Sand Dunes In My Backyard (Nehalem Bay State Park, OR)

ahhh, do you have to leave?

We said good-bye to our sea-loving friends...the sea lions and got back on the road driving north.

zzzzzzzzz

Newport, OR

Next stop - four hours later, only 100 miles north on a winding road and very bumpy, we finally made it to Nehalem Bay State Park.  By the time we had the motorhome parked in its new site, the cats were practically climbing over each other trying to get out the door.  They are usually good about staying near the motorhome when we let all four out on their leashes, but not this time.    They scattered as if they had planned it so we could not get them all back inside so we could move again.

Dusty ran for the tall grass, Squirrel immediately took off to other sites, and Hitch went up a tree.  Even our skittish Max was exploring outside his usual 20-foot radius from the safety of the motorhome's door.  After herding them back into our site, we finally decided we could only handle two at a time.

Behind our site was a trail that lead us across dunes to the beach.  What a view!  Wouldn't this be a wonderful spot for a home.  To step out onto your porch and see this every day.

Hwy 101 is just below the clouds on the side of  the mountain.  It is quite a scenic view when it is clear.

We walked from the state park into Manzanita's downtown area.  We like the warm and friendly atmosphere of the town's locals.  My kind of town with many restaurants offering interesting vegetarian meals and shops offering creative artistic items.  We moved today to Seaside.  It is only 22 miles away, so we might try to go back for a visit.

The sun made it out for one day before the rain came back.  Seems to be our running record for the coast - one sunny day with rain for the rest of the week.  We were lucky today to have just a heavy mist while traveling to Seaside.  We will stay here for the next three weeks.  Hopefully, the rain will slack off because this campground is very soggy.  They have mini ponds where camp sites use to be.  The ducks seem to like the new change.  Funny to see them swimming where rigs are usually parked.

On The Cutting Board
I finished sewing together the All Creatures Great and Small quilt.  It needs a good ironing.....and I can do that now.  We have full-hookups, so I can iron and get some projects done.

I'm thinking of adding a small border of sage before I set it up for quilting.  Sorry I wasn't able to get a full photo of the quilt top.  Once we are in a dry area and it is a calm sunny day, I will get some photos of the whole top.

Well, the cats are begging to go outside and explore their new home.  I guess we better take them out and get in a walk as well.

Happy Quilting!

A Little Sewing Here, A Little Quilting There (Newport, OR)

Here are a couple of more photos of our last outing to Depoe Bay and Boiler Bay.  The sun is peeking out from behind the clouds today.  We hear we will be seeing more of our sunny friend this week.  Which is good since Thursday is our travel day.  

We are moving north to Nehalem Bay State Park.  We stayed there for five days in the fall, but we did not get a chance to walk around Nehalem's downtown area that was nearby.  We were there when a large storm system came through making it hard to walk around the town.

I can't remember how our WiFi was during our stay.  It might be a little too weak for posting, so there's a chance I won't be posting for about a week.

On The Cutting Board

So, I have been all over the place with my projects since we have full-hookups with plenty of power.  The sewing machine and iron are getting a lot of use.

I finished appliqueing the Hawaiian Sea Turtles.  It is all setup for quilting.  I plan to do the traditional echo quilting...Oh! and I decided to turn this into a wall hanging.  It's too big and way too white to be a pillow.  It would have to be washed too often to keep it clean.

I also finished the quilting on the Cat's Welcome wall hanging.  I went a little quilt-happy on this one.  I love hand-quilting!  Now, I need to decide how to finish it.  I have the binding.  I think I'll add loops for hanging with a dowel.  eh!  I'll work on this one.

Since I have finished the embroidery blocks for "All Creatures Great and Small" quilt, I have been washing, ironing, and cutting fabric for the blocks.  I have most of the blocks done.  I have never setup quilt rows vertically.  I'm finding it a little harder to do since I lack the room for arranging the blocks.  The couch has been my best spot for laying out two rows at a time, but to do the whole quilt....well, that is going to be a challenge to get the cats to stay off our bed long enough for me to arrange the quilt to my liking.  As I sew the blocks together, I can see this is going to be a very colorful quilt with these colors.

I'm also working on my Happy Campers, but I am not ready to show them yet.

Happy Quilting!

Sea, Sand, Sun (Newport, OR)

We had a great first couple of days back in Newport.  The sun has been out with just a light breeze.  The best part - it wasn't too chilly for a walk on the beach.  

Ona Beach State Park 

We walked almost five miles yesterday and I am certainly feeling it today, but it was so nice to be outside with the sun warming our faces.  I hope we have blue skies for the next couple of days.

It is certainly nice to be on the move again even if it is back to a place we have been to several times before.  I'm looking forward to our travels to South Dakota.  It has been quite awhile since our last visit....five years to be exact.  Amazing how time flies.  In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this gorgeous weather.

On The Cutting Board

We have full power....yipee!.... so I have been working my iron extra hard.  Lots of fabric to get ready for my new projects.  So far, I have cut out about 10 new Happy Camper mug rugss.  I'm transferring patterns for embroidery now.

I finished embroidering the last block for the All Creatures Great and Small quilt.  I started cutting the fat quarters and I am finding that quite a few of my fat quarters are so crooked that I am having a problem getting the exact amount of required pieces.  According to the instructions, each quarter would have given me 8 large pieces with 12 smaller ones with very little left over.  I will need to add a ninth fat quarter to make up for the lost pieces.

Well, I need to go hunt through my stash or maybe go shop for some matching fabric.....
Happy Quilting!

Stitching Along (Sutherlin, OR)

We have been doing some shopping and cleaning for the past couple of days so this post will be real short.  I think the spring bug has bitten both of us.  We are ready to get on the road again.

It has been a slow week for my projects.  I did manage to get a little sewing done in the evenings.   I decided to use the perfect circle templates to make the tires for the train and car.  Boy, did they come out perfect!  I might use them for my next set of Happy Campers too.

I'm also on the last embroidery block for All Creatures Great and Small quilt.  I hope to start cutting the fabric for this quilt soon.

Well, back to the cutting board...or the thread and needle...or maybe I'll eat first then decide what to do....yea, feeling a little lazy tonight....let's see what is on TV!

Happy Quilting!

Turkey? No Thank You! (Sutherlin, OR)

Happy Thanksgiving!  Gosh, it is that time again.  Time to gather around the turkey with friends and family.  This year will be different for Dan and I.  I won't be cooking a turkey or eating it.  In May, we changed our diets to all vegetarian.  We changed our diets for health reasons and I can say we have a lot to be thankful for this year.  I feel better than I did at the age of 40.  Less creaks in the joints, less headaches, more energy, and I lost 15 lbs (Dan lost double the weight).  I really did not think I could change my diet.  The big surprise for me - I don't miss my old ways of eating.

It's still cold here, but not as bad as places

This doesn't mean we will be missing all the festivities.  We plan to join our new RV park friends for a thanksgiving dinner.  I plan to make a big dish of brown rice stuffing with carrots, celery, mushrooms, and almonds.  I'm sure we will have no problem finding other dishes to eat.  This will be the first time since our son was four that I did not spend two days preparing our thanksgiving dinner and I have to admit - I am enjoying the freedom!

Hitch:  yea, sure, I remember you

Speaking of our son, Shaun left yesterday.  We had a great time visiting with him.  The cats seemed happy to see him too. Although, they did not come right out and say so.  Always playing the cool cat attitude.

Shaun is officially "moved' to his new home in Everett, WA.  I'm positive that he will be happy living in Washington State.  He loves to hike and camp.  Not to mention, there will be plenty of new places for him to explore from Canada to Northern California.  I wish him all the best on his new adventure.

On The Cutting Board

After Shaun left yesterday, I received a package from one of our friends and a quilter.  It is a John Flynn quilting frame.  I have never used one, but I'm willing to give it a try.  I have slowed down on my free-form quilting because it is hard on my back and shoulders.  I'm hoping this frame will make the quilting a lot easier.  Storage will not be a problem since the frame breaks down.  The three arms fit in my closet and the rest goes into an overhead compartment.    It is so sweet of her to give this to me when she decided to upgrade to a longarm machine.  As soon as I get some PVC, I plan to start practicing with my new frame.  Christmas came early this year!

I'm running a little late with this post because I really wanted to go shopping in Eugene today.  We spent most of the day going from one store to another.  I needed to do some shopping at Trader Joe's and since I was there and loaded with coupons....I might as well do some shopping at Joann Fabric Store too.  

I wanted to get some fabric for this embroidery project from "All Creatures Great & Small" by Natalie Bird that I have been working on for over a year...or is it closer to two?  Anyway, I am almost done with the embroidery blocks and I was a little worried about finding fabric that would match the threads.  The more I thought about it, the more I worried.

Eh, I worried for no reason.  I took some of the blocks for comparing colors and this is what I found.  They are quite a bit brighter and yet, they seem to go well with the embroidered blocks.  I plan to split up the embroidered blocks into two smaller quilts instead of making one large one.  Hopefully, I bought enough fabric for both quilts.

 With a new quilt frame to try and a beautiful pile of fabrics to use....I am very motivated!
Happy Quilting!

Summer Days (Tucson, AZ)

I feel like summer has just started.  I actually pulled out my t-shirts and capris.  So nice to wear light-weigh summer clothing even if it is just for a little while.  I hear Patagonia is getting down to the low 50s at night....darn.  Oh well.

We have been busy this week doing a lot of shopping.  Stocking up for our winter stay at the preserve.  Of course, we can drive back to Tucson anytime, but we prefer not to do that very often.  

I did a shopping trip to Joann's during the Columbus Day.  So many items on sale for 50% off really made it hard for me to stay on course with my shopping list.  My main item was to buy a new OttLite bulb that usually goes for $34.99.  Pricey, but I have had this one bulb for over 6 years.  Not to mention, it has saved my eyesight. Lucky for me, Joann's had it for half price!  Yea!  I also stocked up on batting and a few other quilt-y items....okay and some fabric.

I also stopped by Trader Joe's and stocked up on a few staples like my favorite peanut butter, almond milk, and a variety of nuts.  We have also made trips to Walmart (of course), Target, and grocery shopping.  I am enjoying the warmer weather so much that I made some Quinoa Tabouli with fresh parsley for a quick snack.  Delicious! 

1/2 cup Quinoa

1 1/2 cup parsley

1 cucumber

3 medium tomatoes

1/3 chopped green onions

2 tsp. dry mint

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 - 1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

On The Cutting Board

During the last couple of weeks of travel, I have been keeping myself entertained with embroidering a new project from "All Creatures Great and Small" by Natalie Bird.  Aren't they adorable?  They are so tiny (4.5x7in) that I can finish one block within two days.  Once I have finished all of the blocks, I will add them to a quilt. 

Owl and the Pussycat

Elephants

Goldfish

Oh, and I do plan to start working on some more Snowmen soon

The Devil's Puzzle: A Someday Quilts Mystery by Clare O'Donohue


I finished the last of the Someday Quilts Mystery series.  I hope Clare plans to write more.  I really enjoyed the quilt talking as well as the murder mystery.  This time Nell has been volunteered to organize a quilt show during Archer Rest's anniversary celebration.  I thought this can get quite interesting since I have never seen behind the scenes of preparing for a quilt show.  Even though it was fun to read, there wasn't a lot of detail on the setup.  I did like the visions of quilts hanging from the store fronts.  Sounds familiar, doesn't it Sisters?

Of course, having a body dug up in her grandmother, Eleanor's backyard was a big distraction.  I actually found this mystery a little slow compared to the previous books.  I think part of it was that Nell wasn't fighting with the Chief of Police and she did not seem very interested in solving the case.

I did finish it and I did enjoy the story.  Most of all, I loved a couple of things Claire wrote about quilters and quilting.  Here are my two favorite quotes:  "It is our meditation, our therapy, and our connection to the soul."   "We are all joined by a love of needle and thread, by the usefulness and the beauty of a quilt, and by the friendships that form because of it."
Happy Quilting!