Welcome
January, 2012. Started the year with a class at John C. Campbell. Two classes, hand dyeing yarn and then weaving with it. Excellent class! Kathrin Weber (blazingshuttles.com) does the most amazing work. Very inspiring. And met some truly wonderful people in class too. That's always true at John C. Campbell.
Stop by Surface Design Corner for some new pictures.
|
 |
| Cowboy Kitty |
|
| Gone too soon, our dear Cowboy. Born outside Allied Signal, October 1997. We loved him and remember how much he liked to style his white whites.
|
 |
| Bindi and the pink side |
|
| Here's Bindi with the pink part of the weaving from the class at John C. We dyed the warp and weft, then wove in plain tabby. The basket holds a couple balls of the dyed yarn. There is about 7 yards of material.
|
 |
| Bindi and the Lobster Trap |
|
|
Here's Bindi on the Lobster Trap Table. You can see the evolution of this area if you scroll down. We've added a stained glass window that Mike Bass created. The lamp is from The Nest downtown DeLand with a shade that I painted to go with it.
|
A sweet picture of Chloe and the Lobster Trap Table given to us by Steve's Dad.
|
 |
| Chloe by the Lobster Trap Table |
|
|
 |
| Charlie's Lobster Pot Table - from Maine! |
|
|
 |
| Some silly cats loving the afternoon sunshine |
|
|
 |
| Mandevillas at la entrada |
|
|
The mandevillas died in the very first freeze last December. And yes, they will die again next winter, but they were so lovely, that they were the first thing we bought now that it is spring. Can't wait to see them take over the fence again.
|
 |
| Working on the rock garden |
|
|
 |
| More work on the rock garden |
|
|
When the back got cleared, all the construction garbage piles were revealed. So the view from the back porch became unlovely. So now we begin to remedy that problem. Isn't that life? Fix one problem only to have more pop up.
The pile of cement blocks and pieces is becoming a rock garden, and it doesn't look bad. Conrad and Adrian cleared out the big weeds and branches for me and the next day I started rearranging the "rocks" and planting succulents. No more Arizona envy! The Kalanchoe and the moss rose are already attracting butterflies and bees! The sedum should spread out over time. And I'm finally able to have some real cactus - which I didn't do before since you always get poked when you water them in pots.
And serendipity - as I was clearing more space, I found a tiny little opuntia which grows wild here, and moved it over to a protected part. Opuntia may be eaten. We've eaten it at gourmet restaurants in South Florida and it is pretty tasty. You can also make wine with it.
|
 |
| Another view of the rock garden |
|
|
 |
| The Sisters Sanctuary |
|
|
The Sisters. This area appealed to me from early on as a special place on the property. Maybe it is the wind through the pines, a sound that has always seemed peaceful to me. Maybe the straight trunks of the pines, and the juxtaposition of two small oaks. I don't know. But it is a lovely place, and when there is a breeze, not only can you enjoy the sound thru the pines, but the windchimes on the studio are audible as well. Steve put a big stump out here for me to sit on when I need Southern Zen.
|
 |
| The Sisters |
|
|
Our dear Precious cat rests here now. She died on February 9th, 2011. And she was a precious cat, always sweet and shy. She had a big purr and when she felt safe she would sit on your lap for hours. She was a feral cat that Steve and I rescued back when I worked at Allied Signal. She came around in the evenings and cadged tidbits of food. My co-worker, Susan Boyle, feed her tuna one night and told me how precious she was. So of course we had to name her Precious. She lived with us for 14 years. Now she rests here in the Sisters Sanctuary, a beautiful and serene resting place. Miss your lipstick smile, Precious.
|
 |
| Precious in Her Basket |
|
|
 |
| Samsara |
|
|
Sitting on the stump contemplating life shortly after burying Precious here at the Sisters, I looked up and saw this old bird nest. Just the universe reminding us that there is always death and birth in the unending cycle of Life. Someday I hope to rest here myself.
|
 |
| The rain fern is green! January 2011 |
|
|
The fern on the oak by the studio is green. I call this the rain fern. It's green if it has rained in the last 24 hours (or longer if it was a heavy rain), otherwise it's brown. Steve will love that I put a picture of the side of the studio with the old sink laying outside.! LOL Hey, this is the country, and really, we do plan to hook it up, some day...
|
 |
| Tree in Frank's Circle with green rain fern |
|
|
We call this Frank's circle. St. Francis is the patron saint of animals, or something like that. Anyway, he was probably someone we would have liked. We hope he will be lucky for all our animals.
Notice the rain fern in the V.
|
 |
| The tree fern could care less if it freezes |
|
|
We had three hard freezes, and the tree fern (which grows on the ground under oak trees) doesn't give a hoot. It just keeps on keeping green.
|
 |
| Our House, November 2010 |
|
|
We've been planting around the house. Hollys and hibiscus, firebush and fuchsia. There are circles around three big oaks, made with pavers and stone left over from the walkway. Asphalt millings for a driveway didn't work as well as we hoped, and didn't last more than six months. Whatever burrows in our yard, loves under the millings! LOL.
|
 |
| Studio, November 2010 |
|
|
The studio, November 2010. Through the open doors you can see my painting projects. I buy the plants and Steve plants them. Near the door we have "Snow on the Mountains", we both love the colors of these.
|
 |
| October 4, 2010 Cats sunning on the porch |
|
|
Here are two lazy cats on the front porch, upstairs. The tabby is Alice. Uschi moved just as I was taking the picture, so she looks a little blurry! It is a cool day, and the sky is clear blue.
|
 |
| Mandevillas in bloom at the gate |
|
|
Early October and already the nights are getting cool. Someone said that these Mandevillas may not make it through the winter here. That would be a shame, aren't they lovely?
|
Copyright 2008 - 2011 Barb Van Dusen, The Fernery Art Studios
|
|