GRT2014 Days 20-22 Santa Barbara, CA to Pacific Grove, CA

I write this as I'm having my breakfast, on my way out of Pacific Grove. But I'll be back in just a few days!

I spent time on Monday wandering around Santa Barbara since I'd not seen that part of the state.  Wow is it ever beautiful! They do not have the rocky beaches that this part of the state enjoys, but they certainly have some spectacular scenery.  For those that have access to my Facebook page, these pics will be duplicates, but heck, who minds seeing such gorgeousness again?

Oh  rats. All the good ones are on the computer. I'll update this post later today.

I left Santa Barbara around 1:00, heading to Morro Bay. I had read a bit about it and it seemed like a good place to spend Some time. I wanted to settle in for a few nights rather than jumping from place to place on my way to my friend Kathy's house in Dublin. It was a short hop - just a little over 100 miles. 

I promise I was NOT looking for the quilt shop. I simply arrived into the town of Morro Bay and there was the shop, right on the corner of one of the main intersections. Talk about location! You don't think I passed it by, do you. Not only no, but hell no! I whipped right into their (tiny) parking lot & made myself right at home. I got advice for a hotel, an invitation to a retreat that starts today (turned that down), and good chat about quilts. Since I knew I would be in town for 3 nights, I figured I could make my purchases later.

Nope.

After spending some time driving around the tiny berg, I decided I didn't really like it after all. I headed north. Pacific Grove, here I come! I know my way around here pretty well now, so didn't really care that

it was dark by the time I got here.  I had a few minutes of panic, though, about halfway up when I remembered the AT&T golf tournament is going on this week. Crap! Would I find a hotel? 

Not only did I find a hotel, I found a gem. Andril Fireplace Cottages is just great! I had a suite, which is really more like a little 3 room apartment.  Honestly, I could live in that little place!  The fireplace and full size kitchen were worth the price of admission.

And really, how can it be bad when your wood bin is stocked for you every day and all you have to do is start the fire? They even stocked wine glasses. Yep. I'm good.  

So I spent my two full days here making up for not walking earlier in the trip. I walked all day both days,  both in exercise mode, and in looking-around mode. Wandered some streets I hadn't been down before, got my pesky roots taken care of, and generally enjoyed myself. I thought I might break out the sewing machine, but that didn't happen either. My plans are usually just mere suggestions. I walked instead.  (For those of you that know about Back Porch Fabrics, I haven't been the yet. My Visa melted in Scottsdale, remember? Gotta get that billing cycle closed first.)

So I spent the time just enjoying this beautiful pace. Have a look.

And that's just a glimpse of the beauty that is Pacific Grove.  No wonder the butterflies come back here every year. (And me, too!)

I'm over 3000 miles into my journey. I keep forgetting to check the tripometer, but its keeping track. I'm so glad you're enjoying the trip with me!

Thanks for stopping by.

GRT2014 Days 16-19 Scottsdale, AZ and Goleta, CA

The last few days in Scottsdale sort of flew by. After making more of my sections of my project from Gail Garber's class, I then went to my Louisa Smith 2-day class. We had a great time make circles and Xs (hugs and kisses), then playing on our design walls. It's a really interesting concept.  I can see multiple projects using this technique.  Louisa is in the midst of publishing prep, so look for the book in the not too distant future. 

There are some pics on my Facebook page, but I am in a restaurant as I write this so cant upload anything new right now.  Check tomorrow. 

My roomie Dolores left on Saturday, but I stayed over to get a second dose of the Chihuly exhibit after having lunch with my brother.  he ended up having a root canal, so tho plans got cancelled. Then, after an Intense week of class, I decided I needed just a quick nap before heading back over to the Desert Botanical Garden.  Ha! The "quick nap" lasted till 7:00 pm. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.  Although I still think I'm in my 30s, I'm not. After a week of class, running around, too much rich food, and entertaining in our little casita for 3 evenings, I was really tired! Sometimes I need to catch up on the sleep.

Sunday morning, I decided to head to Joshua Tree National Park then spend the night in that area. The joy of driving is that I can change my mind on the fly.  I forgot that I'd gain an hour by changing time zones again.  It was so early when I got to the exit for Joshua, and the Pacific was calling me so loudly, that I just kept driving to see how close I could get to Morro Bay. 

 Let me offer a little insight on navigation systems at this point.

I think I may have mentioned that the nav system in my car is way, way out of date and that updating has, so far, not been possible (many curse words inserted here). So I sort of use it as a back-up, but am also using Google maps on the iPad to navigate since it is equipped with the newest roads that the car is unaware of.  Yea. Well. The iPad took me right thru Burbank and its surrounds.  Argh! The traffic, even on a Sunday afternoon, was ridiculous. I should've listened to the old dude and taken I-10 to "the 5" and come up that way.  Still, I got to see parts of California I'd not yet seen. 

I ultimately ended up in Goleta, which is really Santa Barbara but probably less expensive. I made it this far because I wasn't about to stop in the LA/Hollywood area and deal with that traffic on a weekday morning. Although it is dingy and full of buildings with not much "California" in sight, I was intrigued enough with what I saw to think I'd like to go back sometime.  I didn't see the Hollywood sign in the hills, but I didn't have much opportunity to take my eyes off the road, either.  I don't even know if I was in the right area to see it.  

I drove over 500 miles yesterday, which I don't really,like to do, but now I have just 100 miles to go today to get to Morro Bay.  I'd like to do a little walking around Santa Barbara before I head north, though. It's quite beautiful her and I need pictures.

So that's what I've been up to for the last few days. Always an adventure, and I truly never know what I'll do next unless its one of the few things that are concrete plans. What a fun way to travel! My clothes still fit, but my body is begging for some exercise, so maybe walking around Santa Barbara is exactly what I need.  Stay tuned!

Thanks for stopping by.

GRT2014 Day 15 - Quilting in the Desert, Sedona AZ

I finished my class with Gail Garber on Wednesday; I'll start Louisa Smith on Thursday. It's such great fun being around so much creativity! And the ladies are (mostly) wonderful. I always make new friends at these events.

After class on Wednesday, 5 of us took off for the Chihuly glass exhibit at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix. Wow, what a show! They speak for themselves, so no more words are needed from me.

No time to load more right now - the internet here is ridiculously slow!

Thanks for stopping by!

GRT2014 Day 13 - Scottsdale, AZ

Day 1 of Flying Colors class with Gail Garber.

We are all heads-down, practicing design elements: flying geese, offcenter geese, spirals, pointy dudes, just to name a few.  Gail teaches design using a ruler, compass, and flexible curve. It's so much fun! This is a refresher course for me: I took Gail at Empty Spools a couple of years ago. I had forgotten some of the things (lack of usage will do that to you), so this 3-day class is perfect! I'm excited about the project I designed at Empty Spools, and I think I can start sewing on Tuesday.

This area of Scottsdale has so many places to go within walking distance! You wouldn't think of an area like this being walk-friendly, but there are TONS of restaurants, a Trader Joe's (so we can cook in our casita), more clothing stores than I think I've ever seen in one place, and of course the critical piece: Starbucks.

There are a number of breakfast/lunch only places around, but Dolores and I have been eating way too much so we've slowed down and are doing more eating "at home". We went to dinner just two nights, and found the portions at each of the restaurants enough for at least 3 people, maybe 4. We had leftovers in our room, so last night we had guests for dinner (Gail Garber and Louisa Smith), served leftovers, and had plenty for 4 people. Hmm. No wonder we Americans struggle with weight.

No more pictures to share today. It

GRT2014 Day 12 - Scottsdale, AZ

Yesterday I told you that my friend Dolores had joined me here in Scottsdale.  Today we decided to get in the car and see where our whims took us.

I now have an entire new wardrobe. My Visa has melted.

That is all.

GRT2014 Day 11 - Sedona, AZ to Scottsdale, AZ

I bid farewell to Sedona today and headed back down the state to Scottsdale for Quilting in the Desert. I took a different route out of Sedona (179) than I took in (89), and the views were even more spectacular! I stopped at one of the scenic overlooks on the way out of down to grab this shot. All the peaks have names, but I'm not familiar enough with them (yet) to recall what these are. They are all spectacular, though!

Heading down the mountains is always interesting. You can see so much!!  There are a couple of scary parts, but no one else was falling off the road, so I figured I wouldn't either. As sad as I was to leave Sedona, once I reached 3000 ft (Sedona is 4500 ft), I was happy to see these again:

Hello, cuties!

Once I got into Scottsdale, I could have been in Anytown, USA. Driving along the road to get to the hotel, I passed the usuals - Maggianos, Pottery Barn, and any other chain you see in any other city. It makes me realize just how different places like Sedona are: not a lot of national chains. That was refreshing.  Of course the houses are different here, and the hotel is definitely different.

Lots of little casitas, rather than floors and floors of "anywhere, USA" hotel rooms.

Remember when Phoenix used to be where people went if they had bad allergies? It was desert: no pollen, no grass, no trees.  Look at it now! The climate of Phoenix has been completely altered by humans and is now one of the most allergy-prone places in the states. Oh, we humans like our "comfort-y" things, don't we? So much that we plant grass in a desert.

And how surprised was I surprised to see this on the walk back from dinner?

Citrus! In the middle of a parking lot in what used to be desert. Ah well. Progress refuses to be stopped.

My friend Dolores has joined me here in Scottsdale for the week. We had a terrific dinner at an Asian Fusion restaurant. The food was outstanding, but OMG did they ever have enormous servings! One bowl of Pho would have fed 4 people with no problem. Same with the Panang. So we brought it back to the casita (which includes a full kitchen), and now we have lunch for the next couple of days.

Tomorrow is a free day, so we will just goof off for the day, then classes start Monday. I wonder where we'll end up tomorrow? Check in and see!

Thanks for stopping by.

GRT2014 Day 10 - Sedona

This is my last day in Sedona. At least for now. I walked around a lot, looked at all the interesting funky shops, took in the local color.  There is a guy everyone calls Doc. He wears cowboy gear, including boots, spurs (you hear him coming for blocks), and a long black coat. You expect him to say "I'm the law here, ma'am".  Instead, every morning he walks into every shop/store and tells whoever is working to have a nice day. Every evening, he makes his rounds again, wishing everyone a pleasant evening. I didn't think to take a pic, but I'll get him next time (and there WILL be a next time).

My ultimate thought on Sedona? There's something magical about this place. Do your best to visit at least once in your life.

Elsewhere..... Remember these little quick zip bags we made?

I had made them in lots of sizes ...

... and threw some in the suitcase in case I needed them along the way. Well let me say that these are about the best organizers I've ever used! By day 3 I had used all those I'd brought with me, so I made a quick dash into Hancock's (while visiting Vicky in Haltom City), and now I've made 4 more super-sized ones:

Boy are they great! Quilting projects. Dirty socks, etc., (I didn't want to say undies). Things that roll around the suitcase.  They've become my new favorite thing for traveling.  

I also used separating zippers on these because that's the only kind there was in the big (24" and 28") sizes. Wow, did that ever make it easier to sew these babies! 

Suddenly I see all kinds of uses for these quickie bags!

I head back down the hills tomorrow to Scottsdale for a week of quilting class. Oh yay! Stay tuned to see what happens in class, because I never know!

Thanks for stopping by!