On With the Show! (Redmond, OR)

I'm off to catch the morning shuttle to Sisters.  Kristy and I have enjoyed the Quilt Expo, but it was a lot smaller than we had expected.  

We certainly did not need more than a day to see all the booths and talk to the vendors.  I saw many patterns and fabrics that I would love to buy.  I managed to restrain myself.  I only bought one pattern book, 1 yard of fabric, and a bottle of Instant Antique in a bottle.  I have been wanting to try a Hawaiian applique block and the this book does a great job of demonstrating with step-by-step photos.  Quilt Passions had all sorts of applique patterns - sea turtles, sea horses, tropical flowers....and the list goes on.  Anyway, I have a new project(s).  Now, I just need to find the time...

I haven't had much free time to work on projects or answer emails/blog comments.  The last few days have been fun-packed with quilts, quilt/fabric talk, and showing Kristy the surrounding beauty of Central Oregon.

The following photos are from Shevlin Park in Bend, OR.  Dan and I walked this one last week.  The walk had a few surprises with arched pedestrian bridges....

 old covered bridge

and my favorite...

a dry creek filled with balanced rocks....

It looks like people walking on the trail would stop and make their own balanced rocks.  We have seen these along the beaches and other spots, but never this many in one area.  I often added balanced rocks in my rock garden.  Every once in awhile, heavy winds would knock them down and I would make new ones.  Of course, I had to add my own balanced rocks....

Not too bad...eh?  and I'm off!

Happy Quilting!!

Contagious Energy in Bend (Sunriver, OR)

We have really enjoyed our stay in the Bend/Sunriver area.  So many beautiful and diverse places to visit.  So many hiking trails to walk.

We rarely enjoy being in a populated....okay crowded area, but Bend seems to be the exception with its clean streets, green tree-filled city parks, and paths everywhere.  Many of the people take advantage of the warm summer days by biking, jogging, walking, swimming, and flipping over rocks...

 Yep, that's what I said "flipping over rocks"  We were walking by and I saw one guy go flying and flipping through the air so we stopped to watch.

They were pretty amazing, not to mention, the amount of energy they had considering it was in the high 90s that day.  The energy of Bend is very contagious.  We are out almost every day and sometimes we are gone all day.....only to come home to some very upset cats...."where have you been??".

 Oh, and did you notice the art sculpture behind them.  They are kayaks!

There is art work every where.  This is a tunnel under a busy street near the Old Mill District.

The more we explore Oregon, the more convince we are that we will make Sutherlin our homebase in the future.  We have visited so many State Parks to visit and I have a lot of photos.  Here are some from Tumalo Falls.

Tumalo Falls

The walk to the head of the falls was short, steep and worth it.  What a view!

We followed the path along the river for 3 miles before turning around.

We spent a lot of time exploring Cascade Lakes Hwy west of Bend.  Here are some photos of Sparks Lake.

Sparks Lake

Missing our kayaks just about now....

dog in kayak

Gorgeous!  Wish you were here!

On The Cutting Board

A good friend suggested she would be very interested in a maroon and tan Vintage Trailer mug rug.    I love a challenge!  When I started this project I knew I wanted to make it a horse theme since I know she loves horses....well and she loves cats too, but I thought the horse was perfect for this one.  I went online to see what designs were available.  I found this free tattoo website that shares some amazing art work and I fell in love with this horse head.  I made the mane longer so it would flow over the window and door.

 But, I couldn't stop there.  I added white flowers.  I would say daisies, but I don't know of a daisy with a dark pink center which matches better to the color scheme than yellow.  Anyway, I finished the flowers by twisting green through the mane and adding leaves.  My friend and I are very happy with the results.

As a matter of fact, my friend likes this so much, she has asked me to make a second one for a horse-loving friend of hers.  I want to thank her for this inspiration.  Oh, by the way, I plan to add a teacup and a kitty's face to my friend's window.  What can be more relaxing than to look out your window at a gorgeous view while sipping a hot cup of tea in the company of your cat (or cats in my case).

Speaking of cats....we better get them outside today.  They kept me up a long time last night.

We move next Thursday to Redmond.   Pinch me!  I am on Cloud 9!!!

Happy Quilting!

Counting Down! (Sunriver, OR)

I hope everyone had a great time celebrating the 4th of July.  We spent 3 July walking around the Old Mill District and Woodriver Park in Bend.  On the 4th, we went for a 9 mile hike to Green Lakes.  I am still recovering from our walk today.

Old Mill District

With the heat index hitting the high 90s, people are finding fun ways to stay cool on the Deschutes river by kayaking, river rafting, and paddle boarding.

Deschutes River

I'm getting behind on posting photos of our walks, so I'll just add a few each time I post for awhile with the locations of where we have been walking.  Below is the double Paulina Falls from last week.  I did not take my camera with me since it was still raining when we went for our walk around Paulina Lake.

Paulina Falls

One more week and I will be in quilt heaven!  Ever since I watched Alex Andersen tour the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in "Simply Quilts".  I have been wanting to go.  I really did not think it would ever happen, but it is becoming a reality - bigger and better than I ever imagined!

The quilt show in Sisters is on Saturday (July 13), but there are several other quilt shows going on during the week.  My SIL found out there will be a  Quilt Expo (July 11-14) in Redmond and guess what??!!  We have reservations at the same fairgrounds!   I will be within walking distance to four days of quilts, vendors, and classes!  Yes!

Also, the  The Old Mill District in Bend will be hosting the Sisters Quilt Walk  from July 5-22 with quilts scattered throughout the district in different shops.  And if that wasn't enough,  the Black Butte Ranch will have quilts on display all through July.  I can't believe I have gone from just a 1-day quilt show to so many shows within a short drive of each other.

And I can't forget the quilt shops - the Stitchin' Post and Homestead Quilts & Gallery.

On The Cutting Board
If I'm not too tired from a day of exploring Bend's surrounding area, I am sewing on some more vintage trailer mug rugs.  Here are three of them.  I have more that I will show you later.

I have been having so much fun using my imagination on how to decorate the trailers that I decided to add something to each of the windows this time.

flowers in the window

kitty peeking out the window

tea time!

Now, I just need to find some time to get out the sewing machine and these done!

Happy Quilting!

Where The Lava Once Flowed (Sunriver, OR)

The following photos are from Newberry National Volcanic Monument - Lava Lands.  Talk about feeling like I have walked through a portal and into a different world!  There was a 1-mile paved path that led us up towards the crater through the old lava flow.  The different lava formations were very interesting along with what manages to survive in it.

If you go to the link above, you can see an aerial photo of the crater.  It is quite fascinating to see.

Golden Mantle Ground Squirrel

We read about why the trees get so twisted.  New seedlings will get one strong tap root into the hard rocky ground.  That one root only supplies food to the one side of the tree, so the tree slowly revolves to get nourishment to all sides.  Hence the twisted tree trunks.  Amazing what Mother Nature can do to survive.

twisted tree

The lava land covers thousands of acres.  It is such an unusual sight to see where the lava stopped and suddenly there is a lush forest with Ponderosa Pines, rivers, and creeks.

Mt Bachelor and Sisters Mountains

Below are fireballs.  Like snowballs, they grow bigger as they rolled down the lava's downhill flow.

fireballs

 The beginnings of a new twisted tree...

Amazing to see this tree growing here

Okay, I ran out of things to say about Lava Land, but I have a few more photos that I can show you while I talk about something else....

In May, we marked our 4th anniversary of full-timing.  June 30, we celebrated 38 years of marriage.  We have been so busy spending the month walking and becoming more healthy that the anniversaries just came and went by without our notice.  Okay, we did celebrate our anniversary with some Ben & Jerry's ice cream....

and flowers

Anyway, we have put a lot of miles on our feet and our Fitbits.  The best part is seeing the results.  Sleeping better, more energy, and a loss of extra pounds!

lots of flowers

Yep, this has been the best way to celebrate our anniversaries instead of dinner out, overeating, and feeling like napping all day.  Usually, I have a dull headache for the next couple of days to remind me of my overindulgence as well.  Instead, I have feel great and ready to go for another walk...and more picture taking, of course.

chipmunk

Cathedral Windows by Clare O'Donohue

Surprise!  I managed to finish a book between all our explorations.  This is pretty short - less than 80 pages, but a wonderfully written story about a small town with a big heart in the spirit of giving.  Nell is teaching Elementary students how to quilt when a young two-time Afghanistan War Veteran now teacher is accused of burning down his own home.  He has already lost all of his family and depressed, he feels there is nothing left for him in his old hometown.  Nell soon enlists the help of her quilting friends to help solve the mystery and to show this beloved teacher that he has not lost everything in the world.
Happy Trails!