Textures of Texas

Happy New Year; welcome to two thousand and ten! I've had a nice break from the computer, the studios and even cooking. I've had a quick browse through blog land and have LOTS to catch up on. To get me going in my own blog I'll just share a few photos I took while in Texas for a few days last week.

We thought we'd stay in the warm south but turns out it was cold. We had a couple lovely sunny days in Austin where we did a lot of walking through downtown. We stayed at the end of 6th street thinking it was lined with fun jazz spots but not so. When we arrived at the hotel around dinner time we asked if we'd find a nice restaurant along 6th and the desk clerk paused a moment before tactfully suggesting perhaps walking along 5th would be a better choice. We did find a couple of great spots for dining and we even experienced our first raw vegan cafe; delicious lunch at Borboleta.  Because of the cold we took a bus tour which we normally would not do. It was fabulous; gave us a great overview of the area and a bit of history too. Finally day four we rented a car and drove to San Antonio for one rainy, very chilly evening on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. But we still saw how beautiful the Riverwalk is so will return to enjoy it in warmer weather.

I had fun cropping a few of our photos for 'Textures of Texas'. Perhaps I'll make use of one or more in a quilt or somehow with my clay.

We found a fabulous gallery totally by accident. If you are in Austin take time to visit Haven Gallery & Fine Gifts. As we walked in I quickly recognized the fabulous dress sculptures by John Petrey; he had been in a booth a few down from me at a show in Naples a couple years back. And then I saw Jennifer McCurdy's beautiful porcelain work, whose work I first saw when I visited the Fine Craft Show in West Palm Beach a few years ago. We bought an adorable little vase by Amy Sanders; it fit perfectly into our suitcase for a safe trip home.