On the Columbia River (Crescent Bar, WA)

We spent the last four days in Crescent Bar in central Washington.  Below is a view from our campground of the wide, the deep blue....Columbia River.  

We did a lot of driving around with a little reminiscing.  They say you can never go home, but I enjoy seeing how the old town has changed.  Dan grew up in Manson and Wenatchee.  I spent 8 years of my teen life in Wenatchee.  We had a class together in high school, but did not really talk to one another until after Dan graduated.  We dated all through my senior year.  Dan joined the Air Force.  I graduated and we were married within the month.  June 30 will by our 38th anniversary.  How time flies!

We visited the Rocky Reach Dam.  Their grounds are always immaculate and it looks like they have added more art to the grounds.

The horse power mural is still there and just as impressive as the first time I saw it.

One more photo of the grounds.....

We went to Lake Chelan to see how Manson has changed.  The whole area has grown, but there are still fruit orchards along with new wine grape fields scattered throughout the area.  Below is a photo of Lake Chelan. Doesn't the water look inviting?

Flowers blooming everywhere and I did take more photos of them, but for today I will post my favorite one of a huge white poppy.

In Wenatchee, we walked part of the Riverfront Loop.  The loop is a little over 10 miles and crosses the Columbia twice.  Lots of walkers, joggers, and bike riders...busy...busy!

View from the East Wenatchee side

We crossed one of the two pedestrian bridges

A view from the pedestrian bridge.

On our way back, we watched these two dogs retrieve the ball from the water.  Well, one did while the other one watched.

 A long travel day tomorrow - Wednesday.  We are heading south to Oregon.   This means I am getting closer to my visit in Sisters, OR and their quilt show!  WhooHoo!
Happy Trails!

Behind But Not Forgotten (Crescent Bar, WA)

I'm a day behind on posting.  The last two days have been a bear of a day with not much time to sit and think about what I was going to post.  We traveled on Friday.  A short, but very windy trip that left us tired when we arrived in Crescent Bar, WA.  We both went to bed early last night.

Before we left Spokane, we spent one day sitting in a waiting room while our motorhome had some work done on it.  And I mean 'one' full work day from 7 a.m. to after 4 p.m..  My behind can tell you all about the sitting. I did not bring my computer to work on my pending blog post.  Yet, the day was not wasted....I finished the embroidery on this project.  It took 5 hours to complete.  

Except for short walking breaks and lunch, I kept at this just to see how much time it would take to finish.  I actually thought the motorhome would be done long before the embroidery.  Boy, was I wrong!  It is rather nice to know how long it takes me to do this part.  Of course, I still have no idea how long it takes me to collect the fabric, cut and fuse pieces, or to finish it with quilting.  I'm sure it takes me several work days.  But since I enjoy making and don't consider them work, I have no plans to finish timing myself.

Walk This Way

Here's where Dan and I have been spending a lot of our time for the last few weeks.  Fairchild A.F.B. has a very nice running/walking track near their fitness center.  Don't let the photos of empty tracks fool you.  That place is busy no matter what the weather or time of day.

The track has a soft rubber surface that makes it very easy to walk more miles without feeling the mileage.  All the green grass with the hill in the middle is visually appealing and has my mind just a-wandering while we walk.

I like the postpile rocks at the top of the hill.  It has the mysterious European look to it.

The walk up the hill gave us a lovely view of the field and the surrounding area.

According to FitBit, the walk up the hill completes two flights of stairs.  We go up and down...up and down...
Well, that's it for today.  I need to get to work on my last project so I can get it listed real soon.

Happy Trails!

Fit To Be Tied To A Computer (Spokane, WA)

Look at that!  Blue sky with a few fluffy clouds.  It is turning into a gorgeous day.  The cats are begging to go outside and I agree with them.  Time to get outside and enjoy some sunshine.

Getting Fit

Recently, Dan bought each of us a new way to monitor our walking.  I have been using the GPS, but it only tells me distance, time, and speed.  It sort of challenged me to walk a little farther or faster, but I had no idea what I was burning in calories, not to mention, it was bulky to carry.  I tried to keep records of what I was doing, but that got a little monotonous.  I have been trying to lose weight since last summer and keep a walking routine as well.

So, here is my new toy and I love it.  The Fitbit monitors my steps, flights of stairs, calories burned, and  distance.  It will also monitor my sleep if I wear it at night which has been interesting to see how the cats often interrupt my sleep and how long it takes me to get back to sleep.

Very small device with big information

The best part - I don't have to manually enter any of this information into the computer just my calorie intake.  I am already seeing a difference.  I'm walking more often.  I wear the Fitbit all day long and try not to sit for long periods of time when I am home.

Oh!  Almost every morning, I do about 1000 steps just from cleaning up after the cats' midnight parties and whatever else needs attention.  I wonder what I use to get in steps when we had a house and I was cleaning it.

So, this is what I see when I go to the Fitbit site.  There's more information below, but this gives you an idea.  I love looking at the charts and the percentages of what I have done or need to do.

There is another site that our Fitbits are connected to...this one is called NeuFit.   This site has challenging quests for a few fitness monitor systems.  I joined a few quests just to see if the challenges would motivate me more than just the Fitbit.  I can connect with other people or go solo. 

We also have a new weight scale by Withings.  The scale is also connected to our computer.  The scale takes our weight, body fat, and heart rate.  I feel like I have walked into a sci-fi movie.

Blogger's Quilt Festival
Thank you for voting for my baby quilt.  Congratulations to Nifty Stitcher for winning the baby quilt category and to all the other winners.  Lots of talent out there in the world!

On The Cutting Board

I should have these two mini wall hangings done by the end of this week!  Both designs are by Nancy Halvorsen.  They were suppose to be made into cones, but I don't have the room to store cones without them getting squashed.  Both minis are about 7 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches.  Such a nice change of pace to start and finish a project within a couple of weeks.  

I know....if I stopped starting so many at one time...well, that is never going to happen.

Happy Quilting!

Cats and Fabrics, Who Can Ask For More? (Spokane, WA)

It has been a slow week for outings and photos.  I did get one good one of Max and Dusty.  Max loves to cuddle with anyone that sits still long enough for him to sneak up on them.  Apparently, he wasn't very sneaky.  Dusty woke up and decided to give Max a bath.  

Max and Dusty

That's when I showed up with the camera...of course, he stopped bathing Max and actually posed for me.  That doesn't happen very often for me.  They usually scatter as soon as they see me with the camera.  Uh oh!  She's got the camera...Run!!

On The Cutting Board

Spokane's weather:  cold winds, overcast, and a little bit of rain.  

My weather:  90 percent chance of heat from the iron with many hours of digging for that one piece of fabric, extreme project planning that will keep me going all day long.   WARNING!  Do not expect to see the fabric piles to fade away by evening.

2 snowmen and a Welcome Cat

I can see on the horizon many projects ready for embroidery and embellishments...

I love Laurel Burch's material

Snow day!

Tomorrow's forecast:  extreme chance of great satisfaction of getting many wall hangings ready for sewing.

Made in U.S.A. Minis

sigh!......Happy Quilting!

Recycling Feathered Friends (Spokane, WA)

There is a tall tree right outside our motorhome's door with a nest that looks like it is made of fuzzy feathers.  For the past week, the Western Kingbird couple has been building the nest.  They have been quite entertaining while I am sitting outside with the cats.  

Western Kingbird

 Squirrels find out the hard way that the birds do not want any visitors in their tree.  I have seen them chase two squirrels away and I'm pretty sure there are no eggs yet since they are still working on perfecting their little nest.

Oh, and speaking of the nest...it is made of lint from the dryer's vent!  I found a piece of lint on the ground under the nest and thought...maybe I should get a closer look at that nest.  Sure enough!  It is lint.  This baby bird is going to have one safe and cozy nest to grow up in.

I read this quote online a while back.  I liked what she said and decided to keep it.  I just found it again in my documents.  I tried the link and it is no longer available so I will just share what I saved that day.

Birds are important because they keep systems in balance: they pollinate plants, disperse seeds, scavenge carcasses and recycle nutrients back into the earth. But they also feed our spirits, marking for us the passage of the seasons, moving us to create art and poetry, inspiring us to flight and reminding us that we are not only on, but of, this earth. ~ Melanie Driscoll, Director of bird conservation for the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi Flyway

On The Cutting Board
Whoo Hoo! The "Let Freedom Ring" wall hanging sold within 24 hours!  Thank you!!!

So, I decided I wasn't quite done putting together the quilt kits.  I dragged out all my material and put together a bunch of wall hangings. I have four 4th of the July wall hangings by Nancy Halvorsen and one tea party theme by Urban Threads. Urban Threads has unique designs in machine and hand embroidery patterns. I have ordered a few and have way too many favorites!

I slipped in the snowball/penguin quilt too.  I just love the penguin material!

There is still time to vote at the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I want to thank my friends and family for voting for me.  Much appreciated! 

Okay, back to the piles of fabrics and making more wall hangings.....or mug rugs....oh, and I have to cut some more fabric from my scrap bags......

Happy Quilting!

Saving For A Rainy Day (Spokane, WA)

Saving fabric, that is...and we are certainly getting our fair share of rain.  We have been in Spokane since last Friday.  The weather has been decent up to yesterday afternoon when the wind picked up and blew in a cold wet front.  Time to dig through my stash and get started on some quilt kits.

5 new quilts to work on

I have been wanting to do this for a while, but you know how it is...I think about it before bed and forget about it by morning.  I finally wrote myself a list of projects I wanted to get setup into kits.  So, far I cut the Sunbonnets' borders, printed foundations and cut fabric for two Tumble quilts, cut fabric for another Crazy 8's quilt, and last but not least, a snowball quilt with a penguin theme (not in photo).

I have also been working on some wall hangings and mug rugs.

With the kits, I don't have to worry about all the time it will take to find the right fabric or to setup and breakdown.  I do need to spend more time this week putting a dent into my scrap bag that I just added to...again!

Here's a couple of photos of my last quilt project.  This quilt along with the kits (once they are finished) will be donated to a children's charity.  I am finally making a dent in my stash!

Ocean Blue

with otters, whales, and dolphins

I finished and just listed this morning a Nancy Halvorsen's "Let Freedom Ring" wall hanging in my Etsy shop.

I have been busy visiting entries in the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I have seen some gorgeous quilts.  I think I have seen about a third of the entries.  So many quilts, so little time.  On 24 May, Amy will open her link for voting, so I need to start taking notes of the ones I like the best.

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Gosh!  I'm a little lost for words. *Wondrous*Enchanting*Mystical*Magical....I found myself craving cakes and I'm not that big on cakes, but I could almost smell the sugar in the air...my mouth watering...mmmm.  Sarah's stories always ignite my imagination and she never fails to entertain me right to the end.  Her books are like a comfort food....so relaxing and she always leaves me begging for more!

17 year old Emily comes to live with her grandfather in a small southern town in North Carolina filled with unusual characters and secrets after the death of her mother.  Emily's mother never spoke of her childhood home or about her own father.  Emily sets out to learn about her mother's past and what the charming people of Mullaby are hiding.  All I can say is once you start reading this one, you will not want to leave..I mean stop reading it!

Sarah Addison Allen has a new book coming out this year called "Lost Lake" and I haven't read "The Sugar Queen" yet.  I'm saving it for later.

“Books can be possessive, can’t they?  You’re walking around in a bookstore and a certain one will jump out at you, like it had moved there on its own, just to get your attention.  Sometimes what’s inside will change your life, but sometimes you don’t even have to read it.  Sometimes it’s a comfort just to have a book around.” 

~Sarah Addison Allen, The Sugar Queen