Awoke, wishing I had a sfogliatelle....

Sfogliatelle

I must be feeling better. After 9 days of misery following a most brutal tooth extraction I finally am THINKING about something to eat other than yogurt, hummus, eggs. Sfogliatelle are one of my all time favorite foods, the look, the texture, the nuance. It seems as though every Italian bakery has their own recipe, with huge variation in flavor. Bostons' North End had a particularly great version at the Modern Pastry. In Northampton, MA, La Forentina Pastry Shop has a great one also, though they only make them on the weekend....hmmm, weekend is near!

I guess that I need fuel to gather together my wits, my kits, and a bunch of good energy to head to Studio Beads next week for a full week of fun, a two day trunk show followed by four classes, won't you come by?

newly in command.

This Rooster has 'stepped down'.



After a winters worth of literally being cooped up, the roosters have undergone a shift in command. The white 'Mr. Chicken' is now in charge! They have been SO happy to be out of doors, taking dirt baths and chewing up bugs, the bad part is they have taken to having fun in the woods, makes it hard to round them up at the end of the day. Always a concern is the looming coyotes.

Update: Michael got some new fencing so they can frolic until dark in relative safety!

Storms.

This is the oldest known photograph of a tornado, 1884.

It took me until 4 AM this morning to get home from Dallas.

Wiped out is an understatement, storms kept delaying my progress. I had a feeling when I looked out my hotel window early yesterday morning that the day would dish out a bunch of surprises. The sky was that yellowish green, and the wind was whistling loudly.

Glad to be home, 'feel like I am looking at an oasis worth of time before I gear up for a mid May trip to Studio Beads given how compacted my schedule has been for the last month.

A big and warm THANK YOU to everyone in Dallas that made my trip so special, especially Kay Rice, hostess extraordinaire. 4 days of art making with many materials and many talented people with great ideas and the ability to back them up! Thanks for joining me at The Craft Guild of Dallas, an oasis in its own right!

California is Perfect.

I had a most enjoyable time in California. Weather, people, show, sights, all perfect!

Any body heading to Dallas this next weekend? I'll be at the Craft Guild of Dallas teaching Felting, Borosilicate Glass Beadmaking and Coloring Metals. And I'll catch a glimpse of my sister. For now it is prep time....and catch a good nights sleep time!

Off to California.....

This is the view from my favorite hotel room in Oakland, I see all of working Oakland, both bridges, Alcatraz and downtown S.F. Wow.

I will be there selling at the NORCAL Bead Society show, come on over! The show goes all day April 18 in the convention center attached to the Downtown Marriott.

Installing Bees

Lily installing bees

This picture of Lily, many years old now, has been resurrected with the advent of Michael preparing to install a bee colony up at
The Putney School.

He will involve Lily's biology class in the process, I always find it exciting!

Blissful Thoughts.

If I could I would grow 100 varieties of passionflower.

A Sweet Sweet Shop.

Basel, Switzerland

Almost ready to post all packages. Thank you all, again, for your patience while I was away.

I am trying to reenter my world and the details are bogging me down. This afternoon Michael and I will go watch Lily play a lacrosse game and bring along some treats from the european easter bunny!

I just wanted to comment on my students in both venues, both Zurich and the UK, You were warm and fabulous and I thank you all for joining me even when our only common language was a big smile. Check out Elias's wonderful website. His studio looks so inviting, he has included a few good photos of our class!

Home Again.

Castletown, Isle of Man


Isle of Man


Chatham Dockyard

So many visuals to sort through. My time was so rich as I interpreted the varying degrees of beauty and bruises found along my way.

Home with a fresh eye, it won't be but a moment before I am swept away by the next moments calling. Today I will sort through orders, thanks to those that have been waiting, they will all be posted by noon tomorrow.

In the dockyard

Funny how challenging some things can be and how 'Murphy' is world renowned. I finally got access to a wireless mode of communication and my 'universal' adapter wasn't!
walked 4 miles in search of an adapter that might suit my needs, and arrived at the store 3 minutes after the store closed. Had a brainstorm, walked a ways in another direction, stopped into a Ramada and asked if anyone had left behind an American to English adapter, 'no......but try this' said the gal so I was able to piggy back a couple and finally got some badly needed power for all of the things that I have become reliant upon.

I am staying in the most incredible Bed and Breakfast in the officers quarters of the Chatham Dockyards, the scale of which is so impressive, built in 1720, this part anyway. This picture of Sam Elliot gives you an idea of the scale of parts of the buildings, large enough to accommodate huge ships. It has been in a 'museum mode' since 1984 when the Royal Navy turned it loose. Parts of the film 'The Golden Compass' were filmed here, the really impressively beautiful ones on the docks.

My trip has been fabulous. Today is my last day of teaching here at Creative Glass, UK. I head to the Isle of Man tomorrow morning to visit my great pal Julie Denton, spring is in full swing here and the weather is lovely! More later.