A Little Stitchin'

Gentle friends, I've been working on "Sojourner" a bit..... and as on last night she looks like this........

.... I finished up the alphabet bands and have started on the band of Queen's Stitched "Strawberries."  One of the reasons I wanted to stitch this sampler was to get some "specialty" stitching experience.  Usually I avoid specialty stitches like the plague, but I've have now come to the conclusion I really should know something else except X X X X X.........  as you can see I've gotten the first half one done and am now on to the first full berry, and find the Queen Stitch quite fiddly, great looking and lovely coverage, but fiddly.

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by, do stop again soon!!

take care,

edgar

Visiting the de Young Museum

Gentle Friends, our (Rico took off also) loooong weekend started off with a good breakfast.......

                         

.... we tried a new to us place in our neighborhood called "Griddle Fresh."
 I am a great lover of Eggs Benedict so......

.... that's what I had, it came with the hash browns, which were done to perfection, golden brown and super crunchy.  This Benedict was particularly good in that the "bacon" was a thicker than usual piece and quite juicy.....

.... Rico went for the Noe Valley Omelet, and since there was some avocado on it I am told it was pretty terrific!!  We have been by this place frequently but never stopped as there is usually such a gigantic line out front waiting to get in we would rather go somewhere else than wait, but looking forward we may just wait next time!!

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My goal for the "weekend" was to get to a couple of current temporary Museum Exhibitions.  The one that I knew was closing soon was at the de Young in Golden Gate Park.  Quite an ugly building, new, but ugly - they have some great shows, that we usually miss - but I was bound dammed and determined to get to this one........  here's a shot of the Museum.....

.......a closeup of the fountain in the Music Concourse between the Museum and the California Academy of Science.....

.... this is a stage area to the left of the fountain in The Spreckles Temple of Music or just "The Bandshell".....  HERE is more info about the music Concourse.........

.... the show I wanted to see was called "Botticelli to Braque."  I was totally interested in seeing the Botticelli, as he is and has been one of my favorite painters ever.....

The 55 paintings in the exhibition span a period of more than 400 years (1490–1932) and include some of the greatest holdings of the Scottish National Gallery, Scottish National Portrait Gallery and Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art—the three institutions that comprise the National Galleries of Scotland in Edinburgh.  Other artists include the Renaissance masters Titian and Paolo Veronese; the 17th-century painters El Greco, Diego Velázquez, Sir Anthony van Dyck, Frans Hals, Jan Lievens, Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer; and such 19th-century figures as Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, John Singer Sargent, Paul Gauguin and Paul Cézanne. The exhibition will also feature celebrated Scottish painters Allan Ramsay and Sir Henry Raeburn...

Sandro Botticelli, "The Virgin Adoring the Sleeping Christ Child, 1490.

 ( HERE's some great info about this Scottish acquisition and the painting....)
 which has not been exhibited outside of Scotland for more than 150 years.
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Another of my favorite painters is Sargent - and here is the lovely one that was in the show.....

John Singer Sargent, "Lady Agnew of Lochnaw (1865-1932)

 (Here's some great info on this painting)
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I do love a great portrait and when three lovelies appear together it's even better..... 

Joshua Reynolds "The Ladies Waldgrave" -  1780-81 

.........this large scale informal group portrait of the Waldgrave sisters - The eldest sister, Laura, seated center, winds a card with silk thread from a skein held by Elizabeth, at left, while Horatia, the youngest, embroiders netting stretched in a tambour frame.  I found two different stories behind the commission of the painting.....  1)Since they were the grandnieces of Horace Walpole he had it painted for his country house, Strawberry hill... OR..... 2) it was commissioned by their mother Maria Walpole with a view of attracting potential suitors for these girls as all of them were unmarried when it was painted - so who knows why, but who cares it's a wonderful painting!!!

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After the paintings we headed up the tower to see some views.......

.... looking down into the Concourse of Music and the Academy of Science....

That about does it for the visit to the de Young and the gorgeous paintings there..... I do hope you enjoyed it.  Come back soon as I have two more posts about the weekend coming up!!
 Thanks for stopping!!!

Take care,
edgar

Thrifty Thursday

Gentle friends, thrifting this weekend was a on the upswing a tad as I found a few fun things....

 ... for some reason I found 4 great pieces of McCoy.....

 .... of course some DVD's....

 .... a book about Elizabeth II, and a super matryoshka...

.....  that retains it's original Russian price tag and breaks apart into 9 little dolls!!  These are really nice being all hand painted with some pyrography.

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

A Little Floral a Little Nosh and a Little Stitchy.....

Gentle Friends, it was one long 6 day weekend....and it just flew by... a few weekend things......

... again I placed flowers on the alter for my parents anniversary, and since it was Pentecost the colours were in the reds and yellows this year.

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.....I made some chili using some fresh corn we found at the farmers market.... and since you can't have chili without jalapeno cornbread I made some of that also, yummy!!

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.... and I got a some stitching done on "Sojourner" - worked mostly on the middle section, I am so far behind the group it just ain't funny!!!!

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That's about it for today sports fans, hoping you had a super Memorial Day Weekend,

 now to welcome Summer.... and all that heat!!!!!

Take care,

edgar

A Pooch Poast

Gentle Friends...Rico and I have been running around and not at work for about a week now and today is almost the last day of our "off" time.....  we've been eatin' out and done some touristy things and some cultural things.... more about that in the next few days.  

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Today I thought I would post a few snaps of the Who Hounds and a friend......

..... here's a snap of the Peach taken by Rico (with his phone) behind her you can see Smokie's "Monkey Butt"  as we around the old hacienda like to call it.......

... and a racy snap of Wahumpa all snuggled up in some warm chonies......

.... and of course Lolly was all stretched out waiting for a butt scratch......

.... another snap of the Old Lady...... Peach all warm on her blanket, and you can't see it but under the blanket is a heating pad that keeps her toasty.....

......  and Smokie looking for trouble.........

... near where I work I often run into sweet ChaCha, she belongs to Jose, who is transitioning from homelessness to a more stable existence.  I try and help them out now and then.... her favorite treats are rawhide chew sticks and she is a real love when I bring them for her to munch on.

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again - have a safe Memorial Day!!!!!

Take care,

edgar

An Anniversary

Gentle Friends, today would have been my parents 60th wedding anniversary - 

You can click HERE to see some wedding shots I posted last year.....  

Here's a snap of them leaving my grandmother's house for their Honeymoon Trip to New York City....

.... and a snap I found of them in New York........

......after my mom passed away a couple of years ago,  

I found a scrap book with some souvenirs from that Spring of 1955.......

..... my Mom wasn't one to collect or save things like this so I was amazed to find these fun mementos of their Honeymoon.

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

Thrifty thursday

Gentle Friends, once again we were out hunting treasure Saturday 

morning and I found a few things.....

.....a great Mexican Nicho - translation "Bless This House,"  a pair of cast iron Art Deco book ends and a super McCoy tea pot.  I used to have quite a large collection of McCoy (300+ pieces) and have never seen this tea pot, I was totally stoked!!!

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks again for stopping by do stop again!!

take care,

edgar