in which I write about quilts, dreams, everyday life, and almost nothing about giraffes
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Vacation: Pictures
I hit the wall on vacation report writing and don't feel like boring you with any more details. I'll just post pictures and call it a day. Some quilt-viewing happened on our last day, and I'll share that with you tomorrow.














Monday, June 11, 2012
Vacation: One-Third of Day 5
Day 5 -- I woke up early on Day 5, strolled over to the shower/bathroom building. Took a shower, returned to cabin. When I looked back out the front door, what do I see but a bison! It was grazing in the neighbor's yard, just feet from the shower building! Was it there when I was roaming around??

I watched it for quite a while. I named him Bangs. Can you see why? A garbage truck came by and scared it off.. but not far off, and not for too long. He had just trotted over to the front porch area of one of the cabins. Soon he was back in the yard, easy to see, and I enjoyed watching and photographing.


The guy who lived in that cabin (that's his truck) was trying to get back home after his shower. He walked over toward his truck... the cabin entrance is on the right hand side, the side Bangs is on. Eventually the guy went way over to the left and then back toward the front of his cabin and hopped over the side railing. Bangs ignored him.
Hubby slept through all the excitement and just had to take my word for it. It was easy to believe, though.. there was a huge bison "pie" in our side yard, so we knew they weren't afraid to come through that area. And really, are they afraid of anything??
After this we packed up and left our lovely camping spot and went on to the next adventures. I promised a report of Days 5-7, but I am a little tired of writing about the trip, so I'll be back with the rest after a day or two.
I watched it for quite a while. I named him Bangs. Can you see why? A garbage truck came by and scared it off.. but not far off, and not for too long. He had just trotted over to the front porch area of one of the cabins. Soon he was back in the yard, easy to see, and I enjoyed watching and photographing.
The guy who lived in that cabin (that's his truck) was trying to get back home after his shower. He walked over toward his truck... the cabin entrance is on the right hand side, the side Bangs is on. Eventually the guy went way over to the left and then back toward the front of his cabin and hopped over the side railing. Bangs ignored him.
Hubby slept through all the excitement and just had to take my word for it. It was easy to believe, though.. there was a huge bison "pie" in our side yard, so we knew they weren't afraid to come through that area. And really, are they afraid of anything??
After this we packed up and left our lovely camping spot and went on to the next adventures. I promised a report of Days 5-7, but I am a little tired of writing about the trip, so I'll be back with the rest after a day or two.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Vacation: Days 3-4
Day 3 -- Next stop after the Badlands was the Black Hills. We stayed in this cabin at Custer State Park. It's a gorgeous park with an unfortunate name. Custer was considered a hero way back when, but now we know better. He was in charge of a large group who were participating in ethnic cleansing. The park has a huge herd of bison (buffalo), known as Tatanka by the Lakota people. I wish they would re-name the park Tatanka State Park. Anyway, I'm probably one of only a few people who would feel hesitant about even visiting a park based on the history of its namesake. Sometimes I'm just too political for my own good.


Custer State Park is gorgeous! I loved it! We took the scenic route to the campground: a twisting, turning, skinny road through the park. Beautiful! And thank you, Hubby, for driving the whole time. I would have been a nervous wreck.



Bison roam freely through the park, sometimes right along the road where one can snatch a great picture. We are warned, though: "they have an attitude - do not approach!"

We did the touristy thing and stopped at Mount Rushmore. Again, I believe we are in the minority. We just don't see the wisdom in dynamiting a perfectly beautiful mountain and carving faces into it. It is a sign of our human hubris, believing we can do whatever we want, wherever we want, just to show that it can be done. It is a scar on the mountain. That's our minority opinion again, I suppose. Look at this photo, taken from a scenic overlook some miles away from Mount Rushmore. There it is -- the scar! Does anyone else think this is kind of un-classy, or are hubby and I the only ones? (We feel the same way about Crazy Horse and did not visit it, as it was not convenient on any of our routes, and we didn't really care to see another mountain carving.)

We got to our cabin at about dinner time, unpacked, moved in, made dinner which was supremely delicious, and spent the evening reading, knitting, and relaxing. I finished reading Dispatches From the Edge by Anderson Cooper and started reading What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. (See book reviews posted on Friday, June 8.)
Day 4 -- Our previous three days included a lot of driving time, so we were both in a mood to just veg out and relax. We did some reading, took a short walk, and we drove a short distance to Mount Coolidge Overlook. That was amazing. The view from up there was awesome! There is a ranger/fire station up there, and several huge towers.. cell phone towers? Electricity? I don't know what they are, but was amazed at their size and at the huge number of wires required to hold them in place.

See how big they are compared to our little car??

Can you see all the wires?

Gorgeous views from up here!
On the way back to the cabin we stopped at another overlook, pulled out our camp chairs and read books at this beautiful spot. It started to sprinkle on us so we went back to our cabin and ate dinner and relaxed/read/knitted/napped as desired. A wonderfully restful day. It rained overnight, but we slept peacefully in our little cabin.

Tomorrow: Days 5-7
Custer State Park is gorgeous! I loved it! We took the scenic route to the campground: a twisting, turning, skinny road through the park. Beautiful! And thank you, Hubby, for driving the whole time. I would have been a nervous wreck.
Bison roam freely through the park, sometimes right along the road where one can snatch a great picture. We are warned, though: "they have an attitude - do not approach!"
We did the touristy thing and stopped at Mount Rushmore. Again, I believe we are in the minority. We just don't see the wisdom in dynamiting a perfectly beautiful mountain and carving faces into it. It is a sign of our human hubris, believing we can do whatever we want, wherever we want, just to show that it can be done. It is a scar on the mountain. That's our minority opinion again, I suppose. Look at this photo, taken from a scenic overlook some miles away from Mount Rushmore. There it is -- the scar! Does anyone else think this is kind of un-classy, or are hubby and I the only ones? (We feel the same way about Crazy Horse and did not visit it, as it was not convenient on any of our routes, and we didn't really care to see another mountain carving.)
We got to our cabin at about dinner time, unpacked, moved in, made dinner which was supremely delicious, and spent the evening reading, knitting, and relaxing. I finished reading Dispatches From the Edge by Anderson Cooper and started reading What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty. (See book reviews posted on Friday, June 8.)
Day 4 -- Our previous three days included a lot of driving time, so we were both in a mood to just veg out and relax. We did some reading, took a short walk, and we drove a short distance to Mount Coolidge Overlook. That was amazing. The view from up there was awesome! There is a ranger/fire station up there, and several huge towers.. cell phone towers? Electricity? I don't know what they are, but was amazed at their size and at the huge number of wires required to hold them in place.
See how big they are compared to our little car??
Can you see all the wires?
Gorgeous views from up here!
On the way back to the cabin we stopped at another overlook, pulled out our camp chairs and read books at this beautiful spot. It started to sprinkle on us so we went back to our cabin and ate dinner and relaxed/read/knitted/napped as desired. A wonderfully restful day. It rained overnight, but we slept peacefully in our little cabin.
Tomorrow: Days 5-7
Saturday, June 09, 2012
Vacation: Days 1-2
Hubby and I just came back from a wonderful vacation... six days - short and sweet. It was so refreshing to get away, be together, see some of God's beautiful world, and not think about obligations, deadlines, meetings, and work. Here's my report:
Day 1 -- We headed toward South Dakota, going right past the town where some relatives live, so we met them for lunch. It was fun to see them and enjoy some laughs. This group knows how to have a good time. Even our nephew came! That was a treat. Isn't he a handsome, young man? I love seeing our little kids grow up into such wonderful adults (not just good-looking, but darn nice people as well.)


typical wide-open space in much of South Dakota
First stop was Lewis and Clark State Recreational Area near Yankton, South Dakota. This is our little camper cabin which looks directly out onto Lewis and Clark Lake. Bonus: our cabin was the closest to the swimming beach, an easy walk away. After dinner we enjoyed a brief swim. Had to be brief, because as hubby said, "Three days ago this water was snow on a mountain." It was so cold it hurt! But it was definitely refreshing. Lewis and Clark Lake is a reservoir in the Missouri River, so hubby was possibly correct about where that water came from.

It was full moon time, and I took about 400 photos of the moon rising over the lake. Those bluffs on the other side are Nebraska!

Day 2 -- One reason we chose to vacation in South Dakota is because I had amassed a large pile of boxes of donation items for Rosebud Reservation in Mission, South Dakota. I could have mailed them, but it was much more fun performing special delivery. I got to see some of the new spaces that have developed since I was there a couple years ago: another dorm for volunteers to stay in, and a new location and set-up for their Thrift Shop. It really looks nice! Volunteers were already there working hard, helping with construction and sorting tasks to make it a fruitful summer. Our church is sending a volunteer team later this summer, but I won't be able to go with them, so I'm glad I could make this short visit AND show my hubby the place where I have worked and that I love.
Next we drove to this inn at Badlands National Park. I had not spent time there since driving through 50 years ago! (Literally, 50 years.. my family drove through in 1962.) It was not a national park back then and is much improved with some established trails, guided loops to drive, etc.. What an amazing place!




We saw antelope (correct name is pronghorn), mountain sheep, and bison, most of which wandered right along the road (and across it), grazing and putting up with crazy tourists and our cameras. Our innkeeper had advised us where to go and when, for the best probability of seeing wildlife, and she was spot on.


the animals are still molting.. kind of an ugly process

The badlands are made of silt and sand, and volcanic ash. Many millions of years ago there was an ocean here! This is what is left.. one can see sediment stripes in the rock, and apparently there are many fossils here of fish and other sea life. Interesting! The rock is soft and erodes in the elements, too silty and erosion-prone to allow much to grow on it. Isn't it beautiful in its strangeness?


full moon rising in the Badlands
Tomorrow: Days 3-4.
Day 1 -- We headed toward South Dakota, going right past the town where some relatives live, so we met them for lunch. It was fun to see them and enjoy some laughs. This group knows how to have a good time. Even our nephew came! That was a treat. Isn't he a handsome, young man? I love seeing our little kids grow up into such wonderful adults (not just good-looking, but darn nice people as well.)
typical wide-open space in much of South Dakota
First stop was Lewis and Clark State Recreational Area near Yankton, South Dakota. This is our little camper cabin which looks directly out onto Lewis and Clark Lake. Bonus: our cabin was the closest to the swimming beach, an easy walk away. After dinner we enjoyed a brief swim. Had to be brief, because as hubby said, "Three days ago this water was snow on a mountain." It was so cold it hurt! But it was definitely refreshing. Lewis and Clark Lake is a reservoir in the Missouri River, so hubby was possibly correct about where that water came from.
It was full moon time, and I took about 400 photos of the moon rising over the lake. Those bluffs on the other side are Nebraska!
Day 2 -- One reason we chose to vacation in South Dakota is because I had amassed a large pile of boxes of donation items for Rosebud Reservation in Mission, South Dakota. I could have mailed them, but it was much more fun performing special delivery. I got to see some of the new spaces that have developed since I was there a couple years ago: another dorm for volunteers to stay in, and a new location and set-up for their Thrift Shop. It really looks nice! Volunteers were already there working hard, helping with construction and sorting tasks to make it a fruitful summer. Our church is sending a volunteer team later this summer, but I won't be able to go with them, so I'm glad I could make this short visit AND show my hubby the place where I have worked and that I love.
Next we drove to this inn at Badlands National Park. I had not spent time there since driving through 50 years ago! (Literally, 50 years.. my family drove through in 1962.) It was not a national park back then and is much improved with some established trails, guided loops to drive, etc.. What an amazing place!
We saw antelope (correct name is pronghorn), mountain sheep, and bison, most of which wandered right along the road (and across it), grazing and putting up with crazy tourists and our cameras. Our innkeeper had advised us where to go and when, for the best probability of seeing wildlife, and she was spot on.
the animals are still molting.. kind of an ugly process
The badlands are made of silt and sand, and volcanic ash. Many millions of years ago there was an ocean here! This is what is left.. one can see sediment stripes in the rock, and apparently there are many fossils here of fish and other sea life. Interesting! The rock is soft and erodes in the elements, too silty and erosion-prone to allow much to grow on it. Isn't it beautiful in its strangeness?
full moon rising in the Badlands
Tomorrow: Days 3-4.
Friday, June 08, 2012
Friday Books: Two Books!

Dispatches From the Edge by Anderson Cooper
An interesting and quick read about Cooper’s experiences as he covers wars and natural disasters in the first years of his broadcast career. Interspersed are stories of his family and his explanations for how he feels about news coverage in danger zones and why it works for him. The last part of the book is about his experiences covering post-Katrina Mississippi and New Orleans. His feelings about disasters and the world’s response changed after Katrina. This book took us through his evolution of examining his own life and his career. I like and respect Anderson Cooper, so I found this book to be very interesting and a good read. 4 stars.
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
This book was a page-turner! Alice has a head injury and wakes up thinking it is ten years earlier. She has no memory of the last ten years of her life. I loved it.... until the end. I was so disappointed! Alice didn't seem to do what I thought Alice would have done... plus she didn't walk us through her thought process which she had done all throughout the book. I was bummed with the ending, but still enjoyed the bulk of the book, and thought about the characters afterwards, which is a sign of good writing, I think. I give the book 3.5 stars. With a better ending I would have given it 4 or even 5 stars. I'm curious if any of you have read What Alice Forgot, and if you agree with my assessment or not.
Sunday, June 03, 2012
All Tired Out
Spent yesterday morning at Tires Plus getting new tires on my car. Goodbye, hard-earned dollars! It was nice to feel a difference in the drive, though. I have been needing tires for a while. Hopefully my gas mileage will improve now, too.
While "getting tired" I sat outside reading my book. The sky was beautiful. Another GORGEOUS day in God's Country. I'm a happy girl.
While I have your attention, I am going to tell you something weird. You alredy know I'm strange, so this won't surprise you. Recently while listening to sermons or speeches, I have begun a weird practice.. I pick a letter, and I listen for words beginning with that letter, uttered by the speaker, and I write them down. Here's my latest list from a recent sermon: baby, back, balloon, be, been, beginning, believe, best, between, big, bird, blessing, blinded, book, bottom, breathe, build, bundle, burial, but, butt, by. Believe it or not, I think this practice actually helps me pay better attention. Told you I'm weird!
Saturday, June 02, 2012
Sewing
I have some sewing to report: much of it unfinished, but I'm having fun and making progress.
I'm ashamed to tell you that I started this quilt two years ago. I could have started and finished this quilt in a day, if I'd put my nose to the grindstone, but I didn't; c'est la vie. I made the top two years ago, quilted it this week. Maybe in another two years I'll get the binding on. It's a layette quilt that I will eventually donate to Rosebud Rez.
This quilt was so much fun! It is made from small "legos" strips that Tammy sent me. I love how it turned out. I used that cute Australian "used car ads" fabric for the strips... I really like that fabric!
Here's a detail, mostly for Tammy to see if she remembers what she sent me. These pieces were all pre-cut. All I had to do was assemble them and decide on a setting. What fun!
These blocks are for Margaret's Hope Chest. Two of them follow the rule, and two of them stretch the rule. What can I say? I'm a rule breaker.
I'm ashamed to tell you that I started this quilt two years ago. I could have started and finished this quilt in a day, if I'd put my nose to the grindstone, but I didn't; c'est la vie. I made the top two years ago, quilted it this week. Maybe in another two years I'll get the binding on. It's a layette quilt that I will eventually donate to Rosebud Rez.
This quilt was so much fun! It is made from small "legos" strips that Tammy sent me. I love how it turned out. I used that cute Australian "used car ads" fabric for the strips... I really like that fabric!
Here's a detail, mostly for Tammy to see if she remembers what she sent me. These pieces were all pre-cut. All I had to do was assemble them and decide on a setting. What fun!
These blocks are for Margaret's Hope Chest. Two of them follow the rule, and two of them stretch the rule. What can I say? I'm a rule breaker.
Friday, June 01, 2012
Friday Books: Half Baked
I am going to post a short book review even though I have not finished the book. I've barely been doing any reading lately! I have to get back to it. I miss my reading adventures!
Half Baked: The Story of My Nerves, My Newborn, and How We Both Learned to Breathe by Alexa Stevenson is a book about a couple's harrowing journey through infertility, conception, a very premature birth and all the trauma that goes with life hanging on the edge. It's an interesting book, but for some reason I have not been very attentive to it. I like it and want to finish it soon; I think the right audience would love this book. In fact, I "met" someone online who is living this very same story right now (their baby having just been born and weighs less than two lbs). I mentioned this book, and he ordered it right away.
I have not given this book my full attention. After reading it for three weeks I am still only 80% done. I don't know why, because it's a good story and well told.
Not sure how to rate a book I'm still reading and that I have dragged out for three weeks. Three or four stars.. sorry I can't be more thorough with this review. I hope to do a lot more reading in the next weeks.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Finalists - Omigosh!!!!
My masterpiece is being kind of a show-off and got itself into the finals!
I'm flabbergasted! My quilt entry at Blogger's Quilt Festival was nominated and made it to the finals in THREE categories!! Thanks to those of you who voted for my quilt! I'm feeling a little sheepish about my begging for votes. OTOH, it is FUN to be in the finals! (And it is my masterpiece, after all... this may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me.)
I can't win three times, but go ahead and vote for whatever you want in all 15 categories, whether it's mine that you vote for in those three categories or not, please just vote. What fun! Here is the link:
http://amyscreativeside.com/2012/05/28/bloggers-quilt-festival-vote-now/
You have 3 days to vote (you can only vote once). I'm not sure if voting closes on the 30th or the 31st.. so if you want to vote, do it now before it closes. Winners will be announced on .. Sunday, June 3, I think (?) . I'm not as sure of these details as I am about the fact that I'm in the finals. *smile* This made my day!
I'm flabbergasted! My quilt entry at Blogger's Quilt Festival was nominated and made it to the finals in THREE categories!! Thanks to those of you who voted for my quilt! I'm feeling a little sheepish about my begging for votes. OTOH, it is FUN to be in the finals! (And it is my masterpiece, after all... this may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me.)
I can't win three times, but go ahead and vote for whatever you want in all 15 categories, whether it's mine that you vote for in those three categories or not, please just vote. What fun! Here is the link:
http://amyscreativeside.com/2012/05/28/bloggers-quilt-festival-vote-now/
You have 3 days to vote (you can only vote once). I'm not sure if voting closes on the 30th or the 31st.. so if you want to vote, do it now before it closes. Winners will be announced on .. Sunday, June 3, I think (?) . I'm not as sure of these details as I am about the fact that I'm in the finals. *smile* This made my day!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Quilts for Happy Chemo!
I joined a challenge in which we were to make a quilt(s) for our choice of two different projects.... Hands 2 Help Charity Quilt Challenge. I decided to make two quilts for Happy Chemo. A woman named Emily has a goal of donating 1500 quilts to Happy Chemo.. the quilts go to cancer patients undergoing chemo treatments. She is currently at about 400 quilts, so every little bit will help her reach her goal.
I made two quilts. This first one I made to appeal to adults, maybe a male. It's about 40" x 60" so a good lap quilt to help keep him or her warm while getting his treatment. I got the blocks at a garage-sale type event at my guild. They weren't all the same size, exactly, so this tilted setting worked well for them. I quilted it myself on my domestic machine, and I had such fun quilting it! I'm not very confident with my machine quilting skills, but this one went pretty smoothly and helped boost my confidlence!
The back is a nice green flannel, which will add to the warmth factor.
I even made a label!
My second quilt is also going to Happy Chemo and is for a child. It is also about 40" x 60". This is also one that I quilted. I did simple X design using the walking foot on this one.
The backing fabric depicts one of my favorite animals: giraffe!
Now I must make a confession. You may have seen this quilt before. I did make it fairly recently, but thought it would be headed to another charity (kids undergoing cleft palate surgery). When I didn't finish the one I orginally made for the H2H challenge, I decided to switch them... because I still have a few finished ones here waiting to be mailed, I thought, why not just finish the H2H one for the cleft palate kids, and switch them out. So that's what I did. Now I can get the Happy Chemo package sent out on time. *whew!*
I made two quilts. This first one I made to appeal to adults, maybe a male. It's about 40" x 60" so a good lap quilt to help keep him or her warm while getting his treatment. I got the blocks at a garage-sale type event at my guild. They weren't all the same size, exactly, so this tilted setting worked well for them. I quilted it myself on my domestic machine, and I had such fun quilting it! I'm not very confident with my machine quilting skills, but this one went pretty smoothly and helped boost my confidlence!
The back is a nice green flannel, which will add to the warmth factor.
I even made a label!
My second quilt is also going to Happy Chemo and is for a child. It is also about 40" x 60". This is also one that I quilted. I did simple X design using the walking foot on this one.
The backing fabric depicts one of my favorite animals: giraffe!
Now I must make a confession. You may have seen this quilt before. I did make it fairly recently, but thought it would be headed to another charity (kids undergoing cleft palate surgery). When I didn't finish the one I orginally made for the H2H challenge, I decided to switch them... because I still have a few finished ones here waiting to be mailed, I thought, why not just finish the H2H one for the cleft palate kids, and switch them out. So that's what I did. Now I can get the Happy Chemo package sent out on time. *whew!*
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