We celebrated May Day yesterday by delivering these beauties to some of our neighbors.
I'm in love
with...Chaplin the Cat
He is very entertaining...don't worry, he landed on his feet.
July in review
Hello again. Where did July go? I have not sewn a thing in what seems like months and I miss it. I have two quilt tops nearly done and they are sitting and collecting dust. I have been super busy with web work and there is no end in sight. I'll get back here eventually with something handmade, in the meantime here are some pics of July.
giant sunflowers
happy bumblebees
model rocket building
5, 4, 3, 2, 1...launch
banana slug found in our composter
praying mantis found in the backyard (my husband and son fed him a mosquito eater and he was very happy)
my (solo) trip to portland, oregon to visit a girlfriend
yum
a trip to the zoo--see the baby gorilla down there on the grass, he was so very cute
camping at the local KOA--eating s'mores--fun
seeing my mom off on her cruise to alaska, we watched from the golden gate bridge
Butter and Eggs Day Parade
We look forward to our town's Butter and Eggs Day parade every year. It's always crazy trying to find a seat to watch from so this year I decided to go early and stake out a spot like everyone else does. A neighbor told me to go at 6am but I thought that was waaaaay too early. I went at 8am and this is what the streets looked like.
By pure luck I found the last spot available and put my blanket down, went home and relaxed before going back with Johnnie to enjoy the parade. Next year my alarm will be set for 5:45am.
Happy (birth) earth day
In addition to it being Earth Day today is my birthday. My sweet husband sent me these beautiful ranunculus in my favorite color! I love them, they brighten the kitchen and my whole day.
Yosemite in winter
We went to Yosemite weekend before last. Johnnie had never seen the snow and I had never seen Yosemite covered in snow. It was a really memorable weekend, we had so much fun.
The weather was amazing, look at that blue sky!
Tomorrow is the first day of Spring. Goodbye Winter...see you next year!
Breathing out 2008
and remembering to breathe in for 2009
Wishing you a peaceful new year.
In the dumps
Does anyone else have fond memories of going to the county dump? I used to LOVE to get to ride in the pickup truck with my Dad to the dumps. The awful rotten smell, the seagulls circling the air, the loud tractors smashing all the garbage down. I would get in the back of the truck and help Dad throw all the junk down in to the big canyon of garbage.
Things sure have changed. For one thing our dumps is now way more recycling than garbage dumping and that is a good thing. Our dumps also has a great "thrift store", I have found some really great deals out there. But there are the times when you just have garbage to get rid of and its not stuff that can be recycled like old stinky, dirty carpet remnants, small unusable broken pieces of drywall, and pieces of painted wood. I guess I'm glad to see that there is no longer a canyon of garbage but instead a large (very stinky) building where you go indoors to push your garbage out on to a cement floor.
It sure is a different experience than the one I remember. This visit reminded me once again how important it is to think about every single item I throw in to the garbage can. I recycle a lot but I think I could do more.
Muir Woods, CA
Over the weekend we went for a visit to Muir Woods. This is one of those places that is right in our backyard but we never seem to get to. It's very tourist-y these days and is impossible to visit during the summer months. Since school is back in we thought it might be a little less crowded.
It is amazingly peaceful here, even with all the tourists, it somehow is quiet and serene.
Johnnie LOVED it. He ran the entire time we were on the flat trail.