Category: Small Town Life

Red, White & Blueberry

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Well, the counters are finished and most everything is back in place. I love them even more than I thought I would. Here are some before & after shots

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… one of my favorite new things is the ginormous cast iron sink that was freecycled from the dumpster of one of Steve's jobsites. She cleaned up beautifully and is adorned with a swanky new faucet.

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aah, the bluberries? This morning we called a couple friends to join us at Chickamaw Farm, a pick your own organic bluberry farm about 13 miles down the road in McDade. Today was the first day of bluberry picking season at Chickimaw Farm.The McCranie family grows blueberries, blackberries and strawberries, raises grassfed beef and also catfish. If you're in the Austin area load up and drive out the Chickamaw Farm to pick some berries and enjoy some early summer sunshine. Bring cash.

The following is from an email received from the fine folks at Chickamaw Farm.

Howdy,  Well it's that time o' the year again:  BERRY PICKING SEASON.  Surprisingly we have a fine crop in spite of the weather.  Season will open this coming Monday (Labor Day) and will proceed until the berries are picked out.  Of course we are open on the weekends especially but if you need a special "other time" please telephone.  The gate usually open on Saturday mornings when the first "pickers" arrive.  Please bring a hat and closed toe shoes are better.  We provide good well water and shade if you need or want it.  Remember it is dreadful out there mid day so choose your time of arrival to suit your comfort.  If you do not mind please bring something to put the berries in to take home.  We provide paper sacks but stable sided containers are safer for travel.  Anyhow, if you like blueberries be assured there's excellent ones out this way.  Guaranteed!  Should there be any problem or difficulty on the way out or should there be any question please telephone 512.567.3456.

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This just may become a Memorial Day tradition. I'm pretty sure blueberry cobbler is for dessert tonight.

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I always knew one was looming in my future…

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Last week, I finally got this 20" loom and had my first lesson at Yarnorama.

Loom

Behold… my first warp. My left hand selvage took a bit of work to get right, but it will get better. Lord knows my first knitted items were not my finest. Just ask my husband about the first pair of socks I knit for him. They had that perfect 80's slouchiness that I used to wear with my pink Reeboks to aerobics class. He did not fancy them.

Warp

This yarn has such an amazing sheen to it. It's amazing to me that the same yarn I used for these socks creates such a remarkably different fabric when woven. For the time being it's leaning against a bench in the studio, think I'll pick up the stand this week.

Burying the lead….

Sunday we drove with friends a few miles down the highway to Carmine for a little treasure hunting. Treasures were indeed found, some tin types, counter cards and a green McCoy planter. DH really wanted to go in a shop that was closed, so he called the owner to come open up. Sure, it was a great shop but I was happy enough with my finds, and quite frankly ready to head home. I was headed for the front porch and about tripped over this…

Kelsey

A Kelsey Excelsior Mercury model 3 x 5 Table Top Letterpress. I am sure I stammered a bit as I walked with the shop owner as he hauled it up to the counter so I could take a better look. It was pretty hard to contain myself… and yep, I know how incredibly geeky that sounds. After a bit of WD-40, she was fully operational. Her rollers need to be redone, but the chase, quoins and ink plate are still intact and seem in good condition. Anyone who knows me well, knows I have wanted one of these forlikeever. Ever since I first walked through the doors of Hatch Show Print about 13 years ago, on a cross country road trip with my sister Jessica, I knew I wanted to print.

Chase

and then there's the Baby Elton…

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My friend Susanne and I took this workshop this past Saturday, with Stephanie Rubiano. So many ideas have been rolling through my mind since. I will show you the finished house when it's all stitched up.

Seriously, I had vacation time to use up and I manged to spend my time doing just what I wanted. I took a weaving lesson, finally painted the front posts and under the fur-downs in the kitchen, took an amazing workshop with my BFF, planted strawberries, blackberries, and more. I also managed to squeeze in some freelance work. I've been busy indeed, but busy is great when it's doing what you love.

Living Hand to Mouth in Paradise

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Beach

Yesterday a friend asked me if I had a vacation highlight…

Time with K and P was so great, and I really loved sharing that part of the country with my husband. He'd never been there and was blown away at how spectacular and rugged the redwood coast still is. You'd think that would be the highlight, right?

But as always it's the everyday mundane fly on the wall moments that always amaze me and are imprinted on my mind. I really fell in love with Trinidad, population 311. We were at the Beachcomber Cafe as parents were dropping of their kids at the elementary school across the street. They were all coming in with their reusable togo cups (mason jars that the coffee shop sold for a buck) and filling out their index card, the locals were running tabs at the coffee shop. We took our mugs down to the end of the street by the lighthouse to soak it all in. The best cappuccino of the trip. After returning our mugs and picking up some bagels for our hike, we head to our car parked at the school. All of a sudden, about 40 crows swarmed the parking lot, a woman in a blue minivan rolled down her window and yelled, "I'll feed you in a minute!". She circled the lot with the murder of crows (god I love that) flying behind her down the road as she drove along, tossing out food. It was a sweet slice of life we caught that morning. I know I visited Patrick's Point often when I went to school there, but forgot what living hand to mouth in paradise looked like. It's pretty damn sweet, really.

pic by my husband