Comments Rejected? (Tinker AFB, OK)

Do you leave comments in blogs?  Have you been receiving one of the Mail Delivery Failed like the one below?  I have been receiving quite a few from comments I leave in different blogs.  Another recent problem is the notices I use to receive from my blog for comments waiting moderation.  They were no longer showing up in my Inbox.  Now, I have to check the blog's comment section, so I decided to see if there was a way to change the settings.  I did a Google for "failure DMARC Yahoo" since I have a Yahoo mail account and I found this site explaining why our comments are no longer notifying the bloggers:   Could Yahoo! and AOL’s DMARC Policies Destroy Your Deliverability?   Apparently, Yahoo and AOL changed the settings for all their members to protect them.  The bad news is that we cannot changed the settings.  It looks like we are stuck with this new protective system whether we want it or not.  So, never fear, I am not rejecting your comments.  Sooner or later, I will publish and answer your comment!

We move to Lawton, OK tomorrow morning.  I look forward to visiting with our granddaughters and daughter.  It has been three years since our last visit.  The girls have changed so much since the last time we saw them.

The cats will probably be a little happier with our new location.  We have been to Ft. Sill a few times, so we know what waits for us.  

Talk about a noisy location  The cats beg to go outside and only last about 30 minutes before a barking dog or some other loud noise has them running for the door.  Poor guys.  They are not happy campers right now.  I'll be happy to leave too because this campground is very small and the spaces are tight.  Parking becomes a major event while the poor driver tries several times to maneuver a big rig around cars and other rigs setup close to the road.  Parking our car is a pain too.  As you can see, our neighbor's assigned parking spot is at our door step and our car is parked at the next neighbor's door.  It feels a little backwards.  We are practically on top of each other.  Thank goodness the neighbors are quiet and most respect each others' small spaces.  Needless to say, I don't think we will be back this way any time soon.

On The Cutting Board

I feel like my productivity is way up, but when I look at the photos below....well, it just doesn't look I have much to show for a 10-day stay here.  I'm almost done with this wall hanging.  I just need to finish the border and decide on how to hang it.

 I appliqued jumping rabbits to all four corners of this quilt top.  I hope to sandwich the top in the next two weeks.

I finished quilting all the mug rugs below.  I need to add buttons to the doors and my heart patch to the back.  This will give me ten new mug rugs to list.

Speaking of listing.  I haven't opened my shop yet.  I'm not sure if I will open early or wait until January.  I thought I would build up my inventory first.  It would be nice to open with at least two full pages of items.  

Okay!  I guess I better get back to the cutting board and see if I can get a few more stitches in before bedtime.

Happy Quilting!

Exploring the Three Capes (Pacific City, OR)

We drove the three Capes Route.  It was very scenic.  My favorite was the Three Arch Rocks in the ocean which has been a National Wildlife Refuge since the early 1900s.

There was some serious road work just outside Oceanside.  While we were waiting our turn, this was our view.  I played tourist and hung out the car window taking photos.

We have been to Cape Meares State Park before, but I love going there for the scenic views and for the lighthouse.  This is the shortest lighthouse in Oregon.  I love it's location.  I tried to get a good photo of the Three Arch Rocks from the lighthouse, but the low lying clouds were not cooperating.

Near the lighthouse is the Octopus Tree - another hard subject to photograph.  The sign says the Sitka Spruce is about 250-300 years old.

Okay, one move view of the coast before I move on...

On The Cutting Board

So, when I am not out seeing the sights, I have been hand-quilting the Gift Shop sign.  About halfway through, I was beginning to wish I had used the sewing machine.  It was taking longer than I had planned.  Now that I am done, I'm glad I did not.

Well, off to work on adding a border and attaching the autumn leaf.

Happy Quilting!

Desert Touring (Benson, AZ)

Still catching up on our Tourist Moments....  Before we left Benson, we visited the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.  Big mistake!  Between Spring Break and warm weather, not to mention, a Friday, the place was hopping....and they don't even have a single bunny or jackalope.  Even some of the employees commented this had been their busiest day in quite awhile.

Since we were already there, we decided we might as well brave the crowds and enjoy ourselves.  The highlight of our visit was the Hummingbird Aviary.  Hummingbirds were buzzing all around us.  Adults and children were quietly walking around in awe of the little guys.

very neat looking nest

It was so cool to have several different hummingbirds buzz our heads and go between people.  Sometimes pausing between people as if to say "funny, this wall wasn't here before".

Costa's Hummingbird

There was another bird aviary with a lot of doves and a few different birds, but it did not compare to the Hummingbird Aviary.

Am I feeling blue?

We checked out the Cat Canyon with Bobcats, Mountain Lion, and Ocelot.  Of course, on a hot afternoon,  they were not moving around too much.  The Mountain Lion was belly up in a deep sleep next to the window while the bobcats were bathing themselves in the shade.  At least, we got to see them.

Peek-a-boo

We did not stick around for the Raptor Free Flight since we figured we would not get a good spot for viewing on such a busy day.

Kestral

I was framed!  I'm breaking out!

After spending a winter with 320 acres filled with wildlife, the Desert Museum did not seem all that appealing to us.  The best part of walking in the woods was the anticipation of meeting something along the way and if it was a bird or an animal we had not seen before....well, that was just an extra bonus for us.

Saguaro National Park

The Saguaro National Park is actually located in two areas.  One is on the west side of Tucson near the Desert Museum and the other is on the east side of Tucson near Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.  We have visited both now and we agree the east side was a lot nicer, but the west side had wonderful vista views of the valley below with Saguaro cactus stretching out for miles in of us.

Okay, caught up on Benson.  Yea!

On the Cutting Board

I finished the last two rabbit mug rugs and they are now listed on Etsy.

I'm giving my fingers a little rest from working the needle through layers of Steam-A-Seam2 adhesive, so I thought I would practice some different embroidery stitches on the Snowman collection.

 And practice my applique techniques on an Art Nouveau wall hanging.

I'll start working on the Uncle Sam mug rugs soon.  Got to get them done before the 4th of July!

Doing the Touristy Thing (Benson, AZ)

Benson, AZ

Cactus Wren ~ fluffing up to call his mate

We moved to Benson on Thursday.  It is nice to be back at the Escapees' Saguaro campground.  Our site is in the center this time and it is okay, but we preferred the front lots with the cattle field in front of us.  There were a lot of quail and other birds hanging out across the street.  Lots of entertainment.  Maybe when we finally lease a site, we can get one in the front row.

¯I'm calling youuuuuuu! 

We have had a full agenda with visiting several areas so now I am behind on posting our touristy visits.  Today, the cold front has hit Arizona with high winds and rain.  Not to mention, a lot colder and very dark outside.  Sounds like a good day to stay indoors and do some catching up.  So, here's our first touristy visit with nature photos:

Patagonia Lake State Park

Our first tourist stop was at the State Park that everyone has been telling us about.  It was a gorgeous day where flowers were a-bloomin', bees were a-buzzin', and cow were a-mooin'.  

Moooo?

 Wait! What?  Yes, there were cows in the state park.  It is a free range area, so it is not unusual to find cattle blocking your path.  Not to mention, watching where we walked.  None of this walking and searching trees for birds unless we wanted smelly shoes.

Itchy head?

 

 

We did not see too many birds.  We heard them, but could not locate them in the high trees.  Maybe if we spent a few days there we would find them.  We did see some different ducks and one lone Great Blue Heron sitting in a tree.

No one can see me....

On the Cutting Board

I finished all three mug rugs!  I will be posting one a day on Etsy for $9.50 each.

 I started working on my last two rabbits.  I hope to have them posted before the end of this week.

Happy Quilting!

How Do You Say Good-Bye in Bird? (Huachuca City, AZ)

Yesterday, we spent a good part of the day packing or trying to remember where everything went.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I bought more stuff!  It's like trying to fit size 13 feet into size 10 shoes!  That's what happens when I don't keep things where they belong.  Sigh!  Lesson learned.  I must stick to my #1 rule:  if I don't have room for it then I must not need it.  Anyhow, I managed to get everything packed away.  It just took a little longer and a lot of juggling of stuff.

We spent some time talking to our friends/co-workers one last time and we took our last walk around the Preserve.  I will miss all our new friends along with all our new bird friends that we came to know so well, but we will be back.

The Vermilion was cooperative by landing on a lower limb so I could get a better photo.

Even the Rufous-backed Robin came out to peek at us.  I haven't seen him in a couple of weeks.

You are not gone yet?

Today, we said good-bye to Patagonia.  As you can see, a very unique town.

I'm not going to miss the Gila Woodpeckers hogging all of the hummingbird's food.  I was a little worried they would break the feeder.  They are too big for the feeder.

Hitch watching a Gila Woodpecker

We did not go far to our next destination.  We are about a half-hour down the road at Quail's Ridge RV Park in Huachuca City.  We have driven by this campground on our way to Sierra Vista and it is nice.

The cats are not happy because it is back to harnesses and leashes again.  Can cats mope?  Because I swear that's what three of them were doing after they came in from their walk.  We are only staying here for a few days so we can visit some areas nearby then it is on to Benson for a week.

On the Cutting Board

Before packing up my sewing machine, I sewed together three mug rugs.  Now I have lots of hand sewing to do!

Happy Quilting!

Our Last Week at Patagonia

On The Cutting Board
I thought I would have a lot of free time to get caught up on my quilting projects.  Well, I was half right.  We are staying fairly busy, but not to the point that I am too tired to work a little on my projects.

I ironed together two rabbits and three Uncle Sams

And....I sewed all the feet and wings for all eight mug rugs.

Great Horned Owl
I can't believe how lucky I was to see this Great Horned Owl!  Visitors kept telling us about sighting them, but I wasn't finding a single one.  Every once in awhile, I would hear one hoot with no luck in locating the owl and now I can see why...

I was walking with a visitor and showing her some of my favorite spots for bird watching when a huge bird flew across the creek and landed in a tree.  Using my trusty 500mm lens, I was able to identify the big bird as a Great Horned Owl.  I explained to the visitor where I was looking.  Just as she spotted the owl, he flew away.

I groaned because I didn't get a very good picture and said "oh no, he flew away!"  The visitor said she was still looking at the owl.  I thought she was saying she saw where he had landed.  It turned out we were looking at two different Great Horned Owls!  And this one....was a LOT closer!   What a day!  I got my photos!

On the Road Again!

We leave the Preserve on Monday, 12 March.  We have plans to visit Bisbee, AZ before we go back to Benson for a week.  Then we are off to Yuma, AZ to check out another Escapees campground.  We are on the move once again!  Happy Trails!