Tales of a Magpie

Weekend Ride!

Hello Everyone and Happy Monday!

Yes, indeed, I rode that new bike over the weekend.  I didn't get any photos on Saturday's ride, which was on Glendora Ridge.  It's a really beautiful ride so maybe next time.

I did get a couple of photos on Sunday.  We rode Mulholland Drive, a little of Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon.  I only got a few photos and you may ask why just a few?  Well, it's not always easy to stop on those twisty turny roads and take a photo.  But since there is more riding in my future I am sure there will be more opportunities to take photos!

On Sunday we stopped at a place called The Rock Store.  Apparently it is quite the biker hang out as I hope you can see from the photo.  It's definitely an interesting place to people watch.

After that we went on to Mulholland Drive and rode down the Pacific Coast Highway.  This photo was taken in Malibu.

It is really beautiful along the California coast.  We went inland after  Malibu and rode through Topanga Canyon and then on home.  It was a very nice weekend and I have to say I am really enjoying that new bike!

But now it is back to work!

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and has a great week!

Out with the old, in with the new...meet Bruce!

Hello Everyone!

Now don't get the wrong idea.  I did not, I repeat, I did NOT trade in my husband for a new man.

What I did do is trade in the Harley (aka Giuseppe)...

For a.....

(drum roll please)

Triumph Bonneville!

And I have named it Bruce.  Here it is:

What a sweet bike to ride!  It is soooo light and nimble.  Very fine, very fine indeed.

Is this a fantastic way to start out the weekend or what?!?

I hope everyone has a great weekend.  I'll be riding.

Buttons!

Hello Everyone!

Yes, I said the other day that I would post a photo of the things I bought at the little antique shop in South Pasadena.  I got sucked into the button cabinet and couldn't leave.

I thought there were some nice old buttons.  And the buckle is really interesting.  It is a French cut steel buckle.  Not sure exactly what it may have been used for but I plan to use it on a bracelet.  It curves very nicely on the wrist.  I am thinking a peyote band with something coming out of the center of the buckle.  A bead explosion perhaps?  Also, I am thinking the band should be layered somehow.  But it will be for another day.  I'm busy working on all sorts of things right now but can't seem to focus on anything in particular for very long.  Focus has been an issue for me for the past few weeks.  Maybe it's the beautiful weather we've been having.  In any case, I'll probably post about some of these projects in the future, when I find my focus and get a few things done.

The Weekend

Hello and Happy Monday to All!

This past weekend was the second one I had off and what a nice time we had.  We had planned to go away to the beach during this past weekend but when we checked prices it was so incredibly expensive we decided to stay home.  So on Saturday we took the train into LA and ate lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, La Golondrina.

We are talking some tasty vittles at this place!  And they make a good Margarita, very important.  We also went to South Pasadena for coffee.  I went into a little antique shop across the street.  They had a cabinet of buttons!  Of course I got sucked into that and had no idea how long I had been gone.  Poor Asbjorn finally sat at the coffee shop long enough and came looking for me.  I didn't take a photo of the  buttons yet, or of the cool buckle I found, but I will try to post that tomorrow.

Yesterday, we went for a motorcycle ride.  As you know, I have been very upset with Harley Davidson for their unwise decision to shut down Buell.  I had mentioned in the last post that I thought maybe my Harley had to go.  Well, it is so.  I cannot with good conscious support the Harley Davidson company so I have decided to sell it or trade it in on another bike.  I did a test ride of a different bike yesterday and ended up liking it very much.  You may be asking what but I want that to be a surprise.  I will let you know about that very soon as I think this may all come together quickly.  I had enjoyed many a good trip and many a fun mile on the Harley but I feel very strongly about letting it go.  It wasn't an easy decision to come to but I definitely think it's the right one. 

So there I am after my ride yesterday.  We went to test ride another bike, like I said before and then we just rode around, ending up at Mount Baldy, having lunch at the lodge. 

It was a really nice weekend!  I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend as well.  But now, it's back to the flour mill!  I have lots of different things I am working on, as usual, so focus has been a little bit of an issue for me.  So now I've got to get cracking and hopefully will be posting a bit more this week.

Black Thursday

Hello to All. 

Yes, yesterday could be called Black Thursday.  It seems that Harley Davidson has made the decision to stop making Buell motorcycles.  A press release was made by Erik Buell and can be seen on the website, Buell.com I have to tell you, it's a sad thing to watch.  Watching and listening to a man that has had his dreams dashed is, well, sad. 

Buell has done very well, especially in racing this past season, taking first place in the AMA National Championship in the Daytona Sportbike Class. 

We are hoping that someone or some group will snap up this great American motorcycle company and that Buells will be made once again.  

In the meantime, though, I'm scratching my head over Harley Davidson's unwise decision.

Asbjorn and I own three Buells and one Harley.  I'm thinking maybe that Harley has to go...

Trip to Avila and San Luis Obispo

Hello Everyone!

I got back from my trip Monday evening.  And yes, I am just now posting about it!  Well, first of all I would like to thank everyone that took my classes; I appreciate it very much.

So I taught on Saturday and Sunday.  I was staying with a good friend in Avila Beach.  On Sunday night, her family gets together and they have a Sunday dinner.  So Asbjorn and I were a part of it.  It was a really nice time.  Vicki is also a new Granny and here is a photo of the little one:

Someday, she will probably get really angry about that flower.  I liked it though.  I must say that I am usually not a baby person at all so those of you that know me well may be very shocked at a photo of a baby on my blog!  You will be even more shocked to find out that later on I actually held this baby.  I believe the last baby I held was my niece and she is now 19 years old.  I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone.

On Monday morning, we took a walk along the ocean.

It was a cool, but very beautiful morning.

Jack, Wonderdog Extraordinaire was with us, of course.  A fine dog I tell you.

We were at the pier, where there are a few restaurants and a fish market.  If I wasn't going to leave later that day, I certainly would have bought some fish.  We did last time I was there and it was so good!

After our walk, we had breakfast with a friend (left Jack at home for this).  Then we went to Morro Bay.  Did I manage to get photos at Morro Bay?  No, I didn't.  Why?  Well, good question.  Because I really love this little town too.  Lina G's was closed, alas.  That was probably a good thing because that store is just dangerous for me.  But we did go to Paula Radke's bead shop.  I am sorry I didn't take a photo.  Honestly, I think I was concentrating on staying warm.  It was about 63 degrees!  Yes, I was cold and I will readily admit to being a wimp.  But anyway, here are the beads I bought:

I am particularly fond of the bottle cap beads.  She said a friend in Minnesota makes them.  I can't wait to do something with those!  And the blue beads that look like Thor's hammers are vintage German glass.  She has a very nice shop and I am sorry I didn't get a photo.  I promise I will next time.

We also went into Coalesce book store.  I always visit this book shop when I am in town.  And buy a book or two.  Or three. 

Speaking of reading.  I just finished My Life in France by Julia Child.  I read The Julie/Julia Project and saw the movie and decided to read the Julia Child book.  I really enjoyed it.  It was a really fun read and she was so humorous.  Now I want to cook.  Which brings me to another topic I haven't covered in a long time.  My cookbook experiments.  Not sure if it was due to my cookbook experiments, maybe a little, but my weight kept creeping up and creeping up.  So I joined Weight Watchers.  So far I have lost twelve pounds.  The cookbook experimenting I have done has basically been out of Weight Watcher cookbooks and I have to say the dishes I made were really good.  But now I am drawn to cook some out of Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  I may experiment some with that one.  I'll keep you posted on what I decide.

So that is it for now.  It was a fine trip and now I am having a really hard time getting into things.  I am very excited to have this weekend off, the first one in several weeks.  I plan to stay home.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

beautiful pendant!

Hello Everyone!

When I was in Chicago, a friend/student gave me a really nice pendant.  I am very excited about making myself something with it.  Here it is:

It has some words to a Pink Floyd song:

For long you live,
And high you fly,
For smiles you give and tears you cry,
For all you touch,
And all you see is all your life will ever be.

It also has an image of a bird and lately I have been very drawn to birds.  For the past couple of years I was drawn to butterflies and images and things about butterflies kept coming to me  but lately it has been birds.  So this pendant has a lot of meaning for me.  And I love Pink Floyd.  Yes, I know, it's not heavy metal but a girl can't bang her head all the time.  Can she?

So far the plan is to make a mixed media Fragments pendant like the ones featured in the Autumn issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry.  Oh, did I fail to mention that?  Yes, it is true!  I have another article in Belle Armoire Jewelry!  It is the Fragments pendant, done in mixed media.  For the pendant above, I think I will try a double strand.  So that means I need a photo and I had these bird stickers.  I just have to decide which one to use.

I will keep you posted on the progress of this piece.

Also, I will be in San Luis Obispo this weekend teaching some classes.  I think there are still openings so if you are in the area and want to have a fun beading day, then come to Naturally Jennifer's and sign up!  I will be teaching Bohemian Lace and Fair Isle.

As for now, I've got to pack things up and get cracking!  I need to hit the road soon!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Chicago

Hello Everyone!
Yes, I think the title of this post is a good clue as to where I have been.  I taught three classes at Studio Beads in Deerfield, a suburb of Chicago.  I had a great time and want to thank everyone that took my classes.  Thank you to Jessica and Donna for having me come to teach.  Studio Beads is a really beautiful shop.  Really beautiful.  Here are some photos:

When you walk in the front door, this area is to the left.  My photos turned sort of blue.  I think I had the camera set wrong!  See?  It has been too long since I have taken photos because I seem to have forgotten how!  Anyway, here are some more.

This area is to the right when you walk in the door.

This is what you see when you walk in the door and look straight ahead.

Here is a little nook.  I was lusting after that desk.  Wouldn't that be a nice place to do calligraphy?  Well, maybe not in that exact spot, but that desk at home.

I took this photo standing near the register area and looking back at the classroom.

And here is a photo of the back of the shop looking towards the front.

Well, that one turned out a little tilted.  The building really is level.  Good thing, too, because that would make beading really difficult.  Not sure why I did that.  Again, I am definitely going to have to practice with the camera!

I would like to say again that I had a very nice trip!  Thank you again for taking my classes and giving me such an enjoyable weekend!

Such a wonderful group of ladies. 

Thank you!

San Diego Bead Society

Hello to all!

I got back last night from San Diego.  On Saturday, I gave a presentation to the San Diego Bead Society and on Sunday I taught a class, The Wheel of Fortune.  I had a great time.  Everyone seemed to enjoy my presentation and I am very appreciative of all the encouragement I received.  A big thank you to all of you that attended the presentation on Saturday and a big thanks to all of you that took my class!  You made my weekend very nice indeed.
But you know what?  I only took one picture.  Well, actually, I didn't even take that one, considering I am in it.  So here I am with friends from the San Diego Bead Society Deeann and Agnes:

Why didn't I take more photos, you might be asking?  Well, I am asking myself that too!  I will give myself a kick in the butt and definitely do better at the picture taking!  I was in beautiful Balboa Park and gave my speech at the Mingei Museum which was a very nice museum.  We went to lunch afterward at a little place between the Mingei and the San Diego Museum of Art.  At the end of lunch someone mentioned an exhibit at The San Diego Museum of Art and I decided to go.  I was free for the rest of the day. 

There was an Alexander Calder Jewelry exhibit.  It was fantastic!  If you are anywhere near San Diego, or even if you aren't and feel like a bit of a road trip, then this exhibit is definitely worth seeing!  I bought the book on his jewelry from the gift shop.  Really inspiring!

So that is what I was up to this past weekend.  I promise more photos in the future.  Really, I guess I was just a bit overwhelmed.  I was a little nervous but I think I did ok.  It was fun actually to tell my bead story, which is what my presentation was all about.

San Diego is a beautiful place and I always enjoy going there.

I'll be making another trip in the near future so I'll keep you posted!

I hope everyone has a fine week!

Flowers

Hello Everyone!

Asbjorn bought me flowers yesterday and I thought I would share them with you!  They are really pretty.  Irises are one of my favorite flowers. 

Aren't they nice?

I am wondering if I have time to draw one of them.  I used to draw a lot and have really started to miss doing that.  I am teaching a class today but maybe tonight I will draw. 

I have been working on a journal idea so I will keep you posted on that once I develop it a little more.  It has made me want to draw and paint again.  Alas, in all my spare time, right?

Have a good weekend everyone!