Crazy For Cats (Corpus Christi, TX)

We moved to Corpus Christi NAS last week.  We have a nice view of the bay, but the weather has not been the best for scenic photos or even to see from our site.  We thought we would start seeing more sunshine, but the cold front followed us, so we have been staying snug and dry while wind and rain whipped around our motorhome.

Here are a few photos from Medina Lake...

Hmm, I wonder how high I can climb this strange looking tree

We miss all the entertainment the deer were giving us.  This one was enjoying the extra attention of me taking her pictures.

That looks like a camera.  How do I look?

I should do the wind-blown look...

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful!

We took our friend to Bandera a.k.a the Cowboy Capital of the World while she was visiting us at Medina Lake campground.  We did not spend too much walking around since we arrived late and it was getting dark, but I did get some photos of this beautiful building.  While we were taking photos, Dan noticed the Nativity scene had a Texas theme.

This manger scene included a longhorn, a sheep, a pig, a stag, a cactus, three cowboys, and an armadillo.  I love it!

a view of the clock tower

We also had a crazy Cardinal attacking his image on our windows almost every morning.  One time, he went totally beserk on our car's mirror.  I'm surprised he did not damage his beak as hard as he was hitting it.
I tried several times to get the Cardinal's photo with the cats, but either the Cardinal or one of the cats would not cooperate by waiting for me to pull out my camera.

Max  waiting for the Cardinal

Finally, I got smart and left my camera sitting on the bed.  I really wanted a photo of one of the cats being nose-to-beak with the bird.  This one of Hitch came out the best.

hello pretty bird

On our last day, a Roadrunner showed up in the field across from our site.  I could not get too close since he was hunting between two occupied sites.

 It is considered rude to walk into someone's site without asking permission, so I took these with my 500mm lens from the road and did a lot of cropping for close-ups.

On The Cutting Board

There is no denying my love for cats.  Actually, I love all animals, but cats are my favorite...if you haven't figured that out yet.  So, this is a perfect name for this quilt:  Crazy For Cats.  

I wasn't happy with how small this one came out and I wanted to add length.  I started out by adding just a pink panel at the bottom with plans to applique more cats, but for some reason that did not look good.  I thought about trimming the bottom border and adding it to the top with more cats.  I decided against that because the cats on the top would take away from the main cat in the center.  No matter how I positioned the cats, it looked like an afterthought.  Time to do some ripping!

Squirrel's trying to sleep while I work on the quilt

I finally decided to continue the block pattern into the panel and added only two of the three cats on the bottom. Once I framed it with a solid black border, the quilt seemed to come together.  I'm a lot happier with the results.
Oh! and I had another good idea...I finally got smart and bought some clothesline for hanging up my quilts for photos.  Of course, that only works on calm days...or when I have two places to tie the line up high enough for a quilt.  Anyway, I'm hoping this will make it easier to take photos of a quilt.  I should have thought of doing this a long time ago.

Having finished the Crazy For Cats top, I decided to pull out a UFO.  I started this quilt quite awhile ago.  I don't know why I stopped working on this one since I love the way it looks and feels.  I think I stowed it one time during our travels and forgot all about it.  At last, I have pulled  it out again and I have added cats to this top as well. 

Hopefully, I will be able to finish both quilts within the next couple of months.

In the meantime, I have several quilt kits calling my name and I would like to get them sewn into tops soon.

Happy Quilting!

Merry Christmas! (Lakehills, TX)

I hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating with family and friends.

Old Elf looks pretty good for being over 50!

We enjoyed a quiet day by ourselves. The weather was warm enough to sit outside for awhile with our cats before we had our Christmas meal.  

Max pretending to be an angel..hmmm

We spent one day visiting Fredericksburg last week.  We have been there several times and I never get tired of walking around the downtown area.  Here a some photos I took:

City park is decorated for the season

I had a tall Christmas Pyramid.   I believe I had five tiers.  It was hard to put together and even harder to get the wheel spinning.  If the candles were too short, there wasn't enough heat to spin the wheel.  I can't imagine lighting candles for this one!  It's a good thing this one is electric!

Isn't it beautiful?  So much detail!  I would like to see them putting this one together...

I don't recall seeing this jolly fella before.  I just had to take his picture.  He looks like he is having a lot of fun.

Look at that smile...  Loooove the earrings...LOL!

I will never tire of looking at local architecture.  Someone once mentioned on TV it is like living in art.  Watching House Hunters, it is funny to see one house appeal while another repels them.  Our homes are a great way to express ourselves.  Maybe that is why I am so fascinated by the bridges and buildings that I have seen all over the world.  The influence from our forefathers' backgrounds and the materials that were available for each location can be quite interesting.

I would love to hear the story behind this building with the elephant.  

Maybe it started out as an import shop before it became a gallery.

Walking down the main street, we kept seeing this steeple a couple of blocks away.  The steeple looks so majestic that the church must be quite a sight to see.  Is it just me or does the church seem small and simple in comparison to its steeple?  The steeple certainly does a good job of attracting people to the church!

Below are a few more photos of sights that caught my eye as we walked down the street...

need a hat?

Tree carved in front of the Public Library

I love the colors and the bench design

peek-a-boo!

We also went to Trade Days that is just a few miles away for Fredericksburg.  I'll wait for the next posting to show you what I found interesting there!

On The Cutting Board

Or not... :(

I know quite a few of my friends are Downton Abbey fans, so I wanted to share an English Manor Mystery Quilt Along that is starting with the new season in January. 

Pinterest

I wish I did not have so many projects right now, not to mention, that my fabric bins are overflowing.  I really need to get some quilts made soon.  

Pinterest

Anyway, if it wasn't for those two obstacles, I would have signed up last week.  I really like the idea of working on a related block while watching Downton Abbey.  If you sign-up for this, I would Love to see your blocks and the finished quilt!  I bet it will look as romantic as some of the ladies' dresses.

Speaking of quilting, I do believe I hear some fabric calling my name.  Time to do a little sewing.

Happy Quilting!