Society News

Feeding Time in the Garden

by Henry John Yeend King (1855-1924) British Realist

Occasionally I have a society news post to show various things happening in my life, or things I've been making or reading, as well as interesting visits, mail, shopping, or homemaking ideas.

Here is some bright fabric called Quilter's Calico. There has been some question about whether quilting cotton is suitable for dressmaking.  I have always used cotton for garment making, but it was not always called quilter's calico or Keepsake Quilting, etc.  Nowadays it is marketed as quilting fabric because there is a bigger market for quilting fabrics than for dressmaking fabric. In other words, not as many people make dresses anymore, so the manufacturers cater to the quilters, in order to sell the cotton. 

 You can use anything you like for dressmaking, including quilters cotton.  I use it almost exclusively. There IS a dressmaking fabric you can buy, but it tends to be trendy or go with the current fad in prints, and therefore, be replaced by a new fashion fad the next year. The cottons for quilting are much prettier and have been produced for so long that they are more classic and basic. 

I picked this quilters cotton because it looks like a Hawaiian quilt. The traditional quilts of Hawaii are usually one solid color, on which another solid color is placed, in a meandering design. There were so many of these at the fabric store that I found it difficult to make a decision. I wanted them all. There was pink on white, light blue on dark blue, brown on aqua, pink on brown, green on white, yellow on green, and so forth, all similar to the one pictured below.

I love taking the fabric over to the notions department and matching up trims and buttons. The fabric store happily yielded this green and magenta daisy trim that matched perfectly, and I used the lime green straight pins while I was sewing the project, just for the pleasure of it.

This is the skirt and blouse made from the fabric; a magenta background on which was printed a lime green swirly design.

Here is a closer look at the neckline where the colorful trim was placed, and the buttons.

It took about a yard and a half of the trim to cover the neckline and the sleeve hems, and I used a 40 percent discount coupon.

Above: variations of this leaf print, and a floral one that also has a number of combinations, which are found at the fabric store in the quilter's cotton section.

New Look (Simplicity)

Here is the blouse pattern I used. The neckline had to be raised several inches, so you might keep that in mind if you attempt to make it. To raise the neckline, just cut higher on the cloth, above the pattern, and add more to the back, as well, to make the shoulders match. Cut a new facing by tracing along the fabric piece.  Or, you could just practice on some old cloth, or some muslin, to make a pattern that fits.

Simplicity "New Look"

This is the skirt pattern I used, but I did not include a drawstring, as it was not necessary. It has a waistband that is easy to attach, into which you thread some wide elastic.

Here is a book I feature over at my other blog, Lovely Whatevers

 that has given me great inspiration.  When you get to Lovely Whatevers, scroll down on the sewing book post til you get to the Amazon icon with the picture of the book. Click that and it will take you to Amazon, where you can look inside the book and enjoy other pictures of the dresses.

The author has taken old fashioned, embroidered and scalloped handkerchiefs, and made dolls dresses. She includes instructions and patterns to trace.  Although she uses fashion dolls, the designs are pretty decent, and I use them for ideas for my own sewing. Here is a sneak peak at some of the fashions, which will make you want the book:

She uses the trimmed edges and the border prints for the hems and collars and sleeves, and how pretty they are!  These fashions gave me the inspiration I needed to make something similar, and I even found some handkerchief weight fabrics at Walmart with border prints that could be used the same way, with any adult size  pattern.

Handkerchief fabric for my next sewing project: a dress similar to one in the Couture Hankie book.

This fabric is handkerchief weight and  comes in a pretty aquamarine blue, a purple, yellow, orange, green, and red, with the co-ordinating fabrics in all colors, as you see on the left of the picture. Some good news: a recent WalMart sale paper I picked up in the store said that fabrics were coming back to the stores, so maybe more of you will be able to enjoy looking at fabrics that are closer to home.

 I plan to use a pattern like one of the Vogue ones below, and add sleeves. To add sleeves from another pattern, just cut out the sleeve you like, and match up the seam of the sleeve to the seem of the under arm on the dress, and then pin the center top of the sleeve where the dot is (I usually just make a little clip in the fabric at the dot, with scissors) with the shoulder seam. Use the front and back notches in the sleeves as your guide to sewing them on the dress, but don't try to match them to the dress notches. Just make them lie flat. Put a running stitch at the cap area of the sleeve to pull up into a bit of a puff .

Vogue 1171

I have not seen collars in a long time, and this one had one of those nautical like designs, so I might buy it when it goes on sale. However, I have enough old patterns now that I can easily immitate this design without having to buy a new pattern.

Here is a sample of another pattern that might work with the handkerchief fabric, putting the pretty border at the hemline, and adding sleeves. This pattern, pictured below, would probably need to have the neckline raised.

Vogue 8469, above

Here is an idea that many home sewers use to preserve and store their patterns. Cut out all the pieces separately from the big sheet they come in, and iron them on medium with no steam. Then, fold each piece with the name of the piece, such as "back" or "front", facing upward. That way, when you get into your pattern, you can easily see the name of the piece you are looking for.

Instead of trying to get all the pieces back into the pattern envelope, use a ziplock bag the size of your choice,

and put the pattern envelope facing up, with the pattern piece  label on the other side. That way, if you have a favorite sleeve you use on other patterns, it is easy to see from the other side. Sometimes the pattern envelopes get wrinkled, and you can iron them flat too, so that they look as good as new.

To choose dressmaking fabric, go to a fabric store and look at each bolt and note the feeling or mood that it gives you. What does it remind you of?  Does it make you feel happy?  Does it give you a lift in your state of mind?  I always choose pieces that remind me of something: a colorful garden, a day at the beach, a field of daisies, a season, a climate, somewhere I have visited, or just an event in the future.You should also take note of the colors which do not look good next to your skin and avoid them. Find something that you will be happy working with while sewing.

In other news,  my cousin's blog "Mrs. A."  has a very enlightening post about keeping up with housework, that would work well for anyone, which she writes about here:



Smockity Frocks  This sweet blogger had such a funny post about an apron she made, and how cheerful it made her feel.

http://jraesshabbycottage.blogspot.com/  has some free pictures you can use in your crafts.

A Vintage Girl This homemaker has done away with common jeans and is trying to dress up a little more, even at home. I agree about jeans: they were made for working in the gold mines, and yet women wear them as if they were going to be digging ditches every day. Even our country homes are so modern and convenient, that it does not require us to wear jeans day in, and day out. Besides, as I always say, jeans are so uninteresting: if you have seen one pair, you've seen them all. Dresses, on the other had have a lot more variety and color.

Romantic History  --showing history of the "wrapper" a common house coat or house dress worn inside or outside of the house but not in public. I think I need one of these for early mornings.

The Importance of Homekeeping  A pretty blog with a nice story about a Robin.

Here is a nice tutorial on icing a cake, with an added delight of how to make a layered cake in a different way. http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/2011/02/rose-cake-tutorial.html


Go to Sew Serendipity and see how this lovely lady uses bright, beautiful fabrics and prints, on her fall ensemble post.

Susan Rios has a pretty print that looks a lot like some of the fabrics available. I would certainly like to see Susan's painting, here, on a bolt of fabric. It is similar to the lovely wallpapers and tapestries that were so loved centuries ago and is similar to this quilters fabric from the fabric store:

and this, below, also from the fabric store:

This might work for a handkerchief dress design, as it seems kind of vintage.

This is one of my favorite fabrics but I have no idea what I would use it for and do not have an idea of a dress in it. The flowers are outlined in gold thread. In "real life" it is beautiful and although sold in the quilter's calico section of the store, it has the texture of upholstery fabric. Maybe it would be good for making one of those historical wrapper dresses to wear at home.

Restoring Victorian Values

Leisure at Home

Afternoon Pleasures

Kevin Liang

It is always nice to visit a vacation retreat or spend time away from home in a splendid, idyllic setting. However, some people find it too expensive or are not able to leave their homes due to pressing responsibilities of one form or another. In this case, it is best to create the kind of sanctuary and  luxury you desire, right in your own home.

 My friend takes a "Stay"-cation instead of a "Va"-cation, and enjoys her home in a different way. Vacationing at home does not mean that a woman must stay in her house or on her own property for her entire holiday, but it means enjoying the local things as a vacationer would.

Lily Pond

Kevin Liang

Waterside Porch

Kevin Liang

Home vacations can cost no money at all if they just require extra leisure and rest. On the other hand,  spending money for a luxurious home holiday can still be much less expensive than going to a far-a-way spot.  Buy some new towels or re-outfit your bed with new sheets and blankets. Some of the new sheets and blankets are made from natural fibres like bamboo, flax and natural cotton, and  are designed to aid in restful slumber. Find pieces to your favorite china and add to your collection, for a special holiday treat, or find a new set of every-day dishes and change your tablecloth, for a new look. Paint your kitchen or get some special porch furniture. 

Kevin Liang

Shady Grove

Treat yourself to a patio set and new lawn chairs, or re-design your porch for maximum enjoyment of leisure time. Our ancestors created sun-porches and sleeping porches, both designed for leisure at home. They created special porches for star-gazing or for outdoor rocking chairs. Some rooms were built on to their houses for artist studios and music rooms. Every aspect of the Victorian house seemed to point to some activity at home.

 Sometimes you can remodel and redecorate a room in your house for less than the cost of a vacation. Consider spending vacation money to improve your yard in some way or get some things you've always wanted to improve your home life.

Garden Tea II

Kevin Liang

Staying at home can be a good experience if you like to read, write, sew, or have friends over for tea-time moments. It will necessitate going out, however, to collect everything you need: plenty of food supplies that are high enough quality that you would feel you were on holiday, and even some special clothing that suits the season.

Whether you stay home or go away for a vacation, it is important to relax. Some people find this difficult to do on a formal vacation, and that is why the "stay-cation" can be so appealing. At home, you can do as you like and are not obligated to meet a time-schedule.  If you learn to relax at home, even while you do your daily work, and learn to enjoy home life, you'll find that you will create a home that invites you to stay.

Summer Porch

by Kevin Liang

One way to motivate yourself to be an excellent keeper of the home is to plan for moments of leisure, seizing the opportunity when the weather is nice or in the parts of the day which are quieter.

Plan leisure activities that really relax you. Some women will enjoy painting, others will enjoy sewing or reading. Get a stack of whatever pleases you and enjoy feeling relaxed  at home.  Make a list on a special paper of the things you would really like to do, if you had enough time, such as taking an art course, a cake decorating class, sewing something you've always wanted to sew, or creating a special room. List all the things you want to read or write, and all the trips you want to take to places like rose gardens, house tours, and anything you want to see. From this list, you can plan your relaxation and leisure time.

When we were children, summer at home meant special painting books and yarn-craft activities, as well as photography, picnics and nature walks. Although it may cost extra money to put on a home holiday for your children, it will still be less than an expensive trip and will be worth the cost, for the improvements you make to your home and the things you buy to make life easy for a few weeks will still be with you.

Spring Morning

by Kevin Liang

Read about the artist Kevin Liang here: http://www.globalgallery.com/artist_biography/kevin+liang/ and see more of his paintings here: 

Learning Contentment in Home Life: Late Summer Reading

A beautiful image from Graphics Fairy

I am reading a free Google book called  "He Fell in Love With His Wife"  (just click on the book title to take you to the place where you can print out or read the book,) written in 1886, which I have printed and put in a spiral binding, making it much easier on the eyes to read than the screen.


This story is full in interesting characters and references to things I used to hear about a lot, referring to things like "protracted meetings" and the "meeting house," as well as using the word "famous" as an expression, somewhat like the word "capital!"Several of my friends have ordered the printed novel from ebay, because the cover looks so nice.


The online version has some typing errors, but it does not interfere with the beautiful language and the sweet descriptions of places and feelings.  If you are reading it and thinking it would make a good movie, well, it was made into a silent film, but I believe it would make a wonderful movie.


The story begins with a widower's problem of looking after his business while trying to save his house from decay and ruin. He hires numerous housekeepers and cooks, all with problems of their own, and some who bring in extra people who add to the destruction of the house.Eventually he marries a woman who has looked after an invalid mother until her death. 


This woman is exhausted by the work she has done, and then goes to the man's house, which has endless possibilities for work. Eventually though, through adequate rest, and small efforts, she creates a feeling of contentment for her farmer and gives him the kind of home life he needs in order to conduct his business.

Her husband wants her to feel at home in his house, so he says,

"I will let you wash a few dishes, if it will make you feel more at ease," and the wife thinks upon how that small effort gave her a feeling of belonging.


The book  brings to life the attitude of contentment and shows the sensitivity of the wife to the details of life, such as the kind of light that appears when she first awakes, or the flowers she puts in a vase for the table, which she found by the road, and of course the food she prepares and the atmosphere she creates for their home.

It is written in the wordy descriptions of the writing style of the time, requiring careful reading. If  you are an impatient reader, this is not for you, and if you have a picky attitude about some of the practices of the times (for example, the husband fierce opposition to some hooligans who come to bad-mouth his wife, or the incident where he was found smoking a pipe, or the unusual circumstances of the woman's life and the circumstances surrounding their agreement to enter into marriage, ), you will not enjoy this book. It is has a rugged man and a soft, feminine but determined woman in it, and it shows how the two combine to make a success of their marriage. If you do not like the women being in the home, you shouldn't bother to read this book.


Although the story is full of action, the story still has detailed descriptions of the thoughts and observations of both the farmer and his wife. Something as simple as the weather or the day's work can take an entire paragraph as the details are listed.  It will take a patient reader, but I think the story has enough strange characters in it that it will make you smile enough to keep reading.

Some of the phrases in this book are worth noting:

"Some men are chilled by public disapproval and waver under it, but Holcroft was thereby only the more strongly confirmed in his course."


"Every hour added to the beauty of the season without. The unplowed fields were taking on a vivid green."

"A burst of song from the lilac bush  under the parlor window drew her eyes thither, and there was the paternal redbreast pouring out the very soul of ecstasy. From  the nest beneath him rose the black head and yellow beak of his brooding mate. 'How contentented and happy he looks,' Alida murmered, 'how happy they both are! And the secret of it is, home."

"The desperate view she had taken of her misfortunes troubled him, and he had thought it possible that she might sink into despondency and something like invalidism; but that involuntary bubble of laughter re-assured him. 'Quiet, wholesome, cheerful life will restore her to health,' he thought, as he put his favorite beverage and sputtering steak on the table. 'You can pour me a cup of coffee."


"Holcroft would have been blind indeed had he not observed changes for the better in her. The old sad, troubled expression was passing away from her eyes. Every day it seemed easier for her to laugh, and her step grew more elastic. It was all so gradual that he never questioned it...there was a new atmosphere in his home---a new influence, under which his mind was awakening in spite of his weariness and absorption of the interest of the farm. "

In general I found neither of them to be critical of the other, and that was the key, in my opinion, to any difficulties that came their way. The plot may seem far-fetched and romantically impossible in today's world, but things were not so regulated in times past. If you read "Anne of Green Gables" or anything written by Jane Austen, or the book "Pollyanna," you will probably enjoy this summer reading project.  Keep in mind that people of the era in which this was written read literature like Shakespeare's plays and Washington Irving ("The Wife"), which may have colored the plots and descriptions in their own writings.

Another Free Book for High Summer Reading: Coelebs In Search of a Wife

Mrs. Y., an email friend who is quite keen on reading old books, has kindly suggested an even better book from the Gutenberg Project (free online books that have outlived their copyright), called "Coelebs In Search of a Wife."  She writes, "Hannah More's book has a spectrum of characters but they are for the purpose of teaching about Christian living, and her views on raising children are relevant today. The words "timeless truths" comes to mind concerning what she wrote."  Although "He Fell in Love With His Wife" has references to the Christian life,  "..In Search of a Wife" may be the kind of thing that you are looking for, for a pleasant read in the high summer season.

A Room That Feels Like Home

The Sitting Room

by Susan Rios

Click here to bid

and go here to see more of Susan Rios Art.

Although I like to stretch summer as long as I can, I enjoyed this lovely autumn painting that came in my email this morning and would like to share it here with a link to Susan Rios to see more. I love her depiction of seating areas in the home, surrounded by books or writing materials, and flowering plants.

Camelia Rose Tea

by Susan Rios

  If a home had one room like this to keep for quiet times or guests, the rest of the house work would be a delight, because this kind of room seems to set a standard for the rest of the home.  This alludes back to the parlours of the Victorian times, which were just front rooms where the work of the home was not seen.  They were rooms used for an escape from the commotion of the rest of the house, or for receiving guests, who did not venture into the kitchen or the private living areas of the family. 

The Warmth of Autumn

by Susan Rios

 For most of us, the living room is just inside the front door and immediately comes into view when one enters, so it will be the room we are most concerned about for appearance.  When the lady of the home returns from shopping or from outdoors, her mood can be greatly improved when she sees that first room in order. It makes the rest of the rooms easier to tackle if they are in a mess. 

The Rose Room

by Susan Rios

For a small living area, I would suggest the following items to make it seem like home:

Two comfortable chairs for relaxing.

One couch, love-seat length.

Possibly a longer couch or settee, depending on the preferences of your family.

A bookcase with a collection of favorite and beautifully covered books.

A small desk with a lamp, which could also serve as an end table beside one of the chairs or couches.

End tables for lamps, placed beside the chairs and couches.

A braided or hooked rug for the center of the room.

A small table placed on the rug, for serving tea or bearing reading materials, a pretty plant or vase of flowers or interesting object that has meaning to you---a large sea shell, a tea pot, a basket, etc.

On the walls : a clock, photographs, paintings, and possibly a light that looks like a candle, or a hanging candleholder with wax candles that match the colors of your house.

Seaside Terrace by Susan Rios can be viewed at her website here.

To add to the feeling of home in the living area you can get a portable electric fireplace that is easy to move around, and put it on one wall. It has an electric flame that looks lovely and it actually puts out heat through a vent. The mantel piece area makes another old fashioned surface on which to place photographs, a mantel cloth, or a collection of things you like. You can use the flame feature, which adds like without heat, and is operated by a simple little night-light bulb.

A Place to Dream

by Susan Rios

If you like, you can get out your grandmother's lace to protect the surfaces of the tables and the mantel before you set out the lamps and other objects. It makes good sense to take care of furniture, however inexpensive and humble it is.

Garden Window by Susan Rios

can be purchased here.

As time allows, I hope to post about other places in the home, such as the porches, the dining room, kitchen, laundry room, bedrooms, etc. to find ways to make them both comforting and appealing to the eye. To make one room a model of order and beauty can help a homemaker have more insipiration and delight in her housekeeping and cleaning of the other parts of the house.

http://www.susanriosdesign.com/index.php/gallery/keepsakes/vintage-red-k.html

All Susan Rios paintings here are used with her permission.


Mrs. J., in comments: I agree about the footstool and the sofa table. The foot stool is much nicer than today's ottoman or hassock, which is harder to use and takes up enormous space in a room. The sofa table should be used because that way you do not have to put the back of your long couch or chair against a wall or corner. It makes it easier to position the couch with the back toward your audience but still have something nice against it. The sofa table provides a place that looks like an entry table, with a lamp, maybe a guest book and a vase of flowers. I quite agree that these two pieces of furniture should be included in planning your sitting room.

Also, the lady who commented about the piano: those things are so big and awkward and cannot be moved often, but I love them, and have one myself. They just add so much human-ness to the room, much like a shelf full of books.

Hello From Alaska

         

Day 1

One of the views from our trip near the Turnagain Arm area.

I am having a holiday visiting the homestead where I was raised, and signing a few copies of the book, "Just Breathing the Air."  I hope to post more pictures and stories later. 

Day 2

If you click for a larger view, you might be able to see this loon on the lake; the same lake that my father took us on for sailboat and row boat rides in the 1950's.  The homestead is not the same, without the people that made it into the adventure that it was, but I am going to enjoy the sweet solitude of the beautiful lake. The house is completely gone, and all the out buildings, but there are many reminders left: the well, and pieces of the little dock where we tied up the skiff.    They say you can tell the measurement of a lake by how many loons live there.  I saw only one, so far, but in the old times there could be 10. 

I took this photograph from the shore on the part of the homestead property (originally 160 acres) where Mother and Daddy first built a temporary cabin to live in, and where Mother first rowed the boat her husband built for her, to pick a bowl of water lilies, which you see in the distance there. Please click on the picture for a beautiful view!

This is the over-grown path to the lake, viewed from where the Big House once sat. Click on for a larger view.  My father discouraged complaining or any kind of negative talk, saying we should be just happy to be alive, and just glad to be breathing the air.

This is near the area where the first little, temporary cabin was built to house them through one winter and a summer while the Big House, about a quarter of a mile further up the lake, was being built. My father and mother chose a hill between two lakes to build the Big House, which was a name used to distinguish it from the temporary cabin, meaning it was a permanent residence.

Here we found hundreds of strawberries, no doubt spreading from Mother's original strawberry patch. They are pale peach in color when ripe, and the vine stands in a crook type loop up off the ground so that the berries will not get wet or lay in the ground. They smell like cotton candy.

Day 3 and 4: Visiting friends.

Day 5

One of the scenes on a trip to Seward

Fireweed in bloom.

Along certain sections of this glacier are signs with dates showing how much it has melted since the 1800's.

Day 6

Ninilchik, historic Russian fishing village at the mouth of the Ninilchik River. Originally, the residents spoke a Russian dialect called Ninilchik. This is the view to the west, from the top of the bluff.

View of Ninilchik from the river, looking east toward the bluff. I saw this town many times 40 years ago, and always thought it rather mysterious. Today it looks the same size, and very little chnge has taken place. The Russian fishing boats are still in their little harbor, bearing names like "Volga" and Russian ladies names.

Day 7:  Some photographs of  Tea Time at the lake---who could resist it in such a setting!

Click on for a better look.

This beautiful bouquet consists of various shades of yarrow, clover and other natural things from the area. I used it on one of the outdoor tea tables.

The strawberries were picked from the forest near the lake. They are a special northern berry that grows up off the ground and smells like cotton candy. Although they are pale in color and do not look ripe at all, they are very, very sweet.

If you click on for a larger view, you can see the fireweed surrounded by ferns in a bouquet in the kerr canning jar on the left, picked from the hill behind the lake.

I enjoyed looking through an old window frame from our house that once stood on a hill above the lake. Regrettably, I will not be able to take the frame home with me. It will not fit in my pink suitcase, and cannot go separately. After I watched the way baggage is treated, I would not risk taking it.  It is better off where it is.

Our view from those big picture windows in the log house was the same then as it is today.

Day 8



Many moose but no mosquitoes. I am glad I saw this one from the window of the vehicle instead of while walking on a trail.

After that, a bit of refinement to soften the edges, by a visit to a Victorian shop:

posted with permission from Donna in Soldotna

and another tea table with a framed view of the forest, using a part of the original window from the log house.



The scones on the outdoor tea table are called "Butter and Cream Scones" from the May/June issue of Victoria magazine; one of their blue issues. The recipe is on page 88 and may also be available online. Non-dairy users can substitute olive oil and flax meal for the butter and cream.  Course flour works very well with this (unrefined) and I used unbleached flour for one batch of them. The recipe is also included in one of the "Bliss" special editions (the one with the blue scene on the front--the first one that was issued last year).

My pink suitcase was the only one I could find at a discount store so late in the season, and it got quite a beating. I got to see it loaded, unloaded, tossed, slammed down, and kicked, as I watched out the window where I sat in the airplane. I have given up packing  tea cups for any of my friends.

I quit the wilderness one afternoon and went to the fabric store to buy this fabric. It is a quilter's fabric that feels like rayon and sews up so easily; a woven with a lot of "give." The buttons just matched the print. I made a skirt and blouse because I was so careful not to over-load my suitcase that I did not pack enough clothing. The limit is 50 pounds and mine was only 35. I think I can take back a lot more, but I saw how mean the airport crew treated my pink suitcase, throwing it about, so whatever I take back with me will be soft, like this fabric.  Buying fabric is so much easier than it was years ago when we ordered it from a catalog and waited 3 months! 

The skirt and blouse looks almost the color of the fireweed.

Day 8

A visit to the house we lived in a few years in the town of Homer, where we fished for crab, shrimp and halibut for a living. We also sold huge amounts of berries picked at Kasitna Bay and sold pinecones by the gunne sack. I knocked on the door and showed the current resident an old photograph of the house and she kindly let me come in and look around. It was the sweetest house, and as small as it looks, there were 5 bedrooms, plenty of room for all nine of us in the family.

Kachemak Bay

...not a very clear day for a picture of this marvellous scenery.

Day 9 

This is a paper birch bark tree on the homestead, down by the lake. I used this kind of bark for that quirky fake-cake I made a few posts ago.

Day 10

A trip to get more pictures of Kachemak Bay on a sunnier day.

Mt. Ilyamna, one of four volcanic mountains we used to be so familiar with, the others being Spurr, Redoubt and Augustine.  Redoubt blew up when we lived on the Homestead, covering it with a layer of ash, which later produced the biggest crop of vegetables we ever had.

Illyamna from the beach at Clam Gulch

The wild rose, which produces rose hips which are used for jam and syrup.

A visit to the Norman Lowell art gallery in Anchor Point. Norman and my father went on a few trips together to find wild life and art subjects, over 40 years ago, and I took art lessons from him when I was a girl.