LA CONNER STILL ON MY MIND.

While I sit in Monroe, I'm still playing tourist in La Conner from my picture file. I said it is a pretty town and it is. Some buildings have signs telling what it used to be in a distant past.


I can still remember meat markets where the butcher chopped out a hunk of meat from whatever part of the carcass you wanted or could afford. For us, it was never the real meaty cuts. And, at that time, ready ground meat was unheard of. Now, the ubiquitous hamburger is everywhere. Just seeing this building brings back memories I hadn't thought about in years.


Traveling as I do, I don't have pets anymore, so I manage to pet other people's. We meet dogs, mostly. This woman reminded me of my daughter with her pup in a stroller. The dog is 11 years old and needs a bit of help. All three were friendly and cute.


Jim warned the owner before I got to this little cutie. "She's gonna want to take her picture."  She was a real beggar, looking for a treat, all smiles and sweetness.


And, of course, we kept popping in and out of shops. I did most of the popping, Jim kind of hangs around the door and waits patiently for me. Three dimensional layers of cut and polished wood pieces make up this wall hanging at the Wood Merchants.



Nice work


At That's Knot All, an artists co-op, Sherry Shipley's colorful, firey horses galloped across a canvas.


This ceramic plate reminded me of a rug. All local artist here. Run by volunteers. Neat.


The owner of this gallery said I could take ONE picture. She had some beautiful stuff but I especially liked her blown glass light fixture.


My neighbor brought me part of a cow skull. The birds eat the connecting tissue like cuttle bone and they soon fall apart. So, to have a full skull is rare unless you live near a (ugh) slaughter house. I would never have thought to decorate it with hundreds of pieces of turquoise.


We ate lunch here at tables in the back, open to the fresh air and a view of the harbor. Great clam chowder and steamed clams.


It surprises me what people do to guitars. This one is a wine rack.


I kind of like the idea of spray painting some old shoes and using them to plant in.


In the middle of town, on this main street, is a waterfall. A huge staircase leads to the top where the Quilt Museum is located. It has been a long time since I've been able to climb a huge staircase that goes up a steep hill.  I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of the stairway because it was a small triumph for me.  I'll post the quilt show tomorrow.

AN UNCONVENTIONAL PACKAGE.

When I bought this Shaman stick, I had no idea where I could put it or how to get it home. In Cortez, Colorado, the shipping store clerk called UPS and  FED-EX while we stood at the counter. Those options were not available. We were told it was too long. Admittedly, awkward in size and shape, with feathers that are somewhat delicate, black and white horsehair, a fox skull. Just walking down the street of Cortez brought some interesting looks and comments.

Comments from Jim were a bit more frustrating. “Where are you going to put it?  We don’t have room in the motor home. You need to take this thing back. Let’s be practical.”
We wired and hung it from the storage in the Motor Home, all the while Jim insisting that taking it back is the only practical thing to do. For me, practical and a work of art  don’t mix.
Several times over the phone he would offer, why don’t I cut it in half, ship it to you and you can put it together on your end. Being persistent, he found out that it COULD be shipped by UPS from New Mexico. Who knows why the difference? He told the clerk, “…a bent feather and I’m a dead man.”
It took some doing to figure out where to put it. But, since I only have myself to please, it looks fine to me in a corner of my living room.

It may not be conventional, but anyone who knows me is not surprised by that.