Tuesday morning...Lake Louise is absolutely fabulous...the color is so unusual...the weather is beautiful.  Dinner last night with Judy and Fred was lots of fun and the food was terrific.  Leaving today for a different lake.   I have finished one of my ebooks, so downloaded another for the plane trip home.

Sunday the 29th...Michael here....my exploits on the golf course today....a beautiful, pristine, mountainous setting here in Canada. Background to each shot was a 10,000 foot mountain covered (unfortunately) in thousands of beetle ravaged pines, all brown and dead, but still spectacular! My score wasn’t but who cares? Anyway, wildlife abounded. We saw gophers,  geese, and a Grizzly Bear! It was lumbering down the cart path as we were trying to reach the green. Two groundskeepers and a ranger kept him away from all players as they shooed him away. On the next hole we heard a gunshot— as the ranger tried to scare him back into the woods! Golf in Canada can be areal adventure!

Sunday morning...Michael and I both had the best night of sleep since this vacation started...a soft fluffy bed...large squishy pillows and a cool room...heaven!  It’s been way warmer than I had hoped so far, although the mornings are cool and crisp.  Michael is going golfing today and I will water walk, then have breakfast then knit, read, visit, maybe nap...whatever!  The scenery is beautiful here.  Dinner tonight with two other couples (we’re trying to make sure we get to eat with everyone at least once), then off to lake Louise tomorrow.

What day is it?????  Oh yeah...dinner time on Saturday....I have bad news and worse news....bad news....scale in ladies locker rooms today....worse news...I got on it!!!!!!!

Last night was overnight on train....can,t wait to tell people in person...quite an experience....I took top bunk...net on side to keep me secure...teeny tiny ladder....laughing spell with people in next room...laughed so hard for so long couldn’t get to sleep for an hour....today pool water walking and couples massage...heaven.

One of the only reasons I can enjoy this vacation so much is that everyday I get stories and pictures from Anne...dog...kitty...house sitter.  Certainly makes it easier to relax and not worry.

Thursday. Day 3

Thursday 7/26 - another heavy day for walking...Burchart gardens....so very beautiful...the sunken garden was outstanding....used to be quarry pit...visible from the house...wife got tired that was what house guests saw and started planting flowers....now acres and acres of everything you could imagine...rose garden three times size of Elizabeth Park.....then back to Empress Hotel for high tea...omg!!!  So very fabulous....high point of trip so far...then to imax theatre for 3D film on pandas...made me miss Lucy and Ethel so much!   Finally back in room to collapse...early day tomorrow...luggage being picked up at 5:45 am.

Day 2 Vancouver to Victoria

Wednesday 7/25. They ran us around like crazy today...I had 3,000 steps over my goal...and they stuffed us full of food and sent us to bed.  The biggest adventure today was the float plane ride from Vancouver to Victoria island...WILD.

Day 1 Vancouver

So...because I know a tiny bit more about my blog and how to sign in from other than my desktop I should be able to post a bit from the road (as it were)...but you really need to appreciate every single word because at home on my desktop with a full keyboard I am a wicked fast typist.  Here I’m typing everything with one index finger!!!  And definitely no pictures will be included because I have no clue how to do that!

We were up at o’dark hundred Tuesday morning (7/24) and were on the road to the airport by 5:15.  The drive was absolutely horrendous as there was torrential rain all the way...fortunately we arrived without incident.  We split a Cinnabon before boarding...yum!  I told several people before this vacation that everything would be a surprise as Michael plans all of our trips and that started as we boarded the plane right to FIRST CLASS SEATS!!!!! My honey is just the best!!!  Our flight to Minneapolis was uneventful, but was filled with breakfast and mimosas!!  We had a delay for just a bit in Minneapolis as they had an oversold situation and were not very successful in getting people to opt out.  But eventually we were in our new seats again with more mimosas in hand. We were served lunch on that flight (it’s been a food filled day already and we’re not even in Canada yet!  I did get on the scale this morning so I’ll know how bad it is once I get back.&). We arrived in Vancouver, got through customs (where I swear they searched the world over to find cameras that take the ugliest pictures ever)!!!  We were picked up in one of those black SUV’s that looked like it came straight from the FBI and delivered to the FOUR SEASONS in Vancouver.  We settled in, took a little nap and joined our fellow travelers for dinner.  It was FABULOUS!!!  Truly a four star meal.  We have a group of 19 people traveling together...it’s going to be fun getting to know everyone.  By the time dinner was over, it was midnight in South Carolina and we were beat.  After a tiny bit of TV, we were asleep.

Hunter's Star top finished, Michael's new phone

In case you were wondering...this picture:

Toni, Lynee, me, BG, Mary Jo

was taken on my wedding day  :~).  We invited everyone for a Memorial Day picnic and didn't tell them we were getting married.  About an hour after everyone arrived, Michael went upstairs and changed into his tux.  I was in the bedroom when he walked out on the back deck and I heard the gasp from everyone, then I heard my friend Toni saying "they're gonna do it....they're gonna do it RIGHT NOW!!!"  I can tell this picture was taken after the wedding because I still have on my wedding necklace jewels.  We were married in our backyard and it was just perfect!

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!  

I was up early on my birthday (Monday, 7/23) to get lots done.  I got my emails done and blog out and was showered and dressed and breakfasted and out the door by 8:30 to get to the chiro’s by 9 AM.  My lower back has been very tight and I was worried about the train/bus sitting on vacation, so went to have an adjustment on Friday morning.  I could already feel the positive change over the weekend, but wanted one more adjustment before we left.  

I made a quick side trip to MICHAEL’s to get a 16’’, size 8 needle for the trip….since once again I checked and I have loaned mine out and no longer have it  :~(.  I have bought so many needles this exact size over the years (because students never returned mine) that it is a tiny bit depressing…oh well, something that just happens when you teach knitting.  Funnily enough, several months ago I actually got a call from a former student that I haven’t seen in years…..she was incredibly apologetic that she was going through old knitting projects, and found these needles that she was sure were mine.  She offered to mail them back, but I told her to pick up her charity knitting again and get going…it was actually delightful to talk to her  :~).  

When I got home I immediately headed downstairs to sew together the Hunter’s Star border strips and to cut and sew together binding strips.  While I was doing that, Michael spent a frustrating HOUR on the landline phone trying to activate his new TRAC phone.  It is totally annoying to talk to a call center in India…with people incapable of doing any more than reading a script, with a heavy accent!!!  That’s all I’m going to say about that.  But, by 2 PM Michael was a happy camper because his phone was all set:

and I was a happy camper because I had the borders on the Hunter’s Star quilt:  

and the binding was all made.  It's ready to be quilted when I get home. 

We headed upstairs to start packing at that point.  

The kitties were racing around like mad:  

We started with the large and medium suitcase, but I didn’t even have enough to fill the medium case, so Michael brought up the small one and that was a much better fit for me for the 10 days.  I’m not even taking Pat’s beautiful airplane bag she made for me…as I don’t have anything to put in it!!!  Don’t worry, when I go to Connecticut (hopefully the early part of next year), I’m sure I can get away with just my purse and the airplane bag  :~).  We finished packing and I gave away food to Anne, Paula and Angie & Kevin (who were at Bryce’s house putting edging around his garden), and had a relaxing evening the rest of the night.

In case you’re wondering, although my honey did give me my birthday gifts (a beautiful card that had me tearing up and 3 DVD’s I’ve been wanting), I am not really celebrating until my friend Inez visits in September.  We’re planning to bake something luscious every day and have people over to sample it….THAT will be my birthday celebration :~).

I've got another dose of cute....dad and AJ taking in the sites at the fair:

Here’s a video of the kitties playing on their tree while we were packing...sorry it's so dark, but I was shooting against the windows:

baby quilt top done, Trellis top done

Michael decided that since we had fresh bread, and he hadn’t had French Toast in awhile, that was what he’d make for breakfast on Sunday (7/24): 

doesn't this look luscious?

And of course it was a beautiful morning, so he ate out on the lanair, with all of the furry kids.  

I worked on the baby quilt for quite awhile and by dinnertime everything was sewn together, I had a border on:  

this is now all ready to be quilted when I get home

and I had made the binding!  

After that I got the final 2 borders on the Trellis Quilt and I LOVE how it seems to frame it now:  

Paula and I took a ride over to Jan’s in the afternoon, and I took along one of the new brownies for her to try.  I just had to take a picture of the bookcases in her sewing room.  These 2-1/2 feet wide by 8 feet high bookcases used to be CRAMMED with all of Jan’s quilting solids, arranged by color.  The real estate stager moved all of that fabric and now this is what the bookcases look like:  

Like something out of a high end quilting shop…right?  

When I got home, I cut out some squares to make HST’s for yet another baby quilt (this time for a girl): 

and also got strips cut for the border on the Hunter’s Star quilt.  Putting those borders on is the last thing I wanted to clean up before we leave on our trip.  

Michael harvested the last of our cherry tomatoes, and Lucy & Ethel were very curious as to what was in the basket:  

We got all of our laundery done and Michael started a bit of packing before we settled in to relax and watch TV before bed.

Sweetie, blocks for Hunter's Star done, baby quilt, mystery pic

YOU CAN SAVE A LIFE!!!!

A note from Nadine = This is Sweetie….she was an owner surrender. I was at the shelter when her owner took her out of her carrier and put her into a cage. She buried herself under the towel in the bottom of the cage. She stayed like that for 2 weeks, barely eating and resisting all our efforts to get her out from under the towel. Poor little girl was so depressed and confused as to why she was there. I became concerned that she would get sick because of not eating and barely drinking any water.

The third week, I brought her home and put her in a pen in her living room. When I would open the pen and dig her out from under a towel, I would say how is my Sweetie?  Will you eat for me Sweetie? Hence the name.

I have now had her here for a month. She is loose during the day and tries to be friends with my cats. Unfortunately my cats are not too happy she is here. She loves to be petted and as soon as I sit, she is along side of me. She does not go on the counters or table and was trained very well by her previous owner.

I took her to the vet and she is healthy, about 9 years old . She would make a senior a purrfect addition and loving companion.

Please send me (Deb) an email or leave a comment with YOUR email if you are interested.  Please pass this on to anyone else you think may be interested.

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Michael left for golf here at SCCL on Saturday (7/21) while I headed to my studio to continue cleaning up projects  :~).  I worked in the morning to finish sewing together the Hunter’s Star rows and by 3 PM I was done (it took FOREVER to press once it was together!!):  

And all of that time included over an hour of ripping!!!!  Instead of sewing row 9 to row 10, I sewed row 10 to row 9……it’s too hard to explain in writing….just trust me….it’s a boneheaded mistake that I’ve made more times than I care to tell you about (and I have numbered pins for the rows…..and I wasn’t drinking….so no excuses what-so-ever  :~)!  

Michael came home shortly afterwards with an 83 (with 2 birdies!!) so he was a happy camper.  We both cleaned up the house a bit, set out some sugary goodies: 

my jello poke cake...poked and filled by Paula

and put up extra chairs for a political meeting that started at 4 PM.  We weren’t in charge, just providing the venue.  Everyone was gone by 6 PM and Michael wanted to watch some of the British Open and I was happy to get back to my studio  :~).  

I continued to work on HST’s for a baby quilt and by the time I went upstairs to join Michael, I had all of the blocks done.  Sometimes simple is just beautiful...this is for our Triple A lady who helps Michael plan all of our trips.  She knows she is having a boy:

I hope to get all of the blocks sewn together before we leave on vacation.

I have several additional pictures today as well....BG's granddaughter went to Paris for a semester, and BG made her a quilt.  She decided to add in a pillow case to commemorate the event:

And now I have a 'throw back' Sunday picture....remember this:

and where and why it was taken?

customer QoV finished, brownies, deer, bunnies

Michael and I headed to the chiro first thing Friday morning (7/20), then stopped for a few groceries on the way home.  It was 11:30 by the time we got home and I made an incredible ‘mater sammich for lunch with luscious tomatoes Joe (our neighbor) brought home from the beach.  I got Mary Ann’s quilt trimmed (I got the ends sewn in and the basting ripped out yesterday):  

I LOVE this pattern and hope to do it some day

and she swung by to pick it up.  After that Michael and I spent a bit of time on our computers, making yet another payment on our trip to Tahiti for next year, and booking a parking reservation for this year’s trip.  I headed back upstairs after that to spend a couple of hours in the kitchen.

I made another devil’s food cake to be turned into a jello cake for tomorrow, as well as a pan of brownies (new recipe):  

1/2 swirled with caramel & 1/2 with pecans

I left them cooling and finally headed to my studio around 2:30.  Pressing the rows for the Hunter’s Star quilt takes a lot of time as I figure out which way I want all of the seams to go, so I spent 1/2 an hour doing that, until Paula showed up around 3 PM.  She came down to show us some things on the IPAD…and answered all of our questions!!!  Then Anne came a bit later to find out everything she needs to do when she is house/dog/cat sitting while we are gone…and everyone ended up staying until just after 6 PM!  I ran over to Pat’s to pick up my airplane bag (George had made a board for the bottom) and finally got to my studio around 7:30.  It must have been a night for wild life in the back yard because first there was this:  

and for quite a long time too….and then there was this:  

all while I was pressing the Hunter’s Star rows.  I got all of the rows pressed, and even got a few sewn together before staggering upstairs at 10 PM….I was beat  :~).

Dennis & Janice, SHQ show & tell, Hunter's Star in rows

Thursday (7/19) was a full and busy day.  Michael left just after 7 AM for golf, while Janice and Dennis had a quick breakfast of asparagus quiche before hitting the road as well:  

Dennis being silly  :~)

I managed to leave the house without my purse, my lunch or a library book for Loree!!  June was gracious enough to share her lunch with me and as well as having a super time, we had lovely show and tell:  

please blow up this picture and the next 3 to see the intricacies of Floy's quilt

this was a quilt-a-long June completed

and her "Big Dream' panel is gorgeous

look at that free motion quilting

Susie told us about the south's lightweight summer quilts

basically embroidered & hemmed muslin....beautiful!

I got home around 2:30 and spent an hour with my honey trying to figure out how to down load e-books onto our new IPAD.  We only got the IPAD yesterday, and even though Michael had a tournament and we had company last night, he got it all charged up and set up.  BUT, it is NOT as intuitive as we were led to believe (ok…maybe it would be for a 7 year old…but not us  :~).  Anyway, after that he settled in to watch the British Open and I headed to my studio to continue doing….stuff!  Hunter’s Star is finally all sewed into rows:

If you’re wondering why rows 3&4 were still stubbornly up on the wall in all of the pictures: 

it was totally operator error at the very beginning of sewing things together.  So, I had to finish all of the other rows and then figure out how to keep those 2 rows in order….but finally all of the rows are done.  I had Ethel’s sleepy company while I was working (on a pile of batting):

So, while Michael was watching the British Open, I ended up watching some old STAR TREK –TNG  (that’s ‘the next generation’ for those of you not up on the lingo  :~).  I needed something that wouldn’t distract me too much while I was sewing.  Now, most of the people who know me well know that I am a STAR TREK/STAR WARS fan (PLEASE don’t confuse the 2…they are nothing alike!!!)  Anyway, the episode I watched was called ‘THE OUTCAST’

 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Outcast_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation).  

One of the characters is talking and has one line that really stayed with me “How dangerous it is to be different.”  Her speech at the end of the show is so compelling.  The next time I signed onto AOL, one of the top stories was about how a federal judge  ruled against a religious organization that refused to place foster children with gay families on religious grounds.  The story continued on to say  “Friday's ruling came just one day after House Republicans advanced an amendment that would allow adoption agencies that receive public funding, like Catholic Social Services, to refuse to work with same-sex couples on religious grounds.”  The key phrase in that last sentence is public funding; what happened to separation of church and state?   Would they be allowed to refuse to place children with families that were Muslim?  Remember yesterday when I talked about groups of people deciding to deny rights to others who are not ‘us’?  Here’s a perfect example.  If you get a chance, and if you try to view it with an open mind, I would invite you to watch the episode THE OUTCAST, and maybe your mind might be expanded just enough to recognize that love and acceptance, not hate, is the answer.