Textures of the North Cascades (Concrete, WA)

North Cascades

I feel like I have come home.  I spent a good part of my childhood growing up in the Pacific NW despite all of my Dad's Navy assignments.  Somehow, he always managed to get back to Washington State.

Stepping outside to feel the cool moist air that is filled with rich earthy smells of soil and trees brings back memories of camping with my parents and with Dan during our early years of marriage.
  
I don't remember seeing Cottonwood seedlings floating in the woods when we went camping many years ago.  Here in the national park, they were everywhere.  Giving the illusions of tiny fairies floating and swirling around in a magical forest….
                 .....delightful….enchanting....
                                            tickling my nose....sneezing..........a lot!
.....despite the hay-fever, I am enjoying every new discovery. 
                                    

Oh!  You bet I took a lot of photos.  Between waterfalls, moss covered trees, and wildflowers...oh yea, I have a few to share.  I have loaded them into our Webshots albums into 2 separate folders.  One folder has most of my Macro shots.  Our first day was perfect with the sun shining through the treetops giving me plenty of different photos.  I spent more time taking Macro shots then walking.

  
I uploaded two new albums to our Webshots:  Textures and Colors  and Views of the North Cascades

There are so many textures and different shades of green with occasional pops of brilliant colors from wildflowers that I felt it needed a separate folder.

Hitch and I were driving each other crazy.  I wanted to take pictures and he actually wanted to walk.  Usually, I can get a couple of shots in before Hitch wants to move on, but not in the mountains.  He was on the move the whole time.  "Are we going for a walk or what?  I want to go explore this area...come on!"  I think all the other cats wore out their sniffers because they were sleeping in every morning.

The last couple of days were perfect for water shots with overcast weather and an occasional sprinkle of rain.  So exhilarating!  We drove back up the pass and stop several times to view waterfalls.  The rivers are running deep and swift from all the snow runoffs.  Gorgeous!  Wish you were here!

Newhalem is a company owned town.  The Seattle City Light built the small town of Newhalem and maintains the dams on the west side of the North Cascades.   The town is small, but beautiful as they tried to keep much of Mother Nature present with large green areas filled with trees and flowers.  There is a small grocery store and the company’s old housing looks well-maintained and spacious.

They even have a gazebo built from recycled parts from Diablo's switchyard.  I like the shadows it makes, but not much cover when it rains.

Temple of Power Gazebo

By the way, if you are active duty, now is a good time to get an annual pass from the National Park Service.  They are free with proper ID information.  Go to http://www.store.usgs.gov/pass/military.html.

Blog Changes 

I really enjoyed my week away from the internet.  I got some more quilting done along with lots of sightseeing in the mountains.  I'm cutting back on my blogging.  I made a decision to change my blog posts to every three days instead of every other day.   So, my next post will be on Thursday.

On The Cutting Board

I finished two more Lover's Knot blocks.  I have one more yellow block cut out and ready to sew.  

 Gosh, I am loving the way these three look that I am going to be digging through my stash for more Aunt Grace's Reproduction fabrics.  These are 10.5 inches, so another 16 blocks will make a nice size lap quilt.

What do you think?  40x50 inches large enough?

365Project

Oh! and I started my 365Project again.  I probably will not be as diligent with a daily photo this second time around.

Happy Quilting!

4Squares and 365Project (Spokane, WA)

Okay, I sewed the blocks together.  Then, I did a quick hunt through my stash and found some tiny hearts on white background that I feel will match well enough.  I added the hearts w/white background border to the blocks first.  Just to break it up a little..

I decided to try something different for a border.  I sewed a 1.5 inch strip to the extra squares and alternated the squares.

Pieced them together and Ta Da!  I'm so surprised at how well this came out considering a week ago I had not known these 4 inch squares were still traveling around with me.

I still have a few squares left so I'm going to add some appliqué hearts.  

Yep, I just can't leave a quilt without some kind of appliqué work on it.

Project 365 ~ 1 Year!

Yesterday was my last day for 365Project.  It is a relief.  I no longer have to scramble for a photo each day, but I have to admit that I have learned a lot in one year of daily photos.  

Dusty the great hunter

The first being - never leave home without the camera.  Even when I just plan on a short trip to the grocery store, the camera was with me.  I became more aware of my surroundings especially behind me.

Tiny wildflowers

I learned a lot about my camera and what it is capable of doing.........oh, so that's what that button is for!

Hitch surveying his new found kingdom

Since I carry a large DSLR camera, I would feel very self-conscience about taking photos in unusual areas.  I learned to ignore the strange looks while taking photos in Lowe's parking lot, kneeling in outdoor plaza areas, shopping in stores, or waiting in restaurants. 

Lemon Yellow Starburst

I also learned to response to people's comments.

  "Wow!  That's a big camera!"  ~Great upper body strength builder.

       "That camera looks expensive."  ~And it is worth every penny because I love the results this camera gives me. 

Parting shot #365  Hugs from Max!

I plan to continue with 365Project, but not right away.  I need a break plus we are heading into the Northern Cascades on Sunday and I probably will not have WiFi for almost a week.

Happy Trails!