B.S. and Ph.T.

This will be brief but otherwise it won't get published at all.

Jonathan graduated with his B.S. in June after three years of effort and study.


Proud parents:

Cameras were everywhere:

This is a success for both of us:

Chatting with professors:


The family in front of Kane Hall:

The M.S.E. Building:

Dad found his results in a poster on the walls:

We had a nice time celebrating at our house afterwards.

Mom's Present

This is the little tablecloth that I made for my mom's birthday. The fabric is a lightweight linen/cotton blend that was translucent enough to just reveal whatever was underneath and give the feeling of summer airiness. The thread is simple cotton floss. The pattern was taken from the excellent collection made available by Needle'nThread.

The cloth looked incomplete with the design in only one corner. All four--much better!

The full design was stitched using split stitch--my favorite for simple line designs like this one.


For the smaller corners, a portion of the full design was used. While having something in all four corners seemed to balance the look nicely, I thought that the full pattern would be overpowering.

Folklife

My family has gone to Folklife every year. Sometimes we performed there and we always had a fabulous time (right, mom?). Jonathan and I are continuing the tradition. This was our fifth year at Folklife together. His desire to take me there even while we were dating was one more reason for me to think that this is my kind of guy.

It was quite a toasty day. This picture was taken early in the day and there were already a number of extremely wet children and sundry playing in the fountain.

As the heat of the day progressed, it got more and more crowded. I dressed to fit in rather than keep cool and rather wished that my attire allowed me to join them.

I enjoy looking at the beautiful art and crafts that people have brought to sell. The rising interest both in personal embellishment and 3rd world craft cooperatives is bringing over some incredible work. I saw embroidery from a school in India and a women's group in Kenya that was charming and meticulously executed. Part of what makes it so interesting is the motifs and stitches that are used. When I design embroidery patterns, there are certain lines, shapes and colors that I seem to gravitate towards. I am at home with curves and botanicals expressed in very fluid lines. Even the abstract designs have only minimal straight lines. I use the colors of my Northwest--blues and greens with touches of yellows and reds. This work expressed such exuberance in the very (to me) limited media of straight lines and circles and with a preponderance of those bright colors that I have such a hard time incorporating into my own work. There was also the work of some Japanese needle painters that was utterly exquisite.

They were not the only artists at work:

The beginnings of the crowd on Bagley lawn early in the day:


We listened to several enthusiastic marimba groups in the course of the day. Jonathan was mostly interested in the rymthmic complexities of the pieces being performed but there were plenty of others jigging to the beat. We also heard some chromaticism that was new to us.

Later in the day, Jonathan's parents decided to join us to enjoy the hot weather.

Recycled kitchen implements=BUG EYES!

Seedlings

This is where we started in the middle of March. My table is taken over by seed trays for six to eight weeks in the spring because this is the sunniest spot in the house.

Sprouts:

Beans, peas, squash, oh my! The big round pot is for the basil that will stay inside over the summer.

The plants were put outside to harden off at the beginning of May. The parsley, dill, thyme and cilantro were added to the flourishing side yard. I weeded just enough to plant them but couldn't bring myself to pull out the beautifully flowering forget-me-nots. There are a couple of plants still tucked into pots, waiting for the blooming to be over.

Spanish bluebells are an invasive species in our area and are practically impossible to remove. However, they provide spring color just when I'm longing for more sun and, while I will attempt to control them so that other things can also be planted in that area, I appreciate the fact that they will reliably be around. I also have fond memories of growing up in a neighborhood full of these charming "fairy houses" and picking them for May Day bouquets.

The area on the other side of the fence has now been weeded and pansy plants added. The hostas are up too! Unfortunately, in the process of digging holes for the pansies, I sliced right through the calla lily bulb that was still below ground. There is definitely something to be said for a garden diagram that shows you where everything is growing--especially when it hasn't come up yet.