I left my heart in San Francisco...

Greetings from cold, damp WV, friends...

Hubby and I are fresh back from a fairly long (but not nearly long enough) trek to the West coast.  I love "The City" by the Bay more now that I did before but not as much as I will next time around.  There is so much to see and do, it's impossible to talk about it all without making your ears bleed, so to summarize...

There's the Bridge(s), the wharf, the trolleys, the Piers, the Farmers Market, the cable cars, the hills, the parks, the sea lions, the chowder, the tea, the fog, the Rock (Alcatraz), Sausalito, the art and artists, the Painted Ladies, the parrots, the history, the tragedies (fire and earthquake), the romance, the food, the wine, the bread(!), the chocolate, the Bay, the sunset, the 49ers, Chinatown, did I mention the food?, the carousel, the Red Trolley ale, the Presidio, and the people... All EXTRAORDINARY... Add one five-star-blow-your-mind-and-hold-on-to-your-VISA-card needlepoint store (Needlepoint, Inc.) on top of all that and hey, what more could a girl ask for (besides more money and one more week)?  I do believe SFCA has something for everyone.  I also firmly believe everyone should go see it before it drops off into the Pacific Ocean... Seriously..

Enjoy a few pics while I go try to telepathically convince my pathetic avocados to taste more like fresh, ripe Californian avocados...

From the Japanese Tea Garden at the Golden Gate Park:

From the Legion of Honor Fine Art Museum:

Pics from the Redwood National Forest and Oregon next post...

National Seminar Report

What an amazing whirlwind trip to the enchanted City by the Bay I've enjoyed this past week!  Like most vacations, it was just too short and long overdue.  The weather was perfect and I mean perfect.  Such a refreshing change from the oppressive heat and humidity of the East.

The Seminar committee put on an amazing week of classes and activities which kept us all hopping.  I would have loved to have spent another week traipsing around the Bay, doing all the wonderful things there are to do, but alas, the week zoomed by and just as soon as I adjusted to the three hour time change, it was time to come home.  Hubby and I will definitely return to this region some day in order to take in all the city has to offer.    

My roommate/travel buddy/stitching sponsor and I rode a cable car down past Pier 39 to Ghirardelli Square on Sunday to take tea at the Crown and Crumpet.

The finger sandwiches, crumpets, scones and sweets really hit the spot. If you click on the link above, you'll see the actual table where we had our tea.   Such a charming little place.

Our hotel was well equipted to handle large conventions and could not have been more accommodating.  I loved the doormen in their top hats and coats.  So dapper!

My two classes were very different but good all the same.  I love Marsha P. Gomola.  She's a quirky little thing, but exceedingly patient, friendly, organized, professional and her love of teaching comes through in her classes.  Even though I didn't get very far with my Acorn Accessories stumpwork set (because somebody had the hairbrain idea to modify the charted acorn woodpecker to more resemble a downy woodpecker), I enjoyed every minute of her two day class.  I especially enjoyed meeting Anne, the creator of the fabulous Gloriana threads who was also a student in Marsha's class.  Anne has recently acquired the right from a famous French silk thread maker to apply her overdyes to their silk thread.  The combination is to die for!  Anne has an infectious enthusiasm and was a delight to be around.  She even asked me to suggest a name for a new blue.  Yes, I almost squealed.  Without much thought, I suggested Federal Blue.  Watch for it in a LNS near you.   And while she was showing me all of her newest color 'experiments' (seriously, I could have died on the spot!), I urged (okay, begged) her to create a signature Gloriana color, perhaps a delicious red.  I can't wait to get my hands on more of the Florimel silk she's just produced.  It's better than butter.

Merchandise Day on Wednesday was a lot smaller than I expected it to be, but the Italians came with their glorious woven linens, Assisi embroidery and Deruta beads.

So, I was happy! 

My dear friend and mentor Marion Scoular does not normally travel with a companion, so I volunteered to help with her table on Wednesday.  It pleases me to no end that she was so swamped that it took me and another helper working as fast as we could to keep up with all her customers.  Marion is beloved by needlewomen everywhere!  I will forever be grateful to EGA for giving me the opportunity to meet her and study needlework under her mentoring.


My Thursday-Friday Finishing Class was just what I needed to sit down and go through the many pages of finishing instructions for the GPA Christmas Sewing set.  I can't say that I learned anything from the class but it did renew my enthusiasm for finishing and bolster my confidence in my own finishing skills.  I WILL have the most precious Christmas sewing slipper set put together by the end of this month!   :-)

And, that is that.  A good time was had by all.  The flight home was just long enough for me to finish a small Assisi piece.  Some of the most amazing cloud formations welcomed us into Atlanta.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch:

This is what I found upon my dog walk this morning.  Looks official to me.  Fall is here.

This upcoming week will be a busy one with chapter meeting on Monday, birthday on Wednesday and big fundraising event on Saturday, but I can honestly say that I feel refreshed and renewed and ready! 

What a difference a week makes!

Have a great one friends, wherever you are.