Montana's June Snow (Bend, OR)

The last two days of June will be forever in our hearts. Our first great-grandson - Finley James Howard was born on 29 June 2020. 6.2 lbs 19 1/2 in long. 💓😍

Welcome, little one!

The next day, on 30 June, Dan and I celebrated our 45th anniversary with Thai food and a dessert of gelato ice cream in downtown Bend, OR.  Hard to believe we are great-grandparents to this cutie!

So what have we been doing for the past month?  We spent a month in Deer Lodge, MT.  We were ready to settle for a while after our long days of traveling from Texas.  It was so nice to see so much green and snow-capped mountains!

At the Indian Creek RV park's entrance

We were assigned a site in the far back corner near the highway with a truckstop behind us.  We rarely had neighbors.  Which was fine for us because we had a great view of the mountains and plenty of space for the cats to roam.

We thought it would be noisy being close to two high-trafficked areas, but it wasn't too bad.  The noise seemed muffled from both areas.  Only at night, I would hear a truck's generator running.  It reminded me more of a cat's purr making it easy for me to fall asleep. 

View from our bedroom window of mountain and truck stop to the right.

After our 14-day quarantine ended, we explored the small town by walking from the campground on a scenic nature trail that took us to a pond with a river otter living in the two bushes on the far side.  We tried to sneak up on him a couple of times to get a photo, but he was too fast for us.  It was still exciting to catch a glimpse of his head or a flick of his tail before he disappeared.

The trail also took us past several creeks flowing with crystal clear water...

One of many creeks/streams along the trail

Creek running through the town's residential area

 and past a large property with its own pond and pasture with a donkey, horses, and one heifer.

This became our favorite stop to take in the view and to watch the animals graze.

Hey!  I've seen you before, haven't I?

We talked to the owner one day while he was out feeding the horses a snack and getting one ready for a ride.  The donkey was staying close to his side as he walked around the pasture checking the horses.  The owner mentioned his donkey was getting old, but was friendly and loved hanging out with the horses.  

Have you seen my friend, Shrek?

He also told us that we were welcome to stop by and ride a horse because they needed the exercise.  It has been too long since I have been on a horse and had flashes of disasters that would happen if I was even able to get into a saddle so I just thanked him for the offer.

As we walked along the trail past this one tree, a Northern Flicker kept startling us by suddenly taking off just as we passed the tree.  After a couple of jump-starts to our hearts, we started looking for the bird as we approached the tree but we were having a hard time seeing him before he would fly off.  We thought it was just a favorite eating spot and he was moving around the tree to stay out of our sight before flying away.  Then we found a hole on the opposite side of the tree trunk.  As we got closer to the tree, we would look for the Flicker's head to peek out.  He (or she) must have gotten used to seeing us because he stopped flying away or maybe there were eggs to be protected and did not want to take the chance of leaving them alone.

On 5 June, we woke up to snow.  Big fluffy flakes!  By 10 am we had around 7 inches of snow and no power.  Having a generator really comes in handy at times since the power was out for most of the day.  We were very happy we had no travel plans for that day.  Dusty did not appreciate the snow and sulked most of the day.

Looking outside, it felt like Christmas in a winter wonderland!  We had to go for a walk.  The pond was overflowing and running down the trail.

The Canada Goose family was enjoying the snow day with a swim in the pond with their little ones.

The only thing sad was the damage the snow did to a lot of trees.  It was wet and very heavy causing branches to snap off.   Some of the campers found trees leaning heavily on the roof of their rigs and vehicles due to the limbs being heavy with snow.  One small trailer had almost disappeared under tree branches and snow.  Not quite sure how the owner got out of his door that morning.  The campground crew was quick to remove the damaged limbs and snow before it caused problems for the rigs.  By evening, most of the snow had melted.

Dan discovered these two sleeping together on the bed.  Dusty must have been extra tired to let Max put his leg on top of him.  I don't know what it is with Max and his hind leg lately.  He keeps trying to do that with me.  Nothing like waking up in the night with his leg across my head!  Yea, I don't think so!

Hitch was in a spunky mood during one of their outings.  He was rolling around in the grass while poking Dusty once in a while and making strange sounds.  The grass must have felt extra good after months of dirt and gravel in our previous sites.  I thought it was funny.  Dusty did not.😾

Dusty does have his happy moments and for the most part, is very gentle with the other two.  He loves it when one of us takes him for short walks.  He talks to us the whole time.  Before this photo was taken, he had been rolling around wanting a belly rub until Hitch showed.  Poor Dusty, sometimes I get the feeling he wishes he was an 'only' cat.😼

On The Cutting Board

My brother received his quilt last week.  He is quite happy with the finished quilt.

I decided to do simple machine quilting so I was able to finish the quilt quickly.  The freeform was a little shaky at times, but using the walking foot worked out great on the sashing, borders, and mountains.

I am down to one major project!  I have started my first quilt-as-you-go.  Our queen size Native Flair quilt.  Below is a photo I showed you a few months ago of the layout without the alternate blocks.

For those that are not quilters:  Each block is layered, basted,

and quilted before sewing the blocks together.  Unlike my brother's quilt above where the top is assembled before I layer the top with batting and backing for quilting.  After the block is quilted, I trim the batting so it will lie flat.  Then I sew the top layers together on the machine and use a slip-stitch to secure the two backings together

This is a learning process for me and one mistake I made was quilting too close to the edges.  I should have re-read the instructions before proceeding. I should have left a good 1/2 inch free of quilting stitches along the edges.

Now, I keep my little ruler and marking pen
nearby so I don't quilt too close to the edge.

This caused some major heartburn while making enough space for the machine's foot to sew the top layer together.  It came out a little lumpy and made it hard to keep the line straight.  I finally had to rip some of the quilting stitches out.  I'll have to go back and pin the loose stitches or rip them out and start over after I slip-stitch the backing together.

Here it is!  My first row is done and it is laying flat - thanks to lots of ripping and grumbling chant "I will not quilt past the 1/2 inch mark!😁  Only four more rows to go.  Sorry for the angle of the shot, but it's hard to get a good photo of something this long inside the coach.

Hitch supervised and approved of the first row, so time to start working on the next row.

Happy Quilting!

Kayak Hits Our Motorhome on I-84 (Grants Pass, OR)

NO INJURIES: It's been a long time since I have had an auto accident, but this is the first time I have had a 'boating' accident with our coach on I-84 just 9 miles out from our new destination in Viento State Park.  Jokes aside this is turning into a  major mess.

Damage to compartment's door and latch

Due to the kayaks NOT being properly secured to the car's front and back the two came flying off the passing Durango with the rack still attached. The kayaks dropped into the left lane and were hit by the car behind them which caused the biggest kayak to slide right in front of the coach. I tried to miss it but did not have enough room or time. By the time I had stopped, the kayak was wedged up against our front tire. We had to use our Air leveler to raise the front and pull out the kayak.

Generator's muffler torn off - cannot dry camp until fixed

There was damage done to the fiberglass on one compartment door and tore off our generator's muffler. We were lucky that no damage was done to the coach's front wheel or to our Honda. I am also happy that the Tesla driver was keeping a good following distance. They could have had a kayak going through their windshield. We have video from three different angles thanks to the Tesla cams and our dashcam.

Quick response from the State Trooper and the Deputy Sheriff. They did a great job of helping us, but they did not cite the kayak owner.  Within a few days, this whole incident had become a nightmare for us and for the Tesla owners.   Along with damage to our home, we will need coverage for hotel and food while the coach is in the shop.  

The coach is fine for traveling, but we will not be able to use our air conditioner while driving on hot days until the generator's muffler has been repaired.  You are probably thinking we should travel during the cool early mornings.  That would be great except we are booked with quite a few parks with 1pm check-outs and 4pm check-ins  Since we are only a couple of hours away from our new locations, we have to find a rest area to wait out the differences.  Such fun on these hot days.  

Because the kayak owner is now claiming the kayak rack was defective and is in the process of filing claims against the company, his insurance is dragging out our claim for damages to our home and to the Tesla. Dan and the Tesla owner have sent instructions from the rack company showing that they specifically instruct rack owners to secure all items to their cars with straps and not just to the rack so he doesn't have any grounds to make such a claim when we have video of no straps securing the kayaks to the front or back of his car.

Almost two hours later, we finally made it to Viento State Park and were able to destress with these wonderful views of the Columbia River.

We also took a walk to a nearby fall, but I'm going to save the photos for the next posting.

I promised a friend that I would post more photos of our cats this time.  So here are a few mugshots that they allowed me to take of them.

Hitch surveying his surroundings

Dusty being a big quilt helper.
Dusty told me: "your lines are crooked."

Caught cuddling - Dusty and Max

It was your idea. 
Now, she thinks we look cute and keeps snapping pictures of us!

Time to backtrack to Sturgis, SD.  

While I was waiting to get my license renewed, Dan's sister invited me to the Black Hills Quilt Show.  The link will take you to the Winner's Gallery if you would like to see more quilts.

Unique Giraffe quilt

Since I did not take my camera, I limited my photos to the quilts that really inspired me and I really needed the inspiration.  For a couple of months, I have not felt like quilting just embroidering or reading.  Spending time talking and shopping quilts with my sister-in-law was also a major push to my quilting recovery.  Whew! that was a close one.

Since I love the more unique appliqué work.....well as you can see...that is about the only photos I took.

Love this Harry Potter's Bookshelf!!

This is my favorite quilt because it has three of my favorite pastimes: Harry Potter/Hogwarts along with lots of books all appliquéd into a quilt.

Crabapple Hills quilt

Speaking of witches, I love the Crabapple Hills designs.  I just can't see me spending all that time coloring fabric when I would rather be embroidering or sewing the design.  I might try some of their new blocks without coloring and see how it looks when I am done.  Have you seen their latest designs?  Check out the Witches and their vintage campers in Autumn & Halloween

Okay, here's a few more appliqué quilts that I would like to make...

....someday.

I have the Art Deco pattern for the quilt on the left in the above photo.  I started one block and now it is a UFO.  If I'm going to make a floral quilt, I should probably start with that one, right?

I added this commentary from The Quiltfolk website.  Michael really caught our spirit and passion for quilting or any other hobbyist.  I can't imagine life without some kind of hobby.  The Quiltfolk "Quilt & Time" by MICHAEL MCCORMICK

On The Cutting Board

With my new found inspiration, I started working on my last, yes definitely my very last large quilt (not written in stone)😌 before we left South Dakota.  I have been wanting a Southwest theme quilt for our bed for a couple of years, but I don't have the energy to work on a large quilt in a hoop.  

I have decided to try 'quilt-as-you-go'.  This is my first time trying this technique.  I will need to applique 12 blocks altered with patchwork.  I will have to come up with three new designs to make the quilt larger since the Native Flair pattern only has nine.  So far, I have decided to add Kokopeli, a gecko, and a hummingbird.  I might make a fourth design because the Llama doesn't fit in too well with my SW theme since they are not indigenous to North America.  I think a Quail would be more at home in this quilt.

I'm still working on my A to Zzz Snowman quilt.  Here's the latest block for U, T, and V!  This one took me a while to finish.  I can't believe that I am down to W, X, Y, and Z!  Then I'll have another quilt to make and I have no idea what I'm going to do with it.

Time to get back to my quilting.  I need to cut out my sashings today and start on my nine-patch corners.  Sew much to do...where to start?
Happy Quilting!

Best Laid Plans (Spokane, WA)

..........often go awry.  Yep, that's the way the last couple of weeks have been for me.  First, it was the sudden attention our cats wanted during our travels along with bad weather.  So, not a whole lot of sewing going on during that time.

With two weeks in Spokane, I planned to catch up on my sewing projects, take photos, and get some items listed.  I did not plan on turning into a......a shuffling, snuffling, wheezing, sneezing Zombie moaning for more Tissues!  Those lovely trees outside our motorhome were dumping super-strength mutated pollen.  Usually, I can take a Claritin and be fine the next day.  Not this time.  I spent over a week fighting allergies so I did not get a whole lot done the first week.

On The Cutting Board

I'm happy to say that I am back among the living and getting a few things done.  I have twelve Happy Camper tops embroidered and ready to sew together.

I have two new ones with a black bear profile that I'm in very excited about listing.

Here are three smaller Happy Campers in different colors.

And of course, four of the all-time favorite color combo of red with aqua or teal Happy Campers.  I have more to work on and hopefully, they will all be finished before June which is not too far off.

Oh, and here's a photo of a T@B trailer.  It was parked next to us for one of the nights while we were in Montana.  Isn't it adorable?  You can see where my inspiration comes from for my Happy Campers.

T@B Trailer

As soon as I started to feel better, I started working on some projects for myself.  I have been wanting to finish my SW pillows since last winter.  Ta-Da!  All four are now done!  If you like the Native Flair pattern, you can order the epattern from QuiltWoman.  I'm tempted to make a lap quilt to match the pillows.  After, I finish a few other UFOs.

Speaking of UFOs, my armchair sewing caddy has been on the To Do list for a long time.  I finally had to make a new one because the other one was falling apart.  The fabric had faded from exposure to the sun, over stuffing it to the point that the seams were popping, and the straps were frayed from moving the caddy from one chair to the another chair.

This time, I made the new one a little wider with deeper pockets.  Now Dusty will not be able to chew on my pens and pencils sitting in the top pocket.  To make the pockets stronger, I used one long tube of folded fabric and sewed down sections instead of separate squares of fabric.  I'm quite happy with the way this one came out considering I only spent a couple of days working on it.  I just wish I had used a heavier interfacing for the back.  I'll have to remember that for the next time.

Tomorrow is a travel day.   We plan to stay a few weeks in mid-Washington at Crescent Bar before we start our move towards the west coast.  

In the meantime, I think I am going to enjoy something I have not been able to do since we left the NW area.  I'm going to have a cup of hot Wild Huckleberry Tea while I read through Mary Janes Farm before I do a little more sewing this evening.
Happy Quilting!