BONUS DAYS IN AZ

The seemingly constant winter storms that have now raced through our area have been such a shock after having super mild weather through the end of 2015.

Luckily I escaped to AZ for some girlfriend art camp fun......and happily due to cancelled flights......I was able to enjoy extra time there......which included lots of walks....where I spotted this attractive manhole cover!

I have lots of catching up to do after getting home this morning.  The way too many photos I took will be organized asap....watch for them soon.

HIGH TECH KNOWS HOW TO HAVE FUN

This concludes my San Francisco trip report......with a final look at an amazing work place.

 I took over a hundred photos of this office.....and lots and lots of just the fabulous lighting fixtures.  Each area featured different styles.

 Hard working employees apparently need a way to relax....such as a putting green.

 ....and a chess board.

 ......and a great view.

 ......and a bit of exercise that requires some skill.

 ......and access to battery operated skate boards to get around.

 .....and unicycles......but because they are marking up the carpets now they are only supposed to be used outside.

 ......More lighting fixtures.

 .....and Mr. Robot that can be programed to greet customers....a truly high ticket item!

 Did I mention lighting fixtures???

.....and what group of employees doesn't need a dedicated game room, that also includes a piano?!?

Thanks for allowing me to share my adventures with you.

HIGH TECH WORK ENVIRONMENT

Now on the San Francisco tour.....we head to the office building where our son works.

I know it's in a brand new building, across from the water and near a new hospital complex...but exactly where.....I haven't a clue. I freely admit I'm directionally challenged!  But I did pay attention to the details of this HUGE 2 floor complex.  The decor was amazing....just look at this handmade table in the lobby.

And how about this???  Air plants hanging on wire, weighted with what looked like metal fishing weights....very cool.

It's like no office I've ever seen.  There are no private offices....not even for the founders (CEO/CFO).  Instead, there are rows and rows of tall work stations.

The carpeted floor is a raised surface and below are miles of cables for all the techy stuff.  These grate like covers can be removed to access the wiring.

Clocks keep track of the time in various parts of the world and the typical white board is replaced by something that works the same but appears to be wood.

Raiden (the grandson) knows right where to head......one of the numerous mini 7-Elevens that are located on every floor.  They are self service with just about anything you can think of and all supplied by the company.  And if that's not enough, employees have access to a fully catered lunch room besides!

Yup....more self-service goodies for the hard working employees.

Everywhere I looked I saw art, disguised as furniture.....

 One of the many lounge pits.....perhaps the employees come here to take a nap??

 Yes, that's a bike you see in this photo....did I mention this place is huge?  Free-standing yurts can be used for meetings/brain storming sessions.

Each was decorated differently and stylishly.

Does this have your head spinning???  Truthfully, I've never given much thought to what offices look like or how they function. My world is so removed from that environment.  Perhaps yours is too, but hopefully you've found this interesting.  Well....there's more......check back tomorrow for the conclusion of my travel blog.

BECAUSE I'M A QUILTER......

.....because I'm a quilter.....I'll begin my next San Francisco trip related post with......ta da......fiber!

  There was a big family gathering during my visit, which included my DIL's brother's family who traveled all the way from Argentina.  His MIL gifted the hostess this adorable Tic-Tac-Toe game.  (Hope you are following all these connections?!?)  

But....what may be clearer is the photo of this felted game board, complete with felted playing tokens.  I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it......made by an Argentinan artist.

 Because I'm a quilter, I see and appreciate color!

 Because I'm a quilter, I enjoy delicious food such as brie and a zippy spread.

 Because I'm a quilter.....I LOVE desserts.  Even the young & single party goers brought food (a LOT of food).  Jon (a 20 something) doesn't bake, but his contribution of this super rich red velvet cake was a big hit.

 The Argentinan contingent got into the kitchen and turned out some of their favorites.....brownies, topped with whipped cream (the real stuff) and fresh raspberries.

 .....and this best ever lemon tart.....

Because I'm a quilter, these homemade chocolate truffles didn't escape my attention.

 Because I'm a quilter......who happens also to be a Mom......having a moment to see two cousins (who live a continent apart) bond....well....it's very memorable.

.....And because I'm a quilter who is also a very proud Grandma, documenting Raiden's love of water (even in late October) was a given!

Warning....more trip reports to come.......see you tomorrow.

ESCAPING!!

WELL......after a lovely mild winter....it's gotten cold and snowy..boo hiss.....

The wind gusts can be 50-60 MPH in our high mountain valley.  We learned after our first year here to bungy cord all our porch furniture to the deck.  Even that doesn't always help!!

However....I'm escaping...heading for sunny warm weather today...as you read this I'll be winging my way to the SW.  I'm meeting several friends in AZ where we will be having our own 'art camp'!!  No big goals....just puttering around with wet felting and monoprinting, snacking, yacking, and some cultural outings.

I'm pretty sure blog posts will be on hold till I return at the end of the week but if I can figure out how to get photos from my iphone into my ipad into blogger...well...then you'll be hearing from me.....if not....I'll catch up asap.

WHAT BOYS DO WITH THEIR TIME

'The husband' is and always has been a car nut....he loves them....actually anything with an engine makes him happy.  A guy thing for sure.

I must be over-exposed to this subject because I noticed this 'car mouse' at a quilt shop when I should have been looking at the bolts and bolts of fabric!

 So, every year at the end of January....car crazy (mostly men) flock to Daytona Beach, FL for the Rolex 24 Hour LeMans race.  Yes, you read that right....24 hours....and that means non-stop driving.  What is particularly irritating to someone like me who is dragged along, is that the darn thing doesn't begin till 3:30 PM. on a Saturday....meaning half of the race is in the dark.  Even in FL it's chilly (and often darn right COLD) when the sun goes down with the wind whipping off the ocean.  And really??  24 hours?? Wayyyy toooo long for this gal!  Fortunately, we don't stay all night but our time at the track is sizable since of course one needs to arrive the day before to view practice sessions etc. 

 So I try to amuse myself people watching and just plain taking it all in. This race is a clone of the very famous 24 Hour LeMans (France) race which was made even more well known in the 1971 movie, LeMans, starring Steve McQueen.  A huge ferris wheel is an icon at that race track and not to be outdone.....the Daytona International Speedway has one too.

 Camera toting guys stroll the garage area....where EVERYTHING is branded...seriously....I don't think there's anything left that isn't sponsored!

 Not only does one watch the race......many spectators are hooked up to scanners to monitor driver to pit conversations, plus the announcers non-stop chatter. There are loud speakers but even if you are standing beneath one...the cars are soooo loud you can't hear a word anyone is saying.

"Body" parts......and as beat up as these cars get...having extra parts are necessary.  There are various 'classes' of cars that all run in at the same time....some are capable of traveling much faster than others...which makes the race more interesting.

We cheer for Porsches....and one of the drivers of this car is Patrick Long....one of the few Americans drivers.

 Someone who may be less than interested in the actual race (her first name is Mary) might be wandering around and spot this lovely floral display in used tires.  

 ......and a youngster fishing while riding on a skate board along the lake's boardwalk.

 ......and drivers all suited up.

 .....and a display of vintage VW's.  Believe it or not.....the Porsche was born out of a VW!!

So.....that's how I spent the last couple of days.....and why my projects are not advancing!  I wish I could say that this will be the last race I have to attend this year......sadly.....that isn't so.

RAMBLINGS

Getaways are so refreshing......can't wait to do a repeat of my recent trip.

 I visited a long time friend at her winter escape home in one of the newer Sun City developments outside of Phoenix.  This is the view off her patio toward the golf course.  The weather was so pleasant, if I lived there I'd have to set up my sewing machine outside and spend the days catching the rays and the views.


We kept ourselves quiet busy and were lucky the timing offered us a chance to see "Art Quilts: Year XVI - Something To Say."  This exhibit is at the Chandler Center for the Arts until Jan. 28, 2012.  Unfortunately, and understandably, photography is not allowed....but I can assure you it was wonderful.  I expected it to be quiet small but we browsed for well over an hour.  It was great to see a steady, and I mean steady stream of viewers.  The quilts were displayed professionally, well lighted, and offered a large variety of styles.

 We  also attended a small quilt show in Wickenburg....a charming historic town.  

 It was a pleasure to see so many traditional quilts on display in one place.....

 This is one of the very few art type quilts and certainly one of the very few to feature embellishing. 

 The maker utilized buttons, machine embroidery, and paints for this original design quilt.

I thought this was very clever.....each quilt had one or more clothes pins attached for viewers to safely turn the quilt and view the backside.  Since it was a small venue that was a bit crowded.....this made so much sense.