RoadTrip 2007 pix

Well, its all over.....and I've been back to the grindstone, for a week already!! Time flies when you're not having fun, sometimes! (working!) But it sure flew by in Cody....

I've posted a few pix from the road trip here....

http://flickr.com/photos/12552584@N00/sets/72157602115723324/

And I've posted a series of pictures from the Yellowstone Quilt Fest 2007, here.....

http://flickr.com/photos/12552584@N00/sets/72157602116248756/

I have not done this before and I have no earthly idea if you will actually be able to view them. I put explanatory comments on the first set. The second set just serves to make you drool.

I'm still trying to scrape the last few reports off my laptop (from running the Biz from Cody), and archive them properly, remove a foot of doghair from my floors, and basically get back in the swing of things. I've been kind of down this week, for many reasons.....so, my goal is to organize my office and hit the ground running next week. I don't have time to be down! Too many quilting projects on the horizon! That always cheers me up!

Storm Watch 2007

I promise pictures from my trip as soon as I manage to figure out how to get them off the discs from the movie camera. Such things are sometimes a tad over my technology skill level....

In the meantime, I refer you to:

http://www.crazyauntpurl.com/

She's one of my favorite bloggers.....has a new book coming out very soon, and she shares my opinion of the frank sensationalism which accompanies a mere 1/4 of a inch of rain around here.... Go, read it. I'll wait. When you're done giggling....I'll still be here.

Now, for the weather report (from Weather.com, peoples....this is serious stuff):


Special Weather Statement
ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS- SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE- SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS-SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS- RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS- SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS- SAN DIEGO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-APPLE AND LUCERNE VALLEYS- COACHELLA VALLEY-SAN DIEGO COUNTY DESERTS- 430 AM PDT THU SEP 20 2007

...STRONG SEPTEMBER STORM FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...
A STRONG PACIFIC STORM FOR SEPTEMBER IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LATE FRIDAY AND EARLY SATURDAY.
THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE WEATHER RARELY SEEN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA IN SEPTEMBER. A DEEP MARINE LAYER WILL CAUSE SCATTERED LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS OR DRIZZLE TODAY. THE HEAVIEST PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED FRIDAY NIGHT INTO EARLY SATURDAY MORNING WITH THE PASSAGE OF A STRONG COLD FRONT.

RAINFALL TOTALS WILL BE QUITE VARIABLE DUE TO THE SHOWERY NATURE OF THE RAIN. PRELIMINARY RAINFALL ESTIMATES ARE FOR ABOUT A QUARTER TO HALF AN INCH NEAR THE COAST TO ONE INCH ON THE COASTAL MOUNTAIN SLOPES AND FOOTHILLS WITH UP TO A QUARTER INCH IN THE DESERTS. THERE COULD BE LOCAL LARGER AMOUNTS OF ONE AND A HALF TO TWO AND A HALF INCHES ON THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST FACING MOUNTAIN SLOPES OR IN CONVECTION. ANY SIGNIFICANT RAIN WILL BRING THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING AND DEBRIS FLOW IN AND BELOW RECENT BURN AREAS.

THE COLD AIR ALOFT WILL CAUSE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL LOWER TO NEAR 6000 FEET LATE FRIDAY NIGHT. LOCAL STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL PRECEDE AND ACCOMPANY THIS STORM... MAINLY IN THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. THERE IS ALSO THE POSSIBILITY OF WATERSPOUTS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS AND FUNNEL CLOUDS OR EVEN A TORNADO.

SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF SATURDAY AFTERNOON AS THE STORM MOVES NORTHEAST. PEOPLE SHOULD STAY INFORMED ON THIS DEVELOPING STORM.

Sigh. Yes, we are crazy here in SoCal. And while I feel a little embarrassed about all the hoopla over a tiny bit of unseasonal dampness from the sky, when other folks have dealt with things like....you know....KATRINA!.....like Crazy Aunt Purl, I do love it here. I'm about to enter my favorite season ....the heat is almost gone and the flower planting will commence. Cool temps will make my daily walks a breeze. What's not to like?

I'm off to try to convince Technically Savvy Oldest Daughter to help me get pix off discs.....

ROADTRIP 2007

Departure time: 11:15 AM
















We have a trusty steed, a Chevy Equinox....
















We have stuffed it to the gills.....
















We have hugged Laurie Lu and we are headed out the door.....

Bye, y'all!

CODY OR BUST!!

Our own personal Fed Ex guy.....

He got a lucky break and was assigned a route in our neck of the woods today, so Mr. B came by for a snack, and to play with his dogs on his break.















After relaxing a bit and getting covered with a light coat of dog hair (thanks Max!) he returned to his truck.....

He sure does love driving that truck (which partially explains his purchase of one very similar last year!)

And I have to admit - the air conditioning and sound system are fantastic (top priorities with me!) and the size comes in handy with some of my adventures at Sams, Costco, and Home Depot and...... IKEA!!

And my thought for the day:

Friends make my life so very rich!

I'm not sure I can stand it....... grin!!

Although I am happy to report that our own weather here in SoCal has cooled slightly (yesterday was 10 degrees cooler than the 104 of the day before, and today should be 10 degrees cooler even than yesterday)......

I checked out the
6-10 Day Forecast for Cody, WY

Monday 09-10-07
High 61°F, Low 43°F (few showers, precipitation 30%)

Tuesday 09-11-07
High 70°F, Low 49°F (few showers, precipitation 30%)

Wednesday 09-12-07
High 71°F, Low 49°F (few showers, precipitation 30%)

Thursday 09-13-07
High 70°F, Low 51°F (sunny, precipitation 0%)

Friday 09-14-07
High 72°F, Low 49°F (sunny, precipitation 0%)

Grin!

The Rim

There is a reservoir in my neck of the woods, about a mile away. It has a paved trail around it, and I mapped it on mapmyrun.com, and found it was about 1.72 miles around. Karene and I used to walk there together when life was a bit simpler, and now, I'm trying, once again, to get up there regularly. It is my time to do something for me that is healthy and away from the phones, and the typing, and the dawgz, and the family (though I positively adore them!). Its just "me" time. (click on pix to enlarge for detail)















There are some homes that back right up to the fence around it, and the neighbors tend beautiful yards with roses and other flowers. There are pools in a lot of the yards, and on a hot day like we've been having lately, they are a tempting sight!

Everyone is friendly. You begin to recognize the "regulars", and soon tentative smiles give way to grins, and the occasional thumbs-up sign. There are kids practicing for track meets. There are tots on bikes with parents jogging along beside. There are teen girls on cell phones, walking along and chattering. There are skateboards, roller blades and scooters.















Today this dog was with the Missus. Yesterday, she was jogging unencumbered by leash or doggie-doo-doo bag, because right beside her, her hubby was on a bike and he held the leash, and together the three of them zipped right around.















Above is the little Japanese couple (she is in a deep purple shirt) that I see walking every night, holding hands all the way. They move slowly, with the careful gait that age brings, and when they pass you, they look you right in the eye and their grins light up their faces and they exclaim "HIEEE!" in unison, and bow slightly, and then continue walking, never once letting go of each other's hand.

This group of gentlemen walks together each evening. I can't place the accent as they laugh and gesture and share their days' events, but they are obviously friends of long standing. They initially didn't respond much when I would say "hello" or "good evening", and I wondered if I was being too "forward" for their liking. Or maybe the sight of me sweating and panting around the trail was more frightening than I realized!

As the days passed, they began to smile and nod and eventually wave a bit as they passed. The day I took my camera to take these pictures, I met them on one of the curves of the trail and to my surprise, one of them abandoned his native tongue and elbowed the friend at his side and exclaimed, "Awwwwww Nawwwwww! She has de cam-er-ah!!!" A collective gasp and they look at me....and he states further, "and I forget today, to comb my hair!!" And we all giggle and wave and go on our way!

We laughed again the next day when I passed them, and he feigned disappointment, stating "awwww, no cam-er-ah! and today, TODAY I was reddee! I have combed my hair....the one, you see??!!" and he pointed to his balding head! They all elbowed each other and slapped shoulders and laughed and we all waved and went on....















Miss Hot Pink in this picture is Very Pregnant. She walks at a leisurely pace, occasionally rubbing her belly absentmindedly, as if to calm the baby.... And the gentleman on the left that is jogging and about to pass her? He is my inspiration!

I cannot gauge his age....he is tall, thin, grey, gnarled, bushy-browed, and the sweetest guy up there. He runs (!) the entire rim at least three times (5 miles!) and cradles a waterbottle in one arm as he goes. He never fails to say something, even just a "hi there", but sometimes when he passes he says something encouraging like "good for us!" or "to our health!"

And if I time it correctly, my final quarter mile is a cool down with a beautiful sunset to admire. I didn't have a great one the night I took the camera, but still, you get the idea! I was shooting through the fence and also out of focus.....or maybe I was still panting and wheezing and jostled the camera. Sigh.

And one last picture. I have a new quilt in mind....and it calls for reproduction prints.....look at the fat quarters I scored on Ebay recently!!














I have been patting them, and admiring them, ever since they arrived today!

Its still hot....

Since we caught Mr. B. boogying around the house yesterday, turnabout is fair play.... just 'keeping it real' here on this blog, sweat and all.

Its. Still. Hot. But I get an A+ for effort! 3.3 miles (way less than my usual 4.4-5.0), and its almost 100 degrees again today....

Me 'n Simon 'n Garfunkel went the distance.... a little bit more slowly in the heat....but we did it!















After another tall glass of water, I'm headed for a gloriously cold shower! And then I'm going to sit under my air conditioning vent and work. After all, its Labor Day!







Stay cool!

Newer ain't necessarily better!

While cleaning upstairs and taking his walks today, I caught Mr. B. enjoying a few tunes on some old cassette tapes....

rocking with REM on an equally old Sony Walkman......

There was a time when we thought that set-up was the "cat's pajamas"......and now it seems huge and bulky to me, compared to the little Ipod which I carry on walks....

Makes you wonder what will be available ten years from now!!

It's that time of year again.....

It. Is. Hot.

Yes, that reads 104 degrees in the shade. (I am thankful beyond words that we have not suffered any significant power outages during this hot spell.)

Here, look at this cute charm quilt. (I'm partial to charm quilts....) It will take your mind off the thermometer. No, I didn't make this one......yet!

And look, here's another charm quilt! (I didn't make this one yet either!)




















I just KNEW there was a reason I kept collecting all those 4" squares on Ebay!!