Calder & Company

Brilliant orbs of inspiration...

...Mushrooms and/or fungi.  That's what I am referring to as "brilliant orbs"--or spheres, or gnome caps, or little umbrellas--or whatever name you may have for them.  And inspiring they are indeed!

~A week or so ago, we took our boat out to a large island--to have a picnic.  We packed up all of our picnic supplies and fishing gear--to head to the unknown.  I admit, I was a little shaky about the destination that S. had configured.  "How far away is this again?"

~The island place that he selected ended up having a truly mystic quality to behold--dark, deep depths of forest, with high canopies and gray-green undergrowth.   There is something special about 'islands'.  I like the idea of having the whole place to oneself...except for the critters of course!

~Upon arrival, even the boys had the "wilderness explorer fever"--my new term for "I can't even finish my meal mom, I must ambulate".  They could hardly stay seated during our luncheon meal.  They just could not wait to 'explore' the surrounding areas. 

~So many things to observe and appreciate.  The undergrowth of the forest was thriving with hues of every color--and I was especially surprised by all of the colorful shapes, textures and variety of fungi and mushrooms.

~good thing S. brought along the army knife, because I forgot to pack one for the red pepper!

~when journeying through the forest, I almost stepped on these little treasures.  Oh my!  That would almost be a crime.

~When even a FEW leaves start to fall and change color, I know what type of weather is to come.  We all know what is coming.  The cool weather.  EEK!  I guess that is why we try to admire and savor all of the color that is left on the woodland floor.  Soon, all of these delicate structures will be crushed by winds, and covered by blankets of snow.

Inspiration List.

1.  Tall plants make great garden art.  (No, I did not make this shirt for N., although I do have a button down for C.C. coming in the next post).

2.  More red in the garden.  I adore red garden sculpture.

3.  Don't we all need an angel overhead? (Ok, technically, she is not an angel-but sweet nonetheless). This is done just perfect. 

 

4.  MORE chocolate Ho-Ho cake.  M.O.R.E.

~Lately, N. is telling me he wears "invisible underwear".  Hmmm, is this just another ploy to get out of wearing a new set?  Those 6 year olds are funny and entertaining creatures!  "oh mom,"  he says.

5.  Take those summer days S.L.O.W.  Stop and dream of wayward butterflies, simple grassland greenery, and cloud-filled sky's (O.k. I am retelling this to myself mostly).  Off to pack a summer picnic, then pick up the boys for some sunshine.  Adieu!

Garden Hands.

~With little notice, Z. decided to make some quick garden stakes for our vegetable garden.  They all love the plethora of buttons in my sewing room.  This tin of buttons was given to me by their nana, and we have been adding to it ever since.  The boys are crazy about the buttons.  Dumping out the buttons, running their fingers through the buttons, sorting the buttons.  This day, Z. was searching for buttons by vegetable color.

~Our vegetable garden was planted a week or so ago, and we are hoping to plant some more this week.  We still have some pumpkin plants sitting around in peat pots ready to go to the ground.  The boys planted those seeds during the coldest days of the spring.  On planting days, the kids enjoy comparing the simple, bumpy texture of the pea seeds to the smooth texture of the pumpkin seeds. 

~Alas, while I was finishing up our planting morning, N. presented me with a cheerful, blue egg he found near our garden.  I love how their active, quiet hands are always busy finding new things to touch.

Crayfish Hunt

~The boys love to hunt for crayfish.  It's all about scraping the bottom and lifting to see if you caught any in your net.  Slippery walking doesn't slow the boys down one bit.  I think because the water is murky (rained the day before), it heightens their interest in the hunt. 

~The ever lovely May Apple flower.  Enjoy!

Lake Country.

~As a child I went on many woodland adventures.  I specifically remember looking for walking sticks, berries, and termites.  It is crazy what our minds choose to remember from our childhoods!

~Recently, we took our crew for a walk through the woods (during our lake visit).  Each season offers new flowers and insects at different stages of the life cycle. 

~All must stop and touch the moss.  Woodland law. 

~Skipping rocks.  Or maybe just 'rock throwing' at this stage of the game.  Although I did just read some literature about tadpoles screaming.  Yes, tadpoles can emit a sound when a threat is nearby (such as a skipping rock).  Hmmm...

 

~One ambitious beaver (guessing it was done last fall?)

~On the qui vive for wild pitcher plants in the bog.  One of these days, I am going to catch one in bloom.

~Of course, the weekend visit includes a good deal of fishing.   Happy weekend relaxing!

Final Series: Northern California.

~So as some of you may know, there were a few setbacks on this adventure for our family of five.  After much processing of the trip, I truly feel like we all got something out of this get-a-way. 

~Yes, we did eat at some unsavory places (and even skipped a few meals--egads!), overheated the brakes in our rental car driving in the mountains--in the rain (steep-grades oh my!), and showed up to one of our accommodations only to find out that they only had one bed (cozy-right?). ~Overall, it was worth all the nutty, can't-plan-for-it drama.  What is a trip without delays and setbacks?

 

~Yes, there they were, all three--watching the waves.  Better than television any day!

~A wonderful find--a GIANT GUMBOOT CHITON.  This was a highlight.  I have heard it described as "wandering meatloaf", which makes me smile.

~I spy a starfish.  Hmmm... 

~N.'s daily seashore finds.

~the apple orchards are just perfect to see, when my homeland is covered with ice and snow.

~A visit to the Marsh, we journeyed through this sublime landscape.   Very calming, especially since I thought we were lost because our map did not have enough detail.  We made it...

~Another pair of japanese pants I created that incorporated some wild piping that I was working on (with embroidery).  Not so sure if it is worth the work, but will try on one more pair.

~Sticks and muddy pants.  An ideal day.

~My must have California shoes.  I wore these every day, and mostly with skirts.  These came from Smith and Hawkins a hundred years ago.  I suppose...   

~Goodbye seashore....Goodbye serene green pastures.  Thank you for keeping us for a while.  Adieu.

Series 5: Northern California.

~Okay, so can you tell I love the ruggedness of the Northern part of California?  Yes indeedy, Mr. tweedy!

~I was lucky to be able to spend my day going through my fabric stash, perusing all of my old patterns, and looking to Selvedge for inspiration (I have had a subscription-since the beginning--oh my!). 

~Nature ALWAYS inspires my sewing and fabric designs.  It is the perfect substrate.

~Green sea anemone.  Look at those colors!

That green grass looks so good to me!

~Yes, we are complete rock hounds!

Series 3: Northern California.

~this view gives me hope and inspiration that we are heading towards Spring.  One of the little guys found these mushrooms, and are always excited to get down low to view their delicate nature.

~On closer inspection, the undergrowth of the Redwood forest is so rich with colors right now.  The browns, blacks and grays are being interrupted and replaced with green and red hues.  The contrast is famous.

~So lucky to spot this little fellow.

~Here is a visit to Ocean World in Crescent City.  We have some other ocean life in situ that I will share later.  Lovely to see in this setting for examination, but I much prefer to see them in their natural environment.

~this sun star was a fast mover...

~I included this photo because of the green color of the sea anemone.  Wow!  I learned that humans are only affected if they contact one of the anemone tentacles with a mucous membrane.  Nature is so amazing.

Preparing for Love Day~Series 3.

~We are drawing so close to our weekend celebrations.  The boys are decorating the house for C.C's birthday, and I am trying to get things finished and wrapped.  Can I just have a few more days please?

~Here is a little something for the sweetest boy of almost two. 

~On another note, after the first of December, I planted an amaryllis entitled "Double Dragon".  As you may know, it takes about 8-10 weeks for the bulb to bloom.  (Oh, the amaryllis was purchased here.) 

 

 

~The plant is located by my bedside and I took a photo one afternoon while C.C. was nearby (as you can see his hand here).  Guess what?  As I thought we moved on to other projects, I went back into our bedroom only to find the flower head ripped off the stalk and dirt all over the floor!  ARG!  Double ARG!  This was the first time C.C. had noticed this new item by my bedside. The flower was so close to opening, and I was dying to see the bloom. 

~On a whim, I put the bud in a vase (yes there was a nice bite mark on the bud--checking for flavor?), and it still bloomed.  Yeah.  Thank you, thank you to all of those people that hybridize to bring us these beautiful flowers.  Merci.

~Here is a photo of the new snow we received during our slumber.  Just perfect.

Twenty Ten. Oh My!

 

Backwoods exploring on New Years Day.  Happy twenty ten!  See below for the result of our healthy woodpecker population (which we cultivate and adore).