Carole?
Carole Gold?
Present!
I've played hooky a couple of times since my last post: Once for a long weekend at the lake,
and again for a trip to Peru.
PERU!!!
Prior to leaving, I quickly finished binding this Quilt of Valour so it could be delivered to the Edmonton Rep on our way through.
Blocks of all sorts and sizes were made by quilters from one end of Canada to the other, and my job was to plan, piece, and finish the quilt so it can be given to an injured veteran as a thank you for their service.
This is the second "Hug Block" quilt I've completed, and I'm going to keep at it.
It feels necessary to provide emotional support for folks who often feel unappreciated - or worse, ignored - after giving their all for Queen and country.
If you'd like to support Quilts of Valour - Canada Society, please follow the link and contact the Regional Representative closest to you. You can contribute at your own pace - from making a single block, to finishing an entire quilt, (or somewhere in between) - any help will be welcomed.
Between hooky sessions, these beautiful quilts came through my studio:
Fresh off the Frame
This one practically glowed!
Quilted with hearts and loops.
The next one was Super Fluffy - double layer of batting, PLUS a thick, minky-ish backing blankie! (Almost couldn't get my foot over the seams!)
So Cozy!
Rather than make one large quilt as a wedding gift, my client made coordinating "His" and "Hers" laps quilts.
This idea could catch on, methinks!
And then I went to Peru. (pinch me!)
We spent time in Cusco, Aguas Calientes, Ollantaytambo, and - of course - we visited Machu Picchu.
First stop: Cusco city
This trip is not for sissies, I tell ya.
We spent our days in Cusco city with headaches and general feelings of malaise due to the lack of oxygen at such a high altitude. And the whole city is up-and-down hill. Not great when one is already short of breath!
Even the streets that *appear* to be flat are, in fact, giant ramps up and down.
(P.S. It took me a few blocks to realize that ↑↑ *this* ↑↑ is a typical Cusco city street shared by motorists and pedestrians! People drive wherever it's flat enough to get through. Also, cars have the right of way - if they honk, you'd best hightail it out of the way!)
It was fascinating to see how people live with all the stairs in the old part of the city. Laundry, groceries, tanks of cooking gas, small children - you name it! - must all be carried up block after block of stairs without the aid of wheels. And then, when they finally get to their door, there are probably stairs outside, inside, or both!
And, ya never know what might be inside a door. Could be a corner store, a music shop, a jeweler, an art gallery, a bakery, a café, a hotel, a private home, or . . . ANYTHING, really!
Sometimes a building needs propping up.
Life goes on around (and perhaps inside) it.
(People seem to live wherever a roof can be found, safe or not.)
People work hard in Peru. I wonder if they still see the beauty around them?
There's no shortage of goods at the San Pedro market.
Out of respect, I refrained from taking pictures with people in them, so can't show what it was really like in the marketplace.
There were butchers, bakers, cheesemakers, local food vendors (it would have killed us had we eaten there, thanks to the water - but the food sure smelled good! The food prep was done on the spot in tiny spaces, and I saw a woman washing cutlery in a pot of hot water still on the burner. Rudimentary, but they pumped out dish after dish to hungry locals!)
In addition to the foodstuff (nuts, fruits, spices, veggies, etc.) and flowers (rows and rows of fresh flowers!), there were things for tourists to browse. Alpaca clothing of all sorts, acrylic knock offs, handmade books, bags, key chains, mugs and crockery, booze, and the list goes on. Lots of similar fare throughout, which makes me wonder if the vendors are all working for an overlord, of sorts. Central warehouse?
In addition to wandering the streets and visiting the market, we did some educational tourism, too. We visited The Museo Inka, La Catedral (impressive - highly recommend a visit), and La Compania (built on the ruins of an Incan palace). No photos allowed in any of them.
Add sore ankles to the litany of complaints suffered on this trip. Luckily, it was easy to ignore physical discomfort in a city that wowed us at every turn!
Adios, Cusco!
Too many photos?
Alrighty, I'll stop. (For now. Muahahaha!)
I wonder if you'd like to see Machu Picchu next time?
For a girl who's afraid of heights, I took some dang amazing photos of that place!
Try, Learn, & Grow!
(and play hooky sometimes!)
Carole
P.S. Find me on Instagram @ freshofftheframe (my bloggity-blog name, in case you didn't know!)
Carole Gold?
Present!
I've played hooky a couple of times since my last post: Once for a long weekend at the lake,
 |
| Beachcombing at Brightsand Lake, SK FreshofftheFrame.com |
and again for a trip to Peru.
PERU!!!
 |
| My new friends at Machu Picchu! FreshofftheFrame.com |
Prior to leaving, I quickly finished binding this Quilt of Valour so it could be delivered to the Edmonton Rep on our way through.
 |
| Blocks represent Ontario, Nunavut, British Columbia - and everywhere in between - in this quilt! FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| A "row by row" layout gave order to the chaos of dealing with many odd sized blocks. FreshofftheFrame.com |
This is the second "Hug Block" quilt I've completed, and I'm going to keep at it.
It feels necessary to provide emotional support for folks who often feel unappreciated - or worse, ignored - after giving their all for Queen and country.
If you'd like to support Quilts of Valour - Canada Society, please follow the link and contact the Regional Representative closest to you. You can contribute at your own pace - from making a single block, to finishing an entire quilt, (or somewhere in between) - any help will be welcomed.
Between hooky sessions, these beautiful quilts came through my studio:
Fresh off the Frame
This one practically glowed!
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
Quilted with hearts and loops.
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
The next one was Super Fluffy - double layer of batting, PLUS a thick, minky-ish backing blankie! (Almost couldn't get my foot over the seams!)
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
So Cozy!
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
Rather than make one large quilt as a wedding gift, my client made coordinating "His" and "Hers" laps quilts.
This idea could catch on, methinks!
 |
| "His" featured a touch of black + Mimosa panto. "Hers" featured two purples + Popcorn panto. FreshofftheFrame.com |
And then I went to Peru. (pinch me!)
We spent time in Cusco, Aguas Calientes, Ollantaytambo, and - of course - we visited Machu Picchu.
First stop: Cusco city
This trip is not for sissies, I tell ya.
We spent our days in Cusco city with headaches and general feelings of malaise due to the lack of oxygen at such a high altitude. And the whole city is up-and-down hill. Not great when one is already short of breath!
 |
| The stairs go on FOREVER in places! (Hope you can zoom in and see for yourself. I count at least six tiers - unreal!) FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| Looks flat. Not exactly. This one leans downhill toward the city center. FreshofftheFrame.com |
(P.S. It took me a few blocks to realize that ↑↑ *this* ↑↑ is a typical Cusco city street shared by motorists and pedestrians! People drive wherever it's flat enough to get through. Also, cars have the right of way - if they honk, you'd best hightail it out of the way!)
It was fascinating to see how people live with all the stairs in the old part of the city. Laundry, groceries, tanks of cooking gas, small children - you name it! - must all be carried up block after block of stairs without the aid of wheels. And then, when they finally get to their door, there are probably stairs outside, inside, or both!
 |
| I wonder if there are more stairs inside these doors? Probably. FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| More stairs, up FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| Inside this door in the wall? Stairs down! FreshofftheFrame.com |
And, ya never know what might be inside a door. Could be a corner store, a music shop, a jeweler, an art gallery, a bakery, a café, a hotel, a private home, or . . . ANYTHING, really!
 |
| Gallery FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| Artists' workshops in there, no museum despite what the sign says. FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| Hostel entry FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| Convenience store. FreshofftheFrame.com |
Sometimes a building needs propping up.
Life goes on around (and perhaps inside) it.
(People seem to live wherever a roof can be found, safe or not.)
 |
| Old buildings lean now and then. FreshofftheFrame.com |
People work hard in Peru. I wonder if they still see the beauty around them?
 |
| Views pop up where walls erode. FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| Built to last. FreshofftheFrame.com |
There's no shortage of goods at the San Pedro market.
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| Every part of an animal is used. Every. Part. FreshofftheFrame.com |
 |
| More my speed. FreshofftheFrame.com |
Out of respect, I refrained from taking pictures with people in them, so can't show what it was really like in the marketplace.
There were butchers, bakers, cheesemakers, local food vendors (it would have killed us had we eaten there, thanks to the water - but the food sure smelled good! The food prep was done on the spot in tiny spaces, and I saw a woman washing cutlery in a pot of hot water still on the burner. Rudimentary, but they pumped out dish after dish to hungry locals!)
In addition to the foodstuff (nuts, fruits, spices, veggies, etc.) and flowers (rows and rows of fresh flowers!), there were things for tourists to browse. Alpaca clothing of all sorts, acrylic knock offs, handmade books, bags, key chains, mugs and crockery, booze, and the list goes on. Lots of similar fare throughout, which makes me wonder if the vendors are all working for an overlord, of sorts. Central warehouse?
In addition to wandering the streets and visiting the market, we did some educational tourism, too. We visited The Museo Inka, La Catedral (impressive - highly recommend a visit), and La Compania (built on the ruins of an Incan palace). No photos allowed in any of them.
Add sore ankles to the litany of complaints suffered on this trip. Luckily, it was easy to ignore physical discomfort in a city that wowed us at every turn!
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
Adios, Cusco!
 |
| FreshofftheFrame.com |
Too many photos?
Alrighty, I'll stop. (For now. Muahahaha!)
I wonder if you'd like to see Machu Picchu next time?
For a girl who's afraid of heights, I took some dang amazing photos of that place!
Try, Learn, & Grow!
(and play hooky sometimes!)
Carole
P.S. Find me on Instagram @ freshofftheframe (my bloggity-blog name, in case you didn't know!)
Wow, I love the pantograph with the stars and rockets (big shock, I know). Your trip sounds amazing and I look forward to more sightseeing through your posts!
ReplyDeleteOh, how exciting! It looks like a wonderful trip. His and her quilts. How cute. But I'm in trouble if that catches on and my younger cousins start wanting that! :-)
ReplyDeleteAwesome experience!
ReplyDeleteWow! What a wonderful trip! I didn't know Cusco was so hilly and rocky; very interesting. Do the locals prefer not to be photographed, or is that your personal restriction?
ReplyDeleteThe QOV is spectacular! I'm sure that will make the vet feel very honored and appreciated :)
Wow! Your vacation looks amazing! I love all the pictures. I hope someday to visit there.
ReplyDeleteNever too many photos. Great shots!
ReplyDelete