Fall Recap - read all about it!!

Early in September a friend, K, came over to help clear the sewing room.  Even though the sewing room is larger than the Rainbow Rock sewing space … storage is all mixed up throughout the new apartment.  And even after clearing out a BUNCH of quilting fabrics, tools, patterns and books during the move -  I’m still stuck with no actual working space!  Sigh!  However, the timing was perfect to make room for my friend coming to visit for a week!

K helped a lot, gave me good energy to get back to sewing.  BUT still stuffed in my space.  So I joined the DeClutter andDeStash challenge.  It was really good for taking a realistic inventory – Martinis that night to drown my overwhelming emotions!!  

The timeline was pretty short.  I was able to keep up for a few weeks, but then it was deep into fall and Xmas prep.  Going to revisit it in January – run through the steps a few times more. Fingers crossed.  I mean really – I’m 69 years old, how many projects do I have left in me???  Let’s say 10 more years – say 10 projects a year … probably pie in the sky. I have more than 100 UFOs / WIPS.  I suspect I’ll find more “Oooo – I want this” projects on the horizon.  But don’t you hate to give up on promising projects – the potential you’re going to miss out on!!

In summer, I entered the #100dayhandsewing challenge on Instagram.  It was fabulous!!  I’ve been working on – okay, getting ready to work on “Wool around the Garden”  A BOM in Quiltmania 6 years ago – but I really got it going during those 100 days.  And it’s so much fun to make sure you have a project to work on for tv or God forbid football evenings.  :>

 

 

We went up to Portland for Miss P’s 15^th birthday.  They grow so fast! 

Then a visit from one of my friends. She's the kind that it always seem that you just talked.  No awkward silences – no ‘not getting it’!  She was here for 7 days.  We never ran out of conversation or laughter.  Funniest part was the inspection of new quilts!!  We walked the Redwoods and a lot of beaches – voting on favorites!  We sat and watched a huge tide coming in against the sea stacks at Lone Ranch Beach.  I even talked her into joining the Tai Chi in the park.  Hmmm, she thought she’d try to find a class back home.  I’ll have to bring that up next phone call!

Now that's close inspection!!

The next visitor was our son A.  We had missed quite a few chances to get together since summer.  Covid and child germ bombs!  (His definition!)  He needed to come over and inspect the new digs; walk a few beaches and watch football with Dad.  Before he left, K(8) asked him tearfully why he had to leave for the weekend.  A(46) replied, “I miss my mommy!”  K blinked and couldn’t argue with that!!  Before I let A leave, he helped me clear the garage and put up a shelf.

Good thing – the weather had changed and the cover was off the Band Shell and we needed a place to do Tai Chi.  When we first saw the new apartment’s garage – my first thought was “I think we could hold Tai Chi here!!!”  It’s an oversized double stall garage AND there is a large window on the back wall – so some natural light and weather protection.  It holds 5-8 of us pretty well.  We’ve been meeting twice a week the last 3 months.  We like to keep the garage door open for the air.  We really can’t meet if it’s under 50 degrees or with rain and wind coming from the South. Works well except for that last few weeks.

I have to tell you about the coolest thing since sliced bread.  Stas Gallery Wall.  In the new apartment we have a large wall with a light switch and the thermostat in the middle-ish.  Not too convenient.  Found the Stas system on Amazon.  The big draw was you can change things out without any additional holes, etc!  There’s a top ‘bar’ that goes across and hanging clips from there.  We had our handy man hang the bar … we really don’t like to do ladders anymore!  Within 15 minutes of him hanging it I had 4 quilts hanging up!!  Then I change it out every month or so!  So much fun!  A real showcase when hosting my quilt group!  I’ve had so much fun with it already.  Check into it!  It can hang pictures too.

One day DH and I were walking the beach at Crissey Field Visitor Center and lo and behold – there was a pumpkin tide!!  Yep, pumpkins had washed up on the beach!  So cool to wander by! There was double-takes and wonder!

Winter storms come from the south out here.  (Bad weather from the south?? Not what we’re used to from Nebraska.)  Our new apartment bedroom has large windows facing South.  The really big storms pound on the glass, squall after squall!  One night I actually dreamed it was the tide hitting the window!  I was not reassured when I woke up.  It did sound rhythmic like the tides.

 

Thanksgiving was a trip to both kids’ houses.  And we knew it was going to be a great trip!  We saw NINE rainbows on the way!  Some were to the right, one was to the left and several were Full or (double) rainbows.  We started seeing them 30 miles from home.  They continued all the way to Portland 300+ miles away.   Of course, that was some storm front that went that far!!  A pre-Christmas gift was going to the Van Gogh Experience with the Portland and gang.  It was wonderful.  If you are able to catch it somewhere – go!  Totally worth it.

 

Entertainment at the Medford gang’s house was playing games.  All kinds of games.  DH and the boys had many War card games over the 3 days we were there.  We played Azul and Catan and E (4) played cut-throat Go Fish with the most beautiful deck!  Very fun!

So now you and I are all caught up!!  See you at the year summary!  

Summer Summary

 

Summer Summary

Well, it’s obvious that I dropped the ball … off the cliff ...this year with the blog.  Sorry.  I also use this as a summary of all the fun and how productive I am … okay.  Looking thru my daily journal I’m giving myself and you too – seasonal summaries.  Trying to start them today so they will have 2021 on them!!

 My son and his family were due back in July from 2 years in Panama.  They were out of the country when the Almeda fire swept thru and burned down their storage unit.  It seems it’s easy to get storage unit insurance if you own a home.  They didn’t – so no insurance.  Of the myriad things, precious things, they also lost almost all the quilts I had made for them and some that my mother had made.

My son got back in April to start a new (perfect) nursing job.  We were able to come over to the Valley and help get the new rental house ready for the fam.  Gathering donations and picking up essentials was a great scavenger hunt!  But the house was ready for their arrival the end of June.

 

Quilts needed to be replaced, so starting last winter, I got on the ball and started sewing up a storm.  Making twin size replacement quilts.  One for each family member – FIVE!!  A friend long-armed the first quilt but then it was all up to me.  Walking foot on a domestic machine.  But I “got ‘r dun”!

                       

My DIL received a Disappearing 9patch to replace her Masters graduation quilt.  It was all greens, this time she requested blue and greens.  She so regretted leaving quilts back in storage.  But it only got ‘down’ to 60 in Panama – didn’t need quilts!

I ‘remade’ my son’s Nursing School Graduation quilt.  He is color blind and poor thing usually gets scrappy quilts – they must look like a pile of worms!!  Luckily, I found the Nurse Quotes panel again at Forget Me Knots in Bandon Oregon.   Gotta love “It’s only poop!”  I created a 2 fabric quilt and scattered the quotes around the blocks.  Turned out great!

DGS (10 yrs old) received a “Stripe me lucky” quilt designed by Jen Kingwell’s group.  Sprinkled a few super heros and Micky mouse fabrics into the blocks. Fell in love with that and made enough blocks for almost TWO quilts.  You guessed it, the second one isn’t finished but it’s going to be mine!

DGS (8 yrs old), still into Super Heros, got a square in a square with super hero fabrics.  It turned out really graphic.  There was one fabric with words on it – after his first nap under it, he came out and told me there was a mistake – in the words!!  I think he thought I had written them and now wanted me to correct them!  But all’s well that end’s well!

DGD (3 yrs old) got a remake of a rainbow rail fence pattern.  Her oldest cousin (P) got it as her kindergarten quilt 10 years ago!!  I still had the pile of pink fabrics and the white dot neutral!! It turned out adorable and I put fish and sea life fabrics on the back.  After all, it is from “Beach Nana”!

 The rest of the summer we were lucky that the outdoor swimming pool was open.  Went almost every day.  Attendance was so good, they kept it open thru September!  And Tai Chi started up again in Azalea Park.  There is a lot of moles or voles there.  Quite challenging to Tai Chi on the grass! So we ended up in the Bandshell.  There is a canvas ‘shell’ that shades it.  Helps send the sound out, of course, but also sucks in the sound from anyone in the audience!!  That was unexpected – be careful what you say out there! 

We also enjoyed greeting all the dogs that walked in the park.  They have a schedule – we saw “Fluffy Butt” every class!!

P and I kept up our rigorous sewing schedule we’d started last year.  Fun and games and mountains of blocks helped us keep what was left of our sanity!

We were able to go up to Portland for a two day visit.  P (14) ran our butts all over the tennis court.  I think I may have graduated to “Spectator”!  We discovered that we did most of our time out in public, except this trip.  No movies, no shopping … I think the Grandkids discovered that we’re kind of boring without the outings!

We caught M’s (12) baseball game – each year it’s amazing how much they improve their skills.  He plays a myriad of positions.  Catcher, second, first and even pitcher!  They all do.  A good way to learn and also keep their interest.  I remember standing in outfield bored out of my mind – except when the ball finally came my way and then PANIC!!  If I catch it, I’ll have to throw it all the way back!  GULP!

AND the condo sold!  After being on sale on and off the last 3 years – we have to move!  Luckily, the agent that sold it owned apartments and one was coming up over the summer, did we want it?  You bet – sight unseen!  There is a real scarcity of rentals here and we didn’t want to leave the ocean just yet.

The trouble with local moves is the lack of respect!   C'mon People!!  You still have to handle and move every single item in the house!!  And there were a lot of items, believe you me!  I started packing in mid-June and we moved August 4!  But we are both 68 years old, even if DH doesn’t remember that.  I’m only good for a few hours every day packing.  No marathons at the end, please!  Well, of course, you think you are making great progress … but there is always a marathon at the end!!

We love the new place.  There are windows on all four sides!  Good for ventilation and view!  We overlook the Port and it’s always entertaining, if loud, down there. There's a dog training class.  Line dancing lessons on the boardwalk.  But, why, oh, why do they tend to hire the really bad bands for every festival??  We enjoy our lo-o-ong walks on the beach those days!!

           

And of course, there are still sunsets to keep track of!

  

The first week we were here, the Coast Guard reset a channel buoy!  6:45 am – helicopter started and flew all day long!!  Woke me up with a start!!

There were boats, Coast Guard personnel in the channel, cement trucks on the Jetty …  A husband with binoculars at the window for 11 hours keeping an eye on everything!!  Now that’s entertainment!  It ended for the day at 5:45 when high tide was up to the knees of personnel on the buoy. The CG does lots of training – and always interesting to watch. 

Stay tuned for "FALL" at the Harbor!!  I'm making all sort of plans to revitalize this blog in 2022 ... forgot how fun it is!!