A little trip...

One of the nice parts of being retired is doing things on the spur of the moment. We decided to take a little road trip - not too far, only about 100 miles. We found an airbnb rental and headed south to Rock Island, Illinois. We thought Ray might find a few eagles; I might find some fabric; we could visit the Rock Island Arsenal and visit the museum, and ...

We left in rain and fog on Monday morning.By the time we reached LeClaire, Iowa, the sun was peeking out and the temperature was in the 50's! We visited a couple of quilt shops (more in the next post) and hunted for eagles - we only found 2!

When we got up Tuesday, the weather was no longer in the 50s. It was 30 and COLD. We visited another quilt shop and headed for the  Quad City Botanical Center. It was a fun stop and Ray got to take a few photos; I did to:

There were many quilts on the walls!

There were a few colorful blossoms.

In the winter they have a sand area for the children!

Another colorful blossom

A beautiful orchid

The waterfall

There were koi ponds

More gorgeous orchids

One of the guys working at the Botanical Center told us where he had seen some eagles that morning and also gave us ideas for lunch. We ate and then headed to Arsenal Island. On the way, we stopped at Gathering Point and found some eagles! It was so cold that I was only out of the car for a few minutes. 

Once on Arsenal Island (it is a military post and you have to have a pass), we headed to the museum. Thank goodness the government shut down was over so the museum was open. Ray loved seeing the museum and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. No pictures since we were within a military installation.

We visited the Mississippi River Visitor's Center. It is on Arsenal Island and overlooks the lock and dam. We enjoyed visiting with the fellow on duty and seeing the lock and dam although there was no river traffic.

This morning the temperature was again around 30 but didn't feel as cold. We headed towards home with a number of stops on the way - most to see eagles. We did find some in a few different places all the way home. This is my only good shot but I think Ray took a couple hundred pictures!

In the next post, I'll tell you about the fabric shops - the important part of this trip!

50 Years is a Long Time

Ray and I went to school together beginning in 7th grade. We graduated from Belvidere High School in 1966. That was 50 years ago! This past weekend, we went back to Belvidere, Illinois, and celebrated with many of our classmates; we hadn't seen some of them since our graduation day. We've had just 3 or 4 reunions over the years.. The weekend was great fun!

Somehow the men just gathered and had their picture taken.

It took the women forever and even then many of us were still visiting.

Thank goodness this was a weekend affair - I still didn't feel I had enough time to visit with everyone. There is never enough time!

Since we were 'home', we spent a little time Saturday morning in the park. It was nice when we lived there but now it is a gorgeous place. Ray spent some time taking photos - are you surprised?!! I took pictures too.

Here is a selfie we took at the motel Friday night.

We might have changed a bit in the last 50 years. Here are our name tags with our senior pictures. 

Many of our classmates have faced challenges and health issues over the years. I guess we have too. We all felt very blessed to have been able to spend the weekend together and look forward to gathering again in a few years.

Which blender is the best?

I'm not looking for a new blender but every so often, a friend on Facebook will ask "What is the best blender to buy?".  I didn't go looking for blenders to compare but the opportunity surfaced and I decided to go for it.

I used a Blendtec blender while we were staying in Basye, VA. It worked well but really bugged me that there was no way to tap down the contents while making a smoothie. I had to stop the blender and use a spatula to push the contents down. Then it worked well and chopped things up making a mean smoothie - my grandkids loved it!

Now we are in Charlottesville, VA and have a Ninja. Our host left us Greek yogurt, OJ, and bananas in addition to other things including chocolate chunk cookies, croissants, and apples; it was too much of a challenge for me to pass on so I bought frozen fruit yesterday to check it out! It made good smoothies but I had to pulse a button to blend. I did not like the way the container poured but maybe there are other choices; I don't know. It did seem to do a good job of blending.

I own a Vitamix and I love it. I make smoothies but I also use it to make and heat soup, to make peanut butter, and to grind wheat berries into flour. Sometimes I mix muffins and I do lots of shredding with it. In any event, I'm NOT looking for a new blender. I just thought it would be fun to compare the ones that many of my friends talk about. Of course, I only compared the blenders by making smoothies so my test wasn't the best!

When I make smoothies, I usually use

• plain Greek yogurt
• a mixture of frozen fruit usually including a banana If there is no citrus fruit or mango, I'll add the juice of an orange.
• milk
• Optional: carrots or spinach (which will not affect the taste but will affect the color)

Do you suppose I could be a little biased? I have lots of Vitamix experience and really know nothing about Blendtec or Ninja blenders. What I do know is that we've enjoyed a few smoothies on this trip and there will be more tomorrow morning!

Underwear Blue

Two grandsons came to visit on Thursday. They often have a mental list when they come and it usually includes making cookies and sewing. Thursday was no different. After making chocolate chip cookies and eating lunch, we headed upstairs to the sewing rooms. They needed a new project so we began a donation quilt. I had a couple of blocks left from when I tried a technique I saw a while back and they made more.

I do not know where I saw this technique - if you know, please tell me so I can give credit. You do not end up with sharp points or any points for that matter but it is a fun process for beginner sewers.

1. Begin with a square for the center of the block. I'll call this square A.

2. Cut another square the same size as square A. I'll call this square B.

3. Place right sides of square A and B together and sew all four sides with 1/4" seams.  

4. On the wrong side of square B, draw an X from corner to corner. 

5. Now carefully cut the X through the square B side only. 

6. Press the triangles out from the center block.

 

7. Square up the piece. This is the new square A.

Repeat steps 2 - 7 until the block is the size you want it to be.

The center squares all came from a piece of fabric with construction vehicles. Younger grandson picked out a piece of fabric that he liked - the one on the bottom -

and I found some 'plain' yardage in those colors for the points on the blocks. He picked up one piece of blue fabric and called it underwear blue.

Underwear blue? I questioned that but wasn't really getting an answer so I asked the older boy. He said it looked like underwear. What? Later, while they were looking at the fabric, I watched and listened. Then I got it! They thought the selvage looked like the waistband on underwear and the design of the fabric looked like some they owned! I think there might be a lot of underwear fabrics in my stash!

Typically these two boys use the scraps in my stash. It never occurred to me that they've never seen the selvage on yardage. 

Don't you love sewing your children or grandchildren? I do!

A Stately Hockey Weekend

We left home Friday morning and headed north, way, way north for the Wisconsin Amateur Hockey Association (WAHA) State Tournament. The Squirt B teams played in Ashland, Wisconsin - that is on the southern edge of Lake Superior. Our grandson's team (all 10 and under) got the wildcard spot and they were one super excited team! 

Friday was a gorgeous day. We had our first picnic of the year outside in sunny, 61 degree weather! I took this photo at a rest stop about an hour south of Stevens Point,WI. It was so wonderful to be outside eating!

We got to Ashland and checked into our motel. We were supposed to have a king room with a sofa but got upgraded to a king suite with a sofa and a whirlpool bath. It was a corner room with a lake view. Our 6 large windows were arranged in a semicircle. The room wouldn't all fit into one picture! 

Our kids played some great hockey this weekend. Although they did not win the championship, they played well. Their second game on Saturday was one of the most exciting games I've ever watched! It was great fun. We never expected them to be at the State Tournament this year five on the team are first year players and we are very proud of their accomplishments.

Ray took lots of photos all weekend. But he hasn't had time to go through them so I'll just add one that I took through the mesh. This is my favorite player, #42, going to get his medal.

When our games were over on Saturday, Ray and I took a beautiful drive to Bayfield, WI . Just thought we'd do a little sightseeing and maybe find a piece of pie. After all it was pi day 3-14-15. We didn't find any pastries but we did find Orchard's Edge Quilt Shop about 10 minutes before closing. I used my 10 minutes wisely and checked out with my small purchase - one jelly roll - at 4:59PM. There were still people in the shop but I hate to stay after closing time so we were on our way. 

After a pleasant trip home today, we unpacked and had a late dinner. Now it's time to just relax. The weekend was great!

I WON!

Doreen over at Treadlemusic had a give-away to celebrate her 50th blog follower and my name was drawn! WooHoo! I won!

My prize arrived today. 

 Doreen sent me a 3-D mini table runner/wall hanging kit.

It looks like such fun and I love the colors! Look at those cute little 2 1/2" squares. The project will finish at 6" X 14".

I'm anxious to make it but I don't have time before our extended trip west. So it will go with us - it is small and perfect to take along. Thank you, Doreen!

Check out Treadlemusic. Doreen is "a quilter who rides motorcycle, living on a small hobby farm in southeastern Minnesota. Grandmother and Great Grandmother and now retired." I think she is a blessing to all who know her.

Yes, I'm a PFC with a STABLE!

This was recently shared on Facebook 

and I thought I'd better share 

in case you haven't seen it.

I have some UFOs, a few WIPs, a couple of PHDs 

and a few PIGS upstairs in my sewing rooms. 

There are a number of NESTYs and one WOMBAT. 

Yes, I am a PFC with my very own STABLE!

American Players Theater

We went to the American Players Theater in Spring Green, Wisconsin, last night. What fun! 

Yesterday began with strong storms at home and in Spring Green. On our trip north, we saw lots of flooding including water on the highway at times. We wondered if the "show would go on" since the theater is outdoors. We decided not to picnic prior to the performance since we did not know the lay of the land and the weather was so questionable.

We enjoyed dinner at a 50's Diner right across the street from our motel. Then, before heading to the theater, we grabbed the insect spray and our raincoats. 

W. Somerset Maugham's Too Many Husbands was performed in the Up-the-Hill Theater. We hiked up the hill to the theater and passed many patrons picnicking. There is a great picnic area - which we will remember for next time! 

The theater was a pleasant surprise with comfortable padded seats. I think every seat was a good seat! The stage looks much further away than it is. This picture is from the last row - just as you walked into the theater.

The play was wonderful - that great British comedy with many one-liners and a zany plot! And no rain! Except for maybe 10 drops!

We woke up this morning to more heavy rain and storms - ugh! At least there was no rush to do a few errands and head home.

Cooksville Farmhouse Inn

My friends and I have returned to our homes. We are already talking about next year!

Friends!

Our days together were fun. We stayed at the Cooksville Farmhouse Inn in Cooksville, Wisconsin, and were within easy driving distance of several small towns and some larger ones. 

Our hosts, Bob and Martha were really nice. They live in a barn that they converted into a house and they gave us a tour - wow!

Let's have a tour of the farmhouse. First is the sunroom. It was so relaxing to look out the windows to the west.

This isn't the best photo (a lot of bright light is coming through the windows) of the huge fireplace in the living room. We spent a lot of time in this room. There is also a couch and chairs.

Most meals that we ate at the house were eaten in the dining room.

The game room has table shuffleboard. Notice the dart board (closed) on the wall. There is a futon behind where I'm standing and taking photo. 

The kitchen was very sufficient for our needs. We had everything we needed and more.

Standing at the end of the kitchen, you can see the kitchen table and that huge fireplace with the sunroom on the left and the living room on the right.

The master bedroom was also on the first floor.

Up a steep set of stairs that are original to the house, were three bedrooms and a large bathroom. My room had a queen bed, a desk, a rocking chair, and a wing chair.

The bedroom we did not use had three twin beds (one with a trundle)...

and a wall of books!

The other bedroom also had three beds; the one you can't see is a twin mattress on the floor. 

You've probably noticed that all of the beds have quilts. Not all are handmade but all are lovely. This quilt hung in the stairwell. It was quite old and very nice.

And right outside my room were all of these animals!