Category: adventure

May 5, 2020

Rug fraud and more narrowly averted!

The rug fraud started innocently enough in an email.

Good Morning,

Hooked rug — Item #1: The rug at the center of this story. Carnivale Zebra-Style.” Hooked with old t-shirts. 48.5″x11″ (it’s back in the **Etsy shop**.)

This is Emily Hill. I would like to follow up regarding the Zebra Style rug.. I was wondering do you know how much it would be? like the total amount. And is it ok to send check for payment? I would like to purchase this outside of etsy since I have an uncle who is paying for it and will mail out a Check asap for Payment.

The shipping address is 1135 Old Fritztown rd., Sinking Spring, PA 19608.. I will just need the total price with shipping, as well as to what name and a mailing address to send payment. Thank you

Emily Hill

I’ve done transactions off Etsy before. This one sounded like a young girl getting a graduation or birthday present from her uncle. Not really a problem.

Hi, Emily-

What a nice uncle you have. The $315 includes shipping and handling. Have him send the check to:
Laura Salamy
X St.
Albuquerque, NM 8####
As soon as the check clears (we’ll do it electronically), I’ll package it up and mail it off. I’ll also send you tracking info at that point.
Thanks for giving the piece a home. And stay safe!

Laura
Highonhooking.com

Emily was responsive, got back to me the next morning.

Awesome! It should be made out today.. I will let you know as soon as it’s sent and on the way and we will be in touch. Do you want to provide a phone number as well to reach you via text?

I provided her with my landline as, unlike my cell, it always rings in the house. And callers can leave a message. But it’s a pandemic. Where would we be but home? It all looks good, so I pull the rug from my shop. But not permanently.

Two days later Emily gets back to me. Apparently, her cousin was purchasing something too. Uncle got a little mixed up. He must be very generous. And distracted by his travel. During the aforementioned pandemic.

Good Morning,

I was just informed the check was made out to you. I would like to circle back regarding the rug.. and see when it would be here like how many days? I mean following receipt of payment. I am sure you understand since I have an uncle who is paying for it. Check was made out by my uncle and I have just been informed it will be a couple days to arrive.. There’s however a mix up here as it appears the check was accidentally overpaid for $950.. I understand the additional amount on the check would have been made out separately to my cousin for the other items that we are yet to order.

I hope you understand.. The good thing a check was made out and we should be able to get everything here on time. I believe we can take care of this if you will let me know as soon as you pick up the mail and I will email the address to send on the extra money when the check clears. Please let me know how you would like to handle things. Thank you

Emily Hill

Now, me, I’m not that generous. Wish I was, especially as this was a couple of days before Easter.

Sorry, Emily-

I don’t think this is going to work.

Laura

But Emily clearly wants that rug. And it is a really nice rug, if I do say so myself. Extra points for how polite she is. And she must be a good Christian girl. She remembers to wish me a Happy Easter not even knowing that I’m not Muslim or some other religion given my Arabic last name.

Good Morning,

Emily Hill

Oh, I understand.

Nonetheless, Emily persists. She wants the rug bad. She’s so excited to know when it’ll ship, that her grammar is slipping. And she forgot to sign her name.

Hi Laura was just making sure you got my messages referenced below explaining the overage check. I know we talked about it before, i just want to be sure you read the email again and do you know when the rug will ship? when it would be here so we can be on the look out for this. Please get back to me as soon as you can. Thanks

I feel for you, Emily. Anyone who wants one of my rugs that bad. Everyone should want my rugs that bad.

Can’t be sure, Emily, as some shipping has been disrupted, but another got hers in a few days from mailing.
Laura

That last bit was sent on Sunday, April 12. Easter! Maybe Emily was at church most of the day, one of those churches in Florida that opened. Oh, but wait! Emily’s first email said she was in Pennsylvania. Or at least that the rug should be mailed there. But later she mentioned that she’d email the address to me. Hey, it’s a pandemic; who can blame her for being a little scatter-brained?

I don’t hear from Emily for quite a while. And I don’t find a check in the mailbox. Damn, she must’ve found another rug on Etsy that she liked better. 🙁

Oh, me of little faith. Emily joyfully connects with me on April 20 regarding the check. But she has concerns.

Hi Laura,

Good News!! I have just been notified you will be getting the check via USPS today. They have it loaded on the vehicle for delivery.. I would think it should be coming today through the US postal service.. Please let me know as soon as as you get the envelope. I am beginning to worry about it. If you will just go ahead and deposit in the check funds to clear the bank. The funds are typically available the next day and we can get this all wrapped up then. Please let me know and we will be in touch. Thank you so much..

Hi, Emily, sure. I’ll watch for it. And as soon as I can access the funds, I’ll pack up the rug.

Stay healthy!

Laura

Hi Laura,

I was just following up with you to see if the funds has been deposited. Please let me know and we can get the necessary items here that we need. I also was wondering if you got those text messages from me?

Emily seems to be hyperventilating. As I mentioned above, I’m concerned about her health. And, unfortunately, I never received those texts as I’d provided her with my landline number. So sorry, Emily.

Indeed, that morning I did receive the check. Here it is.

Fraudulent check — Item #2: Rug fraud – check.

Looks good, no? But wait! Emily told me that it was written for $950. This check is for $1265.00. What’s a fiber artist to do?

I call Granite Credit Union in Utah, where the check was drawn. (Interestingly, it was mailed from Springfield. Oregon. This family really gets around.) After being put on hold several times, I get a real person…who tells me…the check is fraudulent.

Oh, Emily.

You know, “Emily,” the check doesn’t seem to be clearing. I think I’ll keep the rug.

You are horrible and a shameful person. Not going to happen.. We are stopping the payment. You will never steal from us. Shame on you.

Oh, “Emily.”

August 1, 2019

Finding artistic elements: Can I incorporate that into a rug?

Star as artistic element found in Black Forest — I liked this eight-point star superimposed on the blue sky and angles of the building. It’s found in Germany’s **Black Forest**.

I bet a whole bunch of you spend a fair amount of time looking around, see things, and wonder, “That looks cool; can I make a rug out of it?” I do. Even Tom has started asking me if I can use a particular design that he spies in nature, in the store, in the clouds…

My vacation is long gone now that summer is churning forward and August is just around the corner. Sigh… Sure, it’s freaking hot here in New Mexico, but I love the vibe of summer. So, I thought that I’d try go back to Germany in June – it was chilly – and share some of the “artistic elements” that I discovered there.

Metal bird sculpture. — Okay, less an artistic element than a piece of art itself. I really liked these metal yard birds. Also in the Black Forest .

Scalloped roof shingles as artistic element. — These roof shingles were on many of the houses of **Breisach**, Germany, a little town on the Rhine. As old as the town looked, it was almost completely rebuild after WW2. Besides the scalloped shape, I like the variation in color.

Lines and reflections as artistic elements in Strasbourg, France. — Just check out the lines and the reflections of these homes in **Strasbourg**, France.

Artistic elements on pottery. — If only my own flower pots has this kind of artistry! Found this at Heidelberg Castle in Germany.

Sgn for a restaurant. — I loved the individual artistic elements incorporated into this sign, I think for a cafe. It was in **Rüdesheim**, Germany. The sun, the grapes, and the tea- or coffee pot caught up in the leafy grapevine.

Lines as artistic elements - rows of grapevines. — Never mind the steepness of the hill that these grapevines have been planted upon (though workers do have to tie up to a bar at the top and repel down to tend to the vines). Note the rows and rows of straight lines. The ones that go off at a bit of an angle are owned by a different farmer.

Circles and cylinders: artistic elements in the castle kitchen. — Kitchens – even in castles – are full of artistic elements. Here we have circular plates, cylindrical cups and vessels, and the horizontals of the shelving. Saw this in **Marskburg Castle** near **Koblenz**, Germany.

More circles and lines: artistic elements in the kitchen. — Spoons on a rack provide us with more circles and lines. They look like pewter lollipops!

Slate roof with repeating tiles. — Marksburg Castle had some interesting slate roof tiles.

Floral artistic elements in carved wood walls. — And incredible woodwork!

Colored wall panel, floral design. — Both Tom and I looked at this and the other wall panels and thought RUG!

Animal artistic element. — Dog? Sheep? You be the judge.

Snakes as artistic elements. — Maybe snakes are more your thing… Seen in Koblenz.

Stained glass window, cubes of cut glass. Artistic elements. — This window in the **Cathedral in Cologne** was made of colorful, glass squares. Being that I love to hook geometrics, I was quite taken by it. Wish the pic was clearer, but the camera on my phone bit it soon after this.

What have you recently seen during your travels that might make it into a rug?

June 27, 2019

Finding textures in all kinds of new places!

Texture of an old rooftop in Germany — Texture of a tile roof top in **Breisach**, Germany. Breisach is a fairy-talish town sitting in the middle Rhine River Valley just west of the **Black Forest** and east of France’s **Vosges Mountains**. It’s so beautiful and “old” looking that one can scarcely believe 85% of the town was destroyed in WWII.

TEXTURE: the visual or tactile surface characteristics and appearance of something. (Merriam-Webster)

Fiesta has come and gone and so has my vacation. Sigh… Both were enjoyable – though, to be honest, Fiesta was a boatload of work. Vacation was just…a boatload. Tom and I enjoyed last years river cruise so much, that we decided to do another one. This time we headed off to the Rhine River, starting in Basel, Switzerland.

Interesting fact: The Basel Airport is almost all in France. It has an exits/entrances in both France and Switzerland. It pays to know which country you’re headed to.

Tom in Breisach on the cobble stone streets — Tom standing on Breisach’s cobblestones. Note the pretty rebuilt homes. Beautiful.

Metal cast of the city of Strasbourg, France. — A metal cast of the city of Strasbourg, France. (Sort of Germany; read about the sometimes German/sometimes French **history of the Alsace region of France**.) **Notre Dame Cathedral** is the centerpiece of the city.

Texture of statuary on Strasbourg Cathedral — Such delicate stonework is all over Strasbourg’s Gothic cathedral which also had to be majorly restored after WWII. In fact, the stained glass windows disappeared; Americans found them in 1945 in a German salt mine.

Texture of decorative stonework found in the partly ruined fairy-tale **Heidelberg Castle** in Heidelberg, Germany.

The tenor of this trip was much different than last year’s wine cruise in Bordeaux. That one was a very local vacation covering a lot less distance. It was more laid back and concentrated on the really, really excellent wines that come out of that region of France. It also gave us more time for leisure, leisure which I define at least partly as sketching and journaling. Not so much this trip. Although I managed to finish a crocheted shawl and get some reading done, we were moving too much this year. Some days there were two excursions on shore! They were interesting, but I think Tom and I are into a little more free time on vacation. Not to mention good wine.

Castle stonework and plant texture — This one’s a two-fer. Note the stonework of the castle’s facade as well as the pompom texture of the tree below. Does anyone know what kind of tree that is? It was spectacular. BTW, note that you see through those upper story windows to the sky. Yes, Heidelberg Castle has a lot of ruins about it.

Pompom texture of tree — Couldn’t help it. Isn’t is wicked cool???

The Rhine River cruise – also by Viking – as I said, started in Basel and quickly moved into Germany. Actually, the Rhine runs right between Germany and France’s Alsace region (which is sort of German; read the history as mentioned above) for awhile, and we explored both sides. As the week progressed, we moved fully into Germany and finally into the Netherlands. We docked in Amsterdam where Tom and I spent a couple of extra nights. (After flying back to the U.S., we spent a couple of unplanned nights in San Francisco, but that’s a story for another post. As are my luggage woes.)

Rows and rows of wine vineyards hang on the hills — Okay, this is detail from afar. Look at the rows and rows of vines hanging on the hills along the Rhine. They can be so steep that vineyard workers have to tie up and kind of rappel down to work on the vines.

Succulents at Marksburg Castle — **Marksburg Castle** was a treasure trove of textures, especially as we were seeing it close-up. These succulents are part of the castle’s gardens.

Of course, I have pics to share. You’re seeing them now. Unfortunately, the camera on my phone started to crap out on this trip. I might add that this is the same phone that had over-heating issues last vacation. The difference here is that I didn’t realize how fatal the problem was till the last day – in San Francisco – when the thing shit the bed entirely. I lost some photos. 🙁 Now, I have to purchase a new phone. Did I mention that on top of a European vacation, we just paid for the hardwood floors we’re putting in? Yeah, bad timing. A phone isn’t in the budget for a bit. Luckily, Tom’s old one – the one with a malfunctioning keyboard – was still up for the photography challenge, so I’m carrying it around as an ancillary to my ~~now unloved~~ phone.

Stone texture at Marksburg Castle — Even the walls were texturized!

Texture of wall woodwork — Nice woodwork in the castle’s main bedroom!

Cologne Cathedral seen through a rainy window — **Cologne’s cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site**, seen through the rained-on window of our ship. Notice how the clouds parted over the church. The heavens opened up when Tom and I were walking around Cologne earlier. Late in the afternoon, the sky cleared producing a beautiful evening.

Mosaic floor in Cologne Cathedral — I actually walked on this floor in the **Cathedral in Cologne**. Incredible mosaic.

Brick texture of windmill — This is the exterior wall of a windmill in Kinderdijk, the Netherlands. Bricks were, maybe 4 inches long at most, the better to be able to make the rounded base of the building.

Bullet strike - wall of Cologne Cathedral. — Although the sandstone exterior walls of the Cologne Cathedral are black and pitted – acid rain requires that there’s constant maintenance and replacement of stone – this “texture” is actually the result of a WWII bullet.

Grasses in the Netherlands at Kinderdijk. — Rain, like wind, is plentiful in the Netherlands. These are grasses that grow in the wetlands surrounding the windmills. Nineteen working windmills are in **Kinderdijk, also a UNESCO World Heritage site**. We were lucky enough to be able to go into one.

Colorful textures of tulips in Amsterdam — In **Amsterdam’s Flower Market** there were, of course, bundles and bundles of tulips. Note the cool black ones in the back

Piles of sea lions on rafts in San Francisco. — My last photo – before the camera really, truly died – is, incongruously, of sea lions dotting rafts while they snooze. I needed to do the same after an 11-hour flight and then two extra nights in California!

So, we’ve muddled through my pics regardless. This first bunch had to do with the different textures I observed on our travels. I hope you enjoy. Give a yell if you have any questions or insights to the photos. And please share your vacations stories here too!

Laura

February 19, 2019

Looking for rug love in the wine store…

Wine bottle label. — I have no idea who the artist is. Maybe you know? But isn’t it beautiful? Okay, wine is beautiful too.

Rug love in the wine store?

I’ll explain. I’m having a busy week. Big surprise, I know. But I was trying to figure out something new and exciting (and quick) to write about when Tom and I headed out to the liquor store. A snowstorm was taking aim at Albuquerque, and we were running low. Before you scoff, I’m from New England and lived through the Blizzard of ’78; snow forecasts = a run to the ~~grocery~~ store. By the way, we got almost an inch and a half today. I know, wow.

So, we’re in Total Wine, and I remember how I’ve gotten rug ideas from wine labels. Some of them are so creative, even beautiful. Then I thought that maybe you need rug ideas right about now. Especially for those of you back east and in the midwest who will live through your own winter storm tonight and tomorrow. Enjoy!

Wine bottle labels. — Another of Sean’s gorgeous and fun wine bottles.

Whiskey bottle label. — Okay, I’ll end with a pic of the elusive **jackalope** gracing this bottle of **whiskey**. Now something like this could make it onto a rug. And don’t lecture me about the pesky copyright laws. I know all about them. Have a great week. Maybe I’ll pour myself a ~~bottle~~ glass of wine now…

February 5, 2019

I am a traveling dog…

Tynan the traveling dog in Hatch, NM — Can’t we ever just walk by weird things? Of course, not. (I remind you of the **Uranus Fudge Factory** she made us stop at in Missouri.) Notice she’s holding my head so that I’ll look at the camera. Anyway, this is Hatch,across the street from the famous Sparky’s Restaurant with its aromatic smoke.

Tynan the traveling dog back for a third week! Woof! Unfortunately, the idiots have no plans for us to go anywhere anytime soon. Bummer. But, as promised, I thought I’d catch you up on our Arizona trip, show you how I added a state to my repertoire, as it were.

If you’re not all caught up, check last week’s post, a quick summary of the trip, then sit back in your armchair while I drive for a change.

We left Albuquerque on Thursday, January 2, by about 10:00. The time was more tailored to ensure lunch at Sparky’s in Hatch, the chile capitol of the world. He’d never eaten there. Me, I got to sit in the car while the smoke coming from all those burgers and pork wafted in through the cracked car windows strangling me with its perfect aroma. It was not an auspicious start for the trip. In retaliation, when they ~~waddled~~ walked me around later, I peed on Sparky’s. Not my finest moment, I admit, but peeing on my people really wouldn’t have worked. Then they made pose for pictures in front of the kitschy stuff near the restaurant. Whatever.

At last we were off again. It’s a long ride to Tucson, and I snoozed through most of it. Finally, we arrived at our destination, the Best Western-Tucson Foothills. Apparently, she and my lady friends from the Adobe Wool Arts Guild (AWAG) prefer this place when they make their annual pilgrimage to the Old Pueblo Rug Hookers Hook-In. (Hook-in, yes they really call it that.) There is a reason for their fealty to this particular hotel: free booze! Yep, the place provides a gratis happy hour (more like three hours), and you know they aren’t passing by that. Wouldn’t you know it, we arrived during sed happy hour. So off to the “cafe” we go thinking the idiots will pick up a glass of quaffable, free wine and sit outside or, more realistically as the sun was already going down, head back to the room to drink then argue over who would go back to get the next round.

Tynan the traveling dog on the hotel bed. — Best Western-Tucson Foothills: Four paws up for the comfy bed. Pity the master kicked me off every single night once his **World of Warcraft** character bit the big one (over and over).

But then the beautiful bartendress sees me, and she says these magical words: “Oh, he’s so cute, Of course, he can stay.” She caresses my chin and whispers, “Would you like to go home with me? I can give you your own downy hotel bed, barbecue on demand…” Sorry, I digress there, maybe fantasize a bit. The point is I was invited in to happy hour all weekend. Nice touch, Best Western-Tucson Foothills. Oh, especially, that popcorn machine. Loved the popcorn machine!

Drinks drunk, we head back to the room so the idiots can rest. (Wow, tough day: eating, driving, and drinking.) Anyway, he takes over the desk with his laptop; she and I claim the bed. This traveling dog is really starting to love human hotel beds. They’re lower than the one back home, and they’re BIG! She doesn’t care if I take 2/3s of it. Very comfy.

Saguaro cacti in the Coronado National Forest. — On the way up to Mount Lemmon in the **Coronado National Forest**. Check out all the crazy **saguaro cacti**! Have you ever seen so many in one place? They even constitute a cactus forest!

Next day, we’re off to Mount Lemmon, Tucson’s tallest mountain. Back maybe 16 summers ago, they were vacationing in Tucson, checking it out for possible future residence. They tried to drive up but were turned back by officials. The mountain was on fire. Not this time! Of course, we had to drive in stops and starts since she had to take all her freaking pictures. Fortunately, there was some pretty spectacular scenery. And I got to get out of the car!

Rock formations on Mount Lemmon. — The topography changed on our way up to Mount Lemmon. The cacti gave way to juniper bushes and then pines. There were interesting rock formations on the way up. You could climb on them!

Cool tree on Mount Lemmon. — She captured this old tree for her friend Karen Miller of **Karen D. Miller Studio** in Ontario. I know why I’m fascinated with trees, but them????

View from Mount Lemmon of Tucson. — This is the view looking over Tucson from near the tree. Quite…expansive.

Mount Lemmon Ski Area. — This is what a **skiing area** looks like in…Tucson. We saw three people ski across that hill. Three. Can you say “ice”? Unfortunately, the rest of the road to the top was blocked here with snow. No telescopes for us. But we got pretty close.

Man in front of restuarant. — The master after a fine lunch at the **Iron Door Restaurant** across the street from Mount Lemmon Ski Valley. Notice that I am not in the photograph. Perhaps someone should alert the authorities regarding how often they leave me in a vehicle while they stuff their faces.

Tynan the traveling dog on snow hike. — After lunch on the mountain, the pudgy ones decided to work some of it off with a hike. I’m always good with that. And unlike them, I miss snow, so this was a fine activity.

That night, my AWAG ladies finally showed up at the hotel. At happy hour, of course. Mary R. brought me gifts, and…the popcorn machine was working! Nan watched me while the idiots went for food. She let me on her bed. I love Nan. Plus, she brings toys for me when she comes to our house.

Saturday morning, we drop the mistress off at the La Paloma Country Club for the hook-in. Looked like a swanky place for something with such a stupid name. He tells her not to spend so much at the silent auction this year. Right. (Later she called not breaking $100 a win. He did not.)

Back to that day, he decides to take us to some park; he’s already forgotten the name. (At least she wouldn’t have done that.) We get out of the car. Something is not right. He wonders why I don’t want to do the usual who-peed-here sniffs, but something smells really bad at this park. “Come on, ” he tells me not particularly patiently. He calls me squirrely, mocks me with that word. But I’m trying to tell him, I think there are f-ing rattlesnakes here! They paid for me to have that hateful training, but it did work. I smell their dirty asses (not that I’m exactly sure where a snake keeps its ass). Finally, he’s fed up with me; we turn around. There is a god! We head back to my favorite Best Western. Frankly, I think he just wanted to get back to his stupid laptop and World of Warcraft. Whatever, I got the bed to myself.

That night we do happy hour with the girls again. Folks fawn over me especially when they hear what he did to me. I appreciate that. Sunday morning we’re off for home. She gets an idea that she wants to take a different route, not the one we came on. He’s skeptical, but of course, she wins. We turn the car to the north. At first it’s nice, sleep-inducing. We stop at McDonald’s for their “quality” brunch, then get into some more remote country. I’ll let the pictures (she took soooo many) tell the story.

El Capitan Pass in Arizona. — Excuse me for waxing poetic, but you have to drive around this great country of ours to really appreciate how big and beautiful it is. This is **El Capitan Pass** in Arizona. Things were getting pretty desolate out here, and no, there was absolutely no cell service to call AAA. (We were in another rental; he didn’t dare risk driving his ancient Honda Accord on this trip. She wouldn’t have let him forget it if the damn thing broke down.)

Snake River Canyon in Arizona. — Okay, this killed about an hour, but she insisted it was worth taking all the photos then hanging at the visitor center. While they’ve been to and even hiked down the Grand Canyon farther north and west, they didn’t know crap about the **Salt River Canyon**. It and the many switch-backs it took to get down to the river were admittedly impressive.

Snake River in Arizona. — A view of the Snake River down at the Visitor Center.

Traveling dog at Snake River in Arizona. — A view of us practically under the old and the new bridges where Route 60 crosses the Snake River. How many of pictures can one person take of the same thing?

And yet another one of the Canyon after we’d crossed the bridge and started to climb out of the Salt River Canyon.

Cliffs in New Mexico. — Finally! We get to something in New Mexico! And it was suitably impressive. These cliffs and rock formations were in the **El Malpais National Monument**. (They didn’t know anything about that either.) Driving through there was even more desolate than going through Arizona. Again, thank God for the rental car!

Malpais arch. — Incredible as **La Ventana Arch** is, she didn’t spend a ton of time outside, though she still took way too many shots. It was cold and windy; she was dressed for Tucson. Ha! It’s always good to wear just one outfit your entire life. Me, I’m ready for anything in my naturally red and white fur coat.

At least we made it home before dark, and now I’m coming to terms with my lack of hotel beds and popcorn machines.

I hope she’ll let me come back again sooner than later. I enjoy sharing my travels with you. And you make good witnesses as to how the idiots treat me.

Later,

Tynan the traveling dog