Desert in Bloom (Benson, AZ)

We are settled in the Escapees Saguaro SKP Co-op in Benson, AZ for the next couple of weeks.  Our timing was perfect for viewing many cacti in bloom.

I have been going for a walk every morning and can't stop myself from taking photos.  I have noticed that I look forward to my walks between the blue sky, the views of the valley below us, the different textures of plants, and colorful flowers....as long as I get out in the early morning's cooler temps.  By the afternoon, I am not so enthused.

I actually have a sore neck from trying to look at everything during my morning walks.  So much to see between the wildlife and the park settings.

Chollo

Almost every plant in the common areas has a name tag.  I really appreciate the park's volunteer gardeners spending the extra time to tag each plant.  

Prickly Pear

It certainly makes it easier for guests to learn the different kinds of cactus along with other desert plants.  A lot of repetition.  That is dedication!

Yellow Bird of Paradise

I turned the photos below into a collage so I could share more photos of the park.  We are on two waiting lists for a site.  One in the northwest and one in the southwest.  Our plans are to take a permanent site after our travel days are over. 

our temporary site with a view

It has not been an easy decision between Sutherlin, OR and Benson, AZ.  So, many pros and cons for both and neither is winning more pros than the other!  Besides the better winter weather, I love the Casitas built on each site.  Each one made unique by the site's lease holder.  Below are views of some of the different style Casitas from the road.  The bottom left photo shows the space behind the sites with more plants.

The next collage shows the fountain and garden near the Club House along with more blooming cacti.  The lower left photo is a back view of our coach between two sites.

Granted this area is hot and dry.  Water shortage is also a problem, but I still love the desert, the colors, the dry air, and the birds....so many different birds. Okay, so the House Sparrow below is more common, but I have seen roadrunners, quails, and others that I could not identify.

And yet, I love the northwest area as well.  We could become snowbirds and summer in OR with winters in AZ.  Hmmm, I'm glad I don't have to decide today, but I know that day is coming soon.

On The Cutting Board

Four quilts done!  Here are some quick photos of each one.  I will need to find a better spot to take photos for my Etsy shop.  The fabric collection in Cosmos quilt had me wondering what I was thinking.  It sat in the closet for quite a long time because I thought the collection was too dark for a child's quilt with so many browns and sage greens.  With a little yellow, a flash of red, and white background added to the mix and...Ta-Da!  I do believe Cosmos, the Star Puppy looks quite cheerful. 

Cosmos The Star Puppy

The Giraffe quilt is done!  The blocks were easy to do and the giraffes look quite cute, but I'm pretty sure I will not be making this quilt any time soon.

Giraffe quilt

Peek-a-boo Bears - done!  I love the way this one came out.  The scraps really pull the whole quilt together.

Peek-a-boo Bear

The last one is the Zoo panel that I have renamed Hippo and Friends.  I plan to give this one to a children's charity group since this fabric was given to me by a friend.

Hippo and Friends

That's it for now.  I have more quilt tops needing appliqué work.  I hope to have some more to show you in my next post.
Happy Quilting!

Traveling Through California (Desert Palms, CA)

Okay, it has been a month since my last post.  Time to get everyone caught up.  We are happy to be back on the road again.  After leaving Sutherlin, we spent 10 days in Valley of the Rogue State Park.  Weather was starting to cooperate with warmer days and less rain.

So nice to be able to sit outside and go for walks without spending 15 minutes layering up!  

Walking path inside state park

Dusty was in grass heaven!  Wandering around, meowing "so much grass, so little time!".

Dusty and Hitch (front)

Our neighbor did not know he was hosting a squirrel.  This little guy spent most of the day sitting on the tire.  A perfect spot to watch the cats, eat lunch with a view, and cool enough for naps.

After having perfect weather during our state park stay, a cold front had to show up just in time for our travel day with wind and rain.  Northern California was already giving flood warnings.  Fingers crossed, we hoped for the best and kept going.

Siskiyou Pass

As we moved further south the storm front had move on and the weather cleared.  I couldn't get my usual photo of Mt Shasta this time, so I opted for Lake Shasta instead.

Lake Shasta

Yes!  It finally looks like we have found Spring!  I actually blew the dust off of my t-shirts!  I rarely wore them last summer.

Once again, the weather had us worried about traveling with a forecast of high winds.  We decided to leave a day early and get to Lancaster, CA a day early.  The reason for being in a hurry to settle in Lancaster was because I was signed up for RV School.  Yep, I took a driving course with our motorcoach that is 40' long, 8.5' wide, 11.7' tall, over 34,000 pounds with a beam steering axle, max turn cut is 38 degrees plus with tow car attached (car and tow bar) we are near 60' long.

We had a great instructor from RVSchool.com.  He showed up at our site and immediately put me at ease as he explained how we would start the day and what I would accomplish by the time we were finished.  With Dan riding along as an observer and also as my spotter for parking/backing the coach, we learned quite a bit about our coach's ability.

2 days of 4 hours per day instruction for $495 (plus a tip)was more than worth it. I can now safely maneuver in tight spaces, on narrow roads, city traffic, ascents, and descents.  With our aging, and possibility of illness or medical issues, we felt it was imperative for me to be able to safely drive the coach. I'm tired, but feeling a lot more confident about driving down road!

To celebrate my completion, we found an excellent little restaurant called Don Gus Mexican & Seafood.  The veggie burrito was delicious, but it was the cherry filled Chimichanga that I really loved!

On our way home, we stopped for a few groceries at a store we had never visited or seen before.  We were pleasantly surprised at how cheerful and colorful the store's presentation was to shoppers.  If we had not been so tired after our long day, we probably would have spent more time looking around.

Vallarta Supermarket

We are now settled in Desert Palms, CA near Palm Springs.  This is our first time visiting the area, so we will be busy exploring the surrounding area.  BTW, I did the parking while Dan directed.  We did it once without pulling forward!👍👍

Tight site

The cats were impressed....😎

Max and Dusty

On The Cutting Board

I have been working on my quilt tops.  I finished appliquéing this quilt with clipart paw prints and a dog from P.S. I Love You Two! A Sequel by Nancy J. Smith & Linda S. Milligan.  

I did not like the quilt in the book, but I do love this little guy.  I think I will call him Cosmos.

 I'm almost done with the Zoo panel.

 I just need to finish the embroidery and I can move on to the next top.

 I sort of goofed on the elephant.  I did not realize the mistake I had made until I was ready to embroidery the face.  If you haven't noticed, the face is a little lopsided.

 Oh well.. I think he still looks cute.  Okay, so I'm sort of caught up, but I am going to wait to show you photos from the Palm Springs area.  Back to the cutting board!
Happy Quilting!

Spring Equinox (Sutherlin, OR)

Spring is here!....or almost here.  Either way, I'm ready to start celebrating spring by getting back on the road and doing some traveling.  We leave on Monday!  We will start with Eugene first before heading south.  Oh, did I mention that we have changed our travel plans?  Yep, the weather is not cooperating.  Instead of heading due east to Bend, we will head south.

On The Cutting Board

I decided to celebrate the beginning of Spring by making new Happy Campers with little gardens.  Only three designs so far.  I'm hoping they will be a big hit so I can make more.  I miss gardening and this is as close as I will be getting to having my own garden for quite a long time.  Best part with this kind of gardening - no backache or bruised knees.😎  I made a total of 13 Happy Campers, but only four have the garden theme.  I'm adding one a day to stretch out my new items in my Etsy shop

Since we were spending quite a bit of time at home while Dan was healing, I managed to make several quilt tops.  Below are six more quilt tops ready for their appliqué add-ons. 

I made two Sweet Pea's Garden tops in different colored sashings and borders.   A sweet pea vine will go up the side and across the top.

Below:  the one on the right is just a panel with a border added.  I have had this fabric for a long time because I could not cut it up.  I decided to just leave it whole with a border and add a couple of appliquéd animals.  The one on the left is a scrappy star quilt with dog printed fabric, so I'm adding a puppy appliqué design from "P.S. I Love You Two, A Sequel".   I'm think I will call this quilt Cosmos, The Star Puppy.  I might add some paw prints across the quilt as well.

The last two are fabric leftovers from the ABCs and the Sweet Pea's quilts using the Crazy 8 pattern.  I have two more tops still being sewed together.  I hope to have them done before we leave next week.  Including the Peek-a-boo Bear quilt that I showed in a previous post, the total comes to nine quilt tops since November.  That's if I finish the last two before Monday.

Sewing in the bedroom has definitely made a difference on my sewing time.  I'm amazed I was able to get so many done in such a short time.  Less distractions?  Maybe I should go figure it out...

Happy Quilting!