CRUISIN ROUTE 66...DOWN IN "NEW" MEXICO!

Greetings, dear readers!

As promised, I and our faithful tour guide mascot and companion Webster the Wonder Dog are here to continue our tour of Route 66. Please hang on to your penny loafers because we've got a long trip ahead of us!

As we make our way from Amarillo to New Mexico, the road begins to take on a bit of a lonely look...miles and miles of...well...miles and miles, stretched out before us like a lone black snake racing toward the sunset...



One thing you may notice, dear traveler, is that the gas stations and food stops are becoming quite sparse...even billboards are few and far between. The terrain has taken on a different look...we are truly entering into another world!

As we continue west, the first thing on the map (correction: The ONLY thing on the map) are sights in Tucumcari, New Mexico. It is the only town listed for miles...that's okay...I am DYING to see the Route 66 sites there...neon teepees, bluebirds and sombreros...woot!

(As I was snapping furiously, Hubby Dear asked, "How many pictures of a neon teepee do you need?" to which I replied, "One can NEVER have too many!")

Right down the road was the famed Blue Swallow Hotel...this place is Route 66 paydirt! WOOHOO!

And dear tourists, if you'll look out of the left side of the tour bus, you'll see the famed "Sombrero Diner": La Cita! It looks closed...not PERMANENTLY, but just for the day.



And then, cowboys and cowgirls, take a look at THIS piece of glowing nostalgia:



The Buckaroo Motel...still open for business!

This has been a productive day! Both the tour bus and the tourists are wiped out and finding a place to camp for the evening...we found a state park and a pull through campsite. Yes, that will do nicely. The canned ham looks/feels like a palace tonight!



(Our mascot appears to be "dog tired.")



Tomorrow my intrepid travelers : Santa Fe!

We will detour from our western path to go north to Colorado. The Royal Gorge and Colorado's Rocky Mountains await us!

But fear not! The trip home will take us back to Route 66 in Kansas and Missouri...you'll not want to miss it!

More soon!
Paula Clare
and
(WOOF) Webster
Paula Clare

CRAFTS FROM YESTERYEAR

Greetings, dear readers!

I have been feeling a bit nostalgic lately...missing my mom and dad, my family...my sisters. And so I've been thinking about the crafts we used to do as a group in VBS and Sunday School...simpler things in simpler times. At least, it seems so to me...

Anyway, while I've not undertaken the matchstick cross or the loop-de-loop potholders (yet), I have remembered a little craft that has become once again "all the rage": pom pom creatures.

Yes, it's true, the little yarn fuzzies have found their way into my heart...I wasn't sure I remembered how to make them...the ready-made pom poms just aren't "right" for the kinds of little animals I'm thinking about. So I purchased a tiny blue skein of yarn, and did what I remembered...I wrapped the yarn around two fingers, tied it tightly in the middle, and then began snipping.

I decided I needed to make a little bird who could sit beneath the shade of the mushrooms. I'm not sure why he came out with a beret and paint palette, but I believe he'll act as a "creative muse" while I sit at my craft table...



Exhausted from the photo shoot (I am only showing you two of a dozen or so photos snapped), he decided to sit a bit...



This little bluebird truly makes me happy...who'd have thought that the resurrection of pom pom crafts could be so cute?

Thanks for stopping by! Stop by again when you'll hear Mr. Bluebird say, "I'm ready for my close up Mr. DeMille!"


XOXOXOX



Paula Clare

THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS ON PINS AND NEEDLES

Greetings, dear reader!

I was up most of the night creating this little jewel...

WHY (you ask) does a person who does not sew (as a rule) NEED a pincushion? Well, because they're CUTE (note the clever way I made it LOOK LIKE I stitched all the elements on) AND because I DO ASPIRE to sew...I even have a little craft-y sewing machine :-)

I tediously cut out the little "Love, Elsie" houses individually...and the cute little birdie stickpins? I made them myself...a bit of felt, Diamond Glaze, and Stickles!

More soon.


Paula