A Change In Plans (Sutherlin, OR)

A lot happened since my last post.  Often when I post our travel plans I would also mention they could change.  They certainly are changing this time.  At the moment, we are settled in Sutherlin, OR at the Timber Valley Escapees SKP Park.  We got a great spot on this hill with views of more pine covered hills surrounding the park.  Nice!

Okay, now for the changes.  First of all, we have listed our 94 Bluebird BMC for sale.  It hasn't been listed for long, but it has generated a lot of interest already.  So, you are probably wondering if we are giving up on our traveling lifestyle.  Not even close!

Dan found online a very well kept ForeTravel motorhome with 2 slideouts for sale.  This motorhome will give us more elbow room, catnap space, and storage.  Dan has been spending a lot of time talking to the owners and we are in agreement to meet them in the late fall to make the transaction.  Hopefully by that time we will have sold our own motorhome.

Which means our travel plans have changed for this winter as well.  We had planned to stay here in the NW area traveling between Oregon and Washington.  Now, we will start heading south to Texas by way of California, Arizona, and New Mexico.  Yea!  I get to spend a week in Albuquerque!  I hope to see some of my old friends.  I guess I better warn them.  ;)  Just a few changes and a little stressful with trying to time things just right.

Before all this happened, I had been planning to tell you about our last stop in Silver Creek, WA and our visit to Mt. St. Helens.  Below, is a view from Paradise Thousand Trails gate.  Imagine going to work with that view every day.  

Below is a photo of the same valley off to the right of the above photo.  We are close to Mt. Rainier and to Mt. St. Helens.  You can barely see Mt. St. Helens peeking through the clouds.  I found myself wondering if someone stood in this spot on May 18, 1980.  Wondering just enough to make my hair stand up on the back of my neck.  

A very scary day when she erupted.  I was actually visiting my parents with our 3-year old daughter in Wenatchee, WA.   The ash followed the Columbia River through Washington State and Oregon.  I remember that Yakima got hit so hard with ash that daylight was blackened out and became night within minutes.  We were in Central Washington which was farther up the river, but the valley still ended up with a layer of ash covering it.  We watched from my old bedroom window on the second floor as the ash cloud followed the Columbia River into the valley.

We spent the rest of the month of May watching the news as it covered Mt. St. Helens destructive path, amazing rescues, and interviews with survivors.

Visiting Mt. St. Helens National Park brought back so many memories.  I will never forget watching Harry R. Truman saying to the reporter that he will not leave his home on Spirit Lake.  

There are a couple of photos inside Hoffstadt Bluffs of Harry Truman sitting with 4 of his 16 cats in his kitchen.  If you happen to visit Hoffstadt Bluffs, have lunch at the Fire Mountain Grill.  My veggie wrap and Dan's veggie burger were delicious and we had a great view to enjoy while eating.  They also have helicopter tours around the mountain, a gift shop, and a large collection of newspaper clippings setup outside the shop for visitors to read.  The clippings are full of stories about the 1980 eruption, and the aftermath 

On the farside of Hoffstadt Bluffs' parking lot, sits the original KOMO TV4 news car driven by Dave Crockett.

I remember watching Dave's news clip as he recorded the eruption and talked to the world as if this would be his last words.  He was one of the lucky witnesses to be rescued later.

At the last stop, there are more stories of rescues and eyewitness accounts of that day inside the Johnston Ridge Observatory.  This is the closest we could get without hiking down one of the paths.  I was quite happy to view the mountain from this point.

What looks like puffs of smoke is dirt and ash blowing around.  Although, she did erupt again in 2008, there were no worries on the day of our visit.  According to U.S. Geological Survey, she remains active, but there are no signs of impending eruption...for now.

A good thing to know since I can't even imagine the power behind the blast that took out these trees.

Just look at their stumps.  They are shredded!  It's amazing so many people actually lived through the blast.

Back at Paradise TT campgrounds, Shaun came for a long 3-day weekend visit.  We spent most of the time around the campground since Labor Day weekend was very busy.  The campground was packed.  I'm sure the national parks were even busier.  Plus, the weather was not cooperating for viewing mountains.  Lots of overcast days, but warm enough to sit outside with cats.

Although, Dusty may not look thrilled at the moment, he was quite happy with us sticking around to let him spend the time outdoors.

Come on Shaun.  Let's cross the road.
I know there are plenty of critters to hunt for in those bushes.

Okay, I will hunt here then.

On The Cutting Board
Recently, I became quite irritated with my press-n-cut board.  I liked the idea of using a smaller area without taking up all the counter space with separate cutting board and folding ironing board.  I have gone through three of these in the past six years.  I'm suppose to be able to iron on one side and cut on the other. Maybe the heat settings were too high, but if I am ironing cotton, I need to use the cotton setting.

As soon as I use it for ironing, the cutting board warps which makes it very hard to use for cutting.....and I'm back to using a separate cutting board.  If that is not bad enough, the more it warps, the harder it is to use for ironing fabric flat.  Even the smaller projects became a chore to iron on the warped surface.

Cut and Press Board

Time to do some research and I found the perfect ironing mat that rolls up for storage.  I read that some people had a problem with the edges melting.  So far, I have not had that problem.

I love the fact that I can roll it up and put it behind my chair.  It is out of sight, but within my reach when needed for the next project.  Great for traveling too.  It came folded so you can fold it to fit in a suitcase.

It is bigger than my old cut-n-press board, but I am a lot happier with the results.  I can now iron large cuts of fabrics and it makes a good working surface for applique projects.  It has a non-slip surface on the back.  It still moves around, but not as bad as my old one.

There are other mats online and I would not be surprised to hear that other quilters have been using an ironing mat all along.  The reviews for this one sounded good and was easy to find at Bed Bath and Beyond.  I have had this one for a couple of months and I am quite happy with it.

I haven't had a lot of time to work on projects recently so no new photos.  Between visits and cleaning our motorhome for potential buyers to view....well, you know that I will find time to get back to sewing soon.....because I must have my sewing time......

Happy Quilting!

Sorry To Be Leaving Blaine (Silver Creek, WA)

Since my last post, we have moved several times.  I hope to have another post soon of our other stops.  We settled in Silver Creek, WA on Saturday and have not had time to visit the surrounding area...yet.

In the meantime, I wanted to share more photos of the area around Blaine, WA.  We visited Lynden, WA several times.  It is a small town with Dutch influence showing up in the downtown area.

The buildings were quite interesting and this bakery....the best little pies ever!  I had a small blackberry pie that was overflowing with sweet berries.  Usually, the single helping pies have so much crust, I feel like I am playing hide-and-seek with the fruit.  No hunting for the fruit in this little pie!  I had to go back for another one before we left.

Below is a photo of a restaurant and hotel.  Just gorgeous!  And the hanging baskets of flowers were all along the street.  They were hugh!  They were so big that I (the vertically challenged) had to be careful not to walk into one and end up with a face full of flowers.

Love the welcome sign.  I should have got a better photo of that one.

I wish I had taken a photo of the Tangled Threads Quilt Shop.  Of course, the more interesting things to show were inside.  The displays were wonderful.  I ended up buying fabric I did not need, but I could not live without.  Hmm, I might have to make another "The Witch is in" wall hanging.

I found out that I missed another quilt shop called "Folktales".  You know what that means, right?  I'll have to go back!

Blackberries are in season and seem to be everywhere.  In the campgrounds, in the downtown areas, and even in a Blaine's city park which is where we were picking the ones below.  I was having a little bit of cereal with my blackberries every morning.  Yum!

We drove to Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.  So many breath-taking views!  Wouldn't some rocking chairs be perfect for this porch?  I could sit here for hours rocking and watching the clouds float by.  

I can see why they called this area Heather Meadows.  The Heathers were blooming all over the valley in pinks and whites.

If I understood the information ranger, we were not seeing Mt. Baker from Heather Meadows, we were seeing Mt. Shuksan.  I'm not sure this is the right peak in the photo.

We were expecting it to be a little cooler since we were at a higher elevation.  It turned out to be a very warm day.  People were sledding in shorts and t-shirts.  Wandering around the snow with flip-flops.  Definitely a warm day.

One more place we visited before leaving Blaine was Fairhaven's downtown historical district in Bellingham.  Wednesday is Farmer's Market day in Fairhaven's Village Green, so the downtown area was very busy.  It was worth it to find a parking spot and to be able to walk around viewing the old, not to mention, very interesting architect.

We had lunch at the Colophon Cafe which is in the building on the left side in the photo below.  We sat close to this door and were able to watch people come and go.  More good food!  I had a vegetarian Greek salad and Dan had the Mexi Black Bean burger.  Such good flavors.  I have to confess that I have put on quite a few pounds with all the good food we keep finding in this area.

Fantastic murals!  They really blend in with their surroundings.  The first time I walked by the mural above, I only caught the guy standing at the window from the corner of my eye making me think he was really standing there until I turned my head.

It's too bad we were full from our lunch.  Next time, maybe we can stop here for a drink and people watch.

I would not mind living in this building with its outdoor roof garden.  I bet they have a great view of sunsets and the Bellingham Bay nearby.

Speaking of water, we took a short trail through blackberry bushes to the Taylor Dock.  A very unusual dock as it has seats and what looks like parking spots for bikes/strollers as you walk down towards the water.  But wait!  The dock doesn't end there....

..it curves around and ends in another area near a park.  We did not walk the full length.  We were getting very hungry by then and decided to turn back.  I probably should have done the walk to burn a few more calories before eating!  Next time I will know better. 

Okay, I better stop.  This is turning into quite a long post.

On The Cutting Board
Just a quick look before you go of what I have been working on the last few weeks.

I finally finished binding my Asian Sand Crane quilt.  I need to come up with a better title for it.  I got the photos prepped for Etsy, but I have not listed the quilt just yet.

I started hand quilting the True Lover's Knot. 

I'm keeping the quilting simple with in-the-ditch and echoing stitching.

As fast as this stitching is going, I might have this quilt done before the other one gets listed.

Happy Quilting!

Trying To Get Caught UP (Monroe, WA)

We moved from Blaine to Monroe on Monday.  I am still trying to get caught up with all the photos I took while we were in La Conner and I still have the surrounding area of Blaine and Mt. Baker National Park to show you!

The following street photos are from Anacortes, WA.  I love the old fashioned clocks I saw while walking down the street.  This one was around the corner from the main street, but it still made quite a statement in its royal blue colors.

Of course, I had to add a photo of the many beautiful older buildings.

This cute little guy greets Gere-a-Deli customers at the door.  We did not eat there, but what I saw looked inviting to eat.

Now, this is what I call upcycling!  Instead of being a fire hydrant, it re-hydrates people and their dogs.

We took Shaun to Washington Park in Anacortes when he came up to visit us.  There is one road that loops around to different scenic views.  Some people walk, but on this day it was cold and a little dreary so we stayed with driving the loop.

This is a combination I do not see very often.  Large flowering gardens with a view of the Anacortes Marina.  You can barely see the mountains in the background.  What a view and such a relaxing walk to take after shopping at the Farmer's Market.

Not too far from Anacortes is the Deception Pass.  As a child, we crossed this bridge often to go visit family in the Seattle area while living in Oak Harbor.  I never grew tired of the view.

Being able to walk across the bridge is even better.  Well, as long as you do not have a problem with heights and traffic whizzing by.

I did not see any whales, but we did see one lone Seal fishing along the cliff sides.

I had to toss one in of Max enjoying the warm days of summer.  The weather was perfect for getting out for walks and exploring the area.

The cats, of course, wanted us to stay home so they could enjoy the sun as well. We did spend quite a bit of time just sitting outdoors while we were in Blaine, WA.  Between visiting with other full-timers and chasing wandering cats, I tried to get caught up on my reading, a little quilting, and......

On The Cutting Board

a little more embroidery work on my "A to Zzzz Snowman" blocks.  I'm up to "C"!  

Only 23 more letters to go.  Lucky for me, some of the letters are combined into one block, so I better get back to them!
Happy Quilting!

More Photos of La Conner (Blaine, WA)

I wanted to share more photos of La Conner.  We are in Blaine, WA and finally have decent WiFi for uploading photos.

We had to walk around town often to burn off the calories from all the delicious food we found to eat at the Calico Cupboard Cafe & Bakery. (sorry no photo)

Plus, this is a great place to window shop!  So many unusual art pieces from near and far.  I could have spent hours just looking in each shop.

Across the river is the Swinomish Indian Tribe Community.  They also own the land that our campground is located.

I just love a town that loved a strange looking dog so much that they have a statue of him and named the little square after him. 

Art work seems to be everywhere. In small squares and sidewalks....

on porches.....

and on old dock pilings

I fell in love with several old homes.  The wood work and paint colors are so inspiring!  I wish I could see the inside of the house in the photo below.

Okay, I had to have at least one photo of La Conner's famous bridge.

So, I will end my photo tour here for now.

On The Cutting Board

More Southwest Happy Campers in the making!  

I sort of let my needle get away from me on the peach one.  Lots of embroidery on that one!  Well, they are not going to get done if I stay on the computer, so back to the cutting board for more sewing!

Happy Quilting!