The Trip starts in Los Angeles

As I couldn't post to my blog while I was away....(so frustrating!!!)I'm going to share some of the images with you now. I took 4113 photos...(gotta love digital!!) and I'm beginning the slow process of winnowing out the blurry, the just plain black and the many shots of dashboards I seemed to have taken on my travels!
I arrived in to LA to find the Encounter Restaurant at the airport being worked on. This is such an iconic sight ...so LA...they serve great martinis! As I drove up Mulholland Highway I met this unlikely vehicle coming my way.....what could it possibly have been plowing???

Even though I was in the midst of Los Angeles, there are many canyons where you can hardly believe you're in a big city...especially this one!

I dipped my toes in to the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica beach...a little chilly...and I plan on dipping the same toes in to the Pacific from the other side......

My big fat New Zealand Adventure

I'm on my big adventure! I've been here in LA for a few days now and I'm about to head out to New Zealand. I love LA!
I can't post picture while here...otherwise you'd see all the gorgeous buildings and gardens I've been exploring.
I met friends last Friday and we drove up to Solvang CA (about 2 hours north of LA...in land from Santa Barbara). Solvang is a Danish community and was celebrating Danish Days. We had a traditional apple cake and sausage breakfast and wandered around the artists' tents and sat in the beer garden to watch the parade...very civilized!
http://www.solvangca.com/1/photo/index.html

Saturday evening we had dinner at my FAVOURITE restaurant called "The Brothers" in Los Olivos. When I lived here and in Phoenix I would try to get to The Brother's as often as I could. They serve truly fabulous food in a beautiful old tavern.

http://www.matteistavern.com/

Back in LA on Sunday, I decided to go to the Getty Centre.

http://www.getty.edu/museum/

This is a wonderful Museum/ Research centre perched on a hill top overlooking downtown LA. I wish I could upload some of the pictures I took while there. I love it more for the architecture and gardens then the art inside. It's a great place to hang out. You have to park below the hill and take a tram up to the museum.

Next time I'll be in Auckland New Zealand! Have a great week everyone!

PS...it's looking like my links aren't working...so you'll just have to cut and paste them.

Where has the time gone???

After working on the Princess and the Frog for a year, I'm back and ready to jump in to my fibre woolie world.

I am really proud to be able to say I worked on this classically animated feature. It's set in New Orleans with a catchy Cajun Zydeco rhythm. It opens in December and will be a great hit!

A Country Home Christmas

http://www.tiarts.org/tour_cc/index.php

I've been having a lovely time at the home of John and Molly Sorensen of Ballycanoe & Co. for our TIA's Christmas tour. Old friends and new joined us for a cup of hot cider and wandered around John's fabulous workshop and braved the chill to explore his giant barn of architectural bits and pieces.

http://www.balleycanoeco.com/

Here I am working away on a new sculpture...can't just sit there after all!! I am a big Dances with the Stars fan and so I decided to do a couple dancing....if you follow the show, it's Edita and Max...it will be a real challenge to give her the bling bling costume she usually wears. I don't know what I'm going to do on Monday and Tuesday nights now!!

I'll be back at Ballycanoe next weekend for A Country Home Christmas...I hope to see you there!

Cheers,

Wendo