Food, Friends & the Great Outdoors

We went on our first camping trip of the year and it was a great weekend. It rained all the way down to Fishermen's Bend (just east of Salem, Oregon). But, by dinnertime the rain had decided to quit and the weather for the rest of the trip was glorious. We decided to take secondary roads for part of the trip instead of boring ol' I-5. The scenery going through the Willamette Valley was well worth it. Rolling hills, vineyards, Christmas tree farms and quaint little towns. So much better than the interstate.

Fishermen's Bend campground is beautiful as you can see by the pictures here. Lots of moss and ferns all next to the scenic Santiam River.

There were all the usual Wet Westie goings on, music, old friends and new friends, campfires and, of course, the traditional Saturday nite potluck.

On Saturday Janet & Shelly kidnapped me and we went to a couple quilt shops. They are in the middle of a week long quilt shop tour of Oregon. I think they are going to fill up the car long before the week ends Saturday was just the second day of their journey and the trunk was already full!

Pre-Wash Cycle

Warning: If you're not a dog lover, this post might gross you out.

Every evening this is the game that is played between Arlo & The Bearded One. Arlo really thinks that he needs to pre-wash all the dishes that are being loaded in the dishwasher. The Bearded One thinks otherwise. He will chase Arlo out of the kitchen but Arlo simply loops around the island and comes back in behind his back. When he's really emboldened he actually climbs into the dishwasher. The Bearded One will turn back to the dishwasher and chase Arlo out. And so the game goes, every night.

On the quilting front, I'm actually getting something accomplished. This is one of the quilts for a graduating high school senior at church. I'm trying out a double spiral board -- first time I've used it. The spirals are very cool but it takes me longer to position everything than it does to actually quilt it. I've completed 7. There are 35 blocks in the quilt!

And, for those of you still awaiting spring, here's a little bit for your enjoyment. This is my little flowering plum tree. The 74 degree weather last weekend has encouraged everything to burst into bloom. As much as I love spring, it doesn't like me. My allergies have gone haywire.

Finishes

Despite the fact that I feel like I've been spinning my wheels lately and not really accomplishing anything, I did manage to get a couple things finished (in between starting yet another new project.)

This is a close up of the quilting on Hip 2B Green. I used Suzanne Earley's Meandering Magic and did my own version of "funky ferns" or palm like meandering. It's a little hard to see because of the busy-ness of the fabrics. Here's a shot of the backside that gives a slightly better idea. I'll be working on the bindng tonite while watching the final "ER".

Next up are two pillowcases. I purchased them as kits at the QA show in Monroe a couple weeks ago. The fabric is a new line with hollyhocks. I would have bought the kit for a wallhanging but Janet snagged the last one! That'll teach me. Next time I'm out with Janet I really need to be on my toes and quicker to grab something that appeals to me. She also managed to beat me to a lovely pink & brown piece in another booth when we were looking for fabrics for the Urban Hobo Bag.