Thursday, September 30, 2010

OFFF-Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival

This last weekend we needed to go up and visit Mike's folks and it just happened to be the same weekend as the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival in Canby Oregon.
I hadn't made it to OFFF yet so I was glad to get a chance. Last time I was in Oregon, for Black Sheep, it was cold so this time I brought cold weather clothes. Saturdays weather was sunny and humid which made for some hot weather. I was very over dressed.
I love this whole fiber festival thing. One gets to see friends from far and wide. The first friend I got to see was Linda.It was sure a surprise to see her. She's living up in Kelso Wash. and came down for the day. It great to see her so happy.
There were lots of vendors and sheep and people. I had a great time.
Sunday the weather changed a lot. It was rainy and drizzle all day but it wasn't cold. In fact despite the rain it was quite nice. Too bad for the vendors the turn out wasn't as good as Saturday.

I'd like to give a shout out to the PDX knit Bloggers and Duffy of the Portland Spinnerati for giving me a place to hang out Sunday. It was fun to see/meet people I only see at Black Sheep Gathering.

Of course my friend Morgaine of Carolina Homespun was there. I always get a kick to see her. She was a great mentor when I learned to spin and is always a wonderful resource.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Tomaotes, A summer time treat?

I always think of fresh tomatoes as a summer time treat. We always had fresh home grown tomatoes when I was growing up. We even had the at Thanksgiving thanks to my grandfathers green house.
Any way it took me moving away to realise that all tomatoes are not the same. I'd come home to visit in the summer and make a bee line to my fathers tomato patch and pull one off the vine and eat it right there.
This year is the first time I've ever tried to grow my own tomatoes. We got them into the ground late and what with the cold spring and late start to summer I thought we'd never have any ripe ones. I just had to be patient and wait a bit.
I have lots of ripe tomatoes now. Of the six types I started with so far the yellow Darwin's are my favorite with the chocolate strip, a super dark red with greenish tops, coming in second. We also have some a 1884, two beefsteak plants and a green zebra. Haven't had a green zebra yet but I hope to this week.
Pictures here.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Burning Man & Rotary, a commentary

I am terrible disappointed at all the hate comments I received here.

My husband and I have come out and built and given and received from our home away from home. I went along to make sure that these folks did understand what the experience is all about.

You see most of these folks only knew about Burning Man from what they read in the papers. All they knew was that Burning Man was about drinking, drugs and the naked people running around like savages. They’d experience the art only as pictures. They’d see the cars driving back through Reno after the Burn. They’d see is the craziness, the trash dumped in town and by the side of the roads, the dirty cars and dirty people. They had a very one-sided view point.

These people are not artists and most of them have never had a chance to be involved in a concept like BRC. They are muggles, going about their daily lives not knowing about another world.

I was pleasantly surprised by the openness of these folks, these “tourists”, willing to go out and experience something different, to put aside misconceptions. They did give as much as they received. They asked question and participated. They were so excited to be there. We didn’t stay with the buses once we got there. We dispersed like leaves in the wind. Some went out on bikes, some on foot.

My Mom and I went to Center Camp. She was enthralled by a drum circle and the acrobats and the art on the walls and just the overwhelming sea of people. We laughed and sang and danced a bit. She loved it.

After dinner we walked out to the man. Hand in hand like children in a dream. Stopping now and then just to turn around and take it all in. It was a very special time for me, to be able to share with wonderful place that mean so very much to me with her. For me it was a chance to come home and dance barefoot on the playa, even for just one day.

The “tourists” were bowled over by the reality of BRC. What I heard then as I still do is the amazement in their voices, that such a place can exist with all of its energy, and vitally. The amount of creative talent blew their socks off. The beauty, generosity and kindness and just plan awesomeness of the whole city was astonishing. They have a greater appreciation and understanding of why many of us are called back year after year, despite and the conditions, the weather and the costs.

Many of them would like to come again, either as “tourists” or as residents, and many will never come again not because they were ill treated of anything like that but it is just not their thing. Which is ok.

But one thing it very true, they were all very glad to have been able to come.

Some time we need “tourists” to come and become treasured friends.

Sincerely yours,
The Fiber Floozie

Two new friends

This weekend two new friends came to live at my house.


The first one is relatively new, built some time between 1989-1993. It came from Southern California, possible around Torrence.
This ones a bit bound up and the wheel does not spin freely yet but I plan to that her to my uncle whose a woodworker to see if he can help.









This one is a bit older. I'm thinking 80-100 years old. She was a bit dusty and dirty but after a good cleaning she a beauty. She does have a distaff but the basket part is broken. I might try to see if a friend of mine can fix it. She spins like a dream.


I plan to contact the Spinning Wheel Sleuth to see if she has any ideas as to the origins of these two wheels.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Wild Weekend

This weekend was a wonderful wild ride.

First I was off on Friday because Mike and to have some tests done and I need to drive. It was nothing major just routine and all is well.
After spending a few hours working on my yard we decided to go to the Rib Cook Off at the Nugget. I found a new dress and a parasol for my up coming trip to Burning Man.

Saturday morning I met up with my mom and her rotary group for a ride out to Burning Man. It was great to see how many folks showed up for this trip. We had two buses full. We had lunch on the way and when we got there we had a great parking spot, C and 6:30. That was one block off of center and three block from the playa. (For more info on how Burning Man is layed out go here.) Some of us got on a double decker art bus for a tour of the playa. A large dust storm kicked up. It was good for everyone to see what the weather can be like. Pictures can be seen here. After dinner there was a lot of food left over so we fed anyone who wanted to eat. It was a great way to meet people. Everyone was so friendly. after the Man burned, mom and I headed back to the buses to wait til 1:00 am when the buses would leave. I wandered a bit around our neighborhood. We finally got home around 4:00am. I went straight for the shower.
Sunday I just hung out and played with my animals.
And Monday we had some of my family over for a BBQ. I got in a last swim for the season.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

September already?

It's September already. What happened to the summer?
Well, there were fiber festivals like Black Sheep, and camping and retreats and fairs.

Wow I guess that's why summer just blew by.

But wait, it's not over yet. There's the labor day weekend, with a party at Sharons and the rib cook off; and another retreat and Oregon Flock and Fiber and a Celtic Fair.

I think I might come up for air in October.

See you later.