CQG Sewing Room Tour 2020

The Cotton Quilters' Guild had such a great time last year on our sewing room tour that we put another one together this year. It's an easy event that is great fun.  We went to four homes this time since five was a push last year. 

 Starting at Mrs. Lee's house, we appreciated the large, open space that she gets to create in. She is a fabulous painter so it's no surprise that her quilts are this pretty.

It was an easy jaunt to Longbridge and Ingrid's place. This little cottage is filled to the brim with antiques, collectibles, and quilts. This was my second time visiting (I got a private tour a few weeks ago) and I am still amazed at how many things I missed. Ingrid knows what she likes and surrounds herself in them, which makes for an inspiring space in which to create.

 After lunch we were off to visit Mrs. Priscilla's house. Here we had a grand tour. Priscilla is known for saving, repurposing, and upcycling old fabrics. Whether a skirt, linens, feed sacks, tea napkins, or some other fabric, she finds a way to incorporate them into her sewing and quilting. She told us she likes "frou frou" which means lacy, fancy, fluffed, gathered, whatever girly word you can come up with. It wasn't necessary to tell us, it's obvious throughout the house and in the number of pillows piled on every bed, chair and sofa. 

And finally, Irma's house and dessert. Her sewing room is a bedroom turned modern sewing haven. Recently retired, she decided to upgrade to all new digital last-minute machines. Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but not much considering that she was a computer expert for the school system. Do I sound a bit jealous? I might be. 

One of the best reasons to visit other people's creative spaces is that you can find inspiration to create in your own space, wherever that may be. Another is to find ways to make your space better. At each of the four homes, I found something that I liked or that can help me to work more efficiently. It's especially interesting to see how different our spaces are, yet we have so much in common.

Pictured Rocks from a Tour Boat!

Imagine that! The cheap frugal Louisianans purchased tickets for a tour boat to see Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in northern Michigan.  It was great fun and perhaps the only way we'd actually see any of it. 

There's a (free) hiking trail that follows the cliffs, but after all the walking we did at Sleeping Bear Dunes and on Mackinac Island, we wouldn't have gotten very far. Besides, this is not a good time to find oneself in poison ivy and all that. I'd rather encounter a moose or bear. I would be a bear driving 1000 miles back home with a bad case of poison anything. 

So we put out the big bills and got tickets. I think we got our money's worth...I took over 300 pictures. The morning glare was pretty bad, so mostly I just pointed in the general direction of the rocks and pressed the button. 

Somehow I managed to remain standing and didn't get seasick. Although I did get a little queasy while we were at dock, once the boat was really moving (as opposed to the sense of movement that occurs in my head) I was fine. 

I can't repeat one thing the tour guide told us. I was busy trying to see, take pictures and keep my balance.  So while the pictures are far from the best, I hope they give you a sense of the beauty and majesty of the shoreline here. If you have an opportunity, drop some dollars on the tour boat and enjoy the ride!

Swampin' Again

We did it again!  Two of my sisters and I went back to Lake Martin (post here) in Breaux Bridge to Cajun Country Swamp Tours for a two hour tour of Louisiana's beautiful swampland.   Although we went just last summer, we enjoyed the tour very much and saw some different areas of the lake.  For example, today we saw an alligator nest but missed the wasp area.  

The best part of the trip is being able to spend some time with my sisters.  We don't get to see enough of each other, so this weekend has been fantastic.

If I were to choose the part of the tour that is my favorite, I'd have to say the lotus flowers.

They are beautiful and smell wonderful.  The sweet scent lightly waifs into the boat adding another dimension to the beauty of the swamp.  

And they are everywhere.  Lily pads and white flowers dot the open water and there seem to be hundreds of them in an area.  

I was surprised to learn that the young leaves are edible and can be cooked like cabbage.  The seed are also edible, but I didn't try tasting any of it.

I picked a seedpod and opened it to see what the seed look like, but I wasn't so brave as to eat one.  The pod was brown and dry, and the tour guide said that those need to be cooked, like dry beans.  We didn't get close enough to a green one, but I wouldn't have eaten one anyway.

Who wants to get sick in a boat in the middle of a swamp?  Not me. And while I wasn't really worried that the seed would get me sick, I didn't know for certain and I surely do not want to tempt fate!

Angie and Laura would not take me on another adventure if I did such a goofy thing.  Besides we do enough goofy things just being ourselves. 

Graceland Tour

On our way to St. Louis for a family reunion last week, we took a break in Memphis and toured Graceland, Elvis Presley's mansion.

I didn't think I'd enjoy the tour so much, but it turns out that I did.  Although there are areas of the house that are far from my simple taste, I just needed to remind myself that I don't have to live there.     

Of course, the photos I took are of some of my favorite spaces. I'm also not showing all the photos I took (they number over 100) mostly because I feel some guilt at posting them at all.  The guides gave us permission to take photos provided we did not use a flash, and I didn't notice any signs saying that they could not be used online.   Still, I have some qualms about posting them.

 
One of my favorite rooms is the kitchen.  I was surprised at how small and ordinary it is.  I assumed that because there were so many guests at the house that the kitchen would accommodate more cooks and be more "industrial."

 

There were many more rooms to see in the house, the Jungle Room for example, but I was disappointed that we were not able to see the second floor at all.  The outbuildings, horse pasture, and Elvis' grave are included. Also our tour package included the antique car museum and airplanes, so by the time we'd been through all the spaces and had taken well over 100 pictures, I was done.  I've never been a huge Elvis fan, but I do appreciate his impact on American culture and history.  Should you be anywhere near the Memphis area, you should visit Graceland.  It's well worth your time and money and you may grow to appreciate what he added to American life, art and culture.

Jambalaya Recipe

As Louisianans we are lucky to have a few "home-grown" products that are easily purchased.  Many of them are a vital part of our Cajun culture.   


Because we love our Cajun foods and traditions, we tend to build product lines around them.  It would be difficult to name all the Cajun food product lines, but there are a few that I especially enjoy:  Richard's meats, Tony Chachere's seasonings, Community coffee, Savoie's roux, Steen's syrup, Tobasco hot sauces, and Zatarain's seafood boil.

While I've mentioned some specific items, the businesses sell many, many different items in addition to these.  Plus, for every business there's a whole line of tee shirts, caps, bumper stickers and other items that cater to our huge tourism market. 

Louisiana Jambalaya
1/4 pound each--smoked sausage, tasso, bacon, smoked ham cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 pound chicken, deboned and cut into bite-size
               pieces(may substitute with pork or beef)
Slap Ya Mama seasoning
2 tablespoons Savoie's roux
1/4 cup each--onions, bell pepper, celery
1 clove garlic
3 cups rice
3 tablespoons oil
6 cups water

Heat oil in deep Dutch oven, add chicken and brown, remove chicken to platter.  Cook bacon in Dutch oven until crispy, and remove to meat platter. Pour out excess fat reserving 2 tablespoons, add sausage and brown lightly, add vegetables and saute until onions are clear.  Return meat to pot, adding remaining meats, stir.  Add 1/2 water and heat to boiling.  Stir in roux, rice, seasoning, and remaining water.  Mix well and bring to boil.  Cover with lid and lower heat to slow simmer.  Cook 30-45 minutes until rice is completely cooked.  Serve while hot.

Serves 8.  Freezes well in zip-top bags and can be reheated in microwave.

Swampin'

Laura and her new camera....
photography is one of her hobbies.

My sister, Laura, and her two daughters were here last week for a visit.  She phoned ahead and told me she had a plan for at least one day of her vacation in Louisiana: she wanted to go on a swamp tour.  


I've been on a trip something like this before, when the boys were young, and I wasn't so impressed, but I could be convinced provided she brought along mosquito spray.  She agreed.  Turns out we didn't need it but I didn't know that at the time.

Haley and Riley (sorry the photo is so bad girls)

She invited our other sisters and made arrangements with Cajun Country Swamp Tours which is located in Breaux Bridge, and headed by a zoologist/botanist tour guide who unabashedly loves the water, the swamp, and the Acadians.

Sisters Angie and Sid

Lake Martin

I must admit, it was way more interesting than I could have hoped for.  In fact, I really want to take the grandchildren on a tour in a few weeks.  


The weather was perfect, bright and sunny, warm but not sweltering and breezy.  Of course, I would not have wanted to be going out at 11:00 when we returned to shore!  We were tired but it was getting a bit too warm.  The tours last two hours, so that means the 11:00 tour ends at 1:00, a very hot part of the day. 


We saw all sorts of birds from roseate spoonbills, several egrets, a great blue heron, anhingas, an owl, Carolina chickadees, and maybe a few more I've forgotten.


My favorite were the beautiful water lilies, which I photographed, but my camera is acting up again and those pics did not come out.
Since we were in a swamp, there were only two types of trees, but don't let that make you think that there's no variety.  It's amazing how beautiful the trees are.  

Cypress tree 

Check out these beauties.  Isn't it interesting how this tree on the right is alive but has no center?  I love it that the guide points out these sights and explains them.


That he explains them in a humorous, entertaining way made the tour even more fun.  These guys are serious about their Cajun hospitality!  

An alligator

A bit of land

Of course, he was good about pointing out those things we expected to see.  Spanish moss, cypress knees, alligators, they were all there!  And we got to see them all from a crawfish skiff deep enough to feel safe but open so that we could easily see and snap photos.  Definitely worth the trip!    And as an extra special bonus......no mosquitoes!

Spanish moss

Cypress knees

Ruston afternoon

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Ever visit a town not too far away, for whatever reason, and somehow manage to spend a few minutes touring the place?  That's pretty much how Richard and I spent our afternoon.  After my workshop and a brief rest, we started off with a driving tour of the city, then found a parking space downtown and did a little walking tour.  I managed a few pictures, one of which is......

ta daa! a fabric shop!  No we didn't shop, but that's beside the point....the point is that I found one without even trying.  

It's just too easy, I tell you.  

a pretty little water fountain in the middle 

of a little square on the old railroad track

The gorgeous scroll work on the top of an old bank building.  

In person, this is so beautiful!  Oh the quilt designs!!!

just too cute rubber duckies swimming around in a water fountain.  They were just outside a children's clothing store....how perfect?!

Okay, I'll admit it, this building is not so great from a distance, but I have a baby camera.  Up close and personal it's just quaint, as are so many other buildings in the downtown area.

This brick four story building really has a lot going in the details, which my camera couldn't get.  The sun's glare was unbearable to boot, so I was happy to get a photo at all.

 We ducked into the cutest little Italian restaurant for dinner.  The inside is covered with this white lattice and plastic grapes, old signs and other memorabilia .  Talk about quaint.  I meant to get photos of the food, but it didn't happen.  When Rich and I thought about it, the food had been destroyed.  We had appetizers of shrimp garlic bread and shared a plate of veal parmesan.  The shrimp bread was unbelievable!  We couldn't finish the plate of veal with both of us working on it!

How about the view above our heads?

That was our afternoon....a bit of a surprise since we'd 

agreed on the drive down not to overspend or overdo.

What was your day like?  Any interesting tours or meals?