Diary Quilt Tuesday & Sante Fe

My diary block for this week has to do with my gardens. Saturday I spent the entire day weeding and digging. This is not any particular flower just pretty colors.

Here is a close up of the stitching in the leaves. I like to design it, take everything off the background. Machine quilt the background, add the stems, machine quilt, add the leaves, machine quilt and then last I add the flowers. Somtimes I take a picture but mostly I try to "remember" what it looked like and just go for it.

Here is something I got in Sante Fe. We decided the colors there are so wonderful because everything else is brown and dusty looking. The trees are small and scrubby looking, not many spring flowers to be found.

Here is a close up of the cool tiles depicting Day of the Dead. My one sister in law and I were close to fighting over it as it was the last one in the store. Luckily the store owner found another in the back...

We also went to Taos one day. We went to the Taos Pueblo which is the oldest continuously inhabited community in the US. The Native Americans that live here make their living by opening up their community to tourists and selling wonderful and amazing products that they produce. They get their water from a river that runs next to it and have no electricity.

I bought this from one of the artists. It is called a friendship pot. They sell things right from their houses. Some parts of the community are off limits as not everyone wants to participate. There is a charge for taking pictures.

I really like the uniqueness of it and wanted to support their community. I will be honest and tell you that I felt very uncomfortable there. To think that the only way to support yourself is to let strangers in your house makes me sad. I felt like they tolerated us because they had to...only my feelings.
I found out later 2 other sister in laws felt the same way. One actually was crying she felt so sad. I really can't explain it very well, you had to be there.

The Georgia O'Keefe Museum was somewhat of a surprise, you could have walked right past it if you didn't pay attention. It was wonderful and do go if you ever get the chance.

Ann, Jan, Kate (she's from Idaho so it was warm to her!) and me.

We also did a restaurant tour. It was great fun and the food and wine were delicious!

One of the restaurants served, tuna, a green soup and a cheese tart. Everything was beautifully presented too.

We went to mass at St Francis of Assisi Basilica. Pictures were not allowed but it was so beautiful! Hand painted walls, a baptismal font in the middle church made out of marble, very old and very cool.

The

Folk

Art

Museum was out of this world. Full of color and very cool objects. Go if you can!

We said our good byes at the airport....Ellen, Jan and Kate.

and held hands as we took off and landed.....Ann is a bit timid when it comes to flying.
Overall it is a fabulous place. We would like to go back again, if you get the chance to go do it!

Kelly