Going for the Green - Free Bricks!

Free Bricks bring out the artistic side
in  this Californian

Does anybody else get butterflies in their innards when they see the Free sign out in front of a neighbors house? It's not just the fact that their free, it's the idea that something somebody else doesn't want, has long-term value for me that makes them so good. You can call that being green or thrifty - but don't you think it's more artistic to repurpose materials than to make something beautiful from old rather than new stuff?

We waited a few days until we came up with a definite plan for 'em. The plan is for a brick path along the damp and boggy side of our house. We're just going to build the kind where you excavate a little, lay them down and pour sand in the cracks.

There's always that little quiver of fear that somebody else will nab 'em all, but we sure didn't want to have a pile of building resources going to waste in our yard - and looking less than attractive as they do so.

I transported about 190 of these little gems to our side yard in the back of the mini-van (two trips). Yes, I sure do miss having a bright red truck for trips like that. That truck made me feel like a real woman, but you know the back of a mini-van works. And I like being a one-car family who knows how to use their bikes and feet to get around.

 BTW I actually left about a quarter of the pile of bricks for the next guy. Wonder what they're going to make.... 

Psychedellic Lilies (Hiking Edgwood)

We don't actually know
how the innocent lily
sees herself...

Primrosing CA Style

Primrose rises smaller

then other garden flowers.

But just so hope blooms.

Ench By Sew-006 Conversation with a Pirate Queen

Hot Dog, the latest "Enchanted By Sewing Podcast" is available in the pod-o-sphere! 

You can listen to the show right on the web by clicking on this link. Or, download this podcast free from iTunes, to play on your favorite mobile device/mp3 player (like an iPhone or an Android), by clicking on this link to iTunes.

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This conversation is about more than sewing, it's about a Californian who admits to having fun with her two teenage sons, drawn together by their shared joy in living history. How many boys this age have so much fun hanging out with their mom in social situations? I think Laura's found a secret that others might add to their parent-skills database!

What first drew me to Laura is that, in addition to costume sewing, she has a flair for  integrating elements of costume sewing into her daily wardrobe. Though she she sews for well-known living history events, such as the Renaisance Faire and Civil War Reenactment Days, it was our chat  about her experiences creating unique garments for  local San Francisco Bay Area personal theater - the Nor Cal Pirate Expo,  that had us both laughing, and me reaching for the edit button when it came time to clean up this interview to keep this podcast rated 'clean'!

Laura's enthusiasm and creativity in costume creation and sewing, is the kind of passion that keeps me enchanted by sewing!

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Please post other links and other pertinent information that you would like me to include in these show notes.

Heart of Silicon Valley (Mountain View, Red Rock Cafe)

You can hear about the big names and hot companies in the Silicon Valley, but if you want to feel it happening, come by Castro Street in Mountain View.

Go on into the Red Rock Cafe and head up the narrow stairs to find people plugging away on their laptops, working and talking together. This is where they come to informal working groups, Meetups, like those for Android App and IOS (apple/Mac) developers. This is where it's actually going on. 

History is happening here.

Postcard from OZ

Dear Auntie Em,

You'll never believe who I ran into here on vacation! The old guy who runs the city used to work in a circus that went through Omaha every year. I guess this is a step up for him. 

Also I made a couple of new friends. One of them used to be a field worker and the other one was a forester. They've been good to travel with, and they're really respectful, so you don't need to worry.

I've definitely got some new ideas about my career, so I know that will make you happy. There's a woman who travels around in a bubble and does a lot of good in the country. I'm also pretty sure she makes a lot of money because she dresses super nice. Doesn't that sound like me?

Hope the chickens are still laying well. I expect I'll be blowing in again any day.

Your loving niece, 

Dorothy

Oh Baby, it's a Wild World

We all gotta come to terms with it. 

Sometimes the world is a little wilder than others.