Olympic Sculpture Park

Free parking in downtown Seattle on a holiday!  The occasional shower was not interruptive and I was so happy to see Alexander Calder's Eagle in real life as well as some other large sculptures.

I expected the Calder piece to be larger than it really is but that's not to say it isn't big since it is 39 feet high!  And in real life it is orange rather than red as I thought, which of course makes me happy.  I'm not sure why I like this piece so much but there is a certain satisfying texture to it, never mind that it is steel.

Eye Benches - Louise Bourgeois

Wake - Richard Serra

Split - Roxie Paine

Perra's Ventaglio III - Beverly Pepper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Typewriter Eraser, Scale X - Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen

Bellevue Botanical Garden

On my way to the airport last week I had noticed how green the mountains looked in Utah.  As we were landing in WA my seat neighbor and I commented on how incredibly green it was and that really in Utah while we think it looks green, compared to WA, we just have a different shade of brown.

On Sunday we went to wander around the gardens:

Technology in the garden!  This will make it so much easier to identify what you are looking at!

The Hobbit door.  Charming!

We're Not in Utah anymore, Toto

HUGE Rhodies next to the carport at Amy's!

A New Lawn Guy

For years I was supplied with mowers from the family across the street whose first five children are boys. They moved and last year I did front and back myself.  I really wanted to stick with the old plan which was to have someone else mow the front.

Hooray!  Luke to the rescue!  We had a little trouble beginning but now that race season is over, things should go smoothly and he did take second in state for the 4x400.  That's a relay race, which should have been obvious, I guess.  This boy has long legs!

He had never used a cordless electric mower and found it quite a workout even though he is in shape.  Also was surprised that I could push it.  Ah, youth.  I let him get away with that, only pointing out that the boys are each 130 lbs., fps.  (The mower is 76 lbs.)

He wondered out loud how to get the bag off and before I could say anything he had it off and was dumping the cuttings.  When I came out with the cash, he was fiddling with it, snapping some tubular plastic pieces into place.  For the last ten years I have had the handle on the inside of the bag.  Eye rolling at this point is totally acceptable.  It sure is easier to get that bag on and off now!

Thanks Luke!

Peanuts

Took three more 30 gallon trash bags filled with peanuts to the UPS store today.  There are a still some left in the last remaining large box in the garage but not even half a bags worth.  I flattened this box and the boxes from my quilting machine and table and took those to Habitat for Humanity because they had a sign out requesting cardboard.

The guy at UPS was happy to take my bags but there was no singing or dancing so lots of people must bring them back.  That would be a wonderful thing if it's true.  It's the most annoying stuff and quite a legacy for future generations.

Predictions

Look!  It's sunshine!  The temperature which barely got to 63 yesterday and I think that was only for 10 minutes, is already at 63 at 10:30!  The predicted high is 77 and while I predict we will be complaining about the heat in another month, it feels very good today.  The washer is going and the vacuum has been used already and of course the sewing machine.  It's invigorating!

This morning I laid in bed knowing it was too early to get up because there were no birds singing.  So I waited and once they started, so did I, only imagine my surprise to find out it was only 4:30.  Nevertheless, when my feet hit the floor that means the boys are up too so we just started our day a little early.

Perhaps it was too early after all because my first cup of coffee was made without a cup.  Kind of messy!  I am also predicting that there will be a little nap today :-)

Grandma Marie

Found this on the kitchen table (I know) and it always makes me think of Grandma Marie.  She was not my grandmother but Jill's and she lived with Jill but I don't remember how long.  She would look at herself in the mirror, sans glasses, and comment on how much more wrinkled her friends were than she was.  Today we might have said, just between us, "Are you kidding me!?!" because really, it was incredible to think that there might be anyone more wrinkled than Grandma Marie.  I'm pretty sure she was in her nineties.

Here's the Problem

Came across this fabric today, a yard of black with gold, and I wondered why I had bought it.  Possibly for a tie back in the day when I was doing that...twenty years ago.   I thought, an easy one for the DI box.  Then I looked at it a little longer and really, I like when the sun and moon have faces like that so I put it in the Reconsider Later Pile. 

You see what I mean about the problem?

85 degrees as of 1:20pm

 

I had a few errands this morning and when I got home I was pleased that it was still so cool inside.  Dylan, however went right outside and stretched out on the hot stones.  I think he's squinting though.

HMQS 2013

The Home Machine Quilting Show.  Outstanding!  I went twice!  On Thursday, which was the first day unless you were attending classes, I went with Sheila and on Saturday, which was the last day, I went with Pat.  Great fun and well, my wallet is empty.  Pat asked me if there was a quilt I could buy which one would it be and I said this zebra quilt.  The quilts were not for sale but there was a fabric challenge by Riley Blake,  a local fabric designer and manufacturer and those challenge quilts were auctioned off as a fundraiser for a local charity.

I took lots of pictures and was so excited to see an entire two sided row, the width of the exhibition area, of modern quilts.  They are my favorite.

I can't figure out how to embed a slideshow right here but you can watch it in the right sidebar.

Let me know if you have a favorite!

The Thread Catcher

This thread catcher was a quick and simple little sewing project this morning and with a small bell pepper plant sitting in it, made a perfect Mother's Day gift for a friend.  It stands about six inches tall.

Still Wrapping

Just picked this up, the third package of comic book boards for wrapping fabric.  I'm trying not to think about exactly what that means.

Pork Tenderloin, Brined & Rubbed

A different kind of pig!

On Sunday I made Pork Tenderloin - Memphis Style from the 101 Cooking for Two blog.  I made a few small changes in the rub but mostly the change was not grilling it and instead putting it in the oven.  I also browned it first in a skillet which I would skip next time.  Every time I turned it the rub kept chipping off. 

Brine:
4 cups cold water
4 tablespoons table salt
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Mix brine ingredients in a one gallon ZipLoc bag shake to dissolve sugar and salt.  Let sit in refrigerator if necessary until sugar and salt are dissolved.  Meanwhile, remove any fat and silver skin from tenderloin then place in brine and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours.  I let it brine for 4 hours. While tenderloin is brining, make the

Rub:
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Mix all ingredients well and set aside until you are done with the brining.

Remove tenderloin from brine, rinse to remove excess salt and pat dry.  Place tenderloin on a large piece of plastic wrap.  Reserve about a quarter of the rub then sprinkle and roll the tenderloin in the remaining rub,  finishing by wrapping the tenderloin snugly in the plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1-2 hours.

Remove tenderloin from refrigerator 20 - 30 minutes prior to roasting to allow it to come to room temperature or at least to take some of the chill off.  It is not in the oven very long.  Preheat oven to 425°.  I also preheated the stone bar pan I used.  It has low sides and I think works well for this.

Sprinkle remaining rub over tenderloin and roast until internal temperature reaches 140-145°, about 20 minutes.  Remove, lay a piece of foil over top and let sit for 5-10 minutes.  For best results, meat should have a wee bit of pink showing.

I did not use additional barbeque sauce as I thought the seasoning was perfect and the meat nicely moist.  I served this with the Asian Ramen Cabbage salad.

Today I had the leftover meat diced and used in tacos, adding lettuce, sour cream and this fabulous salsa:

-39.16

Yards!  That's the net decrease in the amount of fabric in the house this year!  Doing the happy dance about that for sure.  Last night I was still sewing at ten o'clock because I wanted to include the yardage that I used for these curtains in the weekly stash busting total.  Hung them this morning but it is an overcast day so the picture is washed out.  Here is a close up of the fabric:

I had originally bought it to make a "skirt" to hide the space between the two cabinets in this room which, at the time, had a board on top of them to make a nice long cutting counter.  I reconfigured the room, so the fabric went in the cupboard to age.

It's an Alexander Henry print and you can see how perfect it is for a sewing room!  I love their novelty prints but the only place I have found them IRL is at Hobby Lobby fps.

It might seem odd to be covering a window when the grass is green and things are blooming and wonderful to look at but this window is on the west side of the house and the sun beats down and in during the summer.  One more layer keeping it out is a good thing.

First May Finish

I can check the baby quilt off my May Goals list!  The top was pieced several years ago and this week I quilted and put the binding on.  This the third quilt I have quilted on the new machine and I can see an improvement which makes me happy.  So the quilt is folded and in the cabinet waiting for a new baby.  Yay!

The Great Train Adventure

Sherise and I went to SLC yesterday on public transportation!  It was a fabulous experience for me, this wild and crazy leap into the 21st century and I intend to become an evangelist.  Today I will be stopping in at our LYS to give a first hand account to Elizabeth who will be taking her first trip tomorrow and is going by herself.  Sherise had been on the FrontRunner before and she had all the schedules and our trip times written out so we could see them quickly and be ready to handle any changes in our activities.

Provo is the beginning/end of the line so that eliminates some worries.  You start at the ticket kiosk by touching your destination, one way or round trip, and regular or senior fare.  For me the round trip price to SLC was $6.10 for Sherise it was twice as much.

We passed this screen on our way to the train and were momentarily confused.  It had a bright yellow green label that said tap so we did but nothing spewed out, no computer asked us what we were doing and there was no message on the screen.  We moved on.  That is not my hand wearing the green nail polish.

  Our train!  I don't know the girl in the picture but she was a first-timer too.  And don't you love that there is Art!?!  Some cars are multi-level and some are designed so you can roll your bike right in.  Fabulous!

I'm not positive but I think most of the seats are two and two facing each other at least on this top level.  Some have tables, you can see that in the next set of seats in the picture.  There were maintenance people that passed through wiping and sweeping.  There are no ticket takers but I guess periodically there are spot ticket checkers.

This is where we got off, where FrontRunner meets Trax.  Very easy!  We got off of the FrontRunner train, walked cross this plaza and crossed the tracks to the Sandy blue-line Trax.  It took us right to the City Center on Main Street.  We popped around the mall, stopping in Anthropologie, where I had never been, Teavanna, where I had never been and I believe I will be a big f-a-n, and the Apple Store where I have become truly smitten with the iMac.  

There are electronic information boards around to help you.  Also, Sherise's iPhone was handy because we could pull up maps to consult.  I'm just sayin'.

It was a lovely afternoon and an all around great experience.  Now we are searching for new adventures in Salt Lake so we can ride the train!

(Oh, and the small screen we tapped in vain is for people with passes.)

May 2

ICE in the water bowl

You have to look closely because there had already been drinking from the bowl and it was almost 8 o'clock.  It was cold this morning!  Foolishly I had proclaimed to my neighbor that the furnace had been off since the weekend and we would not be turning it back on since hello, it is May.  Yes, well it was 57 in the house at 9:30 and I couldn't stand it any longer and the furnace went back on.  Also sorry I put the bathroom space heater in storage earlier in the week!

Brrr!