Threads of Memory ~ February

Mercer County Star

We are quilting along with Barbara Brackman's

Block of the Month, Threads of Memory.

http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com

This is how I made my block, it may

differ from the original.

Fabric Requirements:

Fabric A: Red print

4 - 4 1/2''squares

Fabric B: Green

1 - 6'' square 

Fabric C: Large Light Print

2 - 6'' squares - Mark a 

diagonal line on back.

Fabric D: Blue

1 - 6'' square

Fabric E: Small Light Print

4 - 1 1/2'' squares

4 - 1 1/2'' x 2 1/2'' rectangles

Fabric F: Red

8 - 1 1/2'' squares - Mark a 

diagonal line on back.

Fabric G: Fussy Cut

1 - 2 1/2'' square

Make Small Center Star: 

Make Flying Geese Units:

Place a Fabric F 1 1/2'' square on left

side of a Fabric E rectangles and sew

a thread width below drawn line.  Open

and press to the corner, trim back 2 

layers of fabric to 1/4''.

Repeat process on the right side of 

rectangle.  Make 4 of this unit.

Layout units as shown and sew

together in 3 rows.  Press seams 

in rows 1 and 3 to the outside and

seams in row 2 to the inside.

Sew rows together and square to 4 1/2''.

Make Quarter Square Triangles

(Outer Center Units)

Pair 6'' squares in the following combinations

with right sides together:

1 - B/C    1 - C/D

Sew 1/4'' away from each side of drawn line,

cut on drawn line and press seams to the

Fabrics B and D.  On the Fabric B/C units,

mark a diagonal line on the opposite

diagonal from the seam.

Pair a B/C unit with a C/D unit with

right sides together as shown.  Be 

sure to have seams lock against each 

other.  Sew 1/4'' away from each side 

of drawn line, cut on drawn line and

press seam open to reduce bulk.

Squaring a Quarter Square Triangle is easy 

if you follow the directions!  Place the diagonal

line of the ruler along the seam line as shown.

Since we want a 4 1/2'' square, place the 2 1/4''

intersection at the center of block (as shown

with the arrow), now trim the top and right 

seams.  

Rotate the unit and place the 4 1/2''

lines of the ruler along the left and bottom

edges and trim the remaining untrimmed

edges.  Make 4 of this unit.

Layout units as shown and sew together

in 3 rows.  Press seams in rows 1 and 3

to the outside and seams in row 2 to the 

inside.

Sew rows together and press final seams

open to reduce bulk.  Square to 12 1/2''.

Check out everyone's work on Dustin's Flickr site:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/threadsofmemory/#

If you like what you see here, please

become a follower of this blog and leave a 

comment, let me know you are out there!

~ Ellen

Seeing the World Through Wine

For Anthala

When I see people taking great photos, I will

often ask them if I can see the shot.  It is a 

great way to share ideas and information.

On one of our first nights in Spain we were on

the beach watching the sunset and a group of

3 young people came on the beach and sat a

few chairs away from us.  One of the young

women in the group was in the sand at one 

point taking photos with her phone.  After

the woman's friends had gone back to the 

resort I yelled over to ask if she was taking

a photo of the glass of wine or through the 

glass of wine.  She called back to say she was 

on the phone with her brother but would 

show me when she got off the phone.  After 

a bit she came over and Rob & I got into a 

fabulous conversation with her.  It was one

of those instances when we made an instant

connection with a fellow traveler, we all had 

so much to share and talk about, it was 

wonderful.  It was the same connection we

have made many other times, such as Tess,

Adithya, Ahmet, Sumi and Avnish, Olivia, 

Barb & Steve for example.

We were in such a fabulous conversation we 

didn't realize the sun had completely set and

a lot of time had gone by.  Suddenly Anthala's

friends returned to the beach.  They had been

texting her and searching for her and were 

quite concerned when they couldn't reach her.

Whoops!  Sorry about that...

Finally, we got around to looking at her photos.

She was taking a photo through the glass of wine

and it was very cool looking.  We decided we 

should do a series of these shots as we travel

using the local wines of the region we are 

traveling in.  So here is my first shot, we have

had a busy trip and quite a bit of rain so this was

the first chance I got to shoot the sunset through

the local Spanish vino blanco.  This will be the

first in the series.

It was great to meet you Anthala!



Gambas al Ajillo

In Marbella, Spain today, the winds are

howling, the palms are swaying, the waves

are crashing and we are taking a day to just

hang out at home.  This afternoon Mr.

Wonderful decided to go for a massage.  He 

was telling Hailey, his massage therapist, that

he was going to make a shrimp dish for dinner

tonight and this is the recipe she suggested.

It is gambas al ajillo, often thought of as the

perfect tapas dish ~ easy to make and delicious.

We moaned with delight while eating this and

sopped up every bit of the sauce and garlic 

with fresh baguette ~ heaven.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cCGoQyO_yM

Complaining!

I HATE to complain.  I'm okay with firing off an

email when something is not right but to confront

someone in person ~ oh no...  Last week we stayed 

in a beautiful resort in Estepona, it was lovely.  They

said they wanted us to feel at home and we only 

could wish that our home could be so beautiful.

Yesterday we moved to Marbella for week two of

our vacation.  Marbella - land of the jet set and 

Saudi Princes.  We had never stayed here before

and were excited because we expected it to be

great... it wasn't.  Our first condo was in one of 

the original buildings and it just looked old. 

We spent the night but knew we couldn't spend

the week in it, so we complained.  Well, I wrote

emails that got us nowhere and Mr. Wonderful

did the face to face complaining.  Anyone who 

knows him knows he is a very easy going guy,

so if you have to be complained to, I guess it is

better by someone like him.

They couldn't move us back to the resort in

Estepona but they did move us to another condo 

in a newer building.  Same decor but in better

shape.  The kitchen ~ I have to say I despise

stainless steel appliances, I call it CSI Kitchen.

I think of food as a passionate creation and I 

don't want to prepare it in a place that looks 

like a morgue.  It is so Kitty Bartholomew in the 

90's or Martha post divorce...

The drapes in the living room are gold, in the other 

condo they were a sickly salmon as were the pillows.

I didn't want to touch them.

But what makes the move worth it is the view

from the patio.  Yeah, I could look at that all day.

And the view from bed is nice too.

I think it is necessary to sometimes complain

to get what will make you happy.  After all we

all pay a lot of money when we travel and we 

shouldn't allow ourselves to be miserable.  In 

the other condo we would have been miserable

and that would have made a week of  precious

vacation time be awful.  Now I'm not saying 

complain about every little last thing, that would

be hateful.  But telling a hotel professional about

your problem can lead to a good outcome for all.

Gibraltar

We headed south along the coast of Spain on

the A-7 to visit another country today.

Mainly, we were going to see the Rock of

Gibraltar.

After crossing the border you then have to

cross the airport's runway to get into town.

As soon as you arrive you see signs

of Britian.  Gibraltar is a British

Overseas Territory.

We strolled along the high street which is filled 

with traditional pubs, souvenir shops and shops

selling alcohol and cigarettes.

You can imagine you are in an English village.

But the main reason people come here is

to make it to the top of the rock.  We took

the cable car up.

There are beautiful views of the 

surrounding area.

This is a view of the Strait of Gibraltar

with Morocco in the distance.

The most enjoyable part for me was to

watch the apes that live on the rock.

After coming down again we stopped

for some pub grub for lunch.

Before leaving town I had to stop in at

Morrison's.  It is the store that all the 

British expats living in Spain go to in

order to get their products from back

home.  I was looking for Smarties ~ one 

of my favorites.  They had every 

Cadbury item available but no Smarties.

See the complete photo journal here:

http://homesteadtravels.blogspot.com.es/2014/02/gibraltar-photo-journal.html

The Road to Ronda, Spain

Today's adventure was a visit to the beautiful 

mountaintop village of Ronda.

"I have sought everywhere the city of my

 dreams and I have finally found it in Ronda"

    ~Rainer Maria Rilke

We started from our condo on the beach and 

headed up the San Pedro Road through the 

mountains.

After my first trip, I swore I would NEVER

go back by car.  On my last trip, that would

have been my eye in the car except it had a

tear coming out of it.

I admit my first trip up the mountain was

awful.  It is a 2 lane road with constant twists

and turns but what made it awful was the 

daredevil motorcyclists that were weaving 

between cars and banking so far in the curves

that it was frightening.

This photo shows the tree line, the area 

where trees can no longer thrive.

And when you reach the top it is nothing

but rock, some scrub and mosses.

And then you come upon the beautiful city

of Ronda, like an oasis in a desert.

"There is nothing more startling in Spain 

than this wild and mountainous city."

                  ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Ronda is home to Spain's oldest bullring.

Bull fighting is still an important part of

Spanish culture.

The views into the surrounding valley are

delightful.  I wonder what life is like for the

people living in these farmhouses?

And the views beyond of the surrounding

mountains are breathtaking.  What a variety

of color.

This is a lovely spot to take in the view.

Today there was a harpist playing in 

the gazebo.

You don't realize the plunge until you 

look at it from this angle.

Hem is popular here, as he is in many places.

He spent summers here researching bull fighting.

It is a lovely little city filled with cafes and 

restaurants, many with spectacular views.

Everyone has their cameras out for shots

of the Puente Nuevo or New Bridge, odd to

call it new since it was built from 1751-1793. 

But that just shows how old this city is.  How

did people get to this place back then?

The bridge spans this canyon, it 

reminds me of the legs of an elephant.

I love to stroll through the narrow,

winding streets.

I peek into the courtyards.  I would

like to live there.

And spend a quiet Sunday afternoon

near the church.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FB3z7Cz45g&feature=youtu.be

See the complete photo journal here:

http://homesteadtravels.blogspot.com.es/2014/02/ronda-spain-photo-journal.html

Saturday Market at Fuengirola

If I'm in southern Spain and it is Saturday you

will find me here at the Fuengirola Market at the

fairground.  It is one of the largest markets in Spain.

We park under the orange trees near the art store.

Then the hunt begins!  For the girl who likes

old stuff, this is heaven.  There is a little bit

of everything here and it is not too artfully

arranged, I like the thrill of finding a treasure

among the junk.

I love the idea of buying my produce right

from the wheelbarrow.

Ummm ~ yeah, it's Spain.

This is my favorite style of treasure hunting,

poking through boxes.

Here is a perfect combination, tiles, great door,

old cameras and clocks ~ yum.

So what did I buy?  An assortment of vintage

household items with foreign words on them,

I am an absolute sucker for this stuff.

A Spanish slipware piece and some very

cool knives and forks.  We plan to use them

for spearing olives and spreading cheese.

And a score!!!  I always admired the tobacco

jars at Colonial Williamsburg but they were so

expensive for a transferware reproduction.

Today I found this, handpainted, brass lid

made in Holland and I got it for 10 euros! 

Score!!