A Bit of Everything

Since I don’t have much sewing that I can share yet I will show you what the week was like around here.
We escaped for a few days to Carmel By The Sea with my sister, brother and their spouses.  It was beautiful – warm and sunny.  Often it is foggy and cold so this was a welcomed change for us. 



I was certain that this charming little house must have belonged to a quilter with the wonderful roof.  In researching it, we discovered it is called Casita de Lemos after the owner of the home who was an artist, architect, printer and apparently creative individual.  I still think it would be a great home for a quilter. 



We drove up Hwy 1 on our way north and the ocean views were spectacular.  There is one location along the journey that is home to the elephant seals.  The males have already headed north, but the females and the juveniles are in the molting stage on the beach.  There are seals for as far as you can see.



With our very dry and warm winter, our tortoises came out of hibernation early.  That also meant that the female tortoise laid her eggs early too. 

Head in………



egg out…….



She generally lays around seven eggs.  We had to leave shortly after the first egg was out and she had them all buried when we checked on her next.  Incubation takes 90-120 days.

It’s a busy weekend ahead for us with several birthdays in the family.  It should be a fun one. 

Carmel by the Sea

DH and I managed to slip away for a few days following the busyness of the holidays to Carmel by the Sea.  It is a beautiful, artsy town and it was so relaxing for both of us.  The days had scattered fog, but we enjoyed the 17 mile Drive along the coastline which passes many gorgeous homes and golf course, including Pebble Beach.  Along the way we stopped to visit the famous Lone Cypress tree.

I love the structure of the Cypress trees.

It was fairly early in the morning so these fellows were trying to soak up what few rays they could.

We drove up via Hwy 1 which is a stunning mountainous road with spectacular views - most of the time.  However, on this trip the ocean was shrouded in fog.  The highway is not a road for the faint of heart with its shear drops into the sea.

Just past Cambria and the Hearst Castle we stopped to visit the elephant seals.  Their story is so interesting and can be read here.  They also have a webcam which is fun to view.  In January and February the seals return to the same beach at Piedras Blancas to give birth to their young.  It was fascinating.  Some of these seals weigh over two tons so they are HUGE!

Hearst Castle

The dominant male bellowing his call.

Baby just an hour old.

They appear to be boulders on the beach

 For Christmas our children gifted us with a Chef's dinner for sixteen and it was last weekend.  It is prepared and served at our home which is a treat in itself....a party with no cooking and no cleanup.  How much better does it get?

Sewing kind of took a back seat, but I did manage to work some on my cross stitch nativity.  I also finished my monthly blocks.

You can see the beginnings of my donkey and ox when compared to the last photo of the project.

These are my "Goodnight Irene" blocks for January......

....and this is for my Classic Meets Modern.  It's not really modern, but I am counting solids as modern.

Our January/February swap of our Sewing With Friends was for a pincushion.  I did this pincushion for my partner, Leona.