LAST DAY OF WORKSHOP

 On this Friday, the last day of the workshop, we went around the table and looked at the work we had all been doing and talked about their own project with Lisa giving suggestions on directions to go, if wanted.  It was very informational.

I wanted to leave early and got a ride to the airport so I could get my rental car and make it to the other half of Saguaro National Park to get a passport stamp there.  I had gotten a ride to the Visitor Center that was next door to Tanque Verde and got my passport stamped there on Wednesday at lunch time.

Okay, it's hard to take a selfie when the sun is shining in your eyes and you can't see the picture on the phone.  But, I was very happy.

Lots of Saquaro cacti.

Then I drove back into Tucson where I spent the night.

THURSDAY BEADING

 I've been having such a great time here in Tucson at this Beading Workshop.  I continued to work on my Beading Sampler, learning new stitches.

WEDNESDAY IN TUCSON

 Today was another great day in the workshop learning new beading stitches and seeing the great sample our teacher Lisa Binkley brought to share.

We ended class at 3:30pm today and headed down into Kaffe Fassett's classroom which had chairs set up for a slide show with Kaffe and Brandon.  It was great hearing about Kaffe's journey in the art world.  And Brandon is always a hoot.

Later that evening we all treked down to have an outdoor Cowboy Cookout.  There was barbequed chicken, brisket and ribs.  There was also corn elote (which I've never had before and now it's a favorite), baked beans (delicious), corn bread, baked potatoes with all the fixings.  And, I don't know what all else.  For desert there was Blackberry Cobbler and Apple Cobbler, I had to try both.  There was a bar where you could get your favorite beverage.  And there was lemonade.  All accompanied by a live band and dancing and punctuated with lights strung over the fun.

GEM SHOW IN TUCSON

 Every year there is the biggest Gem and Jewelry Show in Tucson.  It takes over the whole town.  Our class left at 11:30, loaded into two vans and went into town to experience and look for treasures we could use in our beading.

We spent several hours in the Expo Center then loaded back into the vans and went to the African Village.  There were quite a few venders set up in a parking lot with tents and their wares.  They had cloth, fabrics, crafts, clothing, beads, furniture, artifacts, masks, statues, jewelry and much more.  This was a lot more fun because of all the beads.

TANQUE VERDE RANCH

 Tanque Verde Ranch, outside of Tucson, is a beautiful, wonderful place.  I was sharing a room that had two double beds and a nice shared bathroom.  My roommate Michelle and I got a long remarkably well (I was worried about that).  She was in a different workshop than me, about watercolor.  The weather was perfect during my stay, in the low 70's as a high.  A few mornings were a bit chilly, but it warmed up fast.

There are over a 100 horses here.  You can go on guided trail rides, take basic riding lessons and even groom a horse, all for extra charges.  There are also lots of other paid activities: yoga, meditation, axe throwing, fishing, pickleball, hiking and swimming, or relaxing in the jacuzzi.

The central area, between some of the rooms has a lot of trees that provide cooling shade.

This was our room, number 12

Here's what I did on this first day:

Enjoyed the sunrise

Enjoyed a breakfast

Got busy setting up in the classroom

I enjoyed learning the proper way to do some beading

At the end of the day I enjoyed going for a walk:

GOING TO TUCSON

 I'm enrolled in a workshop with Lisa Binkley, "Beads on Cloth", through Madeline Island School of Arts in Tucson, Arizona at the famous Tanque Verde Ranch.  It starts tonight with a welcome dinner at 6pm.  I took a flight from Seattle to Tucson, and was greeted with a shuttle to the ranch along with 6 other participants that had arrived that day.

Once our flight rose above the clouds and rain it was a beautifully sunny ride the entire flight.  We flew over the Grand Canyon, too.

After we arrived at the Ranch and checked into our rooms, everyone met in the dining room for a Welcome Dinner.  There are 4 other MISA workshops here, including one with Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably.

IMPROV THE FAN BLOCK

 Brave Patch and Sherri Lynn Wood have started another Improv That Block Squad session.  Today was the first workshop.   Our first block is the Fan block.  Sherri showed us the basics about making the block and we broke out into little groups and talked about the block.  We did some drawings and made some blocks.

I put mine up on the wall with Tumblers and the Nine-patches I made at the beginning of the year.