After getting back from taking the pooches for a morning walk (it's a gorgeous day!) we went to brunch in town, my treat.  My Bird omelette was yummy (I'd never had boursin cheese before - but it's a definite winner!) as were the crispy hash browns and sourdough toast that accompanied it.

I thought this purse, sitting at the next table, was cute.

It belonged to Tina, who Tami knew since they'd both been girl scout leaders.
FYI Tina has the cupcake store in town.

Also got a chuckle out of this shirt:

After brunch we swung by the Community Garden so I could see it.
This afternoon they were going to be planting the beds.

Tami painted the shed, and Alan (and his brother) built this pergola
from a stack of discarded wood.

When I saw that cilantro was one of the things to be planted I picked Terry's brain since I've had NO luck with already-started plants from the nursery.  Inside, outside, in the sun, in the shade... the plants are always dead within a couple of days.  Terry tried to send me home with a cilantro seed packet, but having had no luck with plants I figured seeds would be even harder.  She did, however, 'force' me to take one of the bags of wildflower seeds.

On my way out of town I followed Tami back over there
and took some real pix with my camera.

The shed Tami painted - 

and a view of the interior.

happy sign 

There are currently a dozen raised beds.

Only a couple were currently planted.

Tami getting gloves and tools ready for the volunteers.

These  strawberry plants looked happy.

Residents at a nearby home for mentally challenged had made these stepping stones, currently waiting their turn to be "planted".  Brownie seemed to approve.

When I got to I-10 I'd called Alex to see where he was on his drive back to CA today.  I assumed he'd left early, but "just in case" thought I'd check in.  Turns out the RV battery was dead when the guys were ready to head out this morning.  Dealing with that had taken several hours and he was just leaving!  I watched for the RV heading west as I was driving east, though I never did spot it.  (There were several times I got so engrossed in the NPR interviews being aired I forgot to look, and a few times my view of the west-bound lanes was blocked.

I had stopped at the truck stop before getting onto I-10 (it's about the half-way point in the drive) to empty my tank and give Brownie a chance to empty his.  Saw this bus, and ended up chatting a while with David and Savannah (and Matteo got to visit with Brownie.)  They're actually swinging by here in a bit. 

This was virtually the first quilt I saw yesterday.  It had the same fabrics I used for Andy's elephant placemats, though she only included 6 of the 8 (different) elephants.

Quilts were entered in 6 different categories, and we got to choose a favorite in each one.  It was made easier by color-coded information cards.  This elephant quilt got my vote in the "pink" category, which was the most difficult decision for me because I had four strong contenders!

Other animal quilts I liked included this needle-turn applique of birds:

This heron was dramatic -

This embroidered sea-themed quilt was pretty!

Dogs are always a great subject!

"Good Dog Spot" was adorable!

These whimsical birds also made me smile.

Out of time - more tonight or tomorrow!