Persimmons and gourds

The top shot was taken yesterday from the vantage point of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco--we went to see the latest da Vinci and Berlin Museum shows. You still have time to catch them, as they'll be there for another week or two. Today, I started a new painting (last shot), a centerpiece of persimmons and gourds that was on my table for Thanksgiving. The other pics show my daughter's paintings, done for her still-life class (temporarily perched in my bookcases) and her sketchbooks with recent pen and ink drawings.

New watercolor: Reflections of San Diego

I took a photo of reflections in the water lily pond on San Diego's Balboa Park this summer--this painting is the result. It is about 16" x 20" and took several painting sessions to complete. I can think of better ways to tackle the reflections on the water, but the finished painting does a fairly good imitation of how the flowers and wooden railings looked when mirrored in the pond.

Quilts at Yerba Buena Nursery

These quilts were all on display in the building where we had the marvelous Yerba Buena Christmas Tea. I don't know who made the quilts but they are lovely. This nursery specializes in native plants and is deep down in a wooded ravine off Skyline Boulevard in Woodside, CA.

Kathie's fabulous cake

I have a bunch of photos to share from this weekend, which was very busy. But the first one is the cake my friend Kathie made last night. Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and ALSO praline frosting on top of that. AHHHH...how decadent can it get?

The second cake is from the Yerba Buena Christmas Tea, which I attended on Saturday with a group of wonderful women. It is actually not cake, it is solid chocolate fudge! This came after a lunch of chicken, potatoes, salad and wonderful spiced tea. The Yerba Buena Nursery holds a few of these teas around the holidays. They also do less lavish teas during the summer. Check their web site for details.