Texas-Bound

I just looked at the 10-day weather forecast for Dallas and San Antonio. Scattered Thunder Storms every single day I'm there. It rained 20 inches today in one of those towns. In one day.

I fly out of San Francisco tomorrow night and arrive in Dallas at midnight. We'll take a roadrip to San Antonio for a few days over July 4th to do the riverwalk. 'Course.. with all this rain, I think we can walk anywhere and it would be classified as a river walk.

One thing for certain. Other than the rain. I will be in for an adventure. I will try and post while I'm there and let you know what that adventure entails....

Have a wonderful week!

Sea Monkeys

Some of you might remember I submitted this for Illustration Friday.

It's been since changed ever so slightly and Wuh-LaaaawW! It's now in fabric! Well. Actually. It's a Strikeoff.

In the Textile Printing Industry a Strikeoff (abbreviated SKO) is defined as a small run of fabric printed with screens for the first time after the screens are made to check if there are any shifts in colors and a whole slew of other could-be problems.

I was just pinning up new Dick and Jane fabric I was designing on the fabric wall, glanced down when I dropped a thumb-tack that bounced into a box and there were my monkeys! How could I resist picking it up, staring at it and then taking a photo of it?

I hope I can do more monkeys.

Pennies from Heaven

wow!

There are no words to really describe this past weekend. What a delight. Spending it with family and friends, supporting my sister. What could be better? It really stirred deep pieces of my heart watching Kelly on her 100-mile endurance race.

I am home now, back at work, but the memories keep flashing over and over in my head like a quick time movie in a loop.

Little sleep, hours on the hidden dirt trails high in the Sierras, a rattle snake encounter and a weekend filled with a mouthful of dust... sounds like I'm describing my sister's experience on the trails but this was all mine!

It truly was such an extraordinary time.

Kelly ran hard to meet her goal and then some in completing the race in under 24 hours. Thank you for being so sweet and supportive in your comments to me. And for those who wrote me private emails as well. And for watching her progress online. It really meant a lot to me. (and to her!)

Uta, a long-time family friend/nextdoor neighbor lost her young son Andy in a tragic accident. Kelly wears a blue wristband with his name on it and wears it on all her runs. "It's like I'm taking Andy with me on all my journeys..." she tells us. "He's running with me."

Uta was with us this weekend and she told me that she believes Andy sends her a sign that he's there by dropping pennies from heaven. She finds them in the most unexpected places.

Just when I was taking the photo of Kelly running at the 72-mile-mark, (see right photo) at Michigan Bluff, Uta looked down and found a penny laying there at her feet. She knew it was Andy. He really was there after all. Just like Kelly knew he would be.

"Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go" ... t. s. eliot

Kelly, my sister, the ultra runner

Photo by Stephen Speckman

I'll be driving up to Lake Tahoe on Friday.

We'll be staying in Squaw Valley Village, waking up early to watch nearly 350 runners begin their 100 mile endurance run from the base of Squaw Valley to Auburn, CA. Why will I do that?

My sister is one of those runners. She also has lupus. And a blog. And I'm going up there to help support her along the way. I am so proud of her. Writing this wells up my eyes in tears.

Three years ago, she ran her first 100 mile endurance run there. It was amazing. It is known to be one of the most physically challenging events in the world. Witnessing it first hand was life-changing for me; extremely emotional.

The Western States Endurance Run covers 100 miles of raw, rocky trails, reaching elevations of I think, more than 15,000 feet... running over mountains and down canyons and through pretty extreme temperatures. This was the same trail gold miners would travel during the gold rush days and it was also the trail for the pony express. They say the temperatures could vary from 20 degrees to above 100 degrees, so the runners need to prepare for both extremes.

There is a climb of 2,550 vertical feet in the first 4-1/2 miles of the race alone.

At the 78-mile mark, runners have to use a rope bridge to get across the icy cold American River... which is in the pitch of night for most runners.

We will be driving miles in seemingly no where along rugged roads to catch up to her at Dusty Corners or Robinson Flat. And Michigan Bluff. And Forest Hill School. No cell phone reception there. The car will be bathed in dust driving along unpaved roads. We'll bring a large supply of water.

If you are near a computer this weekend and want to check on her progress. Please go here. She is #344.

Thanks for your support!

Show and Tell

I was just browsing online and stumbled upon one of the fabrics I designed that's been made into a small clutch purse! I got so excited!

You can view it here inside Sugarcane's shop.

Big Bird

I was just visiting Chickengirl's blog and for fun, she took The Sesame Street Personality Quiz. She's Bert! Her favorite character! I never watched too much Sesame Street so I wouldn't know who my favorite character is. But since I decided to take the quiz and discoverd I have the personality of Big Bird, guess who my favorite character is now?

Who are you?


You Are Big Bird
Talented, smart, and friendly... you're also one of the sanest people around.

You are usually feeling: Happy. From riding a unicycle to writing poetry, you have plenty of hobbies to keep you busy.

You are famous for: Being a friend to everyone. Even the grumpiest person gets along with you.

How you live your life: Joyfully. "Super. Duper. Flooper."

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

My Cup Runneth Over

I did it again this morning.

I didn't mean to. It's just a silly game I play each morning with my coffee. I love it when I pour that last bit out of the coffee pot into my cup and it fills my cup perfectly.

But this morning, as I poured so slowly thinking, Is it gonna spill? Is it gonna spill?

It did.

It rose up over the rim of my cup and poured down onto the sides leaving a puddle for me to wipe up.

What a silly game! Didn't I automatically know when enough was enough? Did I have to keep pouring? Hope beyond hope I assumed it would all be okay and it would fill my cup to the brim and nothing more.

I even poured it extra slow.. as if that would help.

My life has been like like this, too. A delicate balancing act. Sometimes my workload is just enough. Other times it spills out over it's edges.

Today I am tired. I have recently committed to an overload of work that I am honestly worried I may not be able to get it all done in time. Or, not without compromise. I need to prepare myself that there will be endless evenings of long hours working alone while the rest of the world sleeps. And sometimes that won't even be enough.

But.

What if it's not going to be as overwhelming as I think it is? What if this is going to be one of those experiences that I will say in a few months, "I am so glad I worked on those projects, because if I had said no, then I wouldn't be in the place where I am today."

You never know what you are going to find when you say yes to new avenues of creativity.