Can't get enough

It seems that most of my posts from the last couple months have centered around Guatemala. It's such a beautiful country with rich traditions that I can't help myself and today is no exception. I have forgotten to show off these photos of Guatemalan handmade textiles I found on one of my travels. The embroidery is fun and bright,

the combination of fabrics is unexpected, but it works,

and the colors are great.

We'll be back there next November and I'm already looking forward to it. Now I've got to search my house for where I can put something like this.....

Wow

On a walk through Bern, Switzerland, we came across this chalet and all I have to say is Wow.

Santorini

This summer we spent the day in Santorini, Greece, and it was fabulous! If not for anything else, the color study of the deep blue of the ocean and the crisp white of the buildings. Of course it was almost required to do the donkey ride to the top. I succumbed to tradition and rode one up.

Wait, not that one. This one....

It was so "fun" I walked back down, but first I had to check out all the beautiful storefronts and displays. Check out those shoes!



Of particular interest to me were the stores with embroidered tablecloths and decorations. So intricate, they were just calling me to try embroidery again.

Guatemalan Kites

The other afternoon I walked over to the cruise ship terminal in our port in Guatemala and it was filled with music, dancing, and local crafts and food. It was a great way for those passengers who wouldn't leave the ship area to see some of the Guatemalan culture. What I noticed first were a display of huge kites hanging from the ceiling.

Handing out brochures about the kites were women attired in traditional dress.

Apparently the kites are flown on All Saints Day and the Day of the Dead to act as conduits, bringing the peoples' ancestors back from their resting places for one day to spend with the living. The most intricate kites are from the region of Santiago Sacatepequez.

I had to take a photo of each one that was hanging in the terminal to show you how different the geometric designs can be. Wouldn't any of these be a great jumping off point for a geometric quilt?

I love finding things like this in my travels.

Livingston, Guatemala

The other day we took a small boat from Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala where the ship docks to a small town on the sea where the Rio Dulce meets salt water.

It's called Livingston and because it is on a peninsula, the only real way to get there is by boat.

Its secluded nature means it's a backpacker's haven, but doesn't mean that the six-block mainstreet stops selling souvenirs and handicrafts to tourists. They had some beautiful purses.


The real treasure for me, though, was that it was the first sunny day in about a week of rain. That means laundry day! We passed clotheslines and fences and sides of buildings plastered with drying clothes. I even found these cool quilts hanging in between two houses further up the main road with about ten local boys playing soccer just in front.