Friday, July 31, 2009

Just in time

I finished the necklace and earrings shown below in time for a wedding this weekend. They were easy and quick to finish. Swarovski bicone in Indian Sapphire and gray pearls are the main beads used. Both patterns used right angel weave to create the design.


The necklace is Elegant Expression by Noriko Romanko. I found it in Bead and Button magazine published in October, 2006.


The earrings are Boleyn Earrings by Deborah Roberti. I found them on her website Around the Beading Table. I love Deborah's patterns as they are fully diagramed along with written instructions. I need the diagragms more than the words, so to find a pattern with such complete diagrams is fun.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Cellini Spiral

Pushing other bead work aside, I finished this Cellini Spiral on Sunday. The spiral is an odd count Peyote tube using different sized beads. This one has size 11, 8 and 6 seed beads.
This stitch is perfect for watch my favorite eaglet on his nest. This is a screen capture from the web cast of the nest.


Can you believe that 73 days before the above picture, this big guy looked like this:


Visit this eaglet here, but hurry as he is due to fledge the first week of August.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

I don't often think of cool and July in the same sentence. Yesterday the words met. It had been several weeks since I had visited our property in western NC. Road Trip! It was so nice to open the car windows at the bottom of the mountain and discover cool temps---in the 70's. The drought in the area was declared broken sometime this spring. There has been summer rains, but not really enough. The official status is 'abnormally dry'.

The pond is losing water each day. The springs that feed it are not running right now. I'm hoping for some tropical system to bring in the needed moisture.

The pond completely dried up during the end of last summer and through out the winter. It was distressing becasue we really loved all the frogs that called it home. We hoped some survived under the bit of damp earth that was left. At least a couple of frogs did survive. As we walked around the edge of the water we saw little hippity hops heading for the water. This one was nice enough to pose.

Here is a closer look.


He was around 3/4 of an inch long. The newts have been active in the pond since spring. It is nice to see that the frogs have returned.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Life is not a Disney Movie

Remember this pretty little momma bird? She built a nest outside out bathroom window and had two eggs. It was fun to check on her throughout the day. But on Sunday morning I went to look at her and found an empty nest with only a couple of egg shells.


It is really sad. Yes, I cried. Yes, it is nature. Birds like this one have multiply clutches of eggs a year because so few make it to adulthood. It's still sad. A lonely Blue Jay feather on the nearby ground makes me think that is what got the eggs. I've left her nest for now. I know she will not be back in it, but I still look at it occasionally. It is a beautiful nest.

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Blog Roll

A forum I frequent has started a Blog Roll. With a new topic or question every week for all to discuss, it is going to be fun to read the different responses.

The first question is: What's the farthest you have traveled for food? Did you fly across the country just so you could have the perfect bowl of clam chowder? Did you cross the state line just for a scoop of ice cream? What was it, how far did you travel, and was it worth it?

Luella's BBQ in Asheville, NC is about 45 miles from where we stay when we are visiting North Carolina. If I were to measure the distance to Luella's from home, it would be a 316 mile round trip. We often ride our motorcycle in the beautiful mountains and back roads of North Carolina. Including Luella's in the itinerary is perfect.

Meat is at the heart of a BBQ place and Luella's has a big heart. Their selection of meat includes pork, beef, turkey, ribs and more. Perfectly seasoned, the meat is always moist and tender.



Hubby likes the ribs which have a St. Louis style seasoning.


I like the pulled pork sandwich with slaw, of course. Sometimes I am in the mood for the Sweet Pisgah Sauce. others times, I pour on Scooter's Famous Vinger Sauce. Yes, the meat is really piled that high on the sandwich.


Or, you can get a plate. I love their hushpuppies. Adding collards to the plate makes it look so healthy. I like to get a side of fried okra. Hey, underneath that crispy breading, okra is green!


It has always been worth the trip when we visit Luella's.