• In Which I Invite You to Join a No Kings Event on Saturday, October 17

    Red and black text on goldenrod-yellow background reads: Vote Early. No Kings. Just Voters. Saturday, October 17. NOKINGS.ORG. There is an outline of an X-ed out crown on top of the word “vote” and a large box with a checkmark in it next to the words “just voters.” A curved arrow on the right of the text points to the words “just voters.”

    I’ve always urged people to exercise their right to vote, but it’s especially important this year. (Obviously I’m addressing my fellow US citizens right now.)

    The next No Kings event is October 17. Join the movement to protect our elections against sabotage and help turn out the largest early vote in US history.

    We are the ones we have been waiting for. We are the ones with the power to make change.

    To find an event and get more information, go to nokings.org. Please note that the No Kings movement is committed to nonviolence.

    More voting resources:

    vote.org

    whenweallvote.org

    voteriders.org

    I hope you’ll join us.

  • In Which I Vote

    Close-up of an “I Voted” sticker. The sticker is a glossy white oval with an American flag depicted on it on the left. On the right of the sticker in blue is written, I Voted. I took the picture seated in the car on a sunny day while wearing the sticker, so the blue of my shirt is bright in the sun. The sticker is in a rectangle of shadow, so appears against a darker blue. The gloss of the sticker catches the sunlight and makes small hazy rainbows.

    Our primary and local elections are not getting the national coverage accorded to some states, but we in Florida are voting!

  • In Which I Revel in Moonlight, Ponder Road Signs, and Paddle into the Sunset

    In the foreground, two conifers, one on the left with a leafy vine clinging to its lower half. The branches of the trees, almost in silhouette, create a frame for the full moon rising over a hill and its reflection in the water below. The sky is still fairly light, as is the water. The moon and its reflection are golden.

    We took so many pictures of the brilliant full moon as it rose above the hill and cast its light across the water. My photography skills did not capture the scene’s beauty but it’s one of my favorite memories of our time in the San Juan Islands (Washington State) last month.

    Image of two street signs against a backdrop cloudy skies and green trees. The far trees are conifers, the nearer tree leafy. On a plain white wooden post two signs are affixed, pointing in the same direction, to the left. The top one, a green street sign, reads: Olga Cemetery Road. The bottom, in amber yellow, reads: Dead End.

    This pair of signs caused us to pause. Deliberate juxtaposition? Serendipitous?

    Kayaking at sunset. The sun is still pretty high, so the sky overhead is blue with thin clouds that are just starting to turn gold on the right middle edge of the image. Beneath the blue sky jutting from the left is a rocky cliff crowned with conifers. In the center of the image is a yellow kayak, with the two of us, both resting our paddles. On the left the water is dark, almost a dark glassy green. To the right of our prow the water catches the sunlight and its rippling texture can be seen. A bright red paddle of another kayaker pokes up from the bottom edge of the image.

    This is during the first half of our sunset kayaking excursion, so we’re kayaking into the setting sun, which made our eyes burn a bit! Still, it was amazing being out on the water, seeing pigeon guillemots, kingfishers, swallows, seals, sea otters, jellyfish…the weather was gorgeous, too.

  • In Which I Have Crocheted a Blanket

    : Blue and cream crochet blanket arranged in an artful spill over a putty-colored fabric couch. The blanket is made up of hexagonal abstractly floral motifs in cream, beige, and several shades of blue. Each motif is outlined in beige. A simple pattern in blue edges the whole blanket.

    I realized I haven’t posted about crochet for a while! I finished a big project this summer, Janie Crow’s Delft Blanket in the original blue and cream colorway. Very happy with how it turned out!

    Close-up photo of a blue and cream crocheted blanket arranged on a putty-colored fabric couch. The blanket is made up of hexagonal abstractly floral motifs in cream, beige, and several shades of blue. Each motif is outlined in beige. A simple pattern in blue edges the whole blanket. The close-up shows a few motifs at the edge of the blanket.

    Her projects hit the sweet spot of fun and challenging for me. I always learn something new and I enjoy watching the motifs take shape round by round. Even though there was one motif pattern, the three different color arrangements provided interest.

    Photo showing entire blue and cream crocheted blanket from above as it is pinned and drying on interlocked blocking mats (one does not see the mats except for at the edges of the photo). The blanket is made up of hexagonal abstractly floral motifs in cream, beige, and several shades of blue. Each motif is outlined in beige. A simple pattern in blue edges the whole blanket. There are five horizontal rows of motifs, each row containing either seven whole motifs or six whole and two half motifs.

  • In Which I Remember Fondly a Snowy Day

    View of a snowy residential street. To the right are visible a couple of older two-story houses with hedges in front. Straight ahead is a tree in the front yard of one house and the sidewalk leading into the distance. On the other side of the sidewalk is a row of trees lining the street. The sky is overcast. Some phone or electrical wires swoop across the photo.

    I don’t know about you, but the weather where I am has been hot, humid, and generally oppressive. So I’m cooling off (at least mentally) by looking at some photos that I took in January when visiting family in Connecticut. Maybe this snowy-cool picture can help you cool down, too, if you are also experiencing a hot summer!

  • In Which I Visit My Friendly Neighborhood Used Bookstore

    Interior of a used bookstore. The photo is taken to see down a series of windows that have been made in the parallel rows of shelving, giving the impression of a tunnel. Books fill the all the shelves in every row. In the very last, farthest, and apparently smallest window, one can see the back wall, also with book-filled shelves. Over the window nearest the viewer are large white letters with blue polka dots spelling out READ. In the foreground. on the sill of this nearest window, are a few coffee table books.

    The Book Rescuers is a huge used bookstore with miles of shelving, places to sit and read or chat, work for sale by local artists and crafters, vinyl records, movies on VHS (!) and DVD/BluRay, and more. I love stopping by and wandering for a bit among the shelves. The vibe is chill, the books are many, and the chairs are comfy. There’s nothing like a good bookstore to make a community feel like home.

  • In Which I Learn to Throw a Pot

    My youngest and I had a lot of fun learning to throw pots last weekend at a local pottery, the Clay Co-Op. 2 hours, we each got to make 2 pots, all materials included. (I’ll show you the pots once they’ve been fired in another couple weeks.) My next book has an important secondary character who’s a potter, so there was a whole second level of interest and enjoyment for me. Very difficult to take notes with hands covered in clay, but I tried to imprint as much as possible on my memory for later!

    Check the studio we took the class at, The Clay Co-Op. They also have members’ work for sale. Also check out the Clay Collective of St. Pete. Wherever you are, consider making an effort to support your local artists and craftspeople, if you don’t already. There are lots of people everywhere making beautiful, intriguing, and useful things.

    The inside of a pottery studio. In the center is a potter’s wheel. The wheel consists of a low, irregularly shaped table. The horizontal surface is yellow plastic. The three black plastic legs rest on red bricks. On the low table on the left side is a wheel, a mostly black circle with a steel border. On the wheel rest a metal scraping tool and a wooden pottery knife. On the table to the right is a plastic bucket filled with clayey water. A large clayey rectangular sponge is draped over the rim. On the speckled concrete floor is the pedal for the wheel, connected to the wheel and table by a cord. A low gray stool is to the left of the pottery wheel table. Toward the upper right, two more wheel stations can be seen. In the upper left stands a sturdy wooden table holding tools, not fully visible.
    A pottery wheel station at the end of class, after we cleaned our spaces!
    Table displaying some of the class’s finished pots. Visible are four finished but unglazed and unfired pots of red clay on flat wood squares. The are two small pots, fully glazed and fired, one yellow, one blue. In the bottom right corner is a crock holding several paintbrushes of different sizes and shapes. In the upper left are three objects like dark cake stands. A red pot on a wood square sits on a fourth stand, for easier painting. The pottery teacher’s red and white striped apron is visible, as is one arm steadying the wood platform. One can just see the blowtorch she is using to quickly dry the surface of the pot to ready it for painting with glaze.
    Some our class’s finished but unglazed pots. The teacher is quick-drying the surface of the pots with a blowtorch so we can paint on the glaze.
    A look at finished but unglazed and unfired pots from class. On a wooden table surface, in the center of the photo are two bowls set on thin wood squares ready to be painted with glaze. One can see the edges of two others along the right side. At the top of the image, from the left, are a plastic tub with tools, a green go-cup, and a white rag.
    A closer look at some of our pots before applying glaze. It will be fun to see what they look like after firing!

  • In Which I Bake Focaccia

    Every few weeks I like to make focaccia. Yesterday made some plain and some with onion, garlic, and rosemary. Very satisfying on a rainy evening!

    Seen from above. A white oval platter on a red tablecloth. Eight pieces of plain focaccia are arranged on the platter. One can see the dimples in the golden-brown bread and the Maldon salt flakes sprinkled on top.
    Seen from above. A wooden cutting board on a dark granite counter that is reflecting a lot of glare. On the board are twelve freshly cut golden-brown pieces of focaccia. A couple of pieces are angled for visual interest. Onion, rosemary, and Maldon salt flakes top the focaccia. To the lower right is a pizza cutter, resting against a couple of pieces.

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