Dragon Quilter

Our backyard friends.....

2012-02-05T08:42:00.000-05:00

We had such a welcome surprise this morning when we saw a female Red Bellied Woodpecker at our suet feeder. We usually get the Hairy Woodpeckers or Downy Woodpeckers so this lady was fun to see. She is much bigger than out usual bird friends.

It's Done!

2012-01-23T09:47:00.000-05:00

Close up and the whole thing.....

Had fun adding some of the 'moss'.....

Progress on the Spanish Moss Quilt

2012-01-12T14:15:00.000-05:00

Slowly making progress on this one....LOTS of stitching to do.

New Quilt Project

2011-12-15T13:37:00.000-05:00

Started a new quilting technique for my current project...just getting started but it's starting to look like something rather than just odds and ends.

December Fun

2011-12-01T10:28:00.000-05:00

Well again we reached the last month of the year! Hard to believe but it's true.

In our office we have a zoo animal calendar that we do silly things to decorate it. This time I thought it was appropriate to show it! After all it's party time isn't it?

Kinda silly but why not and the meerkats are soooo cute!

Fun Quilt Project

2011-11-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

Just finished a fun quilt collage...certainly not quiet!!

Will definitely be cheerful as the dark rainy days come to us more often.

A Day of Giving Thanks!

2011-11-23T22:00:00.002-05:00

I thought this appropriate for the day;

In Thanksgiving by Raymond A. Foss

In thanksgiving, we pause, we slow ourselves
we gather together, family and friends,
reflecting, memories rich with our collective past
our shared times together, washing over us
thinking of our blessings, at harvest, in thanksgiving

Our provision, day by day, our health, our family,
our friends, our nation, this world, troubled as it is
So much for which to be thankful, so many gifts
given by our creator, our savior, our savior,
our sustainer, our God

Like the first Thanksgiving, gathered together
around a table of your bounty, the gifts of the earth
grain and drink, meat and game, a harvest
Bowing our heads, our hearts as one,
joining in prayer, for the gifts we share

Remembering too, those who are not home
thankful for their service, for their sacrifice
those who stand in harm’s way on our behalf
thankful too for those on guard, for all who serve us
whether in foreign fields or in fire houses down the street

For you oh God, for your presence and your love
for your grounding and your grace
we give you thanks
For all we are and all we have are gifts from you
We humbly pause, and give you thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving to You All!

A Labor of Love!

2011-11-15T15:05:00.000-05:00

I just finished making another queen sized bed quilt for a dear dear friend of mine who was in need of something for her bed! She is very much like me in her love of colors and this was so much fun to make with all the jewel tones it has. If she doesn't like it I hope she sends it back because I have had many great comments about it.

Knowing her as I do I suspect she will like it plenty.

The Leaves of Fall....

2011-11-13T09:42:00.000-05:00

Having spent second set of a couple of hours this season, raking up leaves I am amazed and slightly bummed that the trees don't lose their leaves at the same time.

Two weeks ago when I raked, we had most of our trees with leaves still and it was early....no problem, I knew I would be out there again.

Then this weekend about half the trees dumped them all...so got busy getting those up. As I did I noticed that the ornamental pear trees weren't even close to dropping their leaves. The willow oaks are about another week as are the fire power bushes!!! Then there is my silly wisteria that has lost some but by no means all and as soon as I raked those up and came back there were just as much on the ground again...did that twice and then decided I'd wait until next week....or maybe pray for hurricane force winds to come and take them all aways!

So November is definitely about getting the leaves raked....just wish they would all come down at the same time though!

October Weather and the birds!!??

2011-10-29T08:59:00.000-04:00

Well for once the weathermen were right...we did get a bit of snow last night, as well as rain, sleet and now sort of a slushy mix.

I had noticed the bird feeders I had in my yard being attacked yesterday like there was no tomorrow and sure enough at 7am this morning they were empty. So despite the slush coming down I trekked into the yard to retrieve the two biggest ones to bring inside to refill.

When I had them filled I headed back outside to hang them. I almost made it to the first hook when a bird came out of the tree and landed on the feeder and started eating right there. I moved slowly to hang it back up and took a closer look.....a finch was happily eating away as I walked slowly away. He/she was a bit wet and fluffed up but happy to have more food. I hung the other feeder and headed inside.

They are both now very actively attended to...suspect I might need to refill them later today or tomorrow morning.

Is it really that time??

2011-10-26T13:46:00.000-04:00

Where does the time seem to go. Already we have had a lot of fall colors but they seem to be going fast this year.

Gold Cup 2011

2011-10-16T11:01:00.000-04:00

An absolutely perfect day for the races in VA!!

The fox had the right idea...he hunts instead of being hunted!

Racing at the far side of the course.

Carol's Kitties

2011-10-02T10:12:00.000-04:00

Carol is again fostering some kitties. There were 5 but one got adopted so these are the 4 that I got to baby sit one afternoon.

Now imagine you walk into a silent house, open the door to where the kitties are and they all bound out and climb on top of you ALL purring to beat the band. I sat and giggled for a good 5 minutes while they walked all over me with full purr on. If that noise won't raise a broad smile, I don't know what will!

So I fed them as planned and they all ate out of their own bowls. Wish I could have recorded the sounds!

When 3 of them were done they wanted to play and explore. In and out of baskets, checking the toys out and anything that looked like they should be into.

So while they did that the last little kitten ate what was left in all four bowls....just went down the line like a pro.

Now what better job could you ask for!!!

Rennaisance Faire 2011

2011-09-26T09:10:00.000-04:00

I always love Renaissance Faire and this year was no exception. I thought this young lady epitomizes what we all felt at her age, excitement, enchantment and the joy at picking out her flower head piece.

I also love watching the glass blowing demonstrations.....don't understand why he doesn't have more burn marks on his legs than he does....I know I certainly would!!

But best of all it's so much fun to dress up....

Really???

2011-08-24T09:42:00.000-04:00

An earthquake in VA?? Who would have thought it?

I had just gone upstairs when it hit, I recall thinking 'was that a big truck going by? no maybe the wind? oh wait this is an earthquake! Okay I knew VA had earthquakes' but then it escalated and I thought 'WAIT this isn't CA why are we having one this big!! I better get in the doorway.'

And let me tell you if you can have all those thoughts and the quake is still going on, it's a long long quake. Very different from CA quakes in it's feel (I've been through many there, including the Loma Prieta one that brought down the Bay Bridge)...personally I will take the VA quakes for feel over the CA ones.

Time to have a nice glass of wine under the wisteria!!

Comment on the Current State of the Economy

2011-08-23T08:07:00.000-04:00

Working in Scott's office I get to see a lot of what is happening to our country financially and it's such a sad state really. In the beginning of all this I wrote a letter to the president suggesting that we ALL take a share in the solution. I think I had asked him to have the banks all reduce principle on mortgages by the percentage that homes were down in the area....or maybe a lower amount. But the idea being that people would still have to pay their mortgages, the banks would then take less (but still get most of their money) and it might ease things. What I see in the office is good people who just can't take the hits any more. The reality is that banks NO NOT want to do loan modifications and it take years to do if they do manage to do one. I think in the 400+ bankruptcy cases and probably 350 initial interviews we have done in the past couple of years, where clients wanted us to help get them a modification, we have had only 3 or 4 manage to get modifications!! Not a good sign.

But I did find a good article that talks about what we see at the office. I posted it below but here is the link as well.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/22/opinion/homeowners-need-help.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Editorial NY Times August 21, 2011

Homeowners Need Help

Published: August 21, 2011

Neither Congress, nor federal regulators, nor state or federal prosecutors have yet to conduct a thorough investigation into the mortgage bubble and financial bust. We welcomed the news that the Justice Department is investigating allegations that Standard & Poor’s purposely overrated toxic mortgage securities in the years before the bust. We hope the investigative circle will widen.

But a lot more needs to be done to address the continuing damage from the mortgage debacle.

Tens of millions of Americans are being crushed by the overhang of mortgage debt. And Congress and the White House have yet to figure out that the economy will not recover until housing recovers — and that won’t happen without a robust effort to curb foreclosures by modifying troubled mortgage loans.

Instead of pushing the banks to do what is needed, the Obama administration has basically urged them to do their best to help, mainly by reducing interest rates for troubled borrowers. The banks haven’t done nearly enough. In many instances, they can make more from fees and charges on defaulted loans than on modifications.

The administration needs better ideas. It can start by working with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-run mortgage companies, to aggressively reduce the principal balances on underwater loans and to make refinancing easier for underwater borrowers. If the president championed aggressive action, and Fannie and Freddie, which back most new mortgages, also made it clear to banks that they expect principal reductions, the banks would feel considerable pressure to go along.

The housing numbers are chilling. Sales of existing homes fell in July by 3.5 percent, while prices were down 4.4 percent in July from a year earlier. In all, prices have declined 33 percent since the peak of the market five years ago, for a total loss of home equity of $6.6 trillion.

There’s no letup in sight. Currently, 14.6 million homeowners owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth, and nearly half of them are underwater by more than 30 percent. At present, 3.5 million homes are in some stage of foreclosure. Nearly six million borrowers have already lost their homes in the bust.

Reducing principal is a better solution than lowering interest rates, because it reduces payments and restores equity. Bankers resist, because it could force them to recognize losses they would prefer to delay. The administration has resisted, in part because principal reductions are seen as rewarding reckless borrowers.

But many of today’s troubled borrowers were not reckless. Rather, they are collateral damage in a bust that has wiped out equity and hammered jobs, turning what were reasonable debt levels into unbearable burdens.

Housing advocates and bankruptcy experts are calling for the administration to try new approaches. One would have Fannie and Freddie urge banks to let underwater borrowers who file for bankruptcy apply their monthly mortgage payments to principal for five years — in effect, reducing the loan’s interest rate to zero.

Another solution would be for Fannie and Freddie to ease the rule for refinancing underwater mortgages for borrowers who are current in their payments. The lower payments on refinanced loans would help to prevent defaults and free up money for borrowers to use for paying down principal or consumer spending.

President Obama is reportedly planning to include housing relief measures in his new jobs plan. Unless the plan includes strong support for principal reductions and easier refinancings, it will not get at the root of the problem: too much mortgage debt and too little relief.

August Dog Days??

2011-08-15T11:10:00.000-04:00

First of all the term 'the dog days of summer' actually means "the hottest, most sultry days of summer" as well as 'a time period or event that is very hot or stagnant, or marked by dull lack of progress'. Certainly have had that these past weeks.

Keeping that in mind, this must have been what happened last Friday night when our monthly book club met, since there were only 4 of us there!! Usually we hit close to 12 people there but August always seems a bit lighter, though this is lighter than most.

BUT the good news was that Joann was able to join us for most of it. So the book discussion was short as we wanted to talk to her and find out how things were going and just visit with her in general!!!

I also have to say the food was delicious, especially since a lot of it came from Haelie's garden. I know my husband ate it all up when I brought home some left overs.

So to spite the 'dog days' we had a nice book club visiting!

San Diego Zoo Polar Bears

2011-08-04T10:39:00.000-04:00

I love watching the cam of the polar bears at the San Diego Zoo and am always interested in what ever enrichment items seem to catch their attention.....any guesses as to what was in the container????

Collage Quilting in a Vest

2011-07-29T10:10:00.000-04:00

Though the pictures don't do it justice, I tried the collage quilting technique on a vest. Love how it turned out but again the pictures don't show it at it's best. Next time I might leave the batting out to see if I get a softer drape. Of course washing it will bring that about as well. I also will try a more fitted vest pattern, but it sure was fun making.

X Box Quilt Fianlly Done

2011-06-28T09:39:00.000-04:00

Finally got my X Box quilt finished. With all the many steps involved in doing this quilt it took a lot longer than I expected. Mainly because I had to push myself to do each next step. Well worth all the work though. Sure do love the southwestern colors too!

Now onto my next project...a baby quilt for a friend who is due any day now...then something more on the creative end of the spectrum.

June updates

2011-06-23T10:56:00.000-04:00

Nothing really exciting going on the past few months other than the routine work, quilting and now that the weather is good, back in the yard.

We started the month celebrating Scott and our neighbor Joann's birthday with a little backyard BBQ for them. Always good to have Jack and Joann over especially when she is still dealing with the things life has thrown at her the past year or so. But she's a real trooper and we are praying things go easier this year!!

June also gave us Scott's oldest daughter's graduation from UC Irvine so we went out to California for that. Not sure what's next for her but she looks thrilled to be done. We had a nice dinner afterwards with her sister, Chloe, as well as her mom and step dad, and her boyfriend Ken and his parents. They found a great french restaurant (Pescadous) in Newport Beach!! Wish we had that place here! Yummmm!

Also finally got done a collage quilt I have been working on of sea life....very fun to do....just glad it was a smaller scale, otherwise I could have rebuilt the sea bed out of fabric in my own house!

Forest Collage Quilt

2011-03-28T10:24:00.000-04:00

Since I don't yet have a picture of the X Box quilt finished, (it's on the quilter now) I thought I would post this one of a collage type quilt I recently finished. What fun it was working with the various different materials. There pieces from tyvek envelopes, ribbons,burned felt, yarn, paint and of course fabric.

I am starting an underwater scene next.

X Box Quilt

2011-01-30T10:56:00.000-05:00

I get a lot of questions about how I go about making a quilt. The X Box quilt was one of my recent projects (still is since it's not done yet).

Thought I would put together a series of photos to explain what I had to do.

First you cut many fabric strips of about 18 different fabrics. Group them to light and darks.

The you take 3 strips of the darker colors and sew them long wise together. You do the same for the lighter fabrics as well.

Once you have the strips of 3 smaller strips you cut segments of them.

You place two dark segments with a light segment in between them to make a 9 pieces square.

Then you take an X template and cut half of those one direction and the other half another direction to get a X box.

Then you place alternating X boxes together to get a pattern like this.

So far this is as far as I have gotten.

Day 3 Costa Rica

2010-10-27T08:00:00.001-04:00

So today we packed up after breakfast and headed to our next location near the volcano Arenal. We drove for a few hours down (and up) some of the twistiest and windiest roads I've ever been on. The first stop was at an organic farm where they grow all kinds of things including a lot of medicinal items.

Seemed like everywhere we walked with them we were sampling various things. Felt a bit like a rabbit. Most of it was good but there were two things I didn't like the taste of but can't recall what they were called now.

I know we got to try something like lychee nuts (except they weren't and they tasted better) as well as cacao right off the tree. It was sweet for sure but nothing at all like chocolate so I am not sure what they do to the beans to get us chocolate. The texture of the cacao bean or what was surrounding it really, was the slimiest thing I have ever tasted. Made me laugh when I first put it in my mouth. Makes you wonder how anyone got past that to figure out how to make chocolate from it!

We had lunch there too and had the most wonderful fresh ginger and lemon grass lemonade. All natural and very refreshing. Everything we ate came from their farm.

This was a flower blossom of some vine. Would loved to have seen it open but it was stunning.

Loved the fresh coconut milk as a rest stop for us on our farm hike.

What can you say about the flowers!! Just amazing to say the least.

After that we headed to Fortuna a relatively big city for Costa Rica, where we went to some hot springs. We had great views of the volcano in the back ground and sitting in the hot springs was so relaxing, especially after the previous day's hikes.

The volcano from the town center.

This was one end of the hot springs we got to soak in for an hour or two!

From there we went to our next lodging called the Lost Iguana. All the rooms had views of the volcano (which by this time had it's top covered in clouds). The hotel had a system where if after 11PM the cloud coverage broke and you could see the volcano erupting then they would ring your room with two rings to let you know. You could either get up and look or ignore it and go back to sleep. We never got a call but sure did get one heck of a thunder and rain storm that night.

Hike Number 3, Day 2

2010-10-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

So as if the waterfall hike of the morning wasn't enough we decided to hike into town...about 2 miles each way and mostly on the roads (such as they are) there.

Hike started easy enough.

Then once again we started climbing. The views were spectacular to say the least.

I saw this butterfly flitting by and would have loved to get a shot of him with his wings open but he's pretty even like this. When his wings are open he is a turquoise blue!

I loved this home on the outskirts of town...I have a good friend who wants to have her own horses and I thought this solution as to where to put them might help her decide...though I doubt her homeowners association would all her horses in her front yard!

Once in town (their definition certainly not mine) we found a little place to stop and have a soft drink and visit with the town dogs who seemed to wander in and out all the time. It turned out to be not too bad a hike but we were sure happy when we got a ride back to the lodge with our driver.

Costa Rica Day 2

2010-10-23T08:00:00.001-04:00

So we are all up very early to eat and then be on our way to our first long hike of the trip.

We have our day packs, our walking sticks, sunscreen (since the clouds lifted and the sun came out), bug repellent, cameras and water!

So this first hike is to be 3 miles and over 4 hours....I can do that in under an hour back home. Course what you don't realize at first is that here it's UP! In a mile and a half you climb from 5000 feet to a little over 6000 feet!!! I knew we would sleep well this night.

So we hiked up. Now the hardest part of this actually wasn't the climb, but was figuring out how to watch where you stepped while looking at the beauty around you as well as taking pictures! We all ended up sliding on our backsides at one point or another during the climb because everything is so wet and lush. We had also had a huge rain storm the night before which added more wet to it all. No one was hurt in their slides and I even managed to slide on my feet and not land on my butt at all.

Anyway we hiked up to a waterfall at the top of the next ridge line!

Starting out...

A look up the mountain towards where we were headed.

Bromeliads galore!

And too many different kinds of orchids to count.

More orchids...

Finally the waterfall! Now to hike back down and relax a bit before the afternoon hike!

When we reached the lodge this is what we saw and we knew exactly how he felt!!!

Our Trip to Costa Rica

2010-10-21T08:00:00.002-04:00

First of all the place is stunning!! I think we had our mouths hanging open the first couple of days from just the shear amazement of what we were seeing.

But to start at the beginning. We were picked up at the airport and then told there were only 5 on our tour!!! GREAT for us, probably not so great for the company. We all were thrilled to say the least. So there were 5 of us plus two guides (Jose and Javier) and our driver (Fabricio).

The first place we headed to was Bosque de Paz high in the cloud forests not too far from Arenal.

Waiting for us there when we arrived were many coatimundis which are related to the raccoon. They entertained us from the time we arrived and quite often would look down on us from the top of the outside dining area, of course wanting a handout! I called them our clowns.

Being a cloud forest it was quite cool the first day but still beautiful to say the least. We all had come prepared for warm and with sunscreen so this surprised us a bit. But it didn't last long and the sun came out for us.

This was the river that ran in front of the lodge where we stayed. Lots of birds and animals there. The coatimundis as well as the pacas where there. We could hear the howler monkeys here but didn't see any until later in out trip.

Coatimundis on the roof... 4 of them watching us. They just wanted to see if we were bringing them anything to eat.

Our lodge for two nights!

The first afternoon there we took a short hike (about 45 minutes) through a lower area of the reserve. The next morning we would take off on a 3 mile hike. They said that would take 4 hours...couldn't imagine 3 miles taking that long....that will be the next post.

More GBS reunion photos

2010-10-19T10:39:00.000-04:00

Thought I had better make good on my promise and post more photos from our great reunion!!

Linda, Candace, Merrilee and Laurie

Bob and Laurie

Bill and Becky....gotta be the tallest and shortest people in our class....Becky is on a chair to talk to him!

Bob, me, Candace, Deb
Laurie, Linda, Richard

Carol and John

We are still talking about what a great time we had!!

Glenbrook South "xx" th High School Reunion

2010-10-06T11:13:00.000-04:00

The Glenbrook South High School Class of 1970 had our "xx"th reunion last weekend (you can do the math for how many years that is). It was much better than I had hoped especially based on the 20th reunion I had attended. We had about a quarter of our class actually attend this time which wasn't bad considering we had over 560 graduates that year.

We had two nights to rekindle old acquaintances and make new ones. Friday night was casual and Saturday night was a bit dressier. The planners did an incredible job in planning and pulling this off. My hats off to them for this one!

On Saturday night we had a photo booth where you could drag anyone and everyone into to have your picture taken. What fun that was. On the left I'm here with one of my closest girlfriends from school, Candace and with a guy I dated my sophomore year, Bob. On the right I am with John our class President back then.

Once I get other photos sorted out I will post more. I was especially blown away at our high school tour. The school has grown and is pretty phenomenal in what they have to offer now to the students, and it wasn't bad when we attended. I thought it was incredible then with an indoor pool and large gym...now they have two indoor pools, the gym, a full fitness center that rivals most I have seen here as well as a full field house! As I said more pics to come!

What do you get.....

2010-09-01T11:28:00.000-04:00

When you mix a child's plastic swimming pool with a 15 foot male polar bear who just wants to play?

A flattened pool of course! This is Kalluck and he loves his plastic pools. In fact he carries them around with his mouth full of carrots so that he can then sit in them and have his snack. He also likes to stack the 3 pools he has but didn't do it for us this time.

And is this guy coming or going? Didn't know that flamingo's knees bent backwards....very strange.

Our Deepest Sympathies

2010-08-25T11:46:00.000-04:00

Our deepest sympathies go out to the Shipleys, especially to Jeanine and to Brian's family in this sad time.

Please know our thoughts and prayers are with you in this time and know you are loved by many!

Latest creation......

2010-08-22T15:12:00.000-04:00

This was an art quilt I just finished this pasts week.

I quite like the different textures and motion that came out of it.

Below are some closer shots of the details...what fun this was!

Pandas and kids!

2010-08-09T13:18:00.000-04:00

This is just a cute story of someone I met this morning.

A client came in with his daughter (about 9 years old or so?) and while her dad was with Scott I kept her entertained with the San Diego Zoo's web cams. She loved it until she spotted on the Panda site "Adopt a Panda". She got all excited and asked me "How do they send him? Do they deliver him personally or ship him through the mail?" It was all I could do to keep from laughing. I explained to her that it was a donation of money to support the panda's so the zoos could take care of them. She wasn't so interested in that but it sure made me smile and think "Why not?"!

Back to Quilt Camp

2010-08-05T12:24:00.001-04:00

Also wanted to show you samples of the other quilts that people there were working on. The first is one my roommate was working on for a different class than I took. I can't wait to see it when it's done. Lexy was doing a wonderful job with the colors. I fell in love with it right away.

Then these are some others from the ladies in my class....hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

All so different from each other but using the same techniques. I loved seeing each day how all these evolved over the day's work.

The Girls Came to Visit

2010-08-01T12:24:00.000-04:00

Scott daughter's (Emily and Chloe)were able to come out for 5 days this past week so we were thrilled to see them. Scott had to work the first couple of days so we made a go of it for shopping the first day. (Yeah tough job, I know, but someone had to do it).

The next day Delaine joined us for a trip to the National Zoo. I always love a zoo and it was fun to see the many changes in progress, such as the new elephant compound. Only saw one elephant but they are moving along on the construction. The barn looks done but we couldn't go in. The first outside area is done and that's where we saw the one elephant. The rest of it looks like it will be quite an improvement from what we could see.

And of course you don't go to the National Zoo and not see the pandas.

We also had perfect weather for the trip. The temperatures were in the mid 80s and though that may sound hot to some, it was way down from the past several weeks where we had temps close to 100 many days.

Here are some of the friends we made there...

Turns out Emily's mascot at college is the anteater and this one was quite impressive.

The day after the zoo trip Scott was able to join in and the girls had wanted to go see Georgetown Cupcakes. They had see the TV show, "DC Cupcakes" (which is filmed at Georgetown Cupcakes) and wanted to try this place out. Knowing the lines would be long we got there early before the store opened. Arriving 30 minutes early puts you at least 20th in line!! Glad we weren't later but the cupcakes were wonderful.

Can you believe these are just the first of the morning's batches!

Waiting in line with coffee in hand

After that we took them to the International Spy Museum...and of course no pictures are allowed there but trust me they had a ball!

More on Quilting Camp

2010-07-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

So after cutting, placing, replacing, pinning, replacing, sewing, replacing (you see a trend here.....), sewing, washing, replacing, adding hand embellishments, this is what I came away with.

The first shot is the over all view and the second is a close up of some of the details.

I didn't get it finished while I was there but am now in the process of doing that at home as well as starting another new project.

More on Quilt Camp

2010-07-24T09:43:00.000-04:00

So as I said my teacher for this session of Empty Spools was Rosemary Eichorn. She teaches embellishment quilting or collage quilting. Since I had started to incorporate a bit of that into my quilts her class made the most sense to me.

I went with my list of supplies with a definite idea in mind of what I thought I would do with the fabrics I had brought. Happily I can tell you that didn't happen the way I imagined it. The first thing I discovered was that the materials I brought led me down another path. It was fun for the first time really to let the fabrics and other materials show me the direction to go. As a result I had so many surprises along the way.

Rosemary taught different techniques each day. Some I used in what I was making and others I learned for future use. To use them all in one quilt might have been a bit too much.

There was frustration at learning new things but also a sense of accomplishment as I got control of what I was doing. I also was not alone in that feeling! I noticed many others showed up early and stayed late to work on their quilts. How could you not want to be there when you were having so much fun!

So below is some of Rosemary's work. She also used this process in making clothes as well.

Sorry the pictures aren't better in showing some of the amazing detail but this was what I got....

Next time, what I did for my project.....

Been Awhile.....

2010-07-21T16:30:00.000-04:00

But for good reason, I was at a quilting camp and I have to say that was like putting a kid in a candy store.

A long time friend of mine (also a quilter) had been bugging me to go to this camp so I finally managed to book it last year for this past June/July time slot.

Now can you imagine going to a camp when your view from your room looks like this?

We were in Pacific Grove CA at Asilomar and the quilting session was Empty Spools!!

This was the building where our nightly meetings were held each day.

This place is next to 17 Mile Drive and of course this beautiful tree known as the Lone Cypress.

So in this environment I spent a week learning new quilting techniques! Again the kid in the candy store.....oh if you only knew!

More about that to follow but I have to say after the first night's introductory meeting I came away feeling like I knew absolutely nothing about quilting. The work I was seeing blew me away and I felt I would never reach that creative level. But I kept telling myself to be positive so I turned that around to be "Look at ALL I can learn here!" and that became my mantra for the week.

There were more than a dozen different teachers each teaching a different technique or style. I took my class with Rosemary Eichorn who teaches embellishments and collage as a quilting style. Yet again that kid in the candy store.

So this is the first of that week with more to follow about what I actually did there and what amazing work I saw all around me on a daily basis!

While Waiting for the Car to be Serviced

2010-06-11T12:44:00.000-04:00

I had to get my car serviced this morning and while waiting outside for them to do the work I was accosted by this sparrow singing.....well beyond singing...more like whining or yelling just about 4 feet from me.

At first I thought maybe I was near it's nest but after I watched it for a bit I realized it was a fledgling who has recently left it's nest but still is hoping mom will feed it. It had all the behavior I've seen in other fledglings, where it 'cheeps' loudly flaps it's wings and opens it mouth. Problem with this one was mom wasn't around.

It went back and forth from the wall to the tires stacked outside to the nest in the wall (maybe hoping mom came back and they didn't know it?). It kept whining and demanding and chirping to the world. At one point it flew across the parking lot and I thought great it is finally going to find it's own food.

Well a minute later it came back and continued on with it's lament of 'no one is feedling me'. I had to laugh as I watched this bird for about an hour....reminded me of my kids when they were little and growing up.....guess some things don't change from species to species.

What are they looking at?

2010-04-21T11:44:00.000-04:00

My son Mike and his long term girlfriend were in Costa Rica recently and have been sending pictures to us. I have loved them all but was particularly interested in this one and what ever they were looking at.

So if the sequence is right on what they sent it would be this iguana climbing down in the tree!!

And if it's out of sequence it could be some monkeys they also took pictures of. I loved this iguana though!
What would you do if it crawled down from a tree just above you!!

Kitties....One Year Later

2010-04-13T12:05:00.000-04:00

Can you believe those darling little kitties I was writing about a year ago are these two here? This is Sadie and Stella at one year and doing great we hear.

Still very cute and of course look like they are waiting for some trouble......

Happy Spring!!!

2010-04-03T12:50:00.000-04:00

Visiting Family

2010-03-02T13:29:00.000-05:00

We just got back from spending a long weekend in Portland OR having a mini family reunion of sorts. We went to visit my son Michael, his girlfriend Kim, my sister in law Carolyn and her husband Brian (who were just returning from attending the Olympics) and my longtime dear friend Conni and her son Nic.

I love Portland because you can walk all over the place and they have an excellent light rail system which we used daily to visit places such as the Science Museum (down near the river), the Zoo (up in the hills) and of course shopping downtown in the heart of Portland.

Mike and Kim's place is on the 15th floor of a building that overlooks PGE Park. What a great view of Portland too! I just loved their place. Made me wish I were young again and able to do what they are doing.

Conni was in the area because she was babysitting her grandson (Sara's baby) in Seattle so she drove down to see us as well as her son Nic who lives in Portland now and just got a coaching job there! Way to go Nic! We at least had a good laugh about how having kids is for the young and not 'kids' our age!!!

On the last morning there we had gone up to the zoo then walked back to their place after lunch. We passed this glorious tree in bloom (lots of trees already in bloom there) and it took a minute for it to register what it was. This is a camellia tree (?) that just left us speechless! I can't believe how big it was and covered in blooms. I have a couple spindly camellia bushes here and they rarely produce much. We tried to figure out how old this tree was and suspect it's about 100 years old. Just stunning!

Obviously I am not doing something right!

One night we went to Kim's twin brother's house for dinner. We had never actually met her brother and his family before so this was definitely special. My sister in law and her husband Brian were there too, so very much the extended family which I personally love!

Gavin was in charge of cooking the meat (delicious by the way) on the BBQ.....

And the ladies brought on the rest!

The next morning we went to breakfast at Mother's in downtown Portland. (Got an eating thing going on here too in case you hadn't figured that out) We got there early since we heard there was usually a line...no kidding!! The food there is incredible and this will definitely be on my list next time too! Well worth any wait you might have to do there to get in. Mike and his Aunt Carolyn before the eats arrived! (Good thing we walked back after breakfast!!)

All in all a fun visit but way too short!

Round Two with the Storm!

2010-02-11T09:01:00.001-05:00

Well again we survived the latest onslaught of mother nature. Am beginning to think she doesn't like us here...or hey maybe it's for revenge against the corrupt politicians we have living here??

But anyway we didn't get the 12" of snow promised...just 6-8"...hard to tell with the high winds. That wasn't a good thing to do to us after all the snow but the sun came up this morning and the winds are less and the roads are open...though I suspect if you don't have to go out, don't! It's scary driving on the lesser roads for sure.

So we are set for the next 4-5 days with temps in the low 30s but above freezing. You may think that things would melt when it gets above freezing, but let me tell you at that rate it will be summer before we see the piles of snow gone. Then early next week we are due for a bit more snow.

The weathermen have become jaded here and saying that it's only a little storm, only 3-5 inches of snow. I remember when that amount here was a BIG deal. Did we move the state of VA to upstate New York area and no one tell us?

So we are here and still digging out and learning to drive down 5-7 foot walls of piled snow to find our way in or out. Gives a new meaning to look before you pull into an intersection....the visibility is horrendous.

Stay warm!

Digging Out!!

2010-02-07T12:21:00.000-05:00

Well we survived the snow storm and it really was a record breaker. Where we can tell, it's about 30 inches for us...course in some places you aren't sure you are even getting the yard stick down to the ground it packs so well.

So the sun is out but it is still way below freezing and we decided to finish the drive and try to break through the 4 foot wall that the snow plows left at the end of our driveway. We worked on it for about 2 hours by hand as the snow blower doesn't really blow ice crusted snow that well.

This was our mailbox and the last of the 4 foot wall of snow the plows had left in front of our house that still needed to be cleared today.

Then along came an energetic group of young adults and they had a front loader! I caught on right away to what they were doing (good for them) and hired them to do the rest of our driveway wall as well as clear out in front of the mailbox (we don't get mail if we don't do this). They made short work of it and I was thrilled!

Most of our other neighbors came outside and did the same. So our drives are cleared and most mail boxes as well but the roads, though clear are a sheet of ice now! This shot below was one neighbor's box before any shovel had been taken to it.

This is our neighbor's Donna's mail box. She did most of it and the snow plow guy gave her a hand afterwards to clear it a bit more.

Sad to say there was one casualty in all of this...my wisteria trellis collapsed under the weight of the snow. Just pushed the metal frame down like it was molten. So we will have to figure out how to fix that when we can get at it better.

This is a shot between the yards in back of us. Normally there is a slight valley there...not really today!

Feb 2010 Snowstorm

2010-02-06T08:10:00.000-05:00

This is amazing to say the least. At 7am these were some of the shots. I was so worried about the birds because their feeders were covered and buried in ice and snow, so of course I trekked outside to fill what I could. Already they are covering up again but at least the birds you see here will have something to eat this morning.

You can see here on the back right what their feeders looked like covered in ice and snow.

This guy was waiting in the tree while I filled his feeder.

Interesting Morning Nature

2010-01-07T11:03:00.001-05:00

So I got to work early this morning and as I was waiting to turn into the drive I saw this big flock of birds coming at me. When I pulled in they were just starting to fly over me. So I watched.

Well I watched for 4 minutes straight while this one flock flew by. Fortunately I had my camera with me. I can't tell you what kind of bird they were but I was stunned at the size of this group. Only wish I had been able to get more shots and closer ones.

Then later at home I had a pair of bluebirds come to our feeders. We don't usually see too many of these guys around during the cold but I will need to make sure I get more food out for them because of the cold weather we have been having.

This is dad here...mom was on the ground picking up the crumbs he let drop there.

I'm hoping they will nest in our birdhouses this spring!

Happy New!

2010-01-06T16:17:00.002-05:00

A bit late in wishing that but none the less we have made it to another year.

May this one be much better for everyone around!

The Day After the Big Storm

2009-12-24T09:03:00.002-05:00

Took most of us awhile to dig out but we got it done. Scott is below standing in the 24 inches of snow we got last Saturday!

And having one of the few snowblowers on the block Scott went to help another Scott with his driveway.

The street finally starting looking more driveable and sure was pretty. The real snow plows didn't come along too often and when they did they just would pile the snow back up at the end of our driveways and we would have to dig the ends out again. Sigh!

Because I hadn't gotten our summer patio chairs inside before this hit....well you can only guess where they are and I am not going out to move them now....can't tell where steps are so I would guess I would end up missing one and end up in the snow. Will wait until it melts....maybe about April??

Notice the avalanche waiting to happen? The next couple days brought loud crashes around our homes as the snow and ice melted a bit and then slid off.

Next post will be about the wonderful Cookie Exchange that Joann hosted this same day...we all walked to her house since driving wasn't a good thing to try on this day!

Second Dec Snowfall!

2009-12-19T14:06:00.004-05:00

What can I say...the weatherman got it right this time...got up this morning with about 6 inches of snow already on the ground. By noon it was about 18 inches with no signs of stopping.

Early morning first shots.....

First shot at about 6 inches....

2nd shot several hours later at about 10-12 inches

The birds have been going nuts at all the feeders....want to make sure they get something before it's all buried. Good thing I had the forethought to fill the feeders yesterday.

Somewhere here there is a walk way...but this was early morning again.

Scott went and pulled out the snow blower so that we wouldn't have 3 feet of snow to do later. Good idea since it's still coming down.

A funny thing also happened with this snow fall....there are as I said tons of birds at the feeders....and our cats have sat in front of the window watching all day...though here I wonder who is watching whom!!

More as the storm continues!

December Book Club

2009-12-12T09:01:00.004-05:00

Turns out this year because we had a member drop out of our book club that we needed someone to take her Dec hosting slot. I volunteered because Dec is always a fun month to host. We start about an half hour earlier so we have time to eat, talk, discuss the book and do an ornament exchange.

Here Scott is leaving before the ladies all arrive....off to find a couple of the other husbands to hang out with!

So 7 bottles of wine and champagne, 18 mushrooms stuffed with crab, 4 pounds of shrimp and scallops and 2 decadently delicious desserts later we sat down to talk about the book. That went quickly because the book was a light read and what we really wanted to do was the ornament exchange.

We do it as what I used to know as a 'white elephant' game. Everyone draws a number and the first person gets to pick a package. The second person can then take that ornament or choose a new one. An ornament can only be stolen 3 times and then it can't be taken any more. There was quite a bit of that going on last night.

Cindy started off with the first one.....

Bev opening her ornament.....

Here Maura is contemplating Bev's ornament which she doesn't' want to lose.

Joann opened this cute snowman which I then stole but then lost to someone else.

Carol contemplates taking this one...which she did and then lost as well.

We also celebrated having read our 100th book as a club (hence the champagne)and Joann made special ornaments for everyone commemorating that.

We almost had a perfect attendance for this meeting and everyone agreed they really missed Delaine this time.

We talked for quite awhile and this turned into one of the longer book club meetings we have had in awhile. Great friends, good food, good wine....what more could you ask for!

This is what a "light" snow fall is.....

2009-12-05T15:36:00.003-05:00

Can You Say - I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas!!!

2009-12-05T09:58:00.005-05:00

The first snow fall arrived this morning and it is already sticking. There is something fun and special about the first snow fall of the season.

'They' say it isn't really supposed to snow today, more like slush and it isn't expected to stick for very long. Maybe an inch in some areas by end of day. It's early morning and already it's to an inch....But then we all know how accurate the weathermen really are.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

How did we get to December?

2009-12-02T14:11:00.004-05:00

Hard to believe it's December already and the first threat of snow is a day or so off....but feels like it could come today.

I had plans to do a couple more posts in Nov and the time just got away from me for some reason.

I've been busy on another quilt as you can see the pieces here....

It's all music staffs and sheets of music....

In November we also went to visit Scott's mom and a number of her family showed up as well. She had fallen and broken her hip so was recuperating from that very nicely to this point. Family gatherings are always fun but the trip in such a short space of time was a bit tiring to say the least....but worth it.

three generations in this shot, Scott's mom, his aunt and uncle to his left, his sister to his right and his niece below him.

So hopefully there will be more posts in December as the neighborhood lights up for the holidays.

The fall of 2009....

2009-11-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

....definitely had some stellar colors!!!

This was from my kitchen window. And for the record none of these photos were touched up, these are the actual colors we saw this year!

This one near our community's entrance is like this every year!

That critter in the yard...

2009-11-05T12:09:00.003-05:00

Having been to my mom's recently I finally got to see the critter that she has been talking about all year. There is some kind of rat (we figured out it is a pack rat) that lives under the shed in their back yard. In the evening my mom throws out the stale bread for the birds and this is when she started to notice this rat coming out to get it's share.

Now she throws some out for it too. I wanted more than just a head shot of this guy, so tempted it out with peanut butter on a cracker one day.

She also has this seed block (we haven't been able to find one so large in VA yet) that the birds all come to. Each time I have been there I have seen new birds. This time the quail showed up.

My mom's yard is small but she takes good care of what is there considering the hot AZ sun and what it does to most things you try and grow there.

Still Fall

2009-10-19T15:25:00.003-04:00

Over the weekend we weren't sure if it was really still fall or maybe winter was sneaking in early. Temps got down into the thirties at night and there was even snow in the Shenandoah Valley on Saturday night.

Several of us braved the light rain and cold temps to go to Gold Cup (steeplechase races) Saturday....though we didn't stay for the whole thing. Too cold and too wet but we lasted more than half way through. From the looks of it I would say more than half didn't even show up and I sure understand why that might be. Though there sure seemed to be plenty of horses racing anyway. There was even one who lost his rider and then kept doing the race but backwards for more than one and half times around before the out riders managed to catch him! He sure looked like he was having fun.

Now the sun is back and the colors have gotten very bright, that sort of day glow look....though to be honest not as many as I like. Maybe the cold snap hurt that a bit?

Still it's a feast to see when the sun shines on them and makes them dance!

Signs that fall is here.....

2009-10-11T11:59:00.004-04:00

So it's officially fall but it seems the colors have gotten off to a slow start, but maybe I think that every year because I can't wait to see all the glorious colors!

They are definitely in change mode now.

The temperatures have dropped at night so we are in the part of the year I love, with cool nights and still pretty much warm days.

We haven't gotten to the brilliant reds everywhere in the trees yet, though some like below) are starting to show those signs.

And we certainly haven't gotten to the tons of leaves on the ground stage, at least not in any quantity worth mentioning.

And you know fall really is here when the pumpkins come out and the Halloween decorations start going up in the neighborhoods.

Anyway you look at it, fall is here!

San Diego's newest Panda

2009-10-01T16:29:00.004-04:00

I have been watching since the day the new panda was born in San Diego and now he is just sooooooo cute!

Check it out!
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/pandacam/index.html

Woolen MIlls

2009-09-27T10:01:00.004-04:00

One place in Ireland that was perfect for me was seeing the Avoca Woolen Mills. The knitwear is wonderful to say the least but the best part for me being a quilter and fiber artist was the actual mill itself.

This was the view approaching the town of Avoca. Something so inviting about the town from the bridge.

Once inside the first thing you are hit with is the massive wall of threads/yarns they will be using. Made me realize how small my thread collection really is!

Eventually threads got picked, sorted for the colors or a particular piece and then wound onto these spools for the looms.

Just after we had gotten into the mill, they started a separating and winding process. The yarns they took were a black and white combination that we saw eventually made into scarves.

There is one area where there are a couple of hand looms, so they still use this process. I have wanted to learn to do this for years but have friends who explained it to me once. WAY more complex than you would think and I am sure I would end up with many knots and nothing woven for my time! It was fun to watch this man work at the loom. I was actually shocked at the speed at which he worked! I'd be missing a finger or two I'm sure.

This was the start of a blanket or throw on the other hand loom.

Then in the back there is the machined looms where they made blankets as well as fabrics. I was lucky here in that I was told they give away cast offs, remnants and trims. It was free so I brought back a bag full of trims that I can use as embellishments on my quilts.

I only wish I had more time to visit here and ask more questions...or maybe even learn more from them but the trip wasn't that long. Definitely one of the high points to our trip.

Haymarket Days 2009

2009-09-19T12:11:00.004-04:00

While I was waiting for my hair appointment I was sitting in the parking lot, in the middle of preparations for Haymarket Days. Each year this seems to get bigger which is good since it was once very small.

I loved listening to the bands warming up, the kids piling out of the school buses to preform, some in their first parade.

I noticed a family van pull up and 3 young girls got out. Two clearly ready to dance down the parade path and the youngest an adoring and slightly in awe little sister going to watch her big sister be in the Haymarket Days Celebration.

It was a perfect morning for it too. Crisp cool air but not a cloud in the sky.

The Shriners were there, the Rotarians, Battlefield High School marching band with their drill team, and many more. I did manage to get a shot of band and drill team from the place where I get my hair done.

My neighbor's daughter, Alex, is one of the Flag Drill team members. I would point her out but the picture isn't very good and you can't really tell it's her but I did watch as she went by!

I love local parades like this because it's a real family occaision and there is something for everyone. Lots of street vendors, good food, arts and crafts, clowns, politicians (and yes I guess there is a difference between those last two) and even some floats.

Next year I plan to take my camera and get some better shots. This time I was getting my hair done so completely forgot. But the spirit sure was infectious.

The Views Were Breath Taking

2009-09-16T16:48:00.004-04:00

Seems like everywhere we went in Ireland the views were just breath taking!!!

From the rain run off.....

To the gardens at Muckross....

To the valley before Kilarney.....

To the farm in the middle of nowhere but with the most spectacular setting we saw.....

to the view from Blarney Castle.....

Think our mouths ended up in a permanent 'WOW' by the end of the trip.

Stirrup's Annual BBQ

2009-09-13T11:08:00.003-04:00

First let me preface this with I am never a "one party" (as in Republican or Democrat) political person but am more an "What are the issues" person.

This is the second year we have gone to Supervisor Stirrup's Boots and BBQ party. He has the perfect property for it with lots of room to run and play for the kids and a large enough area that the band doesn't drown out everything.

He provides good food, great music and lots of people to get to know. The wine comes from a local winery La Grange Winery, the music is by the Wil Gravatt Band and the food is catered by Mill Valley BBQ.

While I like Supervisor Stirrup a lot, I am not really a Republican...nor a Democrat for that matter so it's interesting to say the least to hear his guests speak since they are all pretty much hard core Republicans. It's fun to watch the 'politicking' that goes on. Some points I agree with and others I don't but it's a good time regardless and I am sure that has a lot to do with Supervisor Stirrup and his wife Heidi.

Preparations by Mill Valley BBQ just before we were able to line up to get our dinner.

Early on when folks were just arriving and chatting with each other. I think there were well over a hundred folks there when we more or less sat down to eat.

And I thought this was perfect in that the kids went off on their own and made their own fun.

I am not sure I would ever fit in the "political world" the way some of these folks do but I certainly enjoyed being part of it for this BBQ!

Quilt Side Bar

2009-09-12T10:05:00.003-04:00

Thought I would take a side bar trip from the Ireland photos and show the next steps in my latest quilt.

The applique work is done and the hand painting was started at this point. A bit more to do on that then I will piece the front and back and quilt it.

I always love watching a quilt grow and transform into something a bit more than I first imagined.

Ennis to Cliffs of Mohr

2009-09-04T10:14:00.007-04:00

After the drive from Cashel we ended up in Ennis for the night and it was quite a lively town as we soon found out at about 2am! They partied all night long so sleep wasn't the best but we enjoyed our walk in town.

The church in town wasn't as old as many we saw but still very impressive sitting on a hill in town.

We had fun looking down small side streets and alleys to find little places like this cafe.

The next morning after an extreme lack of sleep we got on our bus and headed to Galway Bay and the Cliffs of Mohr. We passed many of these kinds of ruins along the way and as I said I was always fascinated by them wondering who had built them and why.

Just remnants of them in many cases.

We were told about the hookers of Galway and of course most immediately thought about the unsavory kind. It took many miles before our guide told us what a hooker was in Galway. It's a boat. And they are traditionally painted black (sometimes red) and had dark red-brown sails.

Here the tide is out but you can still see some.

Once cresting a hill we finally got a good look at the drive into the Galway region. Pretty breathtaking then.

We made our way through town and out towards the Cliffs of Mohr. We were constantly jealous of how well the fuchsia grew there and in these huge bush like mounds.

The Cliffs of Mohr need to be actually seen to get the full beauty of them. I liked this shot because you can see a group of rocks in the sea that reminds me of Stonehenge.

Clsoer view of those rocks.

Looking the other direction on the cliffs.....

The rock in the foreground of the top picture and here in the bottom one, was the one they filmed Harry Potter and Dumbledore standing on in the last Harry Potter movie, for all you Potter fans! Don't think they actually stood there but filmed the rock then did their film magic to make it seem that way.

Coming soon the Burrens and more......

After the Irish National Stud......

2009-09-02T19:33:00.005-04:00

After leaving the Irish National Stud we headed into the countryside and to Cashel. Along the way we past a number of ruins and towers that I wish we had more time to stop and visit. Just made me wonder what the people were doing when they built there.

We saw a number of round towers as well through out the countryside.

This was the patio area where we had lunch in Cashel. We were amazed at all the beautiful flowers in bloom there.

Reminded me of something out of the movies and it was such a treat to have lunch in this space.

This is the Rock of Cashel where a monastery used to be. I have toured inside before and loved it but sadly we didn't make it inside this trip. The views from the monastery are spectacular to say the least.

After lunch and narrowly missing the rain showers, we headed to Limerick...

Now does this tower remind you of something from the Lord of the Rings movies?

Also while we stopped in Limerick along the river to take pictures we noted that there were kayakers in the water...looked too cold and rough for my tastes and the kayaker I was taking a picture of went under just as I snapped this shot...but he came back up just afterwards!

Next stop is Ennis.

When it might be a good thing to miss the trip!

2009-08-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

So the first day out on our tour was probably one of the best parts for me and it was certainly a time I figured it was good Delaine couldn't come with us to Ireland! She would certainly still be here at this spot to this day! But then at least we would know where to find her.

These are the grounds of the Irish National Stud.....as in thoroughbred horses!!! Not anything else you might have been thinking.

Now if I were a thoroughbred horse this is where I would want to work and live for sure.

The following few pictures are of the moms and foals under a year old (most here were about 4-7 months old at most) out for breakfast.

Then there was this paddock with those who our guide called the whiners! They were the foals that had been weaned from their moms to start their training and apparently they were whining about it. They certainly looked at us as maybe we could bring some help but alas not to be!

They did manage to have a group effort when they needed their backs scratched and rubbed as these two showed up. And they loved it when we scratched them!

So the whole breeding thing at the Stud was very enlightening to me. I knew we would find the stallions in addition to the mares and foals we found but never suspected we would find this guy. His name is Tommy the Teaser. His whole job is to let the vet and handlers know when a female was ready to be bred. When the vet or handlers thought she was in heat, they would trot her by his stall and if she was ready, he would react very definitely, as would she showing she was receptive. They would then take her to a special building where they would then bring in the stallion she was to breed with. They even put on a special pair of slippers on her rear legs so that she wouldn't hurt the stallion if she didn't want his advances after all. All of this was caught on tape as well....horse porno???

But back to Tommy....don't worry, I asked...he is well taken care of eventually so it's not all cold showers for him. He by the way is a Connamara pony not a thoroughbred.

Below is the guest accommodations for the visiting ladies! They come from around the world to be bred and sometimes even stay until they deliver and be bred again....found that interesting too...they bred them 8-15 days after they have their foal! Bet most of you women out there feel as I did....you wouldn't get near me to do that in that time frame!

They bred them right away because they want the foals to be born as early as possible in the new year. (Horses are pregnant for 11 months)The reason for the early in the year part is that a horse is officially 1 year old on Jan 1st regardless of the actual date of the birth. So a horse born on Dec 1 2009 is the same age as a horse born on Feb 1 2009.

So now to these fellows who are called 'studs', the stallions. They get to cover (breed with) 50-150 mares a year. And the fees are from $60,000 per cover down to about $20,000. You do the math....when I die I want to come back as an Irish National Stud stallion!!

This is Invincible Spirit. He goes for about 45K per lady he gets pregnant!

Celtic Swing below brings about 25K per pregnancy.

This is Verglas and his fee is the top right now at about 60K per mare!

August and Far Away Places

2009-08-29T15:39:00.004-04:00

Scott had never been to Ireland so this was to be his adventure.

After a long overnight flight we were ready to hit the streets of Dublin.

One thing that always stands out in Dublin are what people there call their 'Dublin Doors'! Wish I could do that to my door here but doubt the HOA would go for that!

While walking along the river Liffy we found the Potato Famine Memorial....quite startling to see.

Also along the river Liffy was a new bridge they were just about finished building. I loved the fact that it looks like the Irish harp.

Another find on our walk was the Jeannie Johnston. She made her maiden emigrant voyage in 1848 then with the effects of the Famine ravaging Ireland(between 1848 and 1855), she made 16 voyages to North America. The most passengers she ever carried was 254 but normally it would be 40! The really great thing was that no crew or passenger lives were ever lost on board her.

We of course had to make our way to the Guinness Brewery! After doing a tour of the brewery we went to the top of the Guinness Tower for a free drink. The views of Dublin were stunning and the Guinness as always, wonderful! I always love watching them draw a Guinness.....you draw about half then let it settle then draw the rest. Well worth the wait and NOT at all like Guinness we find here in the states.

This was one of the views of Dublin from the Guinness Tower.

And you have to admit Scott does look like he is enjoying his Guinness!!

That first night we met with friends in Dublin at the Clarence Hotel which is owned by U2! No pictures there as we were having too much fun.

More pictures to follow in a later blog!

Our Friend Gretchen!

2009-08-20T06:00:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful piece to get in the mail!!

Let me go back a bit first. We have a good friend who decided to take up painting again after she officially retired from the work force a few years ago. I have loved watching her work progress and have always been excited to see what she does next. It amazes me the talent she has with so little actual time spent over the years on it.

Anyway I got an envelope from her this past week with an insert that went into all the papers in Southwestern Virginia. And lo and behold, her self portrait was on the cover! I recognized it before even reading a word! She had done this portrait earlier this year and sent me a picture of it....it just amazed me how life like she got it.

Then I opened the magazine and she is featured in a two page spread about her life and art! What a wonderful validation of her work and talent!

I was so happy to see some well deserved recognition for her incredible talent!! Can't wait to see what's next!!!

Process for a Creation

2009-08-15T14:20:00.005-04:00

I was going to try and document the quilt I am currently making for a friend so will see how this goes....

I gave this friend a number of fabrics to look at as well as some various patterns. These are the ones we chose.

After deciding on the pattern and several fabrics that worked great together, I took to cutting the basic pieces. 50 circles (not as easy to cut as you may think) and 60 8" squares. Then you sew the circles on the squares.

After that you cut the pieces into quarters and then start arranging them into two patterns. He liked the Drunkards Path pattern but wasn't sure which way he liked it best, so I am doing one pattern on each end with the second style in the middle. This is one way....

So far it's been fun to work with these colors and this pattern. I wish the Asian fabric had larger flowers but over all this is turning into a beautiful piece if I do say so myself.

One more major section then some edges (I have something special planned for this) and then the backing and lasting the actually quilting and edging. Stayed tuned for more updates as they come.

Rice Weevils.....who knew!

2009-08-12T08:06:00.002-04:00

We have been having a small and very moving slow infestation of some very very tiny bugs lately. Mostly in the upstairs bathroom and then a couple in the basement near the back door. Could hardly see these things and finally got a magnifying glass to see what they were.

They are extremely small like I said but looking at them they had 6 legs, spots and a something that reminded me of a horn like a rhino. So I finally called our bug exterminator. He had to take some back to work to see what they were but called and said they are rice weevils! Well that sounded like kitchen not bathroom and sure enough that's where you usually find them.

I went to check the pantry but none were there! So I did a bit of research about them online.

The rice weevil is a pest of stored grain and seeds. The seed part triggered that I had thought I had seen them in the basement AND the garage where we store our bird seed.

So went to check outside near the bird feeder and sure enough they were in the seed there. So mystery solved....they are gone from the bathroom (not sure how they ever got there in the first place unless we tracked some in after mowing the lawn??) but now to clean up the feeder area and check future feed bags for these guys!

Good thing was they didn't move fast...creepy thing was we would have a few more each morning when we got up. Still trying to figure how they got upstairs!

Happy Special Birthday Pam!

2009-08-04T06:00:00.001-04:00

I wanted to wish Pam Parker an extra special birthday this year since it's a GREAT one!!

No numbers mentioned Pam, but hope you are having the best one yet. Sorry I wasn't able to make your party but I am sure all your friends made it memorable.

I do recall coming by your house early one morning with Jean and Vickie (I think it was the 3 of us) to get you up early for another milestone birthday....now the part I can't figure is, was it really that many years ago now that I do the math????

Okay, so no more counting, just have a wonderful birthday dear friend!

Horses and West Virginia

2009-08-01T14:10:00.003-04:00

Last weekend Delaine wanted me to come meet a horse she was thinking about buying. So off we went to West Virginia to meet Point!

First stop was in Charles Town at the race track, because we needed to check in with the owner of Point and she was at the races that afternoon.
So we stopped and watched a race before finding her friend.

They started the race from the back half of the course which I thought was different but Delaine thought it might be because the horses were young and that was the distance they were running at that stage. Who knew?? I just thought horses ran what ever you told them to???

They sure were fun to watch coming at you at the finish. The grey in front to the right was the clear winner and he was a beauty of a horse!

Then from there we met her friend and then drove out to where Point was living. The setting was just beautiful, despite all the nasty little flies all around!

Delaine was getting some carrots out of a bag and of course Point had to check her out. I half expected to have the next shot of her on the ground after the story she had told me the week before about this horse not liking to have his mane pulled/combed and how he would just lean into her to push her away. But here she held her own!

Course he wanted the whole bag at once but that wasn't too be. She wanted to brush him and he would have to wait a bit. So while she brushed him I fed him some carrots between photos.

He's a pretty horse but my first thought was he was a bit small for Delaine so I asked her to explain to me the thing about 'hands' and height.

Turns out a "hand" is about 4 inches and Point is 15 hands 2.....so I am guessing here, that's about 62 inches?? Below you can see her letting Point check out the measuring stick. He was not sure at all about that and the noise of the bag when we first arrived. But once the carrots were found the bag was okay.

He still didn't like the stick all that much but tolerated her measuring him.

After we left we talked about Point and his pros and cons for her as a horse. I think she sadly decided, that though he was a beautiful horse, he wasn't "the" one for her.

We headed back and stopped at an antique shop for a little bit and while there a raging rain storm hit. So it was fun to browse while the rains did their thing.

All in all a very fun day in a beautiful part of the country...though we did have a laugh when crossing from VA into West VA......remind me to tell you what happened then.

Summer nights in Virginia!

2009-07-25T15:35:00.004-04:00

One thing I love about summers here in VA are the fireflies! I had loved them as a kid...who wouldn't?!! When I moved back to VA I had forgotten about them until my first summer and it was like becoming a kid again.

So we were sitting outside again last night with friends and when it got dark the fireflies came out. Still takes me back to childhood, but the one thing I couldn't figure out was how we were able to catch them in a jar back then? I know I wouldn't have a clue how to do that now...sure I know the mechanics of how we did it then but I am pretty sure I am not fast or agile enough any more to do it successfully!

I found a few trivia items about them that I hadn't known or if I had, forgotten it over the years.

Fireflies are actually nocturnal beetles. Most are winged, which distinguishes them from other luminescent insects of the same family, known as glowworms. Never occurred to me that they were related!

Fireflies love moisture and often live in humid regions. This could be why I don't ever recall seeing them in CA except maybe in the forests.

Fireflies have dedicated light organs under their abdomens. They take in oxygen and mix it with a substance called luciferin (sounds devilish to me) to produce a light with almost no heat to it.

I had known that they used their lights to send signals to each other and find mates but I guess scientists aren't sure how the fireflies manage this process to turn their lights on and off.

I had thought about trying to take some pictures but we all know how that would have turned out...lots of dark shots for sure. So I borrowed one of a close up. You can imagine the rest when you are sitting outside one summer night.

Balancing work and play

2009-07-19T15:31:00.003-04:00

I have found that since starting back to work, balancing work with my "play" time has been harder than I thought.

I still manage to find time to do the yard work, read, socialize and quilt but not quite on the same level as before. There has to be a good balance somewhere but I haven't found the ideal yet.

Work has been great with the things I am doing and learning, plus having a job is actually the best thing in the world after being off for so long. I am lucky to work with a good team too! But I do miss the extra time to socialize and quilt and see what's been happening in our yard.

Maybe that's a good thing (the yard that is) since we have been having a bit of a drought after the huge rainfalls of June. So many things are a bit brown and droopy these days. Who would have thought with all the rain in June it would turn so quickly.

But I did manage to finish a quilt so the 'create' is still on going and not just at work.

Digging through old photo boxes.....

2009-07-11T08:44:00.006-04:00

I had to find some photos of a friend for a scrape book present and ended up looking through those boxes we all have of old photos!

Sometimes those boxes can have landmines and sometimes there are many good laughs you get from them. Certainly it brings back a flood of memories so I thought I would share some of what I found.

The first group is of course the kids and friends shots that could surely embarrass my kids some day.....

This is my youngest son Michael and his pal Sara Kay who now has her own son.....

Then there was the face painting episode with my daughter Taysanna, my son Brian and friend Nikole Lewis. Nikole also has her own son now!

Then there was Brian's "hair" day!

And not to forget the day Michael decided to take on the world properly armed!!

But he did have a soft side then as you see here holding one of his cousins. None of which have kids of their own yet!

Then we move to some of my friends at one of our annual Christmas parties...early to mid 90s......

Lexy and Major

Dick and Dianne

Jeannie and Howie

Claudia and Val

Margaret (mother to Nikole in face painting shot above) with me in our "thinner" days....

Steve and his first wife with Karl and Babes....Babes and Steve are brother and sister and siblings to Jeannie in the earlier picture.

Stephanie and Ron (who is father to Nikole in face painting shot) with Mike.

And the one that made me laugh the hardest with some tears as well was this one....geez was I ever really THAT skinny!!! Sigh!

Week One at Work!

2009-07-07T09:11:00.000-04:00

Ahhh it brings back memories of new classes, new subjects, new jobs and a host of other times when I started something new and spent the first week in an alphabet soup confusion!

The first week at my new job wasn't as bad as I have experienced in the past, partly due to the team I am working with I am sure. And it was good to start in a short week due to the holiday.

I am learning lots about telecommunications that I never knew existed and I always like that.

Next I have to figure out what is missing and what I can put in place to put it there.

So more to come on the new job but wanted to let you know I survived it and the commute and think I am really going to like it there!

And fun was had by all....or 4th of July follow up!

2009-07-05T08:53:00.004-04:00

One thing I like about the 4th of July, well besides the light shows, is the coming together of family, friends and neighbors. I especially love our neighborhood which includes about 6 backyards that join together.

We went to our neighbors, Ken and Tracy's house for a BBQ. We had a number of neighbors, former neighbors and friends show up for a wonderful relaxed evening.

Then Scott went and got the fireworks we had gotten and began to set them up in the middle of 3 different yards. (this is why you want to have good neighbors!)

Rob helped him set things up and light them and they even got some of them going in tandem.

Of course they had to watch their efforts as well!

Oohs and Ahhhhhs

The house next to Ken's belongs to Leah and Alan and since they already had guests they were on their own deck for their party, but that didn't stop anyone all enjoying the fireworks in the middle of several of the yards.

Not the biggest finale we have ever seen but we all enjoyed them immensely!

We even got a bonus when the fireflies came out for the first time in our yards this year as well as the fireworks show in the night sky, from we think Lake Manassas.

Happy Fourth Of July!!!!

2009-07-04T07:28:00.006-04:00

Wanted to wish everyone Happy 4th of July and to keep in mind what we celebrate today. We are one of the luckiest nations on this planet regardless of what current economic, socio/political landscape tests we face. There is no better place to be living.

For some great viewing.....
http://www.whc.net/rjones/USN/USN_team.html

Time to get involved again!

2009-06-24T14:30:00.003-04:00

Have a viewpoint on the state of our country currently? Have things you feel need to change? Why not get out and be a part of something that can change things instead of being part of the silent majority.

It's time to get involved again and since I can't answer all the questions I have been getting about this event, I thought I would just put it on my blog so you have the basic data.

AND if you aren't in the DC area you can find who ever is doing one local via the site listed below.

Let's not be silent any more but get out and have our voices heard! After all you can't really complain if you aren't willing to do something to change things.

Tea Party July 4th 2009 Washington DC

Time: July 4, 2009 from 10am to 2:30pm
Location: Upper Senate Park
Street: 1st St & Constitution Ave NW
City/Town: Washington DC 20510
Website or Map: http://teapartywdc.ning.com/events/tea-party-fourth-of-july

Mark your calendars and I hope to see you there!

Viewpoints and Changing What You Don't Like

2009-06-18T08:22:00.004-04:00

I am once again amazed at how many people seem to feel a particular way about something, yet nothing changes or gets done to try and change it.

Are we looking at the silent majority again?

I have gotten constant emails, letters, been in conversations about the current situation of our government and about how we are going further downhill at a faster rate these days.

Why do people not express their viewpoints or try and do anything to be heard? I was taught that if you don't speak up, or do something, how ever small, then you don't have a right to complain. I have been active in making my voice heard with my legislative bodies for years now. Not always productively but at least I voice my views and try and make changes. It's so easy to contact your legislative representatives and they will listen...though not always do what you want but at least you will be heard and if enough people talk to them about the same problems it does get noticed. The government is a big machine and it takes a lot of push to get it moving in another direction...much like the huge super tankers on the oceans.

Someone suggested sharing a contrary or differing viewpoint wasn't a good thing. Why not? After all it's just a viewpoint....yours of course but just something the way you see it! It's neither right nor wrong but entirely yours! I certainly have my viewpoints but have been willing to listen to others to see if I might change mine and I have never felt bad or wrong when someone opposes my viewpoints. I actually love it because it shows they are thinking for themselves.

My husband recently opposed something the county bar had written and was surprised to see the response from all those who supported what he said. Prior to that the only thing that had shown up was agreement for what was said. Now that he has breached that differing point of view many more are coming forward.

Are people afraid to say what's really on their mind? That can't be the total reason because I get emails daily that point out things that need to change in our government yet the vast majority don't suggest anything to do to change the situation.

If you want to vent that's one thing but clearly there is a large majority who feel things need to change. My question back to them is what are you going to do about it beside vent?

Wind Farms

2009-06-15T09:00:00.003-04:00

So my son Michael was recently in Texas with the company he works for setting up a new wind farm! I find that fascinating to say the least.

I have no clue what it takes to set one up so I am hoping he sends me some pictures and tells me more about what he does there.

I know once he sent me a picture of him inside at the top of one. I never knew you could go inside but when you think about it that makes sense. And I have to say the view from the top was pretty spectacular in the picture....though I would suspect it would depend where that wind farm was!

I am just glad he is a part of a company to provide alternative sources of energy...I wonder if I could get one for my back yard?? Some how I doubt the homeowners association would allow that!

Happy Birthday Will!!!

2009-06-08T10:20:00.003-04:00

I think the best thing to ever happen to our family, happened about 40 years ago. Will Hauth came into our lives. He became our step father then. He really brought up my brothers through some difficult times (you know those teen years?!!).

I just wanted to wish him a VERY Happy Birthday today!!! He certainly has earned it!!

We love you and thank you so much for taking us on all these years!

Happy Birthday Will!!

Our Friend John Ness

2009-06-07T08:53:00.004-04:00

Have you ever had a friend who was the life of the party in a real genuine way? Someone who made you feel special when ever you talked to them? Someone who had a childlike wonder at life and all things around him? Someone who took the time to find out how you really were doing?

Well that was John Ness!!

I think we are all going to miss John more than we can even begin to imagine.

Frankie, our thoughts and prayers are with you at this very very sad time!

John Ness 1943-2009

God bless you John and godspeed onto your next adventure!!

Despite the rain....

2009-06-05T11:30:00.005-04:00

....life must go on in the yard.

I have noticed 3 sets of birds, mother or father and baby being fed in the rain. There were the Hairy Woodpeckers, some Black Capped Chickadees and a Bluebird pair.

I did manage to get a few pictures of the Hairy Woodpeckers feeding. Those 'baby' birds are big enough to feed on their own wouldn't you say?

This is the "baby"

The parent would eat off the feeder and then jump to the tree to feed the baby.

Then finally the baby jumped on the feeder and ate on his own but would also take what the parent would give him!

Later in the day I also noticed the squirrel was back and hanging (literally) from the feeder!

So even though we don't go out much in the rain they don't seem to let it stop them at all!

Chasing Rabbits!

2009-05-31T08:03:00.004-04:00

I'm sure some of my neighbors might think I am nuts for running after the rabbits and chasing them away....but then again I know some others who would do the same thing.

They are oh so cute but they eat too many of the beautiful hostas we all have planted.

Last year they about wiped them out so this year I have been spraying the yard with a repellent and it's been working so far, well except that with all the rain we have had to do it many times already.

So here's what happened, last night we were sitting on the patio with neighbors and I noticed a Hairy Woodpecker on our hanging seed block. Then we noticed a second woodpecker who was about the same size but sitting on the tree trunk waiting. Turns out this was momma feeding her baby....though sure didn't look like a baby to me. We watched them for awhile and noticed a rabbit come into the yard.

I was having none of that so chased it (literally) out of the yard and through my neighbors yard and across the street.

About 30 minutes later the rabbit came back with a friend and they chased each other in my neighbors yards for awhile before again being chased from mine. We figured it was now dark so they probably went to bed and we were safe.

We also went to bed thinking we would have a few days without rain but it poured most of the night. This morning I looked out and saw those darn rabbits again. This time the bigger (male?) of the two was trying to get at the seed block. At least this time I got some pictures of that.

He didn't seem to know what to do about the block moving, just knew he wanted what was on it.

I am sure they will be back but I will be ready to run again! Crazy as that may be!

Congratulations Nik Kay!!!

2009-05-29T08:53:00.004-04:00

The NAIA National Championships were held May 22-24 in Edwardsville IL and a young man I know is now the National NAIA Champion for Discus!!! Just a totally awesome job by Nik!!!

He attends Concordia in OR and we all expect to see him in the Olympics in the very near future! He opted out the last ones because he wanted to focus on his schooling first. (Smart man) His distance for the discus just amazes me....how anyone can throw that distance is beyond me.

Men’s Discus - Nik Kay - 190’ 7” 58.33m PR

I have watched Nik from the time he was born (literally I took pictures at his birth) grow up with my kids into the incredible young man he has become. I may not be his mother but I certainly am as proud of what he has done!

Thought this article and photo was a good one so thought I would share it here as well.

WAY TO GO NIK!!! Watch for his name in the future....he's a winner for sure!

Concordia makes a big haul at the NAIA national championships; track news, notes & links

by Ken Goe, The Oregonian
Sunday May 24, 2009, 7:17 AM

Jason Dormeyer/ConcordiaTwo-time national discus champion Nik Kay of Concordia.

Concordia, the burgeoning small-college track power from North Portland, wrapped up the NAIA championships Saturday with four individual champions, 15 All-Americans, four school records and the best-ever finishes for both the men and women.

The men left Edwardsville, Ill., tied for third place overall. The women tied for fifth

The final day had some drama too, with Nik Kay unleashing the winning discus throw on his final attempt of 187 feet 2 inches.

Kay might compete on the NAIA level, but this a big-time mark. It would have won last week's Pacific-10 Conference Championships at Hayward Field by nearly 11 feet.

Another Rainy Day

2009-05-26T09:37:00.003-04:00

We recently had more than a week of wonderful rains that made the yards very happy but made it hard to mow the lawn because it rained so much and the grass kept getting higher and higher. You had to manage to time your mowing between the storms.

Looks like we are in for more now.

The yard is loving the water but again we might be faced with how do we mow the lawns in the next week.

The rain is supposed to continue for the rest of the week but at least it's a gentle rain...lots of it but at least no real winds!

You just need to go outside in boots to get around the soft grounds!!! And at least if I can't mow no one else can either. But as I said, the yard is loving it!!!

Still laughing after the kitten update!

2009-05-18T11:26:00.006-04:00

Well the kittens next door are over 8 weeks old now and getting much too fast in their play for me to even catch them easily in pictures. They were running in 10 different directions at once and pretty close to the speed of light from what I could see. I have to say I was rolling on the floor most of the time laughing at them.

They went up for adoption last weekend but though there was lots of interest there weren't any good homes found for them yet.

They have some toys they love to run and jump on when they aren't attacking each other.

Then there was the fascination with the trash can!!

She got it on it's side then got inside and started rolling it...not sure she knew what to make of it but we were entertained!

They have all learned to crawl up the chairs and then onto the wall hangings as well. Gives new meaning to the term 'curtain climbers' doesn't it?

But they always had to be aware of who might be behind them!

Because it was only moments before the next attack would come.

I left them exhausted and ready for a nap to say the least.

Rotary Induction for Scott

2009-05-14T09:43:00.005-04:00

Scott was inducted into the Rotary Club this week. I had never known much about the club except that they did good works to help others. After attending this induction and meeting I was amazed I hadn't heard more about their viewpoints.

The mission of Rotary International, a worldwide association of Rotary clubs, is to provide service to others, to promote high ethical standards, and to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.

Scott with his sponsor, Lori Powers and the chapter president.

There were 4 new members that were inducted this day and they, along with their sponsors were presented with their pins and plaques.

Then the sponsors got a pin for their work in bringing in new members.

Something else I loved is they have this Four-Way Test which asks the following questions:

Of the things we think, say or do

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Certainly something I can get behind.

Some Days....

2009-05-13T13:45:00.000-04:00

I know just how they feel!

Speaking of Mothers....

2009-05-11T15:56:00.002-04:00

On our recent trip to the zoo we were fortunate to be able to see the brand new baby elephant....born just two weeks prior. He's oh so cute with mom and his older sister in this shot.

The most fun was watching how the older sister greeted him and watched over her brother.....

And even tried to practice being 'mother' to him.

No surprise that elephants tend to have a close knit group.

Generations of Moms

2009-05-08T18:00:00.000-04:00

I was going through some pictures from our family recently and was startled to find one of my mother's mother at about age 18. What startled me was that my daughter had looked so much like her.

Now keep in mind the years between these two pictures is about 83 years, but she looked a lot more like my grandmother than me!

I also found some photos of my mom that I wanted to share on this Mother's Day weekend because they show some her doing some of the interests she had over the years (some still to this day). She managed to find time for these even while raising 4 kids. Something I try and take a lesson from.

She loved her trips to Alaska where they would fish for salmon. I kept waiting for the one that was bigger than her! I'm sure the halibut my brother caught there was bigger than she is.

She and Will have always loved doing crossword puzzles (maybe where I got it from??) and as you can see even then the dictionaries they used were well worn. (But to be honest I'm not that good or serious about doing them, I leave that to them)

Something my mom is great at doing is cooking!! I got some of my skills from her teachings but to be honest I just don't do as much as she did, or still does. All my brothers were good cooks as well!

So mom brought us up well rounded and willing to experience most things in life and for that I thank her and love her dearly!

Sophie and the glasses!

2009-05-01T09:28:00.003-04:00

So I went next door yesterday to get my 'kitty fix' and was enjoying watching the kittens wrestle and chase each other around the room. They have this box that they now climb up a pillow onto and then jump off on each other. When they were off somewhere else playing tag I set my glasses on top of the box....guess Sophie decided they would be a neat toy...or something. Here's how that unfolded;

Where she was going or what she was going to do with them I have no idea but I was sure laughing about it while trying to capture it on film.

The Smell is Heavenly!

2009-04-25T10:01:00.003-04:00

I love this time of year when the wisteria monster on the side of my house starts blooming! The smell is just heavenly.

It's almost intoxicating at times! When I feel stressed I can go up to it and smell the blossoms and it just relaxes me right out.

I've had numerous comments from neighbors about how they love the smell of it when they walk by the house or are out in their own yards. It does carry!

Kitten Updates

2009-04-21T13:57:00.006-04:00

There is something so fun about playing with 5 week old kittens. They are old enough to start to really get around and they are soooooo cute!

Remember these ladies at one day old?

This is Stella at 5 weeks now.

Again Stella about to pounce on her toy.

One thing that is fun to watch is how mom, Dusty, teaches her kids things like stalking, cleaning and eating.

The 3 girls, Sadie, Sophie and Stella all have the hang of the food bowls now. They still walk in them but it's better than it first was when they just sat in them to eat.

But Simon still moves to be pampered with a little hand feeding as you can see....

Sophie has learned to clean herself from watching mom do it.

Simon has learned to stalk and jump on things from watching his mother...though I suspect his sisters won't put up with this for long!

They are learning all the hiding spots in Carol's basement and will pounce when you aren't looking. Even if it's a bit crowded at times.

They have this great box that Alex cut and painted with Jacob and the cats love hiding and jumping out.

Even mom can get into it with them.

And they know just how far into the box to go to get just far enough away from mom!

Don't you wish you could play too?!?!

Animals seem to know, don't they?!

2009-04-16T15:00:00.000-04:00

At our latest visit to the Wild Animal Park we got to go into the enclosures for close encounters with some of the animals. One in particular made me laugh!

There are a number of ostriches there, all female because they don't want them breeding there.

Our driver for our safari, doesn't like ostriches and this one seemed to know that...and for some reason had taken a fancy to our group.

At first she just sat in the road in front of our truck but then started flirting with us!

Flirting, you say??? Well the keeper called it that and from my viewpoint it sure looked like it.

Maybe she was trying to convince our driver she was all right after all?

35 What?

2009-04-15T11:42:00.001-04:00

We wanted to wish our good friends, Jack and Joann a VERY Happy 35th Anniversary. That is saying a lot in this day and age!! Well done you two!!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-12T17:11:00.002-04:00

It's spring and mother nature is telling us what that really means.....teasing of sun but still chilly with the winds....but a beautiful day to say the least!

We were lucky enough to be included in our adopted family's Easter Day again this year, though without the Grandparents, Kris and Dave. Always fun to watch all the kids run for the eggs that have been hidden....though we might debate the hidden part!

Happy Good Friday

2009-04-10T10:39:00.004-04:00

Spring is definitely here as well as today being Good Friday so I thought I would share some zoo baby pictures we took recently, since new babies are part of our spring time ideals.

The baby gorilla had just gone on exhibit a week before this shot.

This baby is about 6 months old but there was one waiting to be born any day now so she will have company.

Always sooooo cute, aren't they?

This new rhino was also about 6 months old. Now how would you like to give birth to something that size??

These two little guys I mentioned before. This was before their nap!

This tiger cub was playing under the log while his two siblings were in a cave wrestling near by.

Have a Happy Easter weekend everyone!