Thursday, June 30, 2011
The Big Ride 2011 June 30
Today is day 11 of The Ride. I'm in Helena, where I have to move Baby and the truck in 15 minutes. Today is 61 miles from Avon to Townsend MT, over the Continental Divide. The weather has been coolish, especially today, which suits me fine. The riders are goin through a period of "it's harder than I thought it would be", flat tires and bugs yesterday, sore ankles and butts. They're all pretty subdued at night, but elated that they made it one more day. The scenery is fantastic--Montana is a gorgeous state, at least so far. Baby is doing fine. More later.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
2011 BIG RIDE ACROSS AMERICA
June 25, 2011 Day 6 of Big Ride Spokane to Sandpoint ID
I'm a little late getting started on this, but I was also a little late getting started on the Ride. Everyone rode out of Seattle Pacific U Mon am, but I stayed home with the flu.
There are 26 riders, ranging in age from 16 (Gabe from Manhattan) to 70 (Dick, our longtime friend from Seattle), and 3 crew. And then there's Cindy, toodling along, pulling Baby, our 9 foot Burro trailer, made in 1984. On the 4th day the water pump went out, but we managed to find a new one here, so we can drink and wash. The RV store wanted to sell us an electric one, but what fun is that? Baby's bed is 41 inches wide, 2 inches wider than a twin bed. We have been in the dorm at Gonzaga U the last 2 nights, and each having our own bed was a treat.
I bought a NOOK reader for the trip, spent a day learning how to download the software to checkout books from the library, and now I can't figure out how to get the books from my computer to the NOOK. I'm going to Barnes and Noble with the puter and NOOK and have them teach me. It's clumsy to read in bed on the puter.
Yesterday we visited 2 old friends, Frs. Tom Garvin and Gerard Steckler, at the home for unwed fathers on campus. Garv has parkinson's, and is totally immobile and has some memory deficits, but when the nurse told him we were here, and that Noel is riding his bike to Washington DC, he said "He's crazy!" Steck is as sharp as ever, and as caustic, and walks with a walker. He was playing bridge when we arrived, but was gracious enough to grant us an audience. He says he is impatiently waiting for death. I reminded him that he has been hoping for death ever since I met him in 1963.
The first day of the trip was Seattle to Easton, 2nd day Easton to Vantage, where my brother met us for dinner. I also met Meg, one of the Fat Quarters, a small quilting group I belong to. We went to lunch at the Yellow Church Cafe, and then to the brand new quilt shop in Ellensburg--a very nice shop, called Quilting by Dezine. 3rd day was Vantage to Odessa, on Hwy 28. Last year that day was hot and the scenery was brown--this year it was coolish and green--beautiful. I met Christian in the pool, who wanted to know if I wanted to "go in the deep end" with him. You can just call me Mrs. Robinson. I visited the quilt shop in Odessa again, and again it was great. She has no web presence, so you'll just have to drive to Odessa. The ride into Spokane on Thurs was gorgeous--a tail wind and waving wheat.
Today the riders are going to Sandpoint via Newport, but I'm going to a quilt show in Coeur d'Alene after my "lesson:" at Barnes and Noble. I'll have to buy a new bird book, too, since that's one of the many things we forgot. We think we might have our act together by mid Montana.
I'm a little late getting started on this, but I was also a little late getting started on the Ride. Everyone rode out of Seattle Pacific U Mon am, but I stayed home with the flu.
There are 26 riders, ranging in age from 16 (Gabe from Manhattan) to 70 (Dick, our longtime friend from Seattle), and 3 crew. And then there's Cindy, toodling along, pulling Baby, our 9 foot Burro trailer, made in 1984. On the 4th day the water pump went out, but we managed to find a new one here, so we can drink and wash. The RV store wanted to sell us an electric one, but what fun is that? Baby's bed is 41 inches wide, 2 inches wider than a twin bed. We have been in the dorm at Gonzaga U the last 2 nights, and each having our own bed was a treat.
I bought a NOOK reader for the trip, spent a day learning how to download the software to checkout books from the library, and now I can't figure out how to get the books from my computer to the NOOK. I'm going to Barnes and Noble with the puter and NOOK and have them teach me. It's clumsy to read in bed on the puter.
Yesterday we visited 2 old friends, Frs. Tom Garvin and Gerard Steckler, at the home for unwed fathers on campus. Garv has parkinson's, and is totally immobile and has some memory deficits, but when the nurse told him we were here, and that Noel is riding his bike to Washington DC, he said "He's crazy!" Steck is as sharp as ever, and as caustic, and walks with a walker. He was playing bridge when we arrived, but was gracious enough to grant us an audience. He says he is impatiently waiting for death. I reminded him that he has been hoping for death ever since I met him in 1963.
The first day of the trip was Seattle to Easton, 2nd day Easton to Vantage, where my brother met us for dinner. I also met Meg, one of the Fat Quarters, a small quilting group I belong to. We went to lunch at the Yellow Church Cafe, and then to the brand new quilt shop in Ellensburg--a very nice shop, called Quilting by Dezine. 3rd day was Vantage to Odessa, on Hwy 28. Last year that day was hot and the scenery was brown--this year it was coolish and green--beautiful. I met Christian in the pool, who wanted to know if I wanted to "go in the deep end" with him. You can just call me Mrs. Robinson. I visited the quilt shop in Odessa again, and again it was great. She has no web presence, so you'll just have to drive to Odessa. The ride into Spokane on Thurs was gorgeous--a tail wind and waving wheat.
Today the riders are going to Sandpoint via Newport, but I'm going to a quilt show in Coeur d'Alene after my "lesson:" at Barnes and Noble. I'll have to buy a new bird book, too, since that's one of the many things we forgot. We think we might have our act together by mid Montana.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
vacation
Well, Fillmore was a bust. I wanted to go back to St. George! The owner met us at the door of her office in dyed red hair with gray roots showing and gigantic curlers. She said she was leaving on the 8pm flight out, but she forgot to tell us that there was no coverage for her. The office, store and laundry were closed! We drove to a marsh to look at birds, and when I stopped the truck we were immediately surrounded by baby black flies--more bugs than we saw on any of our arctic trips! We also saw lots of birds, including American avocets, which we had never seen before.
Next stop was Provo, with Palm Sunday at an Episcopal Church, our first this trip. We prosessed 3 blocks singing All Glory Laud and Honor to the accompaniment of a trumpet. It fulfilled all my hopes and expectations. I even wore my red shirt.
The 18th was at Hot Springs resort near Garland, UT. Wonderful large 94 degree pool and 2 hot tubs over 100. No laundry and no toilets where the RV sites are.
On the 19th we found our first diner of the trip! It's in Snowville, UT, almost to ID. Red stools at the counter, booths along the walls. Great food, grown-up waitresses, one from Bellingham.
We "camped" in Glenns Ferry, ID, then on to Boise, where we had to pay $35 per night in the KOA. We hadn't spent more than $13 since Ventura. Gas was cheaper in AZ, UT and ID, too. We went to Boise to visit my friend Maryann, who has just moved there from Seattle. She and Roger were the most gracious hosts, feeding us dinner both nights. On Thurs eve, we went to the quilt guild meeting, where the program was the Boise Peace Quilters. Started in 19980 or so, they make quilts for individuals and organizations who have promoted peace and justice.
Friday, April 15, 2011
ZION
April 15, 2011 Today is my brother's 63rd birthday. Happy birthday, C.L.!!! We're in the best RV park this trip--it's small, with very friendly staff who are professional singers. Heated pool and spa. I've been sewing in the clubhouse. We are sorry to leave today and miss Nickel's country western show tonight. Yesterday was Zion National Park. We took the shuttle tour in the park, and walked a 2 mile trail to the end of a canyon. The park is as beautiful as Rainier, but in a different way with all the orange, rust and coral peaks, interspersed with white and black. It's breathtaking. We stopped in St. George on the way here, and I bought some of Kaffe Fassett's shot cottons in the colors we saw around us. I will use them in the class I'm taking with Jean Wells in Sisters at the end of the trip. Before this we spent a night on Lake Mead after driving up to Hoover Dam. I bought a postcard of the dam to show grandson Julian what his great-great grandfather Mead made. We spent 4 nights in Parker,AZ with C.L., and bought an RV resort membership. The last 2 nights and the next 2 will be $13 per night instead of the $30 to 40 we would normally pay. So far we have been the smallest "rig" in every park. Tonight and tomorrow we will be in Fillmore, UT.
Friday, April 1, 2011
NOEL AND CINDY'S EXCELLENT VACATION
April Fool's Day 2011 We're finally back to blogland! We left Seattle March 28, spent the first night in Portland camped in our good friends', Ken and Jeannie Prier's driveway. We headed for Tillamook on Tues, visiting the Latimer Quilt and Textile Museum. The museum offers a tour of the permanent collection to groups of 6 or more. The quilt shop has a retreat center, so this could be a destination. It rained all day. We spent the night at the Thousand Trails campground in Newport, after shopping at BJ's quilt shop. Still raining the next day. Shopped at Noel's favorite quilt shop, Quilter's Cove, in Newport, then headed south. Again it rained all day, and the visibility was so poor that one of us suggested we head over to I-5. The other person said he didn't want to drive through the Siskiyous, so we continued on to California. When we got to Brookings, the young woman at the Subway Shop said that 101 was closed before Santa Rosa due to a mud slide, and wouldn't be cleared for several days. A man said we shouldn't take Baby across 299, but we continued on to Salmon River, CA. The next am someone told us we could take Hwy 199 and end up in Grant's Pass, so we did that and stopped at a nice fabric shop there. Then we continued south through the Siskiyous, and camped last night and tonight in Redding. I visited 2 quilt shops today while Noel biked through some beautiful country. One of the shops had Kaffe Fassett fabric for 65% off! I bought a little. We have white crowned sparrow singing to us, and ?scrub jays making less nice noises. We have a view of Shasta and Lassen.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tour des Quilt Shops
I don't think my French is correct, but this is my blog, so I can write any way I want--so there!
The first shop I visited while following along with the cyclists was The Crazy Quilt Shop in Roslyn: address 104 E Pennsylvania Ave 509-649-3777 Website http://www.thecrazyquiltshop.com/. Very small shop, with a good selection of mostly country/traditional, but I did find some Robert Kaufman peace symbol fabric. They have a retreat center which sleeps ten, but has only a 4 person minimum. This is a pretty shop, with a reading corner and coffee, which should keep spouses happy.
The next shop, The Quilt Crossing in Odessa on state route 28, was my favorite of the trip. Address 4 W First (you can't miss it, it's on the left, one block from the supermarket). 509-982-2194 No website that I can find. Large, well lighted shop with lots of batiks, Kaffe Fassett, probably every Moda Marble, some reproductions, but mostly a Brights shop. Fabrics $9.50 or less. Owner says people call from all over the state to order fabric.
More shops later.
The first shop I visited while following along with the cyclists was The Crazy Quilt Shop in Roslyn: address 104 E Pennsylvania Ave 509-649-3777 Website http://www.thecrazyquiltshop.com/. Very small shop, with a good selection of mostly country/traditional, but I did find some Robert Kaufman peace symbol fabric. They have a retreat center which sleeps ten, but has only a 4 person minimum. This is a pretty shop, with a reading corner and coffee, which should keep spouses happy.
The next shop, The Quilt Crossing in Odessa on state route 28, was my favorite of the trip. Address 4 W First (you can't miss it, it's on the left, one block from the supermarket). 509-982-2194 No website that I can find. Large, well lighted shop with lots of batiks, Kaffe Fassett, probably every Moda Marble, some reproductions, but mostly a Brights shop. Fabrics $9.50 or less. Owner says people call from all over the state to order fabric.
More shops later.
Half way done!
When I finish radiation today I will be half way done with the whole thing! Yea!!! I am now using the Charmin and the Immodium, but nothing else bad has happened. The long waits (sometimes and hour before I get nuked) are annoying, and the drive is a drag, but otherwise things are going well. I'm managing to get a little sewing done, mostly pot holders, but I also finished a little quilt top from some charm squares I bought at the quilt shop near Newport, WA, and I've started on the table topper for Baby from the fabrics Marilyn Harkins brought me.
When I finish radiation today I will be half way done with the whole thing! Yea!!! I am now using the Charmin and the Immodium, but nothing else bad has happened. The long waits (sometimes and hour before I get nuked) are annoying, and the drive is a drag, but otherwise things are going well. I'm managing to get a little sewing done, mostly pot holders, but I also finished a little quilt top from some charm squares I bought at the quilt shop near Newport, WA, and I've started on the table topper for Baby from the fabrics Marilyn Harkins brought me.
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