Hello,

 Fall is creating her wonders around here now.  So many colors and changes.  I enjoy the walks whit the leaves skittering down the path in front of me while I crunch through them. I made my usuals fall efforts to catch the falling colored leaves as they rushed toward the earth, but was not real successful today.   The wall nuts are piling up and the white pines have dropped many cones.  I collected some and hope to create a wreathe later.

My weeks continue to be full.   It started with  a Finger Lakes Fiber Artist Meeting on Saturday.     This is Marcia’s newest piece.   She dose wonderful work I think,

Victoria had two new pieces and I liked them both.   The use of grommets to connect the units is a great solation as I am sure they would fight with the eye of the viewer  for attention other wise.

Her second one is very interesting with the weaving  too.

 This week also  included an opening at the Manlius Library for the new members of Assonated Artists.  Friends Adam Virial and Carol Adamic were among them.

I enjoy Adam’s playfulness.

The sculpture is one of Carol’s.   She can be so playful with her work.

The Pixies meant as usual.  Susan has asked us to do memories about food, so I will make that story and illustration at the end.

Victoria, Liz and I meant Cheri and Liz at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester on Thursday and had a wonderful time.   We visited the Infinity Room with it many mirrors and reflection balls.  It was powerful!

I also did more with the Joyous Embroidery Class.   I am enjoying creating my Fabric Collage piece although it is slow.

Progress Report: Nine Play    I am to the quilting Stage on this project now.   I am doing reflective quilting with little added picks were there are color changes.

Nine Two    This is the second nice patch with similar colors in use.   I am using curves here too to add a different feel.

Lap # 17   This quilt is also ready for the quilting stage now.

Sea Floor I am nearing the completion of this project I think.   I only want to add a bit more clutter to the bottom and it will be ready for binding.

Blue Sea  I am doing the hand work of adding trumpto  to this piece.  It is very slow as I don’t put in too much time on it.

Food Memory :  Strawberries and Ice Cream

In those summers when we lived with the McElhinney grandparents I recall getting in her bright blue Ford and driving about mile down the road to the Samuels house. We would go in and Grandmother would talk with Mrs Samuels for a while . I had to seit quietly while this went on. The we would all go out to the strawberry bed. It was huge and there were 12 foot 12inch boards placed across the bed every so many feet. One would walk out on the board and kneel down to pick the berries. I loved doing that as I would always eat a few as I picked. I don’t recall, but I am sure Grandmother paid her- be it in cash or eggs. Then we went back home and washed and cut the berries before some were frozen and some just went into the refrigerator. Later in the afternoon Grandmother loaded Gene and I into the car and we went to town to the Ice House. She would put some coins in the box on the out side and then go into the building and carry out a block of ice with some enormous thongs. She would but put the ice block on a burlap feed sack in the trunk of the car. Then back to the farm. The ice was carried down to the basement sink were Gene and I had to break it up with the ice pick and put it in the ice cream maker. We did not work on that long as folks started to arrive and the Uncles and Dad took over the job. Soon Grandmother carried down a silver cullender full of cream and such to make the ice cream. She put it into the barren and ice was added around it. Then the cranking began. I remember Uncle Ernie, Uncle Jim, Uncle Bernard, Grandpa and Dad cranking for what seemed like hours to me. I did beg for a try once and found it to be a lot harder than I expected. Every now and then more ice and salt was added to the top of the wooden crank barrel. Ice water leaked out the bottom of the barren as the ice cream hardened. Mean while up stairs the women talked and the kids, myself included, played in the yard. Finally the ice cream was done and it was celebration time. I recall how exciting it was to be handed a old margerin bowl with a power milk biscuit inside and a couple of big scoops of ice cream. One then moved to the table to add fresh strawberries and get a spoon. Kids went out to the picnic table to enjoy the feast. The fireflies came out and we ate all the ice cream. From my point of view life could not be better.

Have a creative week

Carol