Christmas Fabric Postcards

I made a few fabric Christmas postcards to send out this year - a little gift and greeting all in one.  There is just enough room to write a short message and address.  I like to make them simple with everything stitched down securely because they travel in the mail better that way.  I have mailed fabric postcards in the past with just a first class stamp.  However, I have had clerks charge the extra 'non machinable' postage which is currently 17 cents.  So, I plan to put two stamps on these to make sure I'm covered.  Since I am going to request a hand cancel, it helps to have the extra postage affixed, and to also mail them early before the Post Office is swamped.

I'm Published in Sew Somerset Winter 2011

I was very excited to have one of my wall hangings chosen to be published in the Sew Somerset Winter 2011 issue.  I've known since the end of July that my work would probably be published, but I didn't want to say anything until it was official.  Well, it is official!  I received my complimentary issue of the magazine a couple of days ago, and my artwork is on page 132.  It is titled "Letters to Matthew".  Here is the wall hanging - the photograph  is of the pretty young lady who writes the letters to Matthew.

     








Click photos to enlarge

Acoma Pueblo - Sky City

About an 1 1/2 hours west southwest of Albuquerque, NM is the Acoma Indian Pueblo  - Sky City. It has been continuously inhabited since about 1300 AD, and has a mission that was built in 1629. We have been wanting to visit the Pueblo for quite and while, and this year we made plans to spend the better part of a day visiting the Pueblo on our trip back to California. The Cultural Center was informative, and it has a wonderful gift shop. There is also a restaurant located in the center, and we ate a delicious lunch after our tour of the Acoma Pueblo on the mesa. Our tour guide, Jeri, told us many details about the mesa, the pueblo, and the history of its people. There isn't any running water or electricity on the ten story high mesa, but the people still come for visits to their homes. In the Acoma tradition only the women own property.  Water is brought up to the mesa for visits. I took many pictures, and will post a few for you to get an idea of what it is like. If you ever get a chance to visit, we highly recommend it.


Sky City Mesa

Cultural Center Patio - Pueblo of Acoma Mesa in Background



Mission San Esteban Del Rey



Natural Rock Cistern



Courtyard in Pueblo Where Tribal Dances are Celebrated



Close Up of Mud and Straw House Construction Materials




Oven





Colorful Homes - Natural Sandstone Colors



Ladders are Used to Access Upper Floors



Ladder Against Brick House



Colorful Door



Recessed Stone Entry



Natural Stone Stairway Leading Down From Mesa



At the Bottom of the Mesa







Livestock Were Kept and Crops Were Grown in the Valley





Old Livestock Fencing





Jeri Our Tour Guide



Fort Reno Oklahoma

We visited Fort Reno near El Reno, Oklahoma.  It began as a military camp in 1874 during the Indian Wars.  Buffalo soldiers were stationed there, and soldiers also assisted with the land runs of 1892 and 1894.  Benjamin H. Clark, chief of scouts for Seventh Cavalry, was caretaker of Fort Reno in 1908, and is buried in the fort's cemetery.   During World War II Fort Reno served as an internment work camp for German Prisoners of War, and many of them are buried in a segregated portion of the cemetery.  The Fort is now the site of the U.S. Dept.of Agriculture's Grazing lands Research Laboratory.

It was an interesting place, and I took a few pictures around the grounds as well as a few in the cemetery.  The cemetery was quiet with the wind whispering in the grass.

Officer Quarters - Visitor Center





Chapel



 





Officer Quarters being restored



cemetery





cemetery

prisoner of war graves



Old Route 66

We have been back in California for two weeks. I've been busy and haven't had a chance to update my blog.  Our Internet connection is up and running so I thought I had better get busy.  For the first couple of posts I'm going to share a few photos of our trip.  These are along old Route 66 in Oklahoma.  Some of the really old sections of road can still be driven on, where others are allowed foot traffic.  It is fitting that we drove into the sunset at the end of our Route 66 day.