Fun Things

A friend and I went on a little adventure last weekend.  We drove down to Brevard, North Carolina, to see the Embroidery Guild of America's 21st National Exhibit.  This was our destination:

We didn't know what to expect, and we drove past the building the first time.  It was well worth the visit, and many works were incredibly beautiful, showing great technical proficiency and creativity.    I didn't really understand some of the pieces, but the creativity amazes and inspires me.

Photography was not allowed.  I bought the catalog so that I could remember things that inspired me.  The back cover is shown above.   Below is a promotional photo from the exhibit.  Oddly, none of these were my favorite pieces. I know the exhibit will be traveling.  I highly recommend it.

The workmanship was so inspiring that I came home and spent the next afternoon ripping stitches out on a piece I had been working on.  I had been dithering as to whether or not it mattered, but it does.

We took the scenic route down, through the Pisgah National Forest.  It was a slow winding road, but quite beautiful.  Just outside the park we had lunch at a bicycle shop/tavern.  The food came from a Lebanese Food truck and was incredibly good.  I couldn't help but think about how much the world has changed in the last half-century.  We took the "fast" route home, on the interstate.  But it took us the same amount of time.  Perhaps it is just the "fast" route because you are moving faster, not because you reach your destination any faster.

Last week I also made garam masala for the first time since I moved.  One part of me can't believe I have lived here for over three months and am only now making garam masala.  But at the same time I also noticed that I had not used either dried basil, tarragon, or oregano yet either.  These are spices that I usually go through quite regularly. There were some additions to the herb and spice rack this week.

Perhaps summer food simply cries out for fresh herbs.  I don't believe the fresh and the dried are interchangeable.  Their uses, and their flavors are very similar, but not quite identical.  Perhaps, now that it feels more like fall, I feel like cooking food that allows the flavors of dried herbs to shine.  

Expanding the spice rack while still recovering from a cold/sinus thing, gave me a perfect excuse to fritter away part of an afternoon making matching labels for all my jars.  

I'm trying something different.  I am a bit overextended at the moment, and I have been struggling with blogging anyway.  I don't want to give it up, but it seems I've become to stuck in one place, blog-wise, and I want to venture out.  I'm giving myself permission to not stick to a schedule.  I'm also going to try a few different things, like this post, and see what happens.  

Until next time,.