Field Trip to Los Angeles and Bakersfield

Back to back trips are very tiring.  After coming back from Oregon, I got right back on the road.  First stop was Los Angeles.  I was able to indulge in Dave's homemade paella with chicken, sausage, and shrimp with real saffron on the rice.

I then headed up to Bakersfield where it was over 100 degrees.  Way too hot for me.  I met up with the FBI and we hit some addresses.  We stopped for lunch at Chef's Choice Noodle Bar that had quite a variety of asian dishes.  I went with the pad see ew with chicken and it was very tasty.  They serve it in a bowl which was different.

No success in Bakersfield and got out of dodge the next day before the mercury hit 100.  Headed back to Los Angeles and dined on tri-tip with beans and beans.

Some watermelon and a good night's sleep and then the courthouse the next day.  It was late when I finally got on the road (3:15 pm) to head home and the traffic was tedious.

5 mph for long stretches.  It was good to have my tunes loaded up and I was fortunate to stop at Jeri's for dinner at 6:00 where we had her beer pot roast with mushrooms and broccoli with potatoes.  I even had some maple water which Jeri put in my mind as tree pee.

Got home late and dropped into bed after picking up Bailey who was super excited to see me.

Black Sheep Purchases

I succumbed to purchases at Black Sheep Gathering.

Gita Maria - processed pin drafted roving from Morro Fleece Works.

Cormo ewe wool named "Lily" from New York Sheep and Wool 2015 possibly from Geof Ruppert.  Here is the list of the winning fleeces.

Merino bamboo blends from New Hue Handspun.

Met Sally Fox in person at the show and fell for the green bamboo again.

Last Day at Black Sheep

Jeri and I had breakfast at the Original Pancake House and still arrived early at the fairgrounds.

As we were driving into the parking lot, I spied Cynthia Herron and had Jeri stop the car.  I had been looking for her for 3 days.  I hung out with her at her booth and picked up a few things there.

She took me on the tour of the fiber arts and the felted pieces were all the rage.  One of the prizes consisted of a set of these cute ceramic sheep.

I then headed back to the wool barn and spotted Jeri so she could shop.  Sold more fleeces and prepared paperwork for the growers to pick up their stuff and check out after the show.

I chatted with a lady from Alaska and she brought her quivut items to show.  She does beautiful work.

We left at 2:30 to head back to Portland and the flight home.  We acquired Jude on the way and we hit some traffic and diverted to make it in time.  The iconic carpet is still in spots in the airport and we hit the food court for a bite of dinner before going through security.

They had these cool food trucks and we all ordered from Pok Pok Wings.

Vendors and Sightings

Robin, Jude and I went to Morning Glory Cafe for breakfast.

Mine was a bit plain but delicious, especially the banana bread.  Robin and Jude's plates were more colorful.

We then headed to the Vendor Hall where I spun and chatted with like minded peeps and wandered again through the vast array of products.

We met up with Will Taylor of the infamous kates and he announced that he was retiring from the business.

I also saw some of the new Jenkins horn spindles and I put my name in a drawing for the chance to buy one.  My luck has held and they sold without including me.

That evening, Jeri, Miryha and I went to Poppi's Anatolia for dinner where we shared an appetizer sample and I had a gyro plate.

Another early night.

Gathering with Friends

The next morning, I spent selling fleeces in the for sale only section until after lunch.  Business was brisk and buyers were serious.  By the time I left for the vendor hall, about 2/3s of the supply was gone.

I met up with Jude and her new Jenkins great wheel.

Looked at a red cashmere pelt.

Saw some dyed silk laps - something new I had not seen.

Most of the day was hanging in the spinner's circle with Jude's great wheel and wandering through the vendors.

We went out to dinner at Grill Town where I had sushi and an appetizer of asparagus and garlic.

Another early night to prepare for the next day.

The Black Sheep Gathering Adventure Begins

Jeri and I started our adventure at O'dark hundred and made it to the airport with plenty of time.  It was the first time I experienced that the airport was pretty empty.

The flight to Oakland and the plane change to Portland was uneventful and we arrived at our designated time.  I had never flown into Portland before and the luggage came out in a timely fashion but the trek to the car rental place was inefficient and convoluted.  I estimate that it took us over an hour to get off the airport grounds.

We headed south to Eugene and stopped at the Olive Garden for a quick lunch where I had a flatbread which wasn't bad but I can't rave about it either.

We made it into Eugene and checked into our hotel.

A bit better than the last place we stayed at and then I dropped Jeri off to check in fleeces and I headed to the Eugene Textile Center where I proceeded to try out some looms.  I wove on the Louet Spring loom and got some instruction on huck lace.

It was a bit intimidating as this is a countermarche loom but the weaving mechanism was great and easy on the body.  This is definitely on my short list.  I looked over a few others, but this was the best fit.

I was also able to trade in the raddle clamps that didn't fit on my Mighty Wolf and they did an even trade with me.  Awesome people and service.

I got a tour of the place and they had a dyeing class earlier and these were some of the results.

I headed back to the fairgrounds after a couple of hours and the fleeces were flying in.  At the end of the evening when most were checked in, I made a tour of the fleeces and took some photos of my highlights.

Mr. Cool and Cinnamon were on the top of my list.

There were lots of goats in the next room.

And for the first time - there be alpacas.

Light dinner of Five Guys burgers and then into bed early due to the long day and the early call for the next day.