When last I wrote, dear blog reader, I told about new friends, Deb and Marilou, coming to visit. As it happens, I have seen them both since then; Deb drove back here a week ago to purchase my Saori Piccolo loom and Bob and I drove out to Marilou’s home where we bought her 40” 8 harness Macomber loom.
My decision to sell the Piccolo was not easy. I have had so much fun weaving on it and it was a perfect traveler. However, I now have a land-locked studio so I can keep a large loom and play with different weave structures. I have my Baby Macomber for workshops. But I don’t have room for three floor looms, so it was time to find a new home for my little “Dora the Explorer.” Deb sent me a photo of Dora ensconced in her new digs. She looks right at home.
Later that week we rented a van and drove to Marilou’s house, south of Tucson, to pick up the Macomber. If the Piccolo was the lightest floor loom there is, this loom is surely the opposite. It is heavy and solid, capable of weaving anything from rugs to fine linens. This particular loom was made in October of 1965 when I was one month shy of my 10th birthday. Marilou believes she purchased it from the original owner in Virginia but Macomber Looms was unable to read the old ledger book with the owner’s name in it, so we will assume that is correct. It’s nice to know a loom’s provenance. Bob and I were able to lift this 250 pound loom into the bed of the truck by taking some pieces off.
It has been a lot of fun cleaning her up and making her look pretty, although Marilou had done a wonderful job restoring her already. She didn’t need much more. Bob is now working on shelving for my room so we can get some things off the floor in the studio.
Bob and I celebrated our 17th anniversary on Friday. Seventeen years! It still seems like yesterday, and yet it feels like there was never a time when we weren’t together. We are still very much in love.
We actually celebrated twice, by going to the movies Friday to see The Last Jedi, and then by going to lunch on Saturday at Seasons 52 in Phoenix. Their vegan options are limited but what they have is very good. Then on Sunday we went to a woodcarving show. Bob has been active in the park’s woodcarving class and the show was just across town. We saw some amazing carvings and turnings.
Bob was able to find some tools he wanted and we had fun seeing everything. We found out that there are even woodcarving and wood turning clubs in the area that meet regularly. It was a fun day.
This week I fly back to NJ to help my daughter out while she recovers from surgery, returning March 3 to Mesa. Bob and Auggie will be by themselves again, but I have no doubt that the neighbors will be stopping by to make sure he’s not lonely. We have a very social neighborhood.
