Adventure

It took me several days to recover from my grand adventure earlier this week, but after a nice long bath and a cup of tea I think I am ready.

I started out Monday morning to Wellsboro PA, where I met my friend and co-conspiritor Kathy Riley at From My Shelf bookstore to do some birthday shopping...for me! Now if you have never been to this bookstore it is worth the trip. It is owned by Kevin Coolidge,  managed by Kasey Cox, and overlorded by Hobo, the store cat.

Kasey is a blast...one of those intense, intellegent people who is interested in lots of things, including you. She also remembers everything she has ever read AND everything you have ever read. This impresses me because I can't even remember what I have read....I can get 3/4 through a book before realizing I already read it!   She picks books for you if you like and keeps track of your feedback so she can be more accurate in her choices. I love going there just to talk to her for a while, and she totally is up for a good long talk. Or she rolls her eyes when I come in.....but hides it really well!

Kathy bought me a few books and an expansion pack for Gloom, which if you have never played it you should try it. Thank you Kathy!!

From there we went to Madalene Murphy's for some tea and muffins. Madalene has the most beautiful old house, set into a hill with a barn and lots of birds outside, and inside is sunny with neat books and maps and quilts everywhere.  She also has the best tea cups:

The colors were all bluish because I can't figure out how to compensate for too much light....someday I will learn how to use this camera!

Anyhow, she also made yummy pineapple muffins:

Look how shiny her counters are!! I need the name of her housekeeper (or learn to actually clean up after myself.) 
While in the kitchen we also got to say hi to the two other guests there:

This is Terra and Linda. Terra is Madalene's goldendoodle, and I swear she has no bones. When she lays down she melts into the floor like a big goofy rug! She is a sweetheart, and also likes pineapple muffins. Linda looks fabulous here, but I don't think she appreciate the camera. Linda is a graphic artist who makes very beautiful paper doll sets, some which are magnatized and come in a tin, each piece hand designed, cut and put on magnets. I am getting one for my oldest niece, (so if sister Sarah is reading this, don't tell CC.) Linda has many other talents, some of which I will show later.

So once tea is steeped we head into Madalene's lovely little sitting room. Some of her quilts are on the walls:

 

I LOVE these quilts! Not only are they very well made, but they have an abstract artistry I appreciate but can never seem to manage. I am not doing the colors justice here, and if I go back I will take better pictures.

Since we are talking quilts, Madalene showed us her latest creation:

This is Studies on a Goldfinch, being held up by the lovely Madalene. I told her I did not take her picture so *Jedi hand wave* you do not see her holding the quilt. This piece is just so amazing. Never in a million years could I take a series of arcs and design something that not only looked simultaniously like one bird and a flock of birds, but also like birds in motion and a particular species of bird. She just blows me away. And I am not just saying this because I know she might read it!

Madalene just had a piece accepted into an international juried quilt show, so we are all pulling for her. When she looks at our work she asks great questions, and gives us specific, thoughtful compliments which make us feel great. She makes me want to be more like that, which is a good thing.

Next we looked at Kathy's beads, which are so well done, colorful and intricate I just want to put them all in my pocket! Here are her latest full moon beads:

Dang  the overexposure! I told her these were full moon beads but she didn't appreciate my sense of humor:

 A couple more:

She has boxes of these, just lying around. I am sure if I put some in my pocket she wouldn't even notice!Especially the boob beads. Love the boob beads.

We looked at Linda's latest project, which were lovely fabric flowers:

She painted on the edges of this one...and has a button with polka dots!!  I may have to try to make one of those in glass.

I love this one!







Linda is a hoot. She has the funniest, driest sense of humor and is an exacting perfectionist (I suppose it is good she is so talented or she would drive herself nuts!) I wanted to take a picture of her paper dolls but she said she would have to kill me. Well not really, but she was thinking it loudly. :-)  She made some with Bull Terriers for Silverwood, and they sold like hotcakes! I should have bought one, I am kicking myself. I could be dressing my little bully on the fridge every day, and now all I have is a bunch of year old paperwork and a drawing of Chicken Joe. Ok, the drawing of Chicken Joe is pretty sweet, I won't lie.  

Anyways, Linda is also one of the most productive people I know, since not only does she make these flowers, and paper dolls, but also makes jewelry, many with Kathy's beads. I try to emulate her drive to keep things organized and keep track of what things cost and such, but since I am the opposite of exacting it isn't easy. I try though. 

Even though I just met Madalene and Linda I feel like they are fast becoming good friends.

So after a while Kathy and I decide to head home, and made fritattas with fresh eggs from her chickens, who are led by Little Man. Little Man is my rooster who survived the weasel apocalypse. Here is Little Man in the kitchen at my house:

Ok, I just like chickens. Notice my counters are not nearly as nice as Madalenes. I need help.

Anyways....frittatas.  Artichokes, tomatoes, feta, and farmers cheese....yum!

So nothing much happened for the rest of the night. Some beer, some vodka, lots of gabbing, cuddling with the dogs. Oh, Kathy started teaching Mo to touch the dumbell:

Mo picked it up pretty quickly.

Well, I just noticed how freaking long this entry is, so I will go to bed real time in this story. Tomorrow I will tell the rest, since I doubt anything exciting will happen to me between now and then.

And yes, Rosanne, I realize Murphy will pay me a visit for saying that.