Monday, October 28, 2013

Learning A New Dance

 Dancing, like quilting, is an art form.
I have made many attempts 
throughout my life, trying
to make my body move to the rhythm or 
beat of the music.

I took tap dancing as a kid,
"shuffle, hop, down".
Not too good at it, but it was fun.

Then along came American Bandstand.
Those guys were good.
We twisted,

we strolled,

and danced
the watusi,
the hully gully,
the pony,
the monkey,
the swim
and even the Monster Mash.

I wasn't very good at any of them,
but it was fun.

Now in my new sewing space,
I've got to learn a new dance.
I have to create new dance steps
to stitch, press, and create.

What I mean is
I have to develop a new pattern
of moving from one area to another
to preform all the quilty steps we do.

Which means I'll have to
develop new neuron pathways
in my brain.
Which is a good thing.
It's getting the flow of the room
coordinated with the flow of me.
It's getting to feel comfortable within the space
and getting things done quickly and efficiently,
without wasted movement.

So far it hasn't really gone very well.
I've been doing more stumbling
than "strolling."

 But I'm sure it won't be long before
I'll be


dancing.
 Until Next Time-

Friday, October 25, 2013

Vintage Trick or Treat

 Yes,
I know there are only 6 days left until
Halloween,
but really,
I'm on the right track.

I've been working on this
 since the beginning of June.

And this week,
I was finally able to trim and sew the embroidery blocks
together.

This is the most nerve wrecking part,
 trimming those blocks to the correct size
without making a mistake.

I checked and rechecked the measurements.
I couldn't bare the thought of having
to redo one of these blocks.

I always have to adjust the size a little bit
to have it fit together.
Do you?

Finally, added the borders.
The bright orange bubble fabric
sure added to the whimsy factor.
I like it.

I want to add some black rick rack over the seam
between the center and the border fabric.
Can you believe,
there is no 3/4" wide cotton black wick wack
in Northern Colorado?

As you can see, there's still
plenty to do,
but all that will happen after it's quilted.
Probably,
after Halloween,
right on track!
Until Next time-

Monday, October 21, 2013

The Eagle Has Landed

If you had been in my area the
other evening,
you might have noticed a soft glow
emanating from one of the lower
windows of my home.

Finally,
I was able to rebond with a dear friend.

No, not  everything is completely put away,
but close.
I just needed to do something that
wasn't moving related.

It felt good
to turn on my machine.
I sewed a few stitched just to make sure
everything was working properly.

Like Neil Armstrong,
and Apollo 11,
 
I can now say,
"Houston, the eagle has landed."

Until Next Time-

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

The Foodie Part of the Trip

The Irish cuisine has become
 much more than just potatoes.

We weren't planning on eating at 
 
5 star restaurants.

We stayed in a castle in Waterford.

We mostly moved from pub to pub

sampling the favorite local pub grub
Beef and Guinness Stew and Traditional Bacon and Cabbage

 and, of course,
washing it down with a few of these.

The Irish shores bring an abundance of
excellent and delicious seafood to the table as well.

 Fish and Chips

Crab cakes, Irish style

 All of our accommodations
included a full breakfast.
At the Pax House in Dingle,

I had to order boiled eggs and soldiers ( skinny toast)
both mornings just to enjoy the presentation.

A full Irish breakfast is
definitely a full meal,
bacon, two eggs, sausages,
fried tomatoes, and sometimes mushrooms,
 and white and black pudding,
toast, scones, and fruit.

I know everyone has heard of the puddings.
It's really pork meat, suet, bread and oatmeal rolled
into the shape of a sausage.
The black pudding is basically the same
except blood is included into the mixture.


Our Irish eyes were smiling when we 
discovered the "Queen of Tarts" in Dublin.


We satisfied our sweet tooth twice
enjoying their pastries and strong Irish tea.


Once we called it "lunch"!
Yes, we did a lot of walking to use up
some of those calories.

Running Man's brother
 summed of the food experience
perfectly!

It's all about being open to 
new taste experiences.

 Until Next Time-

Thursday, October 10, 2013

This Is Ireland

 For such a small country
Ireland is one of the most beautiful
to explore.

Our 10 day excursion
was packed with the sounds, 
the sights, and the tastes
and a hundred thousand welcomes.
"Ce'ad mile fa'ilte"

We drove in a counterclockwise circle,
 starting and ending in Dublin.


How these early people built these ancient tombs (3000 BC)

remains a mystery.

The largest Norman castle in Ireland is the Trim Castle,
 completed in 1220.
If you recognize it, it was used as the castle in
Braveheart in1994.

Irish weather can be completely unpredictable.
The beautiful Cliffs of Moher on the western coast
were shrouded in fog,
 
But still impressive in the mist.

We eventually made our way to the Dingle Peninsula.
This is what everyone thinks Ireland should look like
and it does.

We took a tour and stopped at the beach
where the movie "Ryan's Daughter" was filmed.

The Atlantic pounds on the western rocky coast
creating spectacular cliffs.

 Just in case,
you have to be reminded,
to take a slow and easy pace
you might have to share
while exploring those back roads.

An Irish Blessing.

May the road rise to meet you,
may the wind be ever at your back. 



May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and the rains fall soft upon your fields. 


And until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of his hand.


Until Next Time-

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Sounds, Spaces, and Switches

 Good things have been happening.
The move is behind me.
I have been busy emptying boxes
 

and finding new spaces
 
 to put things and
then trying to remember where I put it!

There's plenty of fabric
 
to still be put away.
(Sorry, no pictures of my closet !)

I've been enjoying new spaces,
 and 
 new views.

I've been trying to remember
which switches switch what on.

And, of course, different houses
 make different sounds
that can take a while to get use to.

We woke up at 4am this morning
to the sound of owls
on top of the chimney
Hoot hooting the end of their busy night.
(Sorry, no pictures of that either)

Now just so you know,
I haven't been doing all work with no play.
I've been here,
and here,
visited here

and kept looking for
these guys.
I'm sure you figured out where I've been
But more about that later.

There's been no sewing.
Especially, when my new space 
 looks like this.
But it will get organized...
sometime.

And can you believe,
we have a snow advisory alert for tomorrow.
sigh
Until Next Time-