Can't. Stop. Making. Tumbler. Quilt. Send Help. Seriously I do believe I am almost done now, and just need to stop cutting more until I sew together the rows and rows and rows I've got so far. And I found a nice spirally black fabric to use for the ends of each row to make a nice border/frame.
Ahh. So nice to have Mr.Super Husband back home again from an extended trip to China and Japan.
This picture reminds me of the one above in texture and lighting but not so much in content.
Oh and here's what our new floors look like. Bamboo flooring from Costco, looks great, feels great. Slowly moving our stuff back in and re-evaluating what we actually want in the nice, new-looking living room. Poor Zelda The Wonder Dog is having trouble slipping on the floor though, I think I need to get her some grippy booties or something.
Rexie is throroughly enjoying the new deck. He has perfected his monorailing technique. That's what we call it when he flops on the rail with all four legs dangling, two on each side. Just like a monorail! 
And his ability to get onto the deck from the hillside is not at all hampered by his size.
Well, not too much. Good thing he is mostly fur.
See he got through eventually, not a problem.
Very relaxing this deck, very relaxing.
Too many cameras though.
Thinking about seahorses today. Mostly because my QuiltMav friend Linda M. Poole has a fabulous new fabric line out with Avyln Fabrics.
I'm going to request that my local quilt store carry it! I bet it would sell really well, since we are so near to the ocean and all.
These are all seahorse pictures that I took at the Monterey Bay Aquarium on our recent trip. Look at the camouflage on this one, amazing how they blend in with the coral. 
And then there are the leafy sea dragons, another amazing creature to get to know about. I love the shadow in this picture.
How would you like to have frilly eyelash thingies like this guy?
A list of reasons why I like leafy sea dragons.
A lovely Saturday afternoon was recently spent at Overfelt Gardens/Chinese Cultural Gardens in San Jose as I waited for my son to finish up at his Destination Imagination competition (yes! They won!). There were mushrooms a'plenty after all the winter rains. 
At first I thought it was just the usual kind of city park, with some sculpture here and there.
But then across the little pond I spotted this cool pavilion and realized it was something a bit more than just the usual park.
People were out enjoying the sunny day.
One of the founders of the garden and her daughter (The woman you can see there through the window) were there sweeping up and were kind enough to explain how the garden was founded and a lot about the symbolic meanings in the designs on the buildings and garden walls.
I wish I remembered it all so I could write it all down here. There was a lot about the elements, this was I believe air (see the clouds).
I think this was the symbol for water (see the waves).
I particularly love this swirly wheel/sun design, it was something about the cycle of life and everything being one.
The marble mama lion.
Dragons on the roof tops.
A painted ceiling in one of the small pavilions.
Pretty designs on the ceiling and corners.
A beautiful gate to walk under.
I noticed something in the corner of the gate as I walked under.
A nest!
A great big statue of Confucius.
I like this picture of him where he is walking on the treetops.
Some interesting details in the marble base of a sundial.
The blossoms were popping out on a lot of the trees.
And finally, an unexpected turtle picture! I was taking a picture of the goose in the foreground with my zoom.
Have you noticed that squids seem to be talked about a lot more than usual lately? Lots of tv shows feature them, how hard the giant ones are to research, giant squids vs. giant shark monster movies, news stories about squids taking over in unusual places because of the warming oceans. etc. etc. This book pictured here, Squids Will Be Squids (Picture Puffins)
was one of my favorites to read to my boys when they were younger, it is an absurdist, highly sarcastic, wry approach to Aesop's Fables type of stories.
I didn't ever consciously realize it, but I have always wanted clothing with squids on it. This realization became an imperative when I recently found some fabric that has some lovely blue and gold squids on an earthy/rusty orange/brown background from Heather Ross.
With the contrasting kelp forest fabric it will make a great:
The shorter tunic on the left.
