WHEN YOU GOTTA GO!

If blogs had been around when I took my first big international trip to Peru, I could have started writing then (and taking pictures) about all the many different “toilets” (and outhouses and holes in the ground) I have experienced in my travels.

It really wasn't until 2006 when I spent 22 days in China and Tibet that I learned about “holes in the ground.”  That trip took me to some off-the-beaten-track locations with pit stops at gas stations that can only be described as extremely disgusting!  But when you gotta go you gotta go!!!

Japan had the most extraordinary Western toilets I have ever seen (and used).  Every toilet had various symbols to show what function it performed.  I'm one of those people who must press every button to see just what it does.  You could get a wash and blow dry while listening to the sounds of a waterfall.  Some of the hotels I stayed at had toilets that knew when you approached the bathroom door in the middle of the night.  The lid would open and light up, and when you were done and left the bathroom the lid would close.  Other than being in the hotel rooms in Japan, there were usually only one or two Western toilets and the rest were porcelain holes in the ground everywhere I went.  And of course there was always a picture tutorial on the wall to show people the proper way to squat over the hole.

I have found the different toilets around the world interesting and sometimes entertaining.  But my experiences in Africa are by far the most memorable.  

WARNING…….you may consider this TMI!!!  

Before my trip to Africa I bought the small pink “Go Girl” contraption that allows a woman to “go” like a man when out in the African bush (or anyplace you have to squat).  Without going into detail I will say that after my first day in Africa using the Go Girl I put that thing away and have never used it since.  Much simpler to just squat and go and be done with it!  

And that brings me to a humourus incident that happened one day when I was in Africa.  Our group of 16 travelers were split up into three different safari Land Rovers to explore the bush each day.  On one of our outings the vehicle I was in, as well as our second vehicle, stopped so we could all “go.”  Five women made there way to the other side of a bunch of bushes and proceeded to drop their pants and do what needed to be done.  Mind you we were in the middle of the African bush and there are no other vehicles around except for the occasional game warden or safari vehicle.  While we five women were squatting facing the bushes, our white fannies were facing a small dirt road.  All of a sudden out of nowhere we heard a vehicle approaching.  Five women hastily tried to pull up their pants as our third safari vehicle arrived with the remaining people from our group.  Everyone was in hysterics laughing!  The people that had just arrived said all they could see were a bunch of white behinds as we scrambled to get dressed.  

I recently sent a link to a U tube video to a friend of mine who had never squatted in the bush and was planning a trip to Africa.  It’s amazing what instructions you can find on the internet these days.  She said she was going to buy a pink “Go Girl.”  I laughed and wished her good luck with that! 

WHEN THINGS GO AWRY

One of the things I’ve learned about traveling is to be flexible, and realize that things can go wrong, plans can quickly change, and not everything happens the way it should.  When those events happen they often end up being quite memorable after the fact.

When I was planning to write this story, I had no trouble remembering many different things that happened on trips that weren’t planned, were not always pleasant, or were often uncomfortable.  Yet, those are the things I can laugh about now, tell stories about, and easily remember.  Maybe my endurance was tested, or I conquered some fear, (like spiders or heights!).  

Some of my friends wonder why I go to some of these far flung places and do what I do there.  Sure, we have mountains and deserts and the beach here.  But that’s only part of the big picture.  I want to be immersed in the culture of a country, be among people so different from me, yet very much like me in so many ways.  I want to eat their food, learn as much as I can about them, and come away with a deeper understanding about the world we all live in.  And in doing so I have to face whatever might happen and learn to deal with it.

NEPAL - Luckily I went to Nepal two years before the big earthquake.  I stayed in Kathmandu and Pokhara, two of the major areas hit hard.  I also went to the historic city of Bhaktapur, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which also suffered severe damage in the earthquake.

On this trip two things that happened quickly came to mind.  One was that I got motion sickness from being in the back of the bus going through the mountains to our next destination. Our group of travelers were dropped off in the mountains at a small roadside building that sold misc. items and some food.  By then I wasn’t feeling well at all.  We all had a boxed lunch before we were to begin our hike and I tried to eat something despite my queasiness.  

The 2 mile hike was up and down along a winding trail, part of the Annapurna Circuit trek.  Thank goodness sherpas carried our duffel bags for us.  I remember feeling like I was going to be sick at any moment, but I just kept putting one foot in front of the other to keep going.

Well, I made it to Sanctuary Lodge, where we were staying, and it sure was a sanctuary to me!

The other thing that happened on this trip was more comical than anything.  After a day of white water rafting on the Seti River, we all stayed in tents at the Seti River Campgrounds.  Water for the camp was heated in a boiler, but by the time I got in the shower the water was icy cold.  I remember shivering as I dried off, and laughing as I said to my husband, “We must be crazy to pay good money to do this!”  But we both knew we wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.

MOROCCO - I went to Morocco in October (2015) thinking that it should be Fall and not as hot.  The weather seems to be most unpredictable no matter where you go these days.  And sure enough it was hotter than usual in Morocco.  Part of this trip was to go in 4 wheel drive vehicles across the Sahara Desert to a tent camp.  The tent itself was adequate with a bathroom on the back portion of the tent.  The camp was close to the Algerian border and in the early morning we hiked to the top of a sand dune to watch the sun rise over Algeria.  In the evening we hiked to the top of the same sand dune to watch the sunset to the west.

The first morning we were there we were out and about in the hot desert sun, first hunting for fossil rocks, then visiting a nomad in her small, hot tent.  The afternoon was hot as blazes so everyone stayed in their tents and rested.  Our tent had a front and back zippered screen entrance, so we tied the screen flaps open to allow better ventilation inside.  It was much too hot to do anything but lay on your beds and read.  Pretty soon we had dozens upon dozens of flies everywhere, making it impossible to read.  We untied our screened flaps hoping to keep out the flies, but making it unbearably hot inside.  Within minutes the thermometer on my travel alarm read 102 degrees!  I was not a happy camper at all!!   At dinner that night I joked that I was close to running out of the tent screaming!

JAPAN - While traveling through Japan in 2010 I stayed in the mountainous town of Hakone, part of the "Fuji-Hakone-Izu-National Park" and close to Mt. Fuji.  The small OAT group I was traveling with were driving through the mountains on a two lane narrow road when it started to snow.  Within a short span of time it was snowing very heavily.  The compact cars driving through the mountains were not made for this kind of weather, and soon cars were stalled on the road, making it impossible to move.  As a southern Californian I thought the snow was beautiful to watch as it fell faster and faster.  I was on vacation and I wasn't driving so no need to get stressed out.  Our Japanese guide surprised all of us by putting on some music and leading us in singing karaoke.  What a memorable event!

Eventually the men got out of our minibus and also some of the cars. They worked together to move a few cars out of the way so cars could pass, and before long we were on our way.  But that's not the end of the story.

When we returned to Hakone the bus tried to drive up the hill to our hotel but it kept sliding and was unable to make it.  The driver finally pulled into a parking lot and called the hotel to send a van to pick us up.  Four or five of us at a time were driven up the hill to the hotel until we were all safely there.  The next morning I looked out our window and the snow was absolutely breathtaking to behold.

CREATIVE PLAYDAY

Last week I had an entire day free without any appointments, obligations, or errands to run.  So I did what any quilter would do with a free day.......be creative and have fun!!

But before I even got started in my sewing room I got my exercise clothes on and went to the gym.  For me that's the best way to really start my day off right and to recharge my batteries.  Plus, when I am on the treadmill for 30 minutes, 5 days a week, I use that time for designing, planning, thinking. Even though I don't write anything down, I can remember a lot of different things I thought about.

When I got home an hour later fully energized I was ready to start working on a project I had been thinking about for awhile.  Previously I had used a photo of my two grandsons, Preston and Davis, and tried several different creative apps on my iPad until I got an image I liked.  Below are the two pictures I started with:

Next you will see the resulting picture from merging these two photos together:

I then used the photo above and changed it to black and white and removed some of the tree.  I printed the new black and white picture and with a felt tip marker I outlined the parts I wanted to use as an appliqué. Then I cut each piece out.  I fused wonder under to the bottom of different pieces of fabric and pinned the cut-out pieces on the fused wonder under. Then I traced around each piece and cut it out.

I had printed the tree image separately on a piece of Transfer Artist Paper (TAP).  I had purchased the package of TAP several years ago and hadn't used it until this day.  After printing the tree image and rereading the instructions that came with the TAP, I realized I was supposed to reverse the image BEFORE printing it.  Oh well.....no problema!  I quickly reversed the image of my grandsons so I could correctly place my appliqué pieces.

I chose a muted brown marbled background fabric.  I placed each appliquéd piece on top of the background using the photo up above with all the pieces cut out as my guide.  This was all fused down with my iron.  I used a black Copic marker to draw in the boy's faces and outline their clothing.

The next step was to place the TAP with the tree image onto the appliquéd background piece.  Following the instructions I ironed the TAP, then carefully removed it to reveal the black tree image on my appliquéd pieces.  Not all of the TAP transferred to my liking so I used the Copic marker and added more branches to the tree, marking directly onto the fabric.



All-in-all I'm pleased with the results, and glad that I finally experimented with the transfer artist paper.  I will definitely use it again in a future project when I have another "creative playday"!

HOFFMAN CHALLENGE 2015

Mayan Sunrise

           

HOFFMAN CHALLENGE

Every year when I go to the Road to California Quilt Show in Ontario, CA, I always enjoy seeing the Hoffman Challenge entries.  It's amazing to see all the different design ideas used to create the quilts on display.  I always thought about entering the contest but never followed through.  That is until the 2015 challenge.

I was once again at Road to CA in January of 2015 and I was looking at the 2014 Hoffman Challenge entries.  I happened to notice the flyer announcing the 2015 challenge and pictures of the challenge fabric, Pomegranate Gold.  Something about the colors and print spoke to me immediately and I thought, "I'm going to enter the contest."  When I got home from the quilt show that evening I took out my pencil and sketchbook, and while I watched tv that night I began sketching several preliminary designs.  

I thought about these designs for a few days and then went to Rosie's Calico Cupboard quilt shop where the Hoffman Challenge fabric and coordinating fabrics were sold.  Within a short span of time I had decided on a final sketch, begun cutting out my patterns and fabric, and I was well on my way.  

I had gone to the quilt show the last week of January and the deadline for all entries was July 17, 2015. That may sound like a lot of time to make a quilt but I also had a life to live with appointments, obligations and the usual stuff we all do regularly.  I knew I had to use my "creative time" wisely.  And that is exactly what I did.  

I hit a few small snags along the way and had to make some minor revisions as well.  And I'll admit to using my seam ripper to painstakingly rip out tiny free-motion stitches that I absolutely did not like and couldn't leave in.  My revised stitching turned out much better than the first attempt.

My quilt was finally finished, mailed, and received an entire month before the deadline date.  In August 2015, I received a letter telling me that my quilt was accepted into the 2015 Hoffman Challenge and would be in one of the twelve trunk shows touring the U.S. for a year.  I was SO EXCITED!  I was able to see online where my quilt would be shown and it was going to be close to my home twice during its year tour.  Some of my friends went with me to the Temecula Valley Museum in Temecula, CA to see my quilt and the other Hoffman Challenge entries traveling with my quilt.  Even though it didn't win any ribbons, it was very special for me to see something I made on display in a museum, and to know wherever it was going to be shown others would see it too.

After a year I welcomed my traveling quilt home for good.  I received a special participation certificate with all the places across the country where it had visited, as well as a booklet with pictures of all the 2015 quilts chosen.  

Just like I do time and again when I travel afar, my quilt finally came back to the love and sanctuary of home.

SHOPPING FOR HANDICRAFTS & TEXTILES  ABROAD, PART ONE

Over the years of foreign travel I have purchased an assortment of local handicrafts and fabrics from around the world.  I always enjoy seeing the craftsmanship of talented, artistic people.  When I decided to write this story I realized I have bought enough foreign handicrafts to share in several stories.

Part of traveling with OAT is visiting people’s homes and sharing a cultural exchange.  Over the years I’ve had home visits on every OAT trip I’ve taken.  Sometimes local drinks and snacks are served, many times lunch or dinner is served.  On my first big international trip to Peru in 2003, we were visiting the home of a local villager.  While there I bought the following home-made doll, all sewn on a treadle sewing machine.  She resides in my sewing room and is a special reminder of my first taste of adventure travel.

PERUVIAN CUY!

This journal was purchased on an OAT trip to Turkey in 2008. I was attracted to the design on the textile cover.

This small sketchbook was purchased on an OAT trip to Israel and Jordan in 2009.  Once we left Jordan and crossed the border into Israel we made a visit to the town of Lakia.  There we visited a Bedouin women’s coop, “Desert Embroidery.”

This mola cloth was purchased from a Kuna Indian on an OAT trip to Panama in 2009.  I picked this particular piece because I wanted the edges unfinished so I could see all the different layers of colored fabric.

My OAT trip to India in 2015 was one of my best shopping trips!  I will be sharing more Indian handicrafts and textiles in another blog. The following 3 items are from India.  I bought this wall hanging because of all the hand needlework, design, and bright colors.

This black tunic is so heavily hand embroidered with green yarn that it caught my eye right away.  With so many items now machine-made; to find a garment so finely embroidered is impressive. The person who did this all by hand must have spent hours doing so. The knots on the reverse side show the authenticity of the workmanship.

Just returned from my morning workout at the gym, thought I'd show everyone my new shirt.  Love what it says!

HOW TO JUMP-START THE DAY

Five mornings a week I jump-start my day by doing the same thing.  Yes, my morning coffee is definitely one of those things, as well as breakfast, something I never skip.  Once I've refueled my body it's then time to get it moving and energized.

And the sure-fire way to do that is to go to the gym.  I never thought I would say this, but, "I absolutely love working out!"  I feel so powerful and strong when I am working out.  I also feel a sense of positive energy coursing through my mind and body.

I always start my daily workouts with a vigorous 30 minute walk on the treadmill.  That really gets my heart ticking fast.  When I get off the treadmill I work out with free weights as well as machines.  I work my upper body and lower body on alternate days so the muscles have a chance to rest.

When I am done with machines and weights I get down on a mat and work on my core.  I wish I had known just what a "core" is and how important a strong core is when I was much younger.  I could have saved myself years and years of back pain.  A strong core helps in day-to-day activities, maintaining good posture, a healthy back, as well as balance.  

I had no idea what a core was until I needed physical therapy many years ago for my ailing back.  Physical therapy taught me exercises to strengthen my core.  As we worked together on these exercises week after week, it became easier to hold in my core for longer periods of time.  My back eventually felt better and I no longer needed PT.  

But like most new things learned, if you don't continue practicing what you learned you will forget how to do it.  And that's what happened to me over time.  It wasn't until years later, after I had been in and out of physical therapy for my back that I vowed to myself that I would take control of my body and well-being and try everything in my power to keep my back healthy and my body strong.

And that is exactly what I have done.  When I finished PT two years ago I joined the gym in my neighborhood, Fitness Quest 10, and I've never felt stronger, better, more positive, and overall happier than ever.  Yes, holding in my core has now become second nature, something I do without even thinking about it.  I know the proper way to climb stairs, sit down and get back up, lift something heavy, and bend over.  

I also learned the importance of stretching. The final part of my daily workout is to keep my body from getting knotted up. I perform several stretching exercises before leaving my house, and at the gym I go through a series of stretches on my mat at the end of a session.  

My entire workout from beginning to end is only one hour.  That's not much of a sacrifice to start my day off invigorated and ready to go the distance.