a special visit

We have just had a fabulous weekend with these 3---

Dan, Jessica, Sage

They are on a vacation road trip from the far reaches of Montana to West Virginia, with a couple of stops in between.  It's wonderful to have "my boy" back home, and it's nice to have him settled back into his spot here, however briefly.  And to have a chance to meet and know Jessica for more than just a moment was perfect!  And Sage is like the "cherry on top"!  Such a calm and patient dog.  She's very quiet, not barky at all!

Dan hadn't been here for a couple of years (we've been together in other places over that time) so there was some reminiscing to do and that was augmented by the fact that we sat down to sort through some of his old things that remained stashed here for quite awhile.  We set aside the things that were important for him to keep but couldn't go with him right now, and found a good bit of stuff for the garbage and donation.

We did some sight-seeing and visiting places both new and familiar--

We wanted to visit the Sculpture Garden at the Walker Art Center in downtown Minneapolis.  But we discovered that it is not open to the public and very much under construction!  This picture is taken from the footbridge that connects to Loring Park, so we could still see a bit of the cherry and spoon amidst the rubble.  We will have to designate a time to visit about a year from now when it's finished!

We walked around Loring Park, a great little urban oasis.  Then down to the Uptown area of the city to walk and explore places like LynnLake Brewery and shops on Hennepin before crossing the river to St. Paul for the Surly Brewery experience.  That's a fun place to visit, and we had some real good brisket there along with a couple of beer selections.

We did some biking/roller blading around the neighborhood and gave Sage a run.  And then we made another little field trip to Pine Tree Apple Orchard (which was a very popular place to be on a sunny fall weekend) and found this wonderful tall corn that's part of their corn maze.  This corn patch must be on a fertile spot, because it was looking very healthy!  Dan is over 6 feet tall, so these were some good-sized stalks!

Much sooner than we wanted, it was time for them to pile back into their car and continue on down the road.  I hope they have a wonderful and safe trip, and plan to come back again, sooner than 2 years!

more montana

Now that I'm back home and back in the groove, it's good to refresh my memory about some of the fun things we did.  And share them with you!

Here's an idyllic little spot in the Mt. Fernie Provincial Park in British Columbia.  We were walking a trail and I noticed jet tracks cutting across the sky almost like they were synchronized flights!  Right above this lush spot with a rushing river.  

On another day, back in the US, we drove from Dan's place up Big Mountain to the Whitefish Ski Resort area.  And there is a trail there called the Danny On trail, cutting across the snowless ski runs, under the vacant and still chair lifts.  We kept going upward for quite aways, but we didn't get to the end.  You see, I'm a fraidy cat when it comes to cliffs and things, and when there's very little but open air along one side of the trail, I have lots of second thoughts.  I'm doing much better than I used to because I have been pushing myself, but I was out of my comfort zone.  We talked to 2 girls that had started the trail just before us, they were coming back down because there was a fallen tree across the trail.  Plus it was time for our sandwiches and fruit!  So we sat down for a bit, admired the scenery and the bits of snow still remaining.  Keeping the trails clear, no matter where we hiked, was clearly a big job because we saw many fresh cuts of trees that had come down during the winter.  I have a hard enough time just getting myself up those trails, I can't even imagine doing it with chain saws and tools!

One very nice thing about visiting Dan is that I also get to visit some of my quilts and quilty stuff.  I wrote about my Yeti project before, but I had neglected to take a picture of the finished pillowtop.  The quilting was fun on this.  It's 22" square.

Bob and I did several day hikes while Dan was at work.  The tables have officially turned with parents goofing off and son slaving away!  Here's one of those less traveled paths--

If you are curious and want to know about current conditions in Glacier Park, they have several webcams operating and viewable by anyone with a computer.  When we were at the lookout tower on Apgar Mountain, we were able to get our picture on that webcam and timed it so Dan could snap a picture of it from his office!

I've been taking pictures of lots of different flowers, and this was a special discovery.  It was beside a trail near Fernie, BC.  When I saw it, I thought it was something rare because it was the only one I saw anywhere.  Now that I've had a chance to look it up, I found that it is Fritillaria, I think, but I'm not totally sure.  And it does seem to be something not frequently seen in the wild.  Guess I was lucky to spot it!

proud mom

This picture is like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow--

The end of Dan's 3600+ mile bike trip

And I am thrilled to have been a witness to the ceremonial dip in the Atlantic!  It's hard to put words to  Dan's accomplishment of riding across the US, but these come to mind:  motivation, desire, stamina, determination, perseverance and willpower.

What a wonderful day in St. Augustine, FL!

quiet

I love a quiet day at home alone! There, I've said it, and apologies to Bob, but sometimes don't we all just need a little quiet time? And today there can be no giving in to temptation to go to the store, coffee shop, bank, post office, library, etc., etc. because I am without wheels. My trusty little Saturn needs a checkup to track down the source of a suspicious odor of hot fluids emanating from under the hood after a drive. It drives normally and no puddle/trail underneath, so not sure what the problem is. Time for the pros, but I pray that it's not a big deal. That car now has ~277,000 miles on it and is like an extension of myself. But we are at the point of those tough decisions about when to pull the plug. Hate making car payments and would really like the satisfaction of seeing 300,000 miles on the odometer!

Time for an update on the grandchild status! Getting nearer faster! Saturday I attended a fun shower for Brita hosted by her friends, it was great to see them all again and watch Brita as she experiences these new things for herself.

She is looking mighty healthy and happy! And last Monday we saw Ben, too, and must say that I think he is looking steadily more fatherly! They are getting their home ready for this little guy and wondering what this is really going to be like but of course, you never know until it happens. I'm trying to do my share and spent yesterday making and finishing a few baby things--

Brita picked out some fabric for crib sheets and I made 2 of those yesterday plus one smaller one for the cradle mattress. I posted a tutorial about the sheets on the Bear Patch Blog yesterday, so if that interests you take a look over there. I put it there because it kind of turned into a commercial for Bernina!

The crib above is set up in our spare bedroom so we will be ready for any visits from Jr. We were lucky to pick up the crib on a giveaway, we hadn't really planned on it but now that it's here, I can foresee lots of potential.

I finished up the edging on this nice little knit blankie-

from Booties, Blankets & Bears by Debbie Bliss. Alternating stripes of grey, gold and white, edged in blue, all CottonEase by Lion Brand, all rows are knit.

Here is a little leftover Christmas that hasn't been packed up-

I had a moment of inspiration and made this oversized candlemat back in December. The battery operated candle is handy for a little touch of candlelight without melted wax on my fabric!

This simulated flame and the warmth from my wood stove bring to my mind all of the good we know about fire, as opposed to the scene I witnessed Saturday night as a nearby house burned to the ground. The owners were home and got out safely, but had to watch helplessly as everything burned. We live in an area that is not serviced by city water nor professional fire crews. So there are no hydrants, but thankfully, volunteers to come out on a cold dark January night to do what they can. That means that the response time seems dreadfully long, and water has to be trucked in to operate the hoses. The house was completely engulfed in flames by the time the fire fighters could even begin to do their job. Big lesson learned for me is that I need to organize a simple box of important information that could possibly be saved if this house lit up. I realized that I wouldn't even know who to call about insurance! Bob probably would, but I need to know for myself. Would you know what to do? I never want to feel helpless about those kind of things - (lightbulb goes on here as I realize this ties in nicely to my control issues!) - so I better do something about that!

On another topic, I find myself stalking Dan's website for new pictures and info about his bike trip! What constitutes cyber stalking? Once a day seems reasonable, but what about hourly? Maybe not so good! Yes, he does call every few days so we can catch up on what has been happening, but part of me just wants to be there!

dan's day

It was only 2 weeks ago that Dan returned to Mammoth Lakes after his Christmas vacation here. Seems like longer. So I was looking back at some pictures he has sent us--

He moved there for a job with the Mammoth Mountain ski resort after searching for something that he liked and could use his degree in mass communications. This was about 3 years ago, I think, and jobs were not plentiful. He had looked in the Twin Cities area for months, making do with "gap" jobs. I call them gap jobs because they are something to fill in the gap, not working for The Gap! But thanks to his gap job at IKEA, he now can tell me where everything is in that store! Something else needed to happen, and since we have family ties to CA, he packed up his truck and headed west, not knowing what would evolve. Thank God for good family, allowing him to afford to live there until he found his job at Mammoth. A seasonal job as snow reporter, renting a room in "company housing" and skiing whenever possible--what's not to love!

Through persistence and hard work and some luck, he has been able to continue to work for Mammoth Mountain year-round and is their Public Relations Manager. This job seems to be made for him, he is always full of positivity when I ask him about his work, and he loves to make connections with people which is a lot of what his job takes.

I am writing about this because I think a lot of people, especially young people, are searching for jobs and direction. I think that Dan's path shows that good things can happen. There were problems and bumps and troubles and worries and tears along the way, to be sure. But he tried to stay positive and has benefitted in the long run.

There is another angle to his career that I find very interesting. His work does involve a lot of video media and tech stuff, but the underlying basis all revolves around the written word. Dan was not a lover of the written word as a kid. I used to strain my brain to come up with ways to interest him in reading. Something happened along the way to change that, I credit his HS teacher, Mrs. Beyer. I saw a huge change in his attitude when he was in her English class. For all you teachers out there, remember that one teacher can really mean the world to a student.

So have a happy Tuesday, Dan! You are the best!

a bunch of misc.

Odds & ends to share with you--

Just found this video of a special thing going on at Mammoth Mt. (yes, they are STILL getting snow!). It was on their Facebook posting so I watched it, only to be very surprised at the end with a cameo by my guy Dan! Looked like he almost made that jump, too!

The fight over possession of our front porch has ended for now, and Mama Robin won! We have been through this before with robins that want to nest in a nice protected spot under our porch roof. I thought last year was the worst because the nest was used 3 times for 3 batches of baby birds, and we couldn't even think about making use of our porch swing without getting chased away. But this year, the nest was moved to the other end of the porch, right near the front door, and ole' Mama Robin is not happy with anyone in her space. So after the first batch of birdies flew out of the nest, I asked Bob to please knock down the nest so it wouldn't be used again. Which he did. 3 times. Very persistent nest builders.

Then he informed me that he couldn't take it any longer and it was my turn to rid the porch of the robins. So I have relented and decided I better not mess with Mother Nature any longer (since I can't get Bob to do my dirty work)! So we are expecting again!

My clematis is blooming, which is a cause for celebration because I don't have a good history with clematis. They never seem to like to grow where I plant them. This one was planted last summer and I was happy to see little shoots starting after the snow melted.

The garden is up and nothing has eaten it yet! Beans and squash, lettuce, spinach, peppers, tomatoes, asparagus. The asparagus hasn't shown up yet.

My hand quilting project is coming along, but I have reached the end of my thread for now. This is Winterberry Table Rug by Sue Spargo. The red background fabrics are flannels and most of the rest of it is felted wool

I am using Weeks hand dyed floss, 3 strands, and making a big "primitive" stitch (since that's what I can do!). I started out with outlining a row of stitching all around the shapes, and then thought about echo quilting out to the edges, since that seemed fitting for this style of quilt. But that was a real bugger to actually do, way too many twists and turns, so I am just doing a crosshatch grid over the background. 1 1/2" between lines, since that's how wide my masking tape is. So I used up my Lancaster Red floss, then Nancy had some the same color and gave that to me, and then my source dried up until last Friday. Weeks had a booth at the Quilt Market, and I found one remaining hank of this color on their display. I tried to buy it but the gentleman very kindly donated it to my cause. But these are small hanks, and I have used that all and still have a ways to go. I'm crossing my fingers that Maggie will come through with some for me after her trip to a stitchery shop out in Wayzata. There aren't many places left that sell supplies for cross stitch, crewel, hardanger, embroidery, etc. This was to be my May completion challenge project, so I'm hoping I don't get in trouble with the Posse if it's not complete in time!

Leisl's rather large (and heavy) flannel quilt is ready for delivery...

And Nora's quilt is ready to have the binding stitched down. The binding is the striped fabric you can see at the bottom. The pattern is BQ from Maple Island.

Nora is my niece and has recently moved into her own new home, so she needs a new quilty accent to complement her decor. Hope to have this done in about a week when I can take it down to Lake Park when we go for a visit.

That's it for today! Now I can load up another quilt!