Pilgrimage 2018 is heading out

Hello everyone.

I think it was Bilbo who is supposed to have said "It's a dangerous thing to go out your door" and then reflected on how the road goes on and on.

The Camino is like that, too. It calls, and when you have answered sometimes you discover that it has built a homing beacon into your heart.

We hope to make it to Santiago's tomb this year, and to pay respects also to Our Lady of Covadonga and at Oviedo. "God willing and the creek don't rise" as they say.

Here is my personal pack load, except for the Teva sandals, hiking poles, and electronics like this device.

Wear one, pack two, as the fellow who posted his 5 kg pack video to the Camino Forum said: 2 shirts, 2 panties, 2 sock pairs (Injinji low cut lightweight) in the pack. 1 bra in the pack. 1 fleece pullover, 1 windbreaker, 1 pair of shorts--wearing the zip off pants, 1 Icebreaker merino tank dress (splurge), 1 rain poncho. The merino Infinity Buff. The two packed shirts are 1 Icebreaker tank and 1 BCG tee, the shirt I am wearing is a long sleeved ripstop.
Dopp box has toothbrush, tiny powder, razor, ear swabs, toothpaste, hairbrush, a head band and a hair liga, and a small bottle of hair/body/clothes wash. Also a poly fast dry towel. Also the little mesh box with hiking pole tips.
The Fabulous Bag to put the pack in for the flight, a dry clothes bag for the shower, a mesh bag for dirty clothes or shopping, the bag for the sleeping bag liner.
Sleeping bag and liner.
If I remember them all correctly!
Ultreia!

Bead embroidery color play 3

Hello everyone.

This is a little update on the scallop shell.

As y'all can see, the #15 pink rocailles are almost filled in. They look better alongside the ivory colored perles.
Next after these are filled in, the base of the shell. The best matches in the stash are either 3mm Swarovski perles (left over from the wedding dress a few years back) or some #11 Opaque Rainbow Cream Delicas. (That is a lot of words to spell out ivory, isn't it?)
It may become a brooch in the end. It might even get some dangling fringe! But it's too soon to commit on the final finish.

A bread experiment

Hello everyone.

We've been trying new ideas lately. We had deviled eggs for lunch yesterday instead of sandwiches. Today an experiment with bread dough.

This is a Cheese and pine nut ring rising. (Not a sweet roll)
The plan is for the cheese shreds and pine nuts to make friends with the bread dough and be yummy after baking. At worst, it becomes an awkward, spread out sort of rolls ring. Which isn't bad. At best, a winner.
So here goes!

It's getting close!

Hello everyone.

Our return to the Camino is coming.

Today we took the packs and sleeping gear outside for spraying.
(Yes I am going to take a new sleeping bag this time. It's one of the Big Agnes ones that was promoted by REI a few months back. It's almost half a pound lighter than the old green one.)

Ultreia!

Bead embroidery color play 2

Hello, everyone.

This is an update on the color experiment with the bead embroidery. More was done on the iridescent pink filler beads.

As y'all can see, the iridescent beads on the left just don't work out very well. On the right side of the scallop shell, #15 rocailles in ceylon pale pink are working out better. (After this picture the iridescent beads were pulled out and put back in their box. The shell will be filled in with the #15 beads instead.)

While the last post was photographed and posted with the tablet, today's post was a cooperative effort (if inanimate objects can have such a thing!) of the cell phone camera and the desktop computer. I was unable to figure out how to log into the blog account to use the cell phone for posting. Fortunately, the tablet will be with us on the pilgrimage.

Color play: bead embroidery edition

Hello everyone.

Today, to get in practice for posting from the Camino, a small exploration of colors in a bead embroidery.

The piece is a scallop shell, being sewn onto a bit of, I think, Peltex.
Beads used so far: some ovals inherited from my late MIL and pink, excuse me, rainbow cream soda translucent #11 Dynamites that were bought from Fire Mountain Gems.

Several other candidate beads are nearby.

Spring time at Santa Ana NWR

Hello, everyone.

This is a bird we saw (and heard!) the last time we walked at Santa Ana.

He had a large song vocabulary, and a desire to show it all off. When he had sung the whole lot from one tree, he moved to another and did it again.