June Bead Journal Update

June is Done, finally!

OK, my June page is as done as it will get until I finish July's page. My idea is to back each one, add a picot edge and join the picots to make a 12 piece, horizontal strip. To find out if that is going to work, I need at least 2 beaded pages finished.



The base beadwork is done and I've added the New Mexico twig to the surface. That works well as I needed a place to put my Quipu-like knotted strings.




I used a finger weaving technique with Mastexx cording to go around the twig. I think that I'll use my C-Lon cording on any future pieces as the Mastexx was very slippery and I had a hard time holding a decent tension.





Here I'm adding some of the treasures that I collected during the trip from AZ to NH. I also wanted to pick up more of the yellow-orange color to help balance the piece.





This is what it looks like with the knotted strings of memories. Some of those memories of June are in the colors, others in the stash beads or fetishes, and some in the beads (petrified wood) that I bought along the way.


I've been having a couple of conversations with myself ..... No, not crazy, just eccentric! One; I'm wondering why the overall color scheme came out so dark. The trip was all light, bright sunshine and the vistas were light colored mountains, rocks and fields. This one is still unanswered.

I did come to one conclusion... My June page is very complicated with many layers and textures. As designed, my July page will be very simple, flat , with a few bright primary colors. It finally dawned on me that when writing you might have a lot to say one time and maybe only a couple of words the next time. I need to quit thinking about how the completed journal will look like, let each month just be what it will be, and wait til the end to see if I like the full twelve piece journal.

Bead Journal Update

Life Happens

I'm still not finished with June's page because life got in the way of my beading. I've developed a case of hives that just won't go away. That led to pulling my bedroom completely apart as my first thoughts were bug bites of some sort - you know....fleas, bedbugs? Once that was done I had the bright idea that it would be a good time to really finish the bedroom - so everything was moved out and I've been putting up trim boards, patching, sanding and will now get to painting.

One thing I'm not happy with is the single orange bead holding the right side of the upper walking stick emblem down. I want to remove it, but I also know it was the first bead I stitched down. If I clip it, how do I stabilize things so the rest of the beginning stitches also don't come undone? So, I vacillate and still don't know what I'll end up doing. Oh, yes... the twig will come back and be beaded somehow to the surface when I'm done.

BUGS - July Bead Journal page

I have thought out my July page.... what else but "bugs"! A tribute to all of summer's small flying, biting things and my own recent bug episode. I've always done more of a freeform type of bead embroidery and this time I want to try coloring within the lines. I'm not sure yet if I'll use the yellow or red bug. When I'm ready to start beading, I'll print the bug design on my backing and stabilize the ink with a spray fixative. I haven't decided yet what to do with the background.... just make it a solid printed color or applique a fabric back.

Meanwhile, the medical profession is still scratching their collective heads over what is causing my hives... now going on 3 weeks.

Sunday on Monday

When you can set your own schedule, it's fun to be able to declare Monday a Sunday and take a drive.

After the long trip across country it's going to be fun to just take short drives and explore a few of the natural wonders right here in New Hampshire. Tucked away, in the Lakes Region is this small state park, Sculptured Rocks.

Water has carved down through

the granite and created a fantastic landscape in the bedrock. What a peaceful place to stand and listen to the gurgle of the water while you enjoy the coolness in the green woods.

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There is a small bridge over the gorge that allows you to look up and down stream as well as straight down on the rock formations.

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Upset?

Then it's time to pick flowers. If you can't get away to take a drive and look at the scenery then a walk in the fields and woods around the house, seeing what might be blooming, and picking a few flowers can help calm an upsetting day. The bouquet also looks beautiful on the windowsill to enjoy for days to come.

AZ to NH Vacation - part 2

The remainder of the trip was spent visiting family and friends and I won't bore you with personal gossip. Instead, I thought I'd share some of the sights along the way that caused us to turn around, go back, look again or say, "WHAT?" ....

Creativity is where you find it... This is a view of my car through an Arizona bathroom window. Love the fractured colors and shapes ... and the sight of several adults crowded into a smallish power room saying... "neat!"

Payson, AZ has a subdivision off of the local airport that is set up to fly your plane in, taxi home and put it in your own garage. I love the kid-sized stop/street signs - it lets the wings go right over them

Seen in New Mexico - What a neat idea - light industrial space under and a light filled, two bedroom apartment over. Perfect for the home-based business. Now I'm wondering if the idea would catch on in rural New Hampshire as I'd love to have living space with studio arranged this way.

Amarillo, Texas gave us the great fun of walking a cow pasture that holds Cadillac Ranch. Ten half buried cars covered with layers and layers of graffiti.




Looking for dinner somewhere

around Wichita Falls we giggled at a local bar sign, but didn't venture in for a drink.





And were amazed at how Texans managed their highways.





I like rusted metal and could have hauled everything on this truck home with me.
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While looking for dinner one night we got semi-lost in an industrial part of town. I looked over and saw these eyes looking back at me from a deserted building. A U-turn took us back to find even more great art on the side of the building. I wished that I could have transplanted the whole structure to my back yard to use as a studio.









Somehow I should have expected to find the really unusual in Texas.... I saw the long horns in a field and caught the distinctive shape of camel out of the side of my eye. Going back and looking again showed us zebras, camels and long horned cattle - all in the same pasture.

Heading into the Midwest, I had to take this photo for my Son who is into cars and believes that the 50's & 60's are ancient history. Wonder what that says for his Mother who lived those decades?





Someone in Farmer City IL must have a problem with the Town Fathers....

The windmill farm near Bloomington IL proved fascinating. There are hundreds of them planted in the midst of cornfields and it isn't until you get close that you realize just how big they really are. We just had to take a midnight run to see what it looked like at night as they all blink red in unison (well almost all).

I like cemeteries and seeing different regional grave markers. We visited some of our ancestors in Central Illinois and I noticed the unique cast cement grave markers. This family plot had urns, a tree trunk, a chair and corner markers - all in fanciful, ornate cement.

Just North of Farmer City, IL we came to a "T" in the road and wondered just what this sign was trying to tell us.

A side trip to Virden IL allowed me to find my Grandparent's home. I spent the first year of my life in this house while my Father was overseas in WWII. I remember it as being dark brown, a lot bigger, and having a huge oak tree in the side yard. Funny thing... I met my friend & co-driver in NH, through the Internet, yet both of our beginnings were close to each other in Illinois.

Everyone should attend some sort of reunion every 20 years or so .... I spent a weekend listening to tall tales and many stories of races won/lost in the CCSCC (car club) as well as people wondering just when they had gotten so gray.

A last minute change in plans took us to Toronto and through Canada. The University of Toronto is a beautiful campus. I enjoyed the blend of old and new architecture situated in the center of a large metropolitan area. The line on the ground for the Meridian of Toronto was a fascinating fact.

Canine Stories:

What's a trip without a couple of good animal photos?

In Ohio we visited with Boo, a dog that winters next door to me in Arizona and is convinced that my house is his second home. Playing with a grandchild and chalk gave us this view of a multi-striped dog.




What the well dressed dog wears in Toronto.

The End....

Coming through Newbury NH, I caught sight of one of the local legends. I was finally back in New Hampshire and feeling of two minds - not wanting the trip to end, but also wanting to stop moving and find the comfort of my own bed.