might have it a long time. Harriet owned the button for two years before passing it on. I love our retreats!

Flying Colors - Coming Soon!

2010-07-11T19:15:00.002-06:00

It's almost here, my third book, Flying Colors, published b y C&T Publications. The first copy has arrived on my doorstep and I am so impressed with the graphics and design. Working with C&T has been an inspiration. In fact, the experience has been so rewarding that thoughts of the next books are already swirling in my mind. Flying Colors takes the traditional goose beyond tradition into a heady world of free-form design. No longer just for geese, the curvy filler strips can hold many different designs and 14 different fillers are included among the pages. Thank you to all of my students who generously allowed the use of their quilts in the book too.

After VQF: Burlington Composting Center

2010-07-05T10:15:00.007-06:00

Personal tour leader, Pat, suggested that my final stop in Vermont before boarding the plane should be to the Intervale Composting Center in Burlington. There were, indeed, a hundred or more gulls and some crows, but most interesting were the large group of students and teachers picnicking on the lawn. Apparently, the center is popular not just for birders. Across the street are expansive community gardens where many people were busy cultivating the gardens.
Yup, compost! In various stages of decomposition, being moved around.
When a potential predator was sighted, all the gulls took flight. We observed three different species, Ring-billed Gull, Herring Gull, and Great Black-backed Gull. Way cool!!
The gull's most favored spot, though, was the smelly area where freshly dumped vegetation was first turned.
Burlington has a history of being one of the greenest communities in the U.S. All the large hospitals and other industries deliver their vegetable waste to the center. What a concept and what a great last stop in Vermont!

After VQF: Quest for a Life Bird

2010-07-04T17:26:00.008-06:00

Once the festivities wrapped up at the Vermont Quilt Festival, it was time to explore. My friend Pat, herself a crazy birder type like yours truly, suggested we drive up Mt. Washington, in New Hampshire, as soon as they opened the road in the morning. The sign threatened a very scary drive. But . . .
It was stunning. Living all of my life in the West, I had not considered the size of the mountains in New England, which are just as high above ground level as most of our western peaks. We were on a quest for a particular bird, Bicknell's Thrush, that is found in a narrow range between 3,000-5,000 feet above sea level. We opted to climb Mt. Washington as it was the most accessible site to search for the elusive bird, listening to bird song tapes so as to ensure that we would know its song.
Friend, Pat, is a dedicated birder, even promoting birds on her license plate. We did indeed find the little fellow, singing his heart out at the exact location he was supposed to be. How often does that happen? We also got to see and hear a Swainson's Thrush, another lifer! What a day! But, there was more! Pat is an outstanding birding guide!
Back at Pat's place, we checked out her neighbor's property, heavily forested. It yielded, not only ancient equipment, but also a Black-throated Blue Warbler - yet another lifer. We were on a roll.
The view from Pat's front yard was spectacular and the birds in a back yard numerous, attracted by an over-sized pond filled with koi. Our evening entertainment was to sit on the porch and watch the kingfisher snagging baby goldfish over and over.
We even got close-up views of a few cooperative birds, like this Eastern Kingbird. I think Vermont is about as close to heaven as possible -- at least during the summer.

VQF - Sensational Stars

2010-07-01T20:29:00.003-06:00

This star in progress, was designed by Donna Hastings. Donna had taken this class from me before, and brought this beautiful creation with her to class.

Donna Hastings

Sensational Stars is a one-day class where students design and make their own stars. Here are a couple in progress. This one is the design of Barbara Roberts.

Barbara Roberts

Here's a nifty design in progress, belonging to Nicole Laurencelle.

Nicole Laurencelle

Vermont Quilt Festival 2010

2010-06-30T11:47:00.003-06:00

One of the most fun parts of class is seeing the designs take personality. Here are two wedges of Mary Nelson's Star - an original design.

Mary Nelson

On Friday night, we explored downtown Burlington, Church Street in particular where they have many street artists such as this fellow who was playing the digeridoo, an Australian aboriginal instrument.
Cows are big here in Vermont, the land of cheese, chocolate and ice cream. The street was filled with cows painted by various artists. Fellow teacher Jan Krentz and I pose by a plaid cow. Our photographer was Carol Doak. They were my roomies on this trip - way too much fun. I hope to spend more time with them in the future.

2010-04-09T20:10:00.002-06:00

It's a done deal. My quilt, "Black Hole" was purchased by the New Mexico Art in Public Places Program. Here's the photo essay (not quite in order) of the installation and the charming village of Magdalena. Pictured with "Black Hole" quilt are (left to right): Greg Tindel, framer, Gail Garber, artist, Magdalena Senior Citizens Center Site Manager Rosemary Wilburn, Socorro County Senior Citizens Director, Lewis Auerbach, County Commissioner R.J. Griego, and Socorro County Sheriff Phillip Montoya.
Greg was amazingly helpful. Not only did he make the frame, he installed the quilt, securely bolted to the wall, driving the two hours south to Magdalena to do so.

Measure thrice and drill once.

Donna, my partner in quilting. Turns out that her in-laws call Magdalena home. We got to learn about Grandma Kelly's brainchild, the thrift shop that provides food for over 300 families. More on this in a future post.
Just a bit of the local c0lor in the Wild West.
Check out the steer. He has an old license plate on his face. And, if you look between his legs there will be no doubt as to the gender.

Downtown Magdalena.

Eggs for sale - and more

I left some of my earnings right there in Magdalena when I found these exquisite baskets by Holly Modine. Turns out her husband was working at the shop that day. Next time you find yourself in the Land of Enchantment, check out this little known and seldom seen jewel of New Mexico -- Magdalena. You will be glad you did.

Lancaster, PA

2010-03-26T17:56:00.005-06:00

Last day in Lancaster. Cold and breezy bird's eye view from the hotel window.
One of my students, Katrina, took me to the Central Market for lunch. It's the local Farmer's Market, only open on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. I had little idea the treats that were contained within the red brick walls of the historic building.
But, first, it was class time. This is a design workshop, and all students design their own project. The morning is spent entirely on drawing and the various fillers used in my upcoming book. But, by the end of the day, parts of projects were beginning to emerge. Here's a 10,000 pyramids border below a field of grass.
And a row of geese with pointy dudes!
At the market, we found many culinary treasures. One that didn't get photographed was the first part of lunch, homemade baklava. Always eat dessert first, lest you not last through the meal.
We found a German cookie maker with fabulous hand-molded sweets. This is an antique cookie mold.
Several more were on display.
Groff's vegetable growers use no chemical sprays.
Just too cool, piles of vegetables just waiting to be taken home. Too bad they weigh so much. In the end, I settled for a piece of quiche and a deli salad. Lancaster is a charming community. I hope to return one day.

Color & Contrast

2010-03-25T18:16:00.002-06:00

This might be one of the most liberating classes that I teach, pure fun with no commitment, no homework, and no UFOs. It's all about cutting and pasting. After a short(ish) lecture on the subject and my theory that it's less about color and more about contrast, students work through a series of exercieses n a workbook, using only the fabrics provided to them in a kit.
This forces them to use fabric that are outside their comfort zone and encourages them to think outside the box. The lines on the paper are for suggestion only!

In my class at Lancaster, PA at the AQS show, students came up with these terrific examples in just a six inch block.
I love their creativity! It has been a fabulous show.

Festival of the Cranes - Colorado Style

2010-03-19T20:12:00.005-06:00

You know you are a dedicated birder when . . .

Raptor Ron, the raptor biologist at Hawks Aloft, finds a Ferruginous Hawk pair on territory near the nest they used last year. He shared the good news with all of us. So, despite the fact that we departed the festival early due to yet another winter storm, we still found time to stop by the side of the road to check it out. And, yes! We did see the female hunkered down in the snow. Crazy birders!

Visibility was limited or so they say. It was a longish drive home.
Our volunteers are the best! Sandy Powell worked two full days talking about our small birds and working the merchandise tables. It was a terrific bonding experience as we searched out the finest of Monte Vista's restaurants. Night #1, we hit our favorite: Hunan.
Sharing a hotel room with birds is never dull. Perch lust dominates the room. Our peregrine managed to untie herself and made a beeline for the Ferrug's perch. However, upon arrival, she seemed a little intimidated by the much larger hawk. He, however, just looked worried.
He is a very handsome fellow.
We had time in the afternoons for a little birding in the sun - that is, before the big storm arrived.
We found a pair of red-tails staking out their territory at the south end of the refuge. If you look way up at the mid-point of the tree on the right side, you may see the red-tail speck that was the female.
They packed the Ski High building and we had 4-5 deep at the booth. Here, volunteer, Dibby Olson, holds and talks about our Merlin.
One of the reasons we love the Festival of the Cranes in Monte Vista so much is that they give us such a huge space where our larger birds can sit comfortably atop their travel boxes. It is virtually a stress-free event for them.
The Malueg family knitted and donated piles of stocking hats for our sales table. Here, new staff member Amelia Porter helps out.

Night #2, we had our tummies all geared up for Italian, only that restaurant was no longer there. So, we settled for Ninos, a pretty terrific Mexican restaurant right in downtown. They make a mean margarita.

The other most wonderful thing about this event are all the wonderful people that make us feel so welcome. We all took home bags of Colorado Potatoes from the potato growers association. I even discovered their new cookbook and a variety of potato called fingerlings -- to die for! Oh, and baby back ribs and this amazing sausage with cheese in it. Did I mention that eating is a big part of our adventure? We'll be back in 2011!

Indiana Heritage Quilt Show

2010-03-05T15:56:00.004-07:00

What do quilting teachers do at the end of a long day? Here in Bloomington, Jan and I checked out the local restaurants, and found what is surely one of the best in the U.S. -- FARMbloomington, owned by Chef Daniel Orr, as sustainable as possible in concept since it opened two years ago. Here, fellow teacher Jan Krentz and I were sampling a midwestern wheat beer, Gumballhead.
Despite the goofy label, it was tasty and went down easily. We had stopped by the previous night for an advance checking out, and were thrilled to get a tour of the quaintly decorated restaurant, including the speakeasy rooms in the basement. From top to bottom, the decore was chosen with care.
Chef, Daniel Orr cooks up a cuisine like no other. Where else would I have devoured with gusto, grits with bacon and cheese (not normally a New Mexican's idea of table fare), mint pea guacamole, unbelievable french fries with special coating (it's a secret!), bison burgers, duck, and out-of-this-world desserts. (We shared)
We reserved the remodeled silo in the center of the restaurant for our 'teacher's' night(From L to R): Jan Krentz, Mickey Depre, Anita Shackleford, Suzanne Marshall, yours truly, and Susan Cleveland. We were treated like royalty with special gifts of appetizers and a dessert. The chef stopped by to ask if everything was okay. He was perhaps surprised by our chorus of, "When are you opening one of these in (insert city of residence)?
'Twas my first experience of antique bedpans for wall decore. Would we recommend it? -- you betcha! In a heartbeat. Sadly, tonight is our last night in Bloomington, and we will be trying out the Afghan restaurant around the corner. Got to spread our taste testing around. Next time you are in Indiana, check out FARMbloomington!

Quilter's Tour of New Zealand, April 4 - 23, 2011

2010-02-28T11:21:00.005-07:00

Join me for a remarkable trip down under, featuring . . .

The Remarkables Symposium 2011 – the New Zealand National Patchwork & Quilting Symposium – in Queenstown

Extensive visits to quilting studios and stores throughout New Zealand

Visits to textile artists

Join New Zealand quilters at a local Guild meeting
An exclusive program with Maori weavers at Te Puia

Geothermal activity, Hangi feast & Maori cultural experience at Te Puia
Te Papa – National Museum of New Zealand
Tranz Coastal train – Picton / Kaikoura / Christchurch

Overnight Cruise on Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Waitomo Caves
International Antarctic Centre
Southern Alps and Glaciers

Enroute to the Symposium, we will visit quilters, quilt studios, and textile artists on North and South Islands, attend a local guild meeting,and participate in a special program by Maori weavers. We will explore the scenic and cultural highlights of New Zealand including the West Coast glaciers, Waitomo Caves, an overnight cruise on Milford Sound, Te Papa Museum, the Antarctic Centre and a Maori hangi feast and cultural experience.

My original introduction to this beautiful country was in 1997, when I taught for the New Zealand National Quilting Symposium. Since then, I've visited several times, and have lead two previous tours there: a quilting tour in 1999 and a birding/Maori culture tour in 2003.
Click Here for detailed itinerary and prices. Or, e-mail Jan Coyle: nzaustours@pacificpathways.com, call 650 595 2090 or visit Pacific Pathways online.

Hawks Aloft Quilt Retreat 2010

2010-02-12T20:11:00.006-07:00

What can 14 ecclectic, diverse indviduals accomplish in one day when focused on a common mission? It all begins with Ed C., the master cutter, and a simple drawing.

Others work on various sections using paper foundation piecing. Here Steve E. and Lizzie R. trim and press.

Ruth B. pins carefully so no points are lost.

Mary C., like Ruth, pins to prevent having to unsew.

Lindsey P. is our youngest quilter.

Sammie S. shows off the border.

Master quilter, Debbie Caffrey shows off 1/2 of the quilt center.

Our supervisor.

The quillt top almost complete.

Ah, the best part of paper foundation piecing, ripping off the paper.

Mike looks on as wife, Michele, sews the final seams.

Ed sweeps up threads and paper scraps.

Success! We have the Hawks Aloft Raffle Quilt 2010. Thanks to the 14 people who shared their weekend to assemble it.

Professional Totes

2009-12-30T13:51:00.002-07:00

I had this terrific idea for Christmas presents this year, the Professional Tote, a pattern by the Creative Thimble. I had purchased the pattern a couple of years ago because I saw a completed bag and I just knew it would be the perfect "personal item" for my airline travel. I am happy to tell you that the pattern works perfectly! It looked really confusing at first, but as I progressed through, each new step made perfect sense -- almost.
The bag has just about every type of pocket imaginable: a zipper pocket, water bottle pockets with cord stops, magnetic snap pockets, a key fob, and
a very handsome inner zipper compartment that is the exact right size to hold my laptop. I carried mine on the airplane over the holidays, and it was just right! The down side, I suppose, is all the interfacing that makes the bag so sturdy. I recommend this well thought out pattern to everyone. Just be prepared to have it take a while to complete, and don't start three bags on Thanksgiving weekend hoping to have them all done before Christmas.

More Christmas Cheer

2009-12-23T20:10:00.001-07:00

Sun, Moon and Flying Geese by Gail

My quilting group, Designing Women, has a holiday party gift exchange each year at this time. The 'rules' are that the gift must be handmade (not necessarily by you) and must be smaller than 14". What fun I had making this little quilt that went home with Pat. Lime green is simply the most wonderful color!!!

A Little Christmas Cheer

2009-12-23T20:07:00.001-07:00

Porter Family Feet (and socks)

Can you imagine anything more fun than giving away 48 or so pairs of hand-dyed socks! When I had lunch with my friend, Chellye, I surprised her with three pairs, one for her, another for daughter, Lindsey, and a pair for hubby Jeff. Imagine my surprise when this photo showed up in my e-mail. Guess which feet belong to Jeff!

A Bosque Morning

2009-12-06T19:35:00.003-07:00

Great Blue Heron. Photo by Doug Brown.

Five thirty a.m. on Saturday morning. Do I snuggle in for a little more shut-eye, or arise and head out to the bosque to complete the surveys that I missed on Thursday due to weather. It was brisk out there, but oh, my: What a glorious morning it was. My first treat was a Great Blue Heron that appeared in the mist of the riverside drain, taking flight at my approach. Followed by two muskrats, foraging. One of them looked like it had a mouthful of french fries -- Not!

Wood Duck. Photo by Doug Brown.

Next up were four Wood Ducks amidst the 2 dozen mallards. I expected it to be quiet in the interior sections of the forest, but the songbirds were up and at em. There would be nothing for a while, and then a whole flock of mixed species that needed to be sorted out.

Bald Eagle. Photo by Doug Brown.

An eagle called from its perch along the Rio Grande.

Coyote. Photo by Doug Brown.

As I was standing near the end of my second transect, not moving, I heard a rustling in the woods. A coyote, oblivious to my presence was running full speed, straight at me. It's expression when he/she realized we were on a collision course, was priceless, just like the rest of my morning.

Much better than a few extra winks.

Kool Shoes

2009-11-12T07:22:00.003-07:00

Aieee! Surely, it cannot have been three months since my last post! What can I say, except that life got in the way! At first I was just overwhelmed by finishing the manuscript for my third book, and then I kept thinking, "Tomorrow! Tomorrow, I'll get that posted.

One the the fun things that happened was a visit to the Rio Grande Arts and Crafts show during the Albuquerque International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. I rounded the corner of an aisle, and before my eyes were floor to ceiling hand-crafted shoes, made by Kool Shoes. It only took about 1.25 seconds for me to decide that a pair of these needed to wrap around my feet for those special times when I am teaching quilting. They are made by a couple in Prescott, Arizona. She does the custom painting on the toes of the shoes and he cobbles them. Simply fabulous. They feel like wearing bedroom slippers, or going barefoot.

Just an Average Day

2009-07-20T07:00:00.006-06:00

For me personally, almost every day in June was a survey day, beginning at dawn. The sunrises were glorious! I was able to watch ‘my’ Cooper's Hawk nests evolve from an incubating female to a little ball of white fluff, to a full-fledged teen-aged bird. Although June is our most intense month it also is the most rewarding. Here are just a few of the wonders that I witnessed.

Photo by Doug Brown

I was actually fortunate enough to see a prey delivery to the cavity in a large snag that held a Rio Rancho American Kestrel family. Most often, all we can verify is that there is a territory because the cavities are so well concealed. When I returned last week, all five of the newly fledged youngsters were learning to fly under the watchful eyes of their parents. At this point, you’d have to be deaf to miss them, for they shrieked with every wingbeat, although it is unclear if they were shrieks of sheer terror or sheer joy. One of the little fellows even had the audacity to stoop on me, and then rise up and hover on the gentle breeze. I called David Powell, our favorite volunteer photographer, who hastened out the following morning, but for naught. By then, the young birds were confident in their day-old skills, and no more hilarity ensued.

Out at one of the Neutron Energy sites, a Loggerhead Shrike announced its presence as I approached, seeming more distressed than normal. So, I watched and waited. Shortly, another shrike flew from one of the dozens of juniper trees there, issuing warning calls as it made a hasty departure. A quick walk over to look revealed seven naked shrike babies all huddled together in their nest. A return trip two weeks later found the shrike family out and about with the young practicing landings and take-offs; however, without all the shrieking.

Loggerhead Shrike. Photo by Dave Herr.

Also at the Neutron Energy site, a female Cooper’s Hawk fiercely defended her nest. It should have contained hatched young, but none could be seen above the nest rim. We walked around and around but no little, white, fuzzy heads were visible. Of course, when the parents begin cacking and calling, the young flatten out in the nest and become virtually invisible. However, beneath the nest were the telltale white specks of white-wash that confirmed hatch. Eventually, we saw the barest movement of one white cottonball head. At least one in that nest. I can’t wait to get back.

Adult Cooper's Hawk. Photo by David Powell.

A Great Horned Owl sailed down a deep drainage in pinyon-juniper country, spied by my colleague, Jenny Lisignoli. Further searching revealed a mother and child combo with fluffy down on the ‘ears’ the only clue as to the age of the young one.

Great Horned Owl Fledgling. Photo by Jenny Lisignoli.

Not all of my observations were of the avian sort, though. As I pulled up to begin my survey at another of the Neutron Energy sites, I spied what looked like a very large cat in the distance, just sitting on the dirt road that divides the site. Just a little too far away to determine its species, I was hoping it wasn’t a mountain lion since I’d be walking a fair distance and would be alone for the duration. The cat didn’t seem to be too worried about me, but sank down onto its haunches to have a good look. Out came the scope and tripod, so I could return the scrutiny. The magnificent bobcat and I held each other’s gaze for what seemed like an eternity, but I figured I’d watch as long as the cat did. Then, a coyote appeared in the distance, creeping up ever-so-slowly on the cat as if it were going to strike. The coyote approached within a few feet before the cat turned on it and the coyote backed off, but not very far. Perhaps there had been a kill and leftovers remained. Eventually, the cat sauntered off, unconcerned about the two of us, the coyote and me. The coyote immediately checked out the area where the cat had been sitting, and I did too, but much later, after surveys were done for the day. No evidence remained.

And then there were the tires! The first one blew out on Santa Ana going around a corner in soft sand. Triple A to the rescue, and I considered myself very lucky. The second tire blew on the way back from the Neutron Energy site, opposite the driveway of the first house in the village of Seboyeta. We pulled into the driveway, the most level spot, to change it, and as luck would have it, my new friend, Rich, with the dream garage from heaven, offered to help. I couldn’t believe my luck this time – and, you know the rest of this story! I did go home with dirty fingers at least from lowering the spare to the floor of the garage.

Just a day in the field - many of them! Sometimes, I have to pinch myself just to make sure that my real life isn’t just a fantasy!

Two Snakes a Day

2009-06-29T16:20:00.004-06:00

Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. Photo by Sandy Skeba

Bullsnake

I hadn't seen a snake in a long time, except for the couple of little bullsnakes encountered on the levee, warming up in the morning sun. In New Mexico, on coolish mornings, these guys sometimes crawl onto the road to soak up some rays and warm up their blood. A longtime resident, I am accustomed to keeping an eye out for this particular road hazard. I had just finished with a long bird survey in pinyon-juniper country one day last week, and was looking forward to getting home and moving along with my day. The road was poor and travel slow, so I picked up the speed a little when it improved to something more than a two-track but still less than a graded dirt road, perhaps 10 miles an hour. As I rounded the corner of a pinyon tree, there he was, stretched out across the road, a bullsnake about 5 feet long. I tried, but failed, to stop in time. It's heartbreaking to strike a probably lethal blow to an innocent animal that does a good job of keeping rodent populations in check. I can only hope that the very soft sand helped to cushion the blow.

So, moving on and closer to home on a paved road, I was startled to see yet another snake in the road, obviously injured but still alive. My conscience was already berating me for my prior mistake and, without thinking, I pulled over to assess the situation. This time it was a little snake, a little western diamondback to be exact. He had a head injury but was very much alive. Hmmm! To leave him would mean certain death and I couldn't have two lives on my checklist in one day. But, being of the poisonous variety, caution was essential. I got out the very long pole that allows my spare tire to drop, one that has a sort of hook on the end. Little snake lunged, but I was well out of his way. I scooted him/her to the side of the road, but was still concerned about the odds for survival.

Now, in Albuquerque there is a wonderful organization that rescues and rehabilitates snakes, the International American Rattlesnake Museum in Old Town. So, I knew that if I could capture little snake, I could take it there and they would take care of it. But, how to catch a poisonous snake - albeit an injured one.

We 'green' sort of people have taken to carrying our own totes to the grocery store so as to not waste more petroleum products. And, being of a quilterly teaching sort, my extra room is chock full of totes. A bunch were in the back of the car including one of my favorites that was especially roomy. The big bag, tipped on its side with the opening toward little snake, seemed to be perfect. The long, hooked pole once again did the job and scooted little snake into the bag. Quite proud now, I picked up the bag and tied the handles together. Little snake rattled. The tied handles left open the ends and little snake could have escaped if it so desired. Bag one went into bag two with more ties. We drove home and I wondered if little snake had succumbed already. But, while carrying the bag into the house, I heard the tiniest of rattles. This time, a pillowcase did the trick. No accidental release of a rattler in the house!

Later, the Rattlesnake Museum let me know that little snake had NOT been hit by a car but more likely had been struck in the head by a rock thrown by some inconsiderate human with a distaste for all things reptile. He was off to get X-rays last I heard, with a moderate prognosis for survival. I hope that I don't ever get to have that sort of a day again!

Valley Quilters, Palmer, AK

2009-05-29T19:36:00.004-06:00

A tiny tree in progress with the brilliant light of the Alaskan summer in the background. I found the Valley Quilters of Palmer and Wasilla to be very enthusiastic and remarkably cheerful. The good will was positively infectious. Each night, a large group dined with me, and the stories I heard! It was a blast. They're a hardy, plucky bunch too.
During class introductions, I asked each student to tell how it was that she came to be living in Alaska. I heard lots of "I came here with my husband to stay for -- months (insert 3, 6, 9, or 18). Well, that was -- (insert 10, 12, 24 or 36) years ago. It is blissfully clear that the women of the far north appreciate the uniqueness of their home state. I was privileged to share it for a few days.
Ah, the Goose is Loose, my favorite class! The ladies created their own designs, and began stitching them in less than 6 hours.
A lot was accomplished amid laughter, shared potluck lunch, and friendly camaraderie. We thank Sylvia, of Sylvia's Quilt Depot for allowing us the use of her classroom. BTW, should you ever find yourself in Wasilla, be sure to check out Sylvia's. She has an awesome selection of specialty Alaska and northern fabrics, some of which are created locally.

Reflections of a Spill: 20 Years Later

2009-05-16T22:47:00.005-06:00

Reflections of a Spill: 20 Years After the Exxon Valdez
Image from Exhibit Postcard by Douglas Yates

One of the most memorable and emotionally impressive art exhibits that I have seen anywhere will be at the Pratt Museum in Homer, Alaska through June 28, 2009. In somber tones of black and gray, reflecting the viscous color of oil contamination in formerly pristine waters, the exhibit evoked raw emotion and brought tears to my eyes.

On March 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground off the shores of Alaska, darkening pristine waters. The largest spill in the history of North America left a lasting mark on the coastal communities of Alaska. The exhibit features both art and science by Alaskan artists and scientists as they reflect on the impact of the spill. For more information about the exhibit visit the Homer News

In the Marine Gallery of the Museum is a display of carved wooden seabirds called "Water's Memory". Carved by Alan Bennett, the birds are representative of the tribe Mergini (sea ducks), heavily impacted by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Some populations not yet fully recovered.

The first floor of the Pratt Museum features "Darkened Waters: Profile of an Oil Spill". This exhibit has been on display since 1993, five years after the spill. It graphically and scientifically presents the effects of the spill on the wildlife, habitats, and waters affected by the spill.

This is a must see exhibit if you are fortunate enough to be visiting the charming community of Homer.

Katchemak Bay Birding

2009-05-16T09:52:00.004-06:00

Homer and Katchemak Bay specialize in scenery. Mary arranged for a boat and bird tour of the bay with Bay Excursions. And birds we did see! This birder type opted to leave the camera at home so as to better focus on the watching part of birding. We saw three species of loons, cute little Tufted Puffins, rafts of thousands of Common Murres, Red-faced and Pelagic Cormorants, Harlequin Duck, Marbled Murrelet, and Barrow's Goldeneye, among others.

We also saw the ubuquitous Bald Eagles of Katchemak Bay. For many years, a woman that lived on Homer Spit had fed the eagles that gathered each winter, feasting on the natural and human-made food supply. The woman, whose name I did not learn, passed away during the winter of 2008-09, but her supporters continued to feed the wintering population of eagles. With only good intentions, some locals believed it necessary to continue the food source until the natural supply increased in the spring. The eagles thrived. Unfortunately, these same predatory birds that were being nurtured had a devastating effect on populations of other species that nested in the bay, including Arctic Tern, Black-legged Kittiwakes, and many others. Next winter, there will be no deliberate feeding of eagles in the hopes to return Katchemak Bay avifauna to a more natural balance.

Throughout our stay, the weather was perfect in every way and the waters calm.
We also had great views of Grewingk Glacier. The unseasonably warm and dry weather did have its drawbacks, however.
We witnessed the start of this wildfire about 10 miles east of the main village. By the next day, it had grown to over 500 acres, and folks were being evacuated. Three days later, I learned that it had reached 5,000 acres and some homes had been lost. This area had been hard hit by spruce beetles, leaving dead standing trees as a reminder of the infestation. Unfortunately, the combination of the diseased or dead trees and glorious weather had a devastating effect.

Welcome to Homer, Alaska

2009-05-16T09:27:00.003-06:00

The sign boasts of the great fishing, and indeed the halibut skewers we would eat the next day were superb! Actually, ALL the food in Homer was just topnotch! But, fishing was not part of my agenda for this trip; it was the quest for rare birds of the pelagic and shorebird type. Fishing is really popular in Alaska, moreso than birding. I bought the ABA Birdfinding Guide to Alaska, and for every birding stop near water, which is most of them, it talked about the types of fish that would be found there. Hmm! Is this a bird finding guide or a fish finder? The woodwork on this bench was spectacular.
My other travel companion, Jane Ferguson, lassoed a big one!
Our accomodations were on the shore of Katchemak Bay, a little rental house called Norma's Cove. Shortly after arrival, Mary started hollering, "Look out the window!".
We saw several moose on the way down, but certainly didn't expect this sort of up close encounter. Stay tuned . . .

The Road to Homer

2009-05-15T23:12:00.005-06:00

Mt Redoubt sleeps fitfully, small burps of steam betraying her unrest. Partially obscured by smoke, this was the best view on the way down to Homer. The smoke was a from a fire in Siberia.
The sign is out of date. New Eagle Scout project?
We stopped at Portage Glacier for the standard tourist photo, as well as a delicious bowl of chile, the standard American type with hamburger, beans and tomatoes.
My hostess was Mary Gerken, who I met in Paducah, KY a few years ago when I was teaching at the AQS show. Mary and her friend Jean were the two quilters who made this amazing trip possible. I was set to share my passion for birding with Mary and Jane, our other travel mate.

Perfectly Framed

2009-05-13T09:40:00.002-06:00

Candy Bergeron, of Baton Rouge, sent this charming photo of a perfectly framed Barred Owl. Barred Owls often are more cooperative and visible during the daylight hours than other owl species. This was a great sighting. Way to go, Candy!

A Room with a View - Florence, MS

2009-05-13T09:29:00.003-06:00

The view from my cabin at Whitetail's Lodge, just south of Florence, MS. The Swamp Quilters, of the Baton Rouge, LA area, hold 2-3 retreats each year at this privately owned property. I was the lucky teacher for a three-day, Goose is Loose workshop.

Swamp Quilters, Florence, MS

2009-05-13T08:39:00.005-06:00

Whoa! This post is out of order in more ways than one. In my quest to catch up on a month of things that should have been posted, I put up some of the Alaska photos before sharing these with you! The Swamp Quilters, from the Baton Rouge area, hold their quilting retreats at Whitetails Lodge, just south of Florence, MS. This gorgeous property, ~700 acres, was established as a hunting facility. However, they also are home to a number of exotics, such as this zebra. He was right outside the door of the lodge.
This guinea and his mate had decided to make the lodge area their home in the past month,
wherre he spent much of his time fighting with his reflection in the glass.
Just one of the many animals on the property.
Carolyn Bacile had been collecting Elvis fabrics for years, and this was the inspiration for her design. We had three wonderful days together, and students accomplished a lot. While class lasted 6-7 hours each day, they continued to sew into the evening.

Noreen Mazzaroppi combined a traditional four-patch with free-form geese.
Debbie Bowman had a sleep-deprived night, second night of our weekend, and she took advantage of the sleeplessness to stitch all night long! What a great design!
Kay Olinde created this terrific design. I can't wait to see the finished project.
Forrest Gump and Friends.

Anchorage Log Cabin Quilters

2009-05-12T22:32:00.005-06:00

Teaching for the Anchorage Log Cabin Quilters was a real treat. They opted to take the two-day Goose is Loose Class, which exposes students to a wider array of design techniques, and information is presented at a more leisurely pace so it can be more easily absorbed and retained. Also, students are able to achieve much more because of the additional class time, giving them time to practice what they learned. Here, Janet Santek, designed tiny trees, perhaps the ubiquitous black spruce found throughout Alaska.
Here's another design in progress, by Pam Ventgen. The original drawing is evident beneath the quilt parts.
This was a wonderful design by Ruthe Rasmussen. It was inspired by some existing photo transfers of taken in Ireland of she and her daughter. She set the photos into a Celtic knot design in another class.
Glenda Burk was inspired by the impending eruption of Mt. Redoubt, 130 miles to the west of Anchorage. As of this writing, it still sleeps fitfully.

Yin & Yang was the brainchild of Kate McIntyre. There is more to this design and it will be exciting to see the finished quilt.
The other class was Scrumptious Stars. In this class, students learn the basics of paper foundation piecing by making one of my star patterns. Although they didn't finish their entire star, they were comfortable with the technique by the end of the day. The focus of most of my classes is technique rather than projects. So, I am always happy to see them learning new methods and gaining inspiration to help them grow as artists.

Mountain Home, AR

2009-05-10T22:54:00.003-06:00

I'm about a month behind in my posts, so my goal is to get caught up this weekend, and then stay current. Early April found me driving from Little Rock, AR up to Mountain Home to teach for the weekend. One of the classes was a Color Class, and this marvelous little vignette was created with scissors and glue.
They get the prize for attendance at their meetings. What a packed house!
In Sensational Stars, each student designed her own project. Because of the designing, most are not fully stitched at the end of the six-hour class, but oh, what fun we had!

Color exercise #1. We generally complete about four different exercises in this 1/2 day class. It is amazing to see the change in fabric use in such a short period. Color selection on a simple star.

Quilting Adventures - New Braunfels, Texas

2009-03-27T20:00:00.004-06:00

What a treat it was to teach this amazing group of students for five days! We were one of four classes at Quilting Adventures run by Barbara Quinn and Alice Kolb. Located on a beautiful campus, the classrooms were huge, well-lit, and our every need was instantly take care of. As for my personal room, well I was in a Sunday House, a tiny little individual house, where a goody bag awaited that included a bottle of wine! The food was fabulous, the facilities were terrific, and I don't think you can find a better deal for a five-day workshop that this one.

Ann Gehin design in progress.

Each student created their own design, and although they didn't finish everything, they were far enough along to see how the design would look and they had acquired enough skills to finish their project at home.

Janice Schindeler design in progress.

Kathy Voss design in progress

Rex McCaskill design in progress

Kit Kucinkas design in progress

Marge Eadie design in progress

Marilyn Wilson design in progress

Naomi Ruth Pabich design in progress

Sandra Hammond design in progress

Birding Venezuela

2009-03-25T20:52:00.003-06:00

Birding Venezuela Team
Top Row (L-R): Tour leader, Jim Black, John Parmeter, Mike Parmeter, Lane Leckman, Jerry Theis, Tim Jenkins. Front Row (L-R): Sam Sanborn, Jerry Oldenettel, Yours Truly, Mark Watson.

Sam and me, propping up our fearless leader, Jim Black. No, in reality, he just blinked! He runs Chupaflor Tours in Albuquerque, NM,

The Last Bird

2009-03-25T20:42:00.003-06:00

Photo by Jerry Oldenettel

It looked as if we'd never find this little fellow with the ordinary name, Buffy Hummingbird. We'd spent most of one afternoon trolling through dry thorn scrub along the northern coast of Venezuela without success. Unfortunately, much of the habitat had been cleared and was devoid of nearly all vegetation for some mysterious purpose. It began to look like the little hummie, endemic to only this small region was not to be. For some of our group, this was one of the must-see birds for their purpose in being here was to see hummingbirds instead of raptors or Harpy Eagles. We walked down a trash-filled alleyway, dodging the smelly puddles and dirty diapers until we came to a clear stream that emptied into a lagoon. Everything looked just about perfect, but no hummie responded. Then, Jerry pulled out his Ipod, on which was loaded -- none other than the mating call of the Buffy Hummingbird. It took exactly less than one minute before the little fellow zoomed right over and perched right in front of us. Happy birders all. Then, it was off to Caracas and home.

About Those Venezuelan Birds

2009-03-25T20:18:00.003-06:00

All photos by Jerry Oldenettel

The sheer number of Venezuelan bird species alone is enough to overwhelm one. However, there are always a few that will remain forever etched in my memory. Thank you to Jerry Oldenettel for providing these photographs.

Shown above is the Venezuelan Troupial, the country's national bird. It's a type of oriole and remarkably colorful. Notice the pale blue, luminous patch around the eye. He has a unique song that was easy to learn on the day that four of us played hooky from the more dedicated members of the team. The troupial arrived shortly after our host at the lodge placed fresh bananas or other fruit in the baskets around the yard, always announcing his arrival before we were able to see him.

What can I say? Green-rumped Parrotlets in love.

An amazing number of raptors were observed during our two-week stay. Above is a Savanna Hawk that was remarkably cooperative.
And then, there was the elusive Rufous Crab-hawk. On our last day, we had an outing to the mangrove swamp, boarding two motorized launches that crept into the densely vegetated, but narrow waterway. It seemed logical to me that the target bird of the trip, a Rufous Crab-hawk, would eat crabs. So, I anticipated arriving at an oceanside beach where there would be an abundance of crabs -- for the birds to eat.

Our boats traveled farther along the now-widening waterway, and it eventually became a passage wider than most rivers I've seen. Still, there was no beach in sight. After two or so hours of ever-expansive waterways, our Venezuelan guide pointed to a tall, dead snag, high above the forest to a pair of raptors, the elusivie Crab-hawk. As I looked around at the dense mangrove forest, I wondered how the bird had gotten its name for there were surely no crabs anywhere near here.
That is, until we pulled in beneath the overhanging mangroves to get a look at a small flycatcher nest and discovered that the forest was literally crawling with crabs, big and small. Tree Crabs were so plentiful that they plunked into our boats with regularity, scuttling along the bottom of the boat until one of our softer hearted guys released them back into the wild. And now, you know the rest of the story.

The Road to Carupano

2009-03-17T20:23:00.002-06:00

Stopping at a bridge over an unknown stream, we found a group of children playing in the water. One girl had a pair of swimming goggles and was diving into the clear water. We waved and they waved back. As I moved on, Mark remained behind snapping photographs. Shortly, he joined the birding team, followed soon after by a stream of Venezuelan kids. It was clear that Mark was the hero of the day to this small band of adventurers. As they crowded around, I ran back to grab my camera and capture the image. The fish near Mark's head; well, that's another story.At one point, Mark leaned over and whispered quietly into my ear so as to not be overheard by the hard core among us, "I also am interested in things other than birds". To me, it was like the sweet sound of fresh raindrops on a drought-stricken desert. Another team member who shared my passion for all the sights and sounds of our surroundings. So, when the birding bus pulled over at yet another stop and the group strolled down a dirt road in search of avian rarities, we remained behind, in the shade, checking out other forms of wildlife, like this anole couple. The female is peeking out from the safety of the burrow.

Just a beautiful butterfly

Photo by Mark Watson

We came upon this truck with a religious figure painted onto the back of box. Imagine our surprise when we passed them and discovered it was a refrigerated container filled with fish.

Photo by Mark Watson.

Man with donkey. Photo by Mark Watson.

Carnival

2009-03-16T16:09:00.005-06:00

Photo by Mark Watson.

Moving north from El Palmar toward the Paria Peninsula, we encountered the Carnival boys and girls. The boys, painted blue or black from head to toe, extracted a payment of coins to allow passage.

Photo by Mark Watson

Although they look serious, it was all in good fun. By evening, the Zocalo (city center) was packed, often forcing us to detour around the community to reach our lodging. The festivities went on until the wee hours of the morning, at about the same time as all the roosters woke up. The birding team became ever more sleep deprived.

Photo by Mark Watson

A not-so-enjoyable Carnival costume. Fortunately, this one was on the side of the road and didn't manage to collect a toll from our bus.

After the Harpy

2009-03-15T20:04:00.005-06:00

Our little entourage moved on to the Imitaca Forest Reserve dominated by rampant vegetation accompanied by particularly thick muck. Those in the back of monster truck from Hell were nearly thrown out the open back when the truck hit an especially large ditch which our driver plowed through. It proved to be the road collapsing over a broken culvert and now we were on the wrong side of the only road out. Everyone walked back and waited to see if the trucks would make it.
As the day grew longer, Sam opted for a snooze.
Followed by another member that needed to take a load off his feet,
and his legs.
The day grows long when it begins at 4 a.m. Along about noon, or later as the rain forest heats up and the sun beats down relentlessly, a siesta is just the right thing to do. Mark opted for the blue jeep for his nap. I, on the other hand, was skulking through the jungle, searching for an elusive antbird. It took a while, but we finally found him, walking on the ground beneath the vegetation, circling us continuously while singing his territorial song. I didn't capture the little Ferruginous-backed Antbird on film, but intrepid photographer, Jerry Oldenettel posted the image on his Flickr page.
The trees in the Imitaca, with higher water levels than other areas we had been, had an even higher number of prop roots supporting the trees. In fact the main trunk of most trees no longer reached the ground.
Leaf cutter ants built huge mounds in the forest
and the ants were busy carrying bits of leaves across the road, always in perfect ant formation.
The structure of many of the plants is simply superb.

Good-bye Rainforest

2009-03-15T08:05:00.004-06:00

The edge of the rain forest. Will Venezuela survive the current regime and the rampant destruction of its natural wonders? Most shocking during the trip was the huge transmission line that ran from the Orinoco River, through old-growth forest, all the way to Brazil. In its path is a 1/4 mile wide clear-cut through supposedly protected areas like the Imitaca Forest Preserve, and Canaima National Park.
Look at the leafless tree in the background. This is where the juvenile Harpy Eagle waited for food deliveries. While this might seem like an ideal spot to watch for his parents to bring food, it is grim evidence of the slash and burn agriculture that is rampant throughout Venezuela. It takes two years to raise a juvenile Harpy Eagle to independence, during which time the parents are tied to the nest. Their nesting habitat is dense lowland tropical rainforest with an adequate supply of sloths and monkeys which are hunted beneath the canopy. The nest is within the patch of woods on the right. As you can see, it has been cleared almost right up to the nest. Where will this pair of adults have to go now to find another suitable location for their next nest?
The burned tree stumps were much in evidence at the viewing point for the Harpy Eagles. If you look carefully, you will see a small vegetable garden on the right side. Rainforests are dependent on the constant decomposition of organic matter to provide nutrients to the vegetation. When the cycle is broken through clearing, soils only support crops for 3-4 years before being depleted of nutrients. This leads to more clearing. During our trip, we often saw smoke from fires burning the forest.

Good-bye rain forest.

Harpy Quest

2009-03-13T21:00:00.006-06:00

Would we, could we, did we see the Harpy Eagle?

It's the bird that inspired me to take this trip, the Harpy Eagle. I always said that if I could see a wild Harpy, the world's largest eagle, found only in lowland tropical rainforest, I would die a happy woman. I had been warned that it might be a challenge to find the bird. So, being of a cautious nature, I snapped a photo of this painting in the Puerto Ordaz hotel.

Photo by Mark Watson.

This was our earliest departure, by far, of the whole trip. Promptly at 5 a.m. we assembled near our bus, only to learn that our tranportation of the day was none other than an old, beater 4WD truck with a handmade, black metal canopy with boards running along each side. Those at the far back end, had to hang on tight to ensure that they were not tipped out. Jerry T and I are full of enthusiasm as we depart, destination unknown, time of drive unknown, condition of roads unknown, but full of trust.
Mark W. and Jerry O. were similarly enthusiastic as we departed. However, our enthusiasm was rather short-lived when we realized the truck belched exhaust into the compartment in the back, burning our eyes and making it hard to breathe.
The monstrous truck that was our avenue to the Harpy Eagle site.
An indigenous family lived near the nest and the woman made coffee for us while we waited for the rain to end. Would it end? Would we have to hike in the rain? Would the rain ruin our chances of seeing the eagle?
Our Venezuelan guides: Javier is the smaller man, and he drove the equally dilapidated blue jeep. After the rain stopped, the whole group trooped off through the muck. Within about 1/4 mile, we came to a clearing in the jungle where the family was growing their vegetable garden. Looking to the west, a large bird was perched atop a leafless tree.

Photo by Mark Watson.

It was the immature Harpy, waiting for a food delivery. The not-so-little fellow or gal seemed oblivious to our presence, almost as if it saw groups of people often. It was about 18 months old, already flighted, and just learning about hunting. It would not be independent of its parents for another six months.

Photo by Jerry Oldenettel.

While we watched, the adult male flew over likely checking on the well-being of his offspring. The youngster sat patiently for what seemed like a long time before disappearing into the forest. Later, on the way out, we also observed the adult female perched about a mile from the nest. While it was a thrill to see the largest eagle in the world, I had expected it to be harder, to be a slog through the mud with voracious insects nipping at any exposed skin, something akin to the African Queen. In reality, it was more like going to visit your cousin who lives in the country, and then walking to the back of his property to see the hawks that nested there -- almost as if we didn't work hard enough to earn the experience.

Welcome to Hotel Parador Taguapire

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El Palmar is the closest town to the Imitaca Forest Preserve. It is the staging area for expeditions into the preserve, particularly for those who seek the mythical and often elusive Harpy Eagle, the world's most massive eagle. We had scheduled two days in the hopes of locating one of them.
Constructed of cinder blocks, the rooms in Hotel Taguapire resembled a jail cell painted a violent shade of pea green. But, a little cheer was added with and equally violent shade of nearly royal blue, perahps a cross between indigo and hunter green. The door was built of steel. There were no worries that anyone could possibly break into your room.
We shared our room with at least two other companions, one of which was a tree frog that lived in the shower. Apparently camera-shy, capturing his image was a lesson in high speed photography. That first flash drove him right up the wall, literally, with the camera woman pointing the lens increasingly higher with each click of the shutter.
Our other companion was our spider friend that hid in the corner near Sam's bed. I assured her that he/she wasn't poisonous and would almost certainly be gone in the morning, even though I had never seen this kind of spider before and had no knowledge of its biological history. Fortunately, she was no worse for wear in the morning when, indeed, the spider was gone and it was not in her boot.
The saddest thing about traveling in a third world country is all the wasted plastic. Because we couldn't drink the tap water, bottled agua was our friend. Unfortunately, the hotel provided the agua in tiny little bottles - many of them. We suspect that there is no such thing as recylcing in the small towns of Venezuela.

Now, lest you think poorly of our accommodations at Hotel Parador Taquapire, the host and his workers were quite gracious and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. They put out fresh fruit several times daily which attracted a wide variety of colorful fruit-eating birds, including the Venzuela Troupial, a member of the oriole family. To see a photo of this bird, visit Jerry Oldenettel's website and scan through the Venezuela album.

One day, four of us decided to play hooky from the dedicated birders that comprised the remainder of the group, opting instead for a leisurely morn watching the feeders and the birds that occupied the habitat beyond the fence. Our host plied us with endless cups of coffee, soda, beer, steak and fries for lunch, smiling all the time as we practiced our novice Espanol.

Tepuy Tale

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In the background of this photo two shadowy tepuyes stand watch over the Gran Sabana. The tepuye on the left, the pointed one and the saddle between them are the subject of myth. Henry tells its story, "The Gran Sabana is from a God, a woman named Macunaima who was the queen of the Gran Sabana. The tepuye on the left was a great tree with a huge spreading top. Another god was jealous and wanted to take the Gran Sabana and they fought a fierce battle. The God wanted to chop off the head of Macunaima. He leaned back and swung, but his great sword missed and cut into the great tree. The tree and its large top fell, with the top breaking Grande Tepuye into two tepuyes. The tepuye on the right is Roraima, the highest tepuye at 2730 meters. When the tree fell, breaking the tepuye which formerly held all life, the water containing all the life of the Gran Sabana flooded the Earth, bringing life to it. Roraima is suspected to hold the richest diamond deposit in the world, but is currently protected from exploration. Roraima was the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World.
Tepuyes Tramin on the left, and Ilu on the right, north of Roraima. Mesas of pre-Cambrian rock, part of the Guayana Shield and nearly 3 billion years old, the tepuyes tower majestically over the Gran Sabana. Those who have explored their summits describe them as being from another place and time, unlike anywhere else. Geologically separated for millions of years, many of the plants and animals found on the tops are endemic, adapted to weather extremes of wind and rain. The rock formations, similarly affected, have eroded into otherworldly formations. Henry once climbed Roraima with the help of a guide. It took two and a half days.

La Gran Sabana

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Birding with the boys, near the top of theEscalera, just below La Gran Sabana

Sam at the waterfall

Birding the Gran Sabana

Only two stops had any crafts for sale. This young lady took a leisurely approach to marketing.

Tour leader, Jim Black, with Henry our host at Barquilla de Fresca Lodge.

City Life

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Photo by Mark Watson.

They call them Chavistas, those that post the plethora of pro-Chavez signs. Toward the end of our trip, we found out that everyone who posted a Chavez sign for the referendum was paid. The referendum was a vote to allow Chavez to run for unlimited terms. In the big cities, where people have greater exposure to the outside world, the referendum was defeated. But, in the small villages, where people live on bare subsistence income, it was overwhelmingly passed. With all the wealth from oil, every Venezuelan citizen received a certain amount of money. Local industries closed and almost all goods were imported. Rural people view Chavez as the great patron of the country. Now, with the diminished oil prices, there is little money, but still no industry, and country-wide shortages of many basic items, such as sugar, which is produced in Venezuela.
Fruit for sale everywhere, especially bananas. Many of the fruit-loving birds, such as the tanagers also hung out at the fruit stands, eating their fill.

Bananas for sale.

Pink Houses