It's slowly starting to feel like the Christmas season!

                                          Christmas at the Country Loft in La Mesa California

It is such a pretty day only two classes left of knitting class! Right now were learning to start to decrease on our knitted hat wish me luck.I  knitted two slippers that need to be finished and I am anxious to start rug hooking again. Now that I have the fundamentals of knitting I am going to take the workshop class where you work on what you want to do which to me is Socks.
I have so much sock yarn from sock camp I need to use that up!

 I took some pictures at the County Loft on Tuesday at rug hooking and finally had a chance to download them. I was really surprised yesterday in the mail my great friend Debbie sent me a CD of Christmas music.So here I am today taking out my boxes of Christmas goodies rearranging my little house and full of the Christmas spirit Thanks to a friend! Next week I'll take some pictures of my house decorated for Christmas.I thought the Country Loft looked so festive! 

                                                               I love Snowmen

                                                      The front entrance to the Country Loft

Santa

Hopefully Janet can finish her rug by Christmas

The Country Loft's backyard

Pam is working away on her rug

Quilts

 Can you see how fun it is to rug hook at the Country Loft

 Janice is working away on her log cabin!

Pam had a jacket on which had the best colors

You know your a rug hooker when you look at something

and think how you can you use it a rug. LOL!

I love this quilt!!!

Have a great weekend.Cheri

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Crestridge Hike with Hubby and Maulie

What an interesting view

 Nature can be stark at time especially where there is little water.Were having a very mild winter in Southern California.I still can see beauty on this hike today where others might not.The hike was a loop and as we were hiking we could hear the wild birds around us.We saw a couple of bunnies running across the trail.I just had to get out of the house for a walk today
just to clear my over thinking head. Sometimes I feel like my thoughts are like my hike one big loop!After the hike I was tired Maulie was panting and since the hiking trail is so close to home it's perfect.
 
I have been busy knitting on my hat and visiting knitting stores. Knitting class is almost over and I loved it.  Today my daughter signed me up for a sock class on line. It's great you can see the video as many times as you want and even have contact with the teacher. Last week a friend invited me over for breakfast. I needed to get off the hill so it was a nice treat. My girlfriend made the best french toast that you bake in the oven.The french toast is made a day ahead and twenty minutes in the oven. I am seeing her Tuesday at hooking if anybody wants the recipe I'll ask her for it and post it.
No milk is used I think she said she used orange juice.It was so yummy! The Country Loft is decorated for Christmas so I'll get some pictures for my blog.
 I am also reading a book about Mary Todd Lincoln.It's got a zillion pages.Do I have enough things to do or what?  

                                                 Different shades of native plants

                                   We could see horseback riders in the distance

                                                     On top of the ridge looking down

Hubby said this was a crow it sure seemed bigger then a crow.

                                                              Looking down at Lake Jennings area

For some reason I like boulders

spooky tree

Look at all the dirt on Maulie she was waiting for me to catch up!

            My hat so far were going to learn how to finish it on Wednesday.

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Escondido Quilt show

Pictures from a quilt show

                                                                  I loved this one

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History of Early California and Art quilts at the Adobe

One of the early families of the adobe

Rancho Buena Vista was a 2,288-acre (9.26 km2) Mexican land grant in present day San Diego County, California given in 1845 by Governor Pío Pico to Felipe, an Indian. The name means "good view" in Spanish. The grant was south of San Luis Rey River and Rancho Monserate and encompassed present day Vista.Formerly a part of Mission San Luis Rey lands, the grant was made to Felipe Subria, a mission Indian. His daughter Maria La Garcia, who married William B. Dunn, inherited the property, and then sold it to Jesus Machado.

With the cession of California to the United States following the Mexican-American War, the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo provided that the land grants would be honored. As required by the Land Act of 1851, a claim was filed with the Public Land Commission in 1853,and the grant was patented to Jesús Machado Jesús Machado (1823- ) married 1850 Lugarda Osuna de Alvarado, whose husband, José María Alvarado, had been killed in the Pauma Massacre.[3] When Jesús Machado was killed by Indians, his son, Luis G. Machado, inherited the rancho. Lorenzo Soto acquired the rancho from foreclosure in 1860. Lorenzo Soto (1821-1863) was the son of Francisco Soto of Rancho San Lorenzo Baja. Soto married María Ygnacia Morena, after his first wife died in 1857. After Lorenzo Soto’s death, his wife married Tomas Alvarado of Rancho Monserate. They then sold the Rancho to Cave Johnson Couts in 1866 Cave Johnson Couts (1821-1874), was a native of Tennessee, and was a nephew of Cave Johnson. Couts graduated from West Point in 1843 and came to California in 1849 as a lieutenant with the US Army forces occupying California following the Mexican–American War. Couts left the Army, and settled in San Diego. In 1849 he was commissioned to survey and map the pueblo lands of San Diego. He married Ysidora Bandini, the daughter of Juan Bandini in 1851. Couts began buying property and developing political influence in the area. Couts also owned Rancho Guajome and Rancho Vallecitos de San Marcos.[6] Having been appointed sub-agent for the San Luis Rey Indians in 1853, Couts employed Indian labor to improve the properties.After Couts died, his son, Cave J. Couts, Jr.(1856-1943), took over management of the ranchoIn 1874 Couts’ widow, Ysidora Bandini gave the Rancho Buena Vista to their daughter, Maria Antonia, who had married Chalmers Scott, as a wedding gift. Scott moved to San Diego and Maria Antonia gave Rancho Buena Vista to her sister, Ysidora, who had married George Fuller.

Thank you wikipedia!This was the easiest way to condense the history of the Rancho Buena Vista Adobe.

                                                            We walked thru the gates


 It was a very interesting tour!
 There is even a skeleton in the walls of the adobe that is sealed up.
 Our docent clearly loved her job.We were probably in the Adobe
  for about an hour.I almost forgot we were going to a quilt show.
 One of the owners Cave Couts was quite a character .The way our docent
spoke of him was really a colorful tale. I have to find books on this family it really
sparked my interest!

 He swept the wealthy daughter of Juan Bandini off her feet and married her.

                                                 The gift shop where we waited for our docent

                                                    to start our tour.

                                 


                                   There were many land grants owned by the Californios in San Diego

                                                      Rancho Buena Vista Adobe

                  
                                           In this room a skeleton is sealed in the wall with a gun.
                                           Ghost hunters visit in October to look for Ghosts.
                                            There have been a few ghost sightings.I didn't see anything.

                                               School children in North county often visit the adobe

                                             

                                                                 I thought this was a pretty view

                                                            

 The chapel in the adobe

The man that swept the Bandini daughter off her feet

Cave Couts

The lady of the house

                    The rooms are all linked but originally they were separate rooms.

One of the bedrooms. Originally there were no beds

The family members would just roll out

 bedding at night and sleep 

on the floor. 

There were many owners of the Rancho Buena Vista Adobe

One of them was a California starlet during the 1930's the bathroom reflects her taste.

                                                 

wool knitted swimsuit

   The bathroom

 The starlet

We left the adobe and then went across to see the Art Quilts

The contrast of old historical building and the art quilts

was interesting to see.

Ladies from a bus tour enjoying the quilts

Believe it or not this was just part of our day after that we were off to the Escondido

Quilt show more pics later this week.

Here is one quilt from that show.

                                                                                                         

   Little Jack with a hat I bought him 

    at the quilt show.He loved it!

     Jack is almost a year and a half. 

   He is thinking of something.Lol.    

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