April 2016 – Page 2 – Ruth E. Hendricks

Bluebonnet Season

We happened to hit it just right- Bluebonnet Season in Texas. It would be a bummer to come before or just after they’d bloomed along the highways throughout the state.

We went to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. A public botanical garden in Austin, Texas. Although they sell bags of wildflower seed, you are not encouraged to purchase it if you don’t live in the zone where the wildflowers will thrive.

Texas Wildflowers Index for identification and categorized by color is listed here–

I’ll ask Ilix at Midwestern Plant Girl blog to help me identify the flowers properly because I went to the index and am thoroughly confused now as to what is what except for the lupinus– Bluebonnets

Rattlesnakes? Yikes. We did not see or hear any, thank goodness.

bluebonnet photographer.jpg Professional and family photographers capturing subjects posing in the bluebonnets.

Making Eco Pots out of newspaper to plant seedlings.

Mother of the Bride, my friend Joanne, in the butterfly chair.Pink Evening Primrose

Remember the bride Anna in the Bluebonnets with Champ?

April 21, 2016 by Ruth Categories: Garden, PhotographyTags: Austin TX, bluebonnets, botanical garden, garden, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, nature, photography, postaday, rattlesnake, Texas Wildflowers, tourists, travel 12 Comments

Ruth’s Partyland in Austin and The Barbershop Moved

From our Austin adventure although I’ve been home a week and a day.

I always like to photograph interesting signage. Urban communication.

Chris, my friend’s son, drove by Ruth’s Partyland as slowly as he could while I tried to catch it with my camera.

Then the next time around he actually pulled into the parking lot. I never made it inside to photograph the pinatas. And I read they had Mexican candy, too. I was so disappointed.

April 20, 2016 by Ruth Categories: Photography, SignageTags: Austin Texas, balloons, barbershop, celebration, party, party store, party supplies, photography, Pinatas, postaday, Ruth's Partyland, signage, travel 17 Comments

Lost Toy NYC

My sister sent me this photo she took with her phone.

A little sock monkey, from the lost toy basket.

You know how I feel about sock monkeys.

Thanks Mary
And here are a few sock monkey pics from old blog posts. Just last December we went to the sock monkey museum in Rockford, Illinois

And Click for Sock monkey brothers post
Below the Sock Monkey Museum in Rockford Illinois
Charles as sock monkey
Swedish Pancakes and Sock monkeys

April 18, 2016 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: childhood, guest blog, lost toy, NYC, photography, postaday, sister, sock monkey, Whole Foods 10 Comments

Hard Rock Drummer

Remember the post from a few days ago about how Austin Texas is Live Music Capital of the World?

This is Cody, drummer of the hard rock band Sweat Lodge.

I met him on his way to the studio as he was picking up the VINYL master for the band’s third album.

Yep, vinyl. You all know I have plenty of vinyl in boxes in my house.

Now I’m wasn’t cool enough to know any tracks from Sweat Lodge as of yet but I went and listened and here is the link to their webpage, too.

On my first Uber ride to the Austin Airport, I said I’d be willing to carpool and although our driver Edward could not allow me to photograph him at work, Cody said it was okay by him. We dropped Cody first, I got out and photographed him.

I told him about my People at Work series and I didn’t have a hard rock musician for the upcoming show at Panza Gallery in Millvale–

(did I mention that the show’s opening is in July? July, 2018!!! I’m serious)

Thanks Cody. Check out the music.

As we drove to his destination, he gave an excellent guided tour of a part of Austin I had not seen on the double decker bus tour.

It’s good to change it up on the blog. You’ve seen a lot of my knitting, coffee mugs and tea cups, a lot of food for dinnertime, the grandkids, the recent wedding and the starring dog Champ but I think Cody has the distinction for being the first ROCK musician on the blog. Thanks Cody.

April 17, 2016 by Ruth Categories: Music, PhotographyTags: Austin TX, drummer, drums, hard rock band, Millvale PA, music, musician, people at work, photography, postaday, Sweat Lodge, travel, Uber, vinyl records 11 Comments

Dinnertime Gallery

Weekly Photo Challenge: Dinnertime

Cousin John’s and Gail’s table -NYC
Wild mushroom ravioli at Mary’s

    Pittsburgh
  NYC


Dinner at Joan’s



  Baby Charles and Penny wait for dinner   Arizona
  Chicken stew and biscuits
  11 minute linguine   Air France dinner
  Pizza in Croatia


Dinnertime

Family dinner Christmas

April 16, 2016 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: baby, dinnertime, family, food, supper, table, weekly photo challenge 15 Comments

South Congress Sidewalk Scenes -Austin Texas

We were out of the bus. I stood on a corner, waiting for my friends in the shops.

They’d told us on the bus, Austin is the largest “no-kill city” in the country. Here’s an article about how that happened.

Austin is known as Live Music Capital of the World

Motorcycles and bicycles

April 16, 2016April 16, 2016 by Ruth Categories: Music, Photography, TravelTags: Austin TX, bicycles, dogs, motorcycles, music, no kill city, photography, postaday, sidewalk, South Congress, travel, vintage cars, VW Bus 10 Comments

Double Decker Bus Tour in Austin Texas

Steve our bus driver of the Double Decker Bus Tour of Austin TX

Steve and Laura, who got us the ponchos for the rain that was just starting as we got onto the bus. Top Deck (for photographs) They both liked my sock monkey on my camera lens.

Look sock monkey made their FB page!

Screen Shot 2016-04-15 at 12.24.38 AM

Tourists in Austin. We had so much fun.

Not too sure about the hat driver Steve wanted me to sport while he photographed the four of us. Joanne (the MOB) had the idea we should tour the city and it was a wonderful plan! Thanks for taking the photo, Steve.

State Capitol Building

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I think our tour guide (with the shades) thought I was going to get whacked with a branch.

They instruct you to NOT touch the branch as it might fling back into the next person behind you.

DUCK!!!

Food Trucks are trending in Austin Texas.

South Congress

Construction is EVERYWHERE. Fastest growing city in the USA

Friendly group waving at U of Texas

The rain stopped. We walked down to the yarn store Hill Country Weavers and then walked across the street for lunch.

April 15, 2016April 15, 2016 by Ruth Categories: cars, People at Work, TravelTags: Austin, Austin Texas, Double Decker Bus, friendship, photography, postaday, State Capitol Building, Texas, tourist, travel, University of Texas, vintage cars 12 Comments

Meet Malka- A Stitch in Dye

Austin, Texas is noted for live music and creative artists.

And stunning hand-dyed, uniquely-patterned fabrics, by Malka Dubrawsky. Touring her studio, I was reminded of my color theory class, studying Josef Albers.

In between wedding and celebrations, Colleen, who hails from Nova Scotia, made arrangements to meet Malka at her studio, A Stitch in Dye.

Colleen is an avid quilter and follows Malka’s blog.

The four of us piled in Joanne’s car and her son Chris, ferried us to A Stitch in Dye where Malka welcomed us and generously gave a tour of her studio.

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Malka Dubrawsky – Fiber Artist

26074255430_c07b8adf97_k Malka explained the dye process. We learned about the addition of soda ash.

Lengths of fabric soak in dye. Wax in electric frying pans for making the designs on the fabric

26321167766_3db3fc7cff_k Wax design drying, ready for a dye bath

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Button jar

25741790244_61ef3cd42e_k Joanne spotted these gloves on a shelf. Thanks J.

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Custom designs available and international shipping! Click for her Etsy Store to see samples of her vibrant hand dyed fabrics. She has written two books.

Color Your Cloth: A Quilter’s Guide to Dyeing and Patterning Fabric and Fresh Quilting: Fearless Color, Design, and Inspiration .

26347120015_67c1d4d60d_o Left Handed Appliqué Scissors.

26321137986_7e4f2f7d75_k Stacks of fabric to be sewn into quilt designs

26074218620_1663b13e6f_k Thanks for a wonderful tour. Malka saw us out to the parking lot.

Glad Colleen had such a cool connection in Austin. The fabrics she bought were richly colored and fabulous designs. Can’t wait to see your quilt creation, Colleen. Send photos for upcoming blog post!

April 13, 2016 by Ruth Categories: Fiber Art, PhotographyTags: A Stitch in Dye, art, artist studio, Austin TX, design, Etsy, fabric, Fiber Art, hand dyed fabric, Malka Dubrawsky, postaday, quilt, quilting, sewing, textiles, travel 6 Comments

To Be Determined

WordPress Jen Hooks says “The past and the present might be open to interpretation, but are still constrained by the reality of what was and is. The future? It’s tremendously intangible, brimming with possibility.”

The future uncertain.

just as it was in the past-

see 8 years ago at the same house (see below) taken October 18, 2008

Possibly two totally different names, come election time in November. We’ll see in the future.

Conflicting opinion at the neighbors in the duplex.

Pennsylvania Primary Election is coming Tuesday April 26th.

April 12, 2016 by Ruth Categories: PhotographyTags: conflict, Democrat, election, future, HIghland Park, Jen Hooks, neighborhood, opinion, photography, Pittsburgh PA, political signs, postaday, Primary Election, Republican, signage, weekly photo challenge 11 Comments

Coffee and Competition – Corona Café Austin Texas

My three friends and I were headed to a quilter’s studio to check out her hand dyed fabric (stay tuned) Anne needed REAL coffee. Tucked away on Corona Drive in a mini strip of businesses was Corona Café

These two men were going to play disc golf but the rain kept them inside on Saturday morning.

“We felt like doing something competitive.” So here they are in Corona Café playing Scrabble.

The barista made us excellent coffee.

Naiman was so nice. I asked him about his name. His father got it off the back of a car but it is a Mongolian warrior. He told us we could look it up. Naiman

Naiman and his latté art.

I hear they have great internet.

April 12, 2016 by Ruth Categories: Signage, TravelTags: Austin TX, barista, coffee, Corona Cafe, photography, postaday, Scrabble, signage, travel 6 Comments

Month: April 2016

Bluebonnet Season

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Ruth’s Partyland in Austin and The Barbershop Moved

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Lost Toy NYC

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Hard Rock Drummer

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Dinnertime Gallery

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South Congress Sidewalk Scenes -Austin Texas

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Double Decker Bus Tour in Austin Texas

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Meet Malka- A Stitch in Dye

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To Be Determined

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Coffee and Competition – Corona Café Austin Texas

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