Quilting is my Passion

2011-10-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

Finished the quilt for my grandson Devin McDonald. We are very proud of Devin who recently passed all the requirements and was made an Eagle Scout. Huge accomplishment. You have no idea what these kids go through to qualify. He's an amazing young man. I hope he enjoys his quilt which was made with the intention that he would drag it, wrap it, stuff it into a corner and go camping with it.

Bill's Memory Quilt 2011

2011-08-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

I made this quilt for my son Bill. It's a 'bookshelf' quilt with fabric photos from his life. He's very athletic so there was a large source of photos to pick from depicting his Kayaking lifestyle, rock climbing, camping, hiking, surfing and biking. He is a retired Marine Sargeant Major and is currently an IT Technician for Homeland Security. We're very proud of Bill so I hope this quilt does him justice.

Grapevine bedrunner

2011-06-07T16:54:00.000-07:00

Arizona Sunrise quilt I made for long time friend Randy

2011-03-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

Randy requested a landscape quilt depicting an Arizona Sunrise using the colors
plum, peach and moss. I have to admit I was a bit intimidated at first but I'm pleased
with the finished quilt. Art Quilts are a challenge .
March 2011

Pretty in Pink for great grandbaby Alanna McDonald

2011-01-22T15:08:00.000-08:00

Alanna hasn't been born yet...she's due any day this week. I've made this quilt for her. She is the daughter of my grandson Seth and his wife Brandy. This is their first child. Congrats to you kids. Can't wait to see her.

Jewelbox for Nancy

2011-01-22T15:03:00.000-08:00

Finished the Jewelbox quilt for my dear lifelong friend Nancy. It's a queen (87 X 100") in colors of her choice. Nancy and I have been buddies since 6th grade (along with Randy and Anne). How fortunate I am to have my dearest school friends still in my life. This year I vowed to make each of them a quilt in their favorite colors or theme. I finished Nancy's and Annes. I have yet to do Randy's, which is my next project.

Flip Flop Quilt Closeup

2010-10-03T16:26:00.001-07:00

Flip Flop Quilt

2010-10-03T16:23:00.001-07:00

Flip Flops quilt

2010-10-03T16:18:00.000-07:00

Anne's quilt on her bed

2010-08-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

I gave Anne's quilt and shams to her this weekend and she took it home and put it on her bed. Can you believe the match with that picture over her bed. OMG they go so beautifully together.

Fall Table Runner for our Diningroom

2010-08-12T20:15:00.001-07:00

Professional Tote in White

2010-08-12T20:14:00.001-07:00

Professional Tote Mushroom front

2010-08-12T20:12:00.001-07:00

Professional Tote in Black with Blue Polka Dots

2010-08-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

These Professional Tote Bags are made from a spectacular pattern by The Creative Thimble. It's a big project but well worth the effort. I've made 4 of them so far.
I added more pockets inside for my own purposes.

Ipad case for Jessica

2010-08-12T09:54:00.001-07:00

Professional Tote Bag

2010-08-12T09:45:00.000-07:00

Anne's " Lavender Blue"

2010-07-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

I have three wonderful girlfriends who have been with me since school days in Berkeley where I grew up. This year I have a goal. To make each of them a quilt to remember me by.

This one is for Anne. She requested something in lavender and blue. She got it!
I call this quilt, " Lavender Blue".

Hope you like it Anne.

Table runner for Breast Cancer raffle

2010-07-21T16:05:00.000-07:00

Every year I make a quilt or something quilted to donate to the
Bremerton, Wa. charity Rodeo for breast cancer. It's known as
the " Tough Enough To Wear Pink" rodeo. This year I made a table
runner with fall colors.

Quilted case for new Ipad

2010-06-13T16:54:00.000-07:00

Magic Tile quilt with applique flowers

2010-06-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

Quilt label for John & Bill. Photo taken in limo on way to academy awards where Bill was nominated for Producing Shark Tale

2010-06-01T12:14:00.000-07:00

John with the quilt I made for him and Billy

2010-06-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

Quilted Jacket I made to wear to Houston Quilt Festival

2010-06-01T12:11:00.000-07:00

Gustav Klimpt quilt " The Embrace"

2010-06-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

Cathedral Window table topper

2010-06-01T12:06:00.000-07:00

Apple Blossom Quilt pattern " Pushing up Spring"

2010-06-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

Purple Sage quilt with Green trim

2010-02-17T15:34:00.001-08:00

I made two purple sage quilts. One with a lavender trim and this one with a green trim which is on my bed. I also made pillow cases to match my quilt.

Snooze you lose

2010-02-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

Seth's Irish Chain

2010-02-12T14:10:00.002-08:00

Aquarium quilt for Ian

2010-02-12T14:10:00.001-08:00

Bug Jars

2010-02-12T14:08:00.001-08:00

Jimmy Buffett T-Shirt Quilt

2010-02-12T14:07:00.001-08:00

Rainbow square in square

2010-02-12T14:06:00.001-08:00

Peacock Splendor

2010-02-12T13:45:00.000-08:00

Christmas Quilt

2010-01-17T09:24:00.001-08:00

I have worked on this one for one year and is now ready to sandwich and quilt.

Purple and Sage with Green Trim

2010-01-03T10:33:00.000-08:00

I loved the original purple and sage quilt I made so much I decided to make myself one with a green trim instead of the lavender I made for my friend.

Purple and Sage

2009-10-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

I finished another quilt. Purple and Sage pinwheels. This one is queen sized and I used the 'quilt as you go' method. I made it in three panels and quilted each panel. I then joined the panels together and put a border on it. I like working with that technique because it makes it so much easier not to have a large quilt to wrestle. I'm going to continue to use that method.

Summer of '09

2009-09-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

I've finished a couple more quilts. One for brother in law Ronald McDonald which I gave to him when he came to visit yesterday. I call Ronald's quilt " Yankee Doodle Dandy" because it has that Civil War era look.

The other I made for a breast cancer event. The Pink, black and white quilt was raffled off at the " Tough Enough To Wear Pink" rodeo in Bremerton, Washington with all proceeds going to breast cancer victims to help pay for their treatment and other needs while fighting this disease.

More quilts I've recently finished

2009-02-27T14:38:00.000-08:00

2009-02-18T08:38:00.000-08:00

So play to your heart's content and see what you can come up with. I never tire of trying something new in the quilting world . There is something out there for everyone.

and the art quilt

2009-02-18T08:33:00.001-08:00

Quilting is just another artistic medium using fabric as the tool for creating and expressing your talents. There is no limit to what you can do with fabric and your imagination.

Traditional quilts

2009-02-18T08:26:00.000-08:00

The traditional quilts....using old tried and tested quilt patterns such as these which I have enjoyed making.

Bookshelf quilts

2009-02-18T08:21:00.001-08:00

Bookshelf quilts are a fun way to personalize quilts for anniversaries, for instance. I made these two quilts with photos printed on fabric of the individuals I made the quilts for. One was for a 50th Wedding Anniversary and the other for a friend who shares my passion for quilting.

Applique quilts

2009-02-18T08:19:00.001-08:00

I made this quilt for my daughter in law Charlene. I love applique and have many quilts I have done with this technique. This particular design was created by Melinda Bula who's site I link to under My Favorite Links section of this blog. We saw this quilt pattern at a quilt show and Charlene wanted it. The name of the pattern is Fleur di Lis. I have gotten so many compliments on this quilt.

French Braid quilt

2009-02-18T08:13:00.000-08:00

I am enamoured with french braid quilts and have made several. These panels are ready to assemble.

New Passion

2009-02-18T07:45:00.000-08:00

We had to end our RV venture due to the exhorbitant cost of traveling in a large rig. I was sad to see it all end so soon but when we hit Michigan and the gas prices went to $3.50 a gallon we nearly choked. Floods in New Jersey (our next destination) and hurricane Katrina (another destination) made us realize that perhaps our timing was off and we should return to California to regroup and decide what to do. Ultimately we sold our rig and bought a home and settled into retirement life. Now I have my sewing room back and am quilting like a maniac so will continue the blog but change the format to include quilting. Life is good.

The Piper at the top of Kincardine Lighthouse

2005-10-02T15:36:00.000-07:00

The piper at Kinkardine at top of lighthouse

Kincardine's Phantom Piper legend

2005-10-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

Donald Sinclair thought his family was doomed. The year was 1856, eight years after the first settlers arrived at what is now Kincardine, Canada, and Sinclair and his family from Skye were hoping to join the swelling population of newcomers. But night was drawing in and their tiny ship was taking on water as it was tossed around on the choppy, treacherous waves of Lake Huron, one of the Great Lakes. There was little hope of the immigrant family finding their way to shore and Sinclair feared they could not survive the stormy, freezing night. In despair, he picked up his bagpipes to play one last traditional lament. Their cries for help had been lost in the howling wind - but the haunting sound of the pipes carried across the stormy waters. A Scotsman walking on the rocky shore heard Sinclair's plaintive lament wafting on the wind and ran to get his pipes to play a response; and, with the drones of his trusty pibroch acting like a sound beacon in the dark, the Sinclair family managed to sail safely to the shoreline. For the rest of his life, Sinclair was forever grateful to the energetic, skirling carrying-power of his bagpipes; and every dusk he ritually went down to the Lake Huron shore, regardless of the weather, and played his pipes as the sun set.

from

http://www.scottish-memories.co.uk/viewissue.asp?issueID=14

2005-10-02T15:30:00.000-07:00

Ron and Beatrice

2005-10-02T15:17:00.000-07:00

While visiting up in Michigan, we had the opportunity to spend a great deal of time with Dale's brother Ron and his wife Beatrice. They have a beautiful home on 40 acres nestled in the Pickford area where deer come out to feed off of corn kernals that Ron spreads for them every evening at dusk. Ron built the home for them when they married 54 years ago. He has since built a second home just a few miles up the hill that they have never lived in. They liked to run down to Florida every winter to escape Michigan's 200 plus inches of snow. Ron and Beatrice loved to Square Dance and had lots of friends both at home and at their winter place in Florida. Sister Gloria and her husband Dave started going down to spend time near them in Florida every winter as well.

This summer we were able to spend many weeks with Beatrice, who has been battling cancer for a couple of years, before she finally succumbed to the disease. It was difficult to be there for her last few weeks and to lose her but it was also a blessing to be there at the time she needed family around her the most. What made this time especially meaningful was getting to know Beatrice's sisters and brothers. Beatrice came from a very large family and they were all very closely knit. Although Beatrice was 74, she was a very young and active 74, so losing her to cancer was a shock for everybody. She will be greatly missed.

2005-10-02T15:12:00.000-07:00

Left to right: Sherry, Ron, Beatrice, Dale, Dave and Gloria

Monacle Lake

2005-10-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

We try to make it up to the upper peninsula of Michigan every year or two to visit with Dale's sister Gloria and her husband Dave. This year was particularly fun because we had more time to spend there and enjoy their beautiful spot in paradise. They parked us on a back lot where we could have our own privacy and separate electrical hookup. We even managed to get satellite reception for TV so it was a perfect location for us. Dave and Gloria have several grown kids who spend a portion of their summers at the lake as well, so it truly is like one lonnnnnng family reunion in the summertime. Aunts, Uncles, grandkids, neices and nephews, friends and old school chums are always dropping in and Dave and Gloria feed them all. They have their main house which they live in. And then a separate building / dormitory type arrangement which has a full kitchen, bathroom and large tables that will accomodate a good size crowd with an upstairs bunk room that has a half dozen or so queen and double size beds and another l/2 bath. They are truly set up to entertain guests all summer long. Since their home is right on the lake, they have a boat dock where they have their motorboat tied up and also a paddle boat and a canoe. Dave Jr., their son, takes all the kids out tubing on the lake. There is also waterskiing if someone wants to indulge.

Gloria is a retired school teacher and Dave retired from construction work. They lived in Iowa most of their married life until they retired. They sold their home and rebuilt on Monacle Lake where they intend to spend the rest of their years together. They will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next summer. Dave is Mr. Nice Guy.....loved by everybody because anybody needing anything whatsoever or help building or fixing something....gets his full attention and plenty of help. I, personally, think they sometimes take advantage of him but that's not how he sees it and is very willing to answer the call. Gloria is the organizer....knows just how to set everything up for rotating visitors....skills I think she carried over from her days spent in classrooms herding kids. LOL She's good at it and we just do what she tells us to do. When she isn't cooking and cleaning, she likes to reminesce about childhood days in Michigan. Their family is huge....Dale and Gloria's mom was one of twelve kids and they all lived in upper Michigan, so there are dozens of uncles, aunts and cousins to visit with. Dave's family is large, as well, and he grew up in the same area so you can't go anywhere without running into somebody who knows Dave or Gloria.

Our daughter Tina and grandson C.J. flew out to spend a few days with us at the lake as well. Tina surprised us actually....we were expecting C.J. but Tina came unannounced and boy....that was fun. Pretty sneaky....I'd say. She had a good time and so did we.

Also up at Monacle Lake this summer was Joan....an extended family member....by marriage....who lives in California but flies out to spend summers in Michigan in the Soo (Sault Ste Marie). Joan also happens to be one of our best friends who we spent a lot of time with back in California so it was old home week when she and I got together to go to arts and craft festivals and out to lunch and shopping down by the Locks. We had even bigger plans, like a trip to Mackinac Island, but something happened to change that so maybe next year...eh Joan? Joan is fun because she's so REAL....very open minded, very easy to talk to and very compassionate with everybody. She's everybody's mom or sister....the one you wish you had been born with. We play scrabble online everyday, even as we travel, and she beats me mercilously. That's the only bad thing I can say about her. She really needs to lighten up and give me a chance to win once in awhile. ;)

Can't wait until next summer at Monacle Lake. Don't rent out our space, guys. We'll be back.

2005-10-02T14:40:00.000-07:00

Bob & Denise in their livingroom

Kincardine, Ontario, Canada

2005-10-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

Due to an illness in the family, we had to change our original plans to visit with friends in Canada for a couple of weeks and, instead, be satisfied with a shorter visit of just a few days but it was a fun packed few days, I’ll grant you that. Bob and Denise are the consummate hosts…bar none. Denise is everybody’s dream gourmet cook and Bob practically rewired his whole house to accommodate our computers. Talk about fitting right in and being comfortable. It was Five Star all the way.

Denise and I go back to 1994 when we actually met online in a sewing chatroom. She and I chatted back and forth (with our keyboards) getting acquainted, when we began to notice a pattern. We had a lot in common. We were both retired secretaries, both had been married the exact number of years (in fact our anniversaries were one week apart) and both our husbands were about the same number of years older than us. Our birthdays were just a couple of days apart. We both had white hair, wore hearing aids, loved to sew and read, and had the same taste in many other areas of our lives. We both also began to get uncomfortable with the coincidences as they piled up….each of us thinking, the other one has GOT to be faking this. So I thought I had topped her in one area and told her so. “ I’ve got two dogs…a very unusual breed….and I KNOW you won’t have one as well.” She said, “ Oh I have a dog….and it’s an uncommon breed. It’s a Bichon Frise.” Well, she couldn’t see me through the puter, but I fell on the floor…..I had TWO Bichon Frise’s. When I told her this I thought for sure she would think I was lying. And so it went….we have spent the remaining dozen years finding out how much alike our lives really are. I met her in Houston for a huge quilt show one fall and when she got off the airplane I immediately noted that we were wearing the very same shoes. I pointed that out and we had a good laugh. Of course she pulled the same brand of cosmetics out of her bag and so on…..the coincidences were exhausting. And a lot of fun.

Anyway, while we were at Bob and Denise’s house, I had a lot of fun looking at all her quilts she’s made and going through the ones she has yet to finish. (We call them UFO’s. Unfinished Objects).

Kincardine is a wonderful little town on the shores of Lake Huron. Of course, Lake Huron is so huge you cannot see across it to Michigan on the other side. It looks instead like an ocean. We went down to the lighthouse where every night, a bagpiper plays as the sun sets….an old tradition who’s story I will tell here in this blog in another segment.

Read the Legend of the Bagpiper to get the whole story.

Kincardine has other quaint traditions as well, mostly steeped around it’s Scottish history. Every Saturday night during the summertime, pipers from all around the countryside meet in Kincardine with their bagpipes and march through town playing while hoards of citizens and tourists follow them in the streets. There is also a fall get together where pipers and dancers entertain in the park centered in the town. It truly is a lovely place and I can understand why Bob and Denise resist the urge to sell their home and move to someplace else in retirement. They have a lot of history here. They raised two daughters and made lifelong friends. I think they had better just stay right here in Kincardine. It would be hard to find another place quite like it.

When we weren’t eating and touring the area, we were enmeshed in serious card play….boys against the girls….playing spades. We had a 3 night tournament which, I am proud to say, the girls won. Just barely. It must be because Denise and I think alike too and our instincts when it comes to playing cards work well for us. LOL RIGHT!!!!!

2005-07-10T06:46:00.001-07:00

The Railroad House

2005-07-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

Linda (Tillie to us Goobers)

2005-07-10T06:44:00.000-07:00

Thirsty Henry

2005-07-10T06:42:00.000-07:00

Tom and Dale

2005-07-10T06:41:00.000-07:00

Sherry, Linda and Molly

Whitelaw, Wisconsin

2005-07-10T06:37:00.000-07:00

Whitelaw, Wisconsin

Linda and Tom were well prepared for us. They have 5 l/2 acres and lots of extension cords. We settled in right away and Linda has kept us busy ever since. On Friday morning we went to yard sales (here it’s called rummaging) with Linda and her youngest daughter, Kelly. We found lots of little things we couldn’t live without (mostly books). We saw Kelly’s new apartment which is a work in progress but she definitely has her mother’s talent for painting and decorating. We stopped for brats (that’s a very large sausage on a bun) which seems to be a diet staple in Wisconsin and it was very good. We got the grand tour of Manitowoc and I got to see where Linda works as a network administrator (she runs the internet access end of the business) for a local telephone company.

I also got to meet Emily, the oldest daughter but Ben, their son was out of town so we’ll have to wait to meet him next time. Dale was amazed that Linda and her daughter Emily looked so much alike and, he was even more amazed when he found out how old Linda is because he swore she didn’t look any older than her daughter and he really really meant it. I agree. Linda has a trick up her sleeve for staying young and I want to know what it is.

Tom and Linda took us to the most fantastic little corner bar/restaurant in a tiny hamlet near here called Menchalville that served real home cooked food buffet style. They called it a fish fry (I was thinking breaded cod strips and French fries) so I was really surprised to see all kinds of seafood on the spread…including cod, scallops, crab, boiled and fried shrimp, halibut, chicken, potatos and salads galore. But the highlight was a table of real homemade desserts which included several kinds of pies, cakes, brownies and a little item called ‘kneecaps’. Yup….that’s actually something you eat. The nearest I can describe this local delicacy is that it was shaped like it would fit right over your kneecap and consisted of fried cake sprinkled with sugar with a dollop of whipped cream right in the middle of it. We were told that there actually is a little old lady who slaves over her stove all week long to produce these amazing desserts for this obscurely located little restaurant that packs them in. What a treasure find that was. To top off the evening, Tom took us all to the Oneida Casino in Green Bay where we all made a deposit. (Well, Dale claims he made a withdrawal…. ).

On Saturday, Tom took us to a sixteen family yard sale in the high rent district and that was FUN. We found more treasures including a nice dresser for Kelly’s new apartment.

On the way home they took us to a very unique house in the country that a railroad enthusiast built. The main house is built to look like a railway terminal on the outside. There is even a vending maching on the porch, a railcart with sacks of feed for shipping, a scale for weighing freight and a sign. Off to the right of the house is an actual railroad car on a short track. In front of the yard is a small shack where mail sacks would be hung to be picked up by passing trains. It is the darndest thing I have ever seen. I was so tickled with the thought of this guy so totally committed to his hobby that he created a real life scale model of it. I would love to see the inside of his house….I can only imagine.

I almost forgot to mention Henry and Keno. They are their family pets. Henry is a rambunctious Irish Setter who, we swear, fell in love with our Maltese Molly at first sight. He had the sappiest look on his face and just would not quit trying to engage her in play but being the stand offish little imp that she is, she’d have none of it, thank you. Of course, part of the problem might have been that he looked like a shaggy haired chop licking predator who had mistaken her for a little white rabbit. (I’m trying to get into her head here.) She wasn’t the least bit put off by Keno because he was so much older than her and quite content to ignore her. He is a rare breed from Japan (I can’t even remember how to spell it) and so totally mellowed out that our high strung ball of white fluff didn’t turn his head at all.

On our last night, Tom told us lots of interesting stories from the days he was a Marine recruiter. Forget all the horror stories you’ve heard about recruiters. This guy was the exception and I wish he would write his stories down sometime for everybody to read. Some of his stories were humorous while others were poignant, but all of his stories were was quite fascinating.

Tom made Brats in Beer to go with Linda’s potato salad. The Brats were grilled first until they were toasty then they were simmered in a crockpot of beer and onions for a couple of hours. DELICIOUS.

We leave tomorrow morning for Michigan but we will take with us many wonderful memories of our visit in Whitelaw, Wisconsin. We will definitely be returning someday, if we’re invited.

Unremarkable tourist attractions

2005-07-10T06:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes your travels are as notable for the places you choose NOT to visit and ours are no exception.

The Black Hills of South Dakota (which are actually BLACK) are famous for more than just Mount Rushmore. The Black Hills are also famous for the gold found there that is made into a unique kind of pastel gold jewelry. The Black Hills are also known for a lot of frivolous tourist traps which we passed up in our travels through that territory. Among the sites we declined to be sucked into were Flintstone’s Bedrock City, the Shrine to Democracy, the Panhandling Jackasses (I have NO idea what that one was), The Cosmos, Reptile Gardens, Bear Country and the Timber of Ages Petrified Forest. OH, and the Holy Shrine Wax Museum.

We also passed on visiting the nearby town of Sturgis which I have been told has become famous as an annual rendezvous point for Harley Davidson bikers. For several days every summer the claim is that there are more Harley Davidsons in Sturgis than in the rest of the free world at that time. It hasn’t been lost on us that every town along highway 90 has a Harley Davidson dealer on the frontage road. Harley Davidson leather can be found in every store, along with other biker collectibles. It might be interesting to research, sometime, why Harley Davidson is so revered in South Dakota. I fully expect to see shrines erected to honor the machine on our next pass through the Black Hills.

The Black Hills are also famous for the town of Deadwood, where Wild Bill Hickok was shot in the back while holding a full house and where Calamity Jane hung out, making a pest of herself.

There is also the town of Lead, which is famous for being the home of one of the largest gold mines in the world, and for making William Randolph Hearst a very wealthy fellow.

Yet another town, Custer, named after you know who, was the location of yet another battle between Indians and white men….one of the last battles of record, I might add but Custer wasn’t in that battle because he had already made his last stand on the Little Big Horn river in Montana.

I’ll include other uninteresting tourist traps along the route as we venture through other states so you’ll know what you’re not missing.

Betty and Clark

2005-07-06T18:42:00.001-07:00

Betty and Clark

We met the most interesting couple while parked in Hardin, Montana for two days. They are from northern New Jersey and are retired. They were on their way to Washington to visit their niece.

Clark discovered civil war re-enactments and has become obsessed with them. He has formed his own ‘company’ of 15 men and attends re-enactments about six times a year at various locations. He can recite history from the civil war for hours and keep you spellbound. His company chose the 44th Regiment out of Georgia (Confederates) to represent and research. He made it sound so interesting I was ready to join up with him myself. When Clark isn’t actually engaging in civil war, he’s hopping from high school to service club educating people on the subject. What a hobby.

2005-07-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

Custer's gravestone with black

2005-07-06T18:39:00.000-07:00

Custer and his men at rest

2005-07-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

Mt. Rushmore at night

Rushmore

2005-07-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

Mt. Rushmore

Gutzon Borglum, a sculptor, was commissioned to create a carving of figures in a mountainside of noted western personalities Lewis & Clark, Buffalo Bill Cody, Chief Red Cloud and others. But Gutzon preferred carving the presidents so that the sculpture would be of national significance. He chose four presidents….George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. Washington represented the birth of the country since he was the first president. Jefferson symbolized expansion since he was largely responsible for the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Lincoln embodied the preservation of the union of states in confronting the challenges of the Civil War. Theodore Roosevelt represented the development of our country and the preservation of our natural resources as he was a great conservationist and environmentalist. Roosevelt, between Jefferson and Lincoln in the sculpture, would have loved being in the center. His daughter once said of her dad, “ He always wanted to be the center of attention, wherever he was. He wanted to be the bride at every wedding and the corpse at every funeral.”

The sculpture took 14 years, between the years 1927 and 1941 to complete and cost $989,992.32. (That’s under one million bucks, folks. A bargain!!!) The faces are approximately 60 feet from chin to the top of the head. Each eye is 11 feet across. The noses are 20 feet long except Washington’s which is 21 feet.

No major injuries resulted from the project. 400 men worked on it and most of the sculpting was done with dynamite.

We viewed the sculpture at night. There is an amphitheater there now and at 9pm every night during the season, they have a lecture and a lighting of the monument.

Custer's Last Stand

2005-07-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

Custer’s Last Stand

On the 4th of July weekend, we spent a couple of days in Hardin, Montana so we could visit the national monument depicting Custer’s Last Stand. The site actually covers an area of 5 miles. You drive your car along a path which is sprinkled with markers describing what took place at each location during the battle which occurred on June 25, 1876. How it came about is that the government made a deal with the Indians to place them all on reservations where their life would be easier, promising to provide them with plenty of food and tools. They issued a warning that all Indians had to report to reservations by January, 1876 or they would be considered hostile. But some of the tribes had feedback from others on the reservations which indicated the government had fallen short of it’s promise and they decided they didn’t want to give up their traditional way of life. They refused to go onto the reservations willingly. Even though many of the tribes fought among themselves over land and other issues, they decided to put old disputes to bed and join forces to ensure they would not be overtaken by the military and placed on reservations with other less fortunate tribes.

Chief Sitting Bull of the Lakota organized the greatest gathering of Indians in the northern plains. Among these Indian tribes were the Lakota (also known as the Sioux but they didn’t like the name which was given to them by their enemies which meant “ sneaky snake”), the Cheyenne, the Arikara the Arapaho and the Crow. There were also 5 warriors who showed up from an little known tribe but they were suspected as being troublemakers so they were arrested by Sitting Bull and held as prisoners. Once the fighting started, Sitting Bull gave them back their guns and said, “ Prove who’s side you are on.”

The estimated number of Indians in this collective tribal gathering along the Little Bighorn River were 10,000 to 15,000 men, women and children. Their encampment was 3 miles long. Each tribe circled their tents to represent the individual communities. Of those, it was estimated there were about 2,000 warriors, young men of the age to protect their tribes from the enemy. These warriors practiced from the age of 6 shooting their rifles (sold to them by white men) and hitting their targets with bows & arrows. They could hit a target with an arrow accurately at 100 yards and never miss. Horses were a symbol of wealth so they prided themselves on their ability to ride and protected their animals. Among these warriors were 20 or 30 underaged boys who called themselves the suicide boys. They were trained to give their lives to protect the entire tribe. The Indians were committed to preserving their way of life.

Women held a lot of power in their tribes. The women built the tipi’s (teepees) and owned them. They tanned the buffalo hides to construct their homes. It took a week to tan one hide and it took 16 hides to make one small sized tipi. The tipi would last about one year. When the women married, they remained owners of their tipis and the man would move in with them. If the woman no longer wanted to be married to a man, she didn’t have to worry about a divorce. She could just put his clothing and belongings outside the tent and that meant it was over. He was homeless. Young braves who had not yet married, lived out in the open under makeshift shelters they constructed with brush and tree limbs until they could move into a real tent with their chosen bride.

The Buffalo was the most important animal in the life of an Indian besides the horse. Every part of the buffalo was used, including the stomach which served as a water pouch for carrying water up from the river or made into a pouch to store meat and jerky. Sinew was woven to make rope and bow string. The Buffalo bladder made an excellent canteen. Horns carried gun powder. Hides were used for shoes, clothing and tents. Buffalo meat was a staple in their diet. The Indians claimed to have at least 60 different uses for every part of the Buffalo. When white men began shooting buffalo for sport, it distressed the Indians greatly. At one time, the nearly 10,000 buffalo roaming the plains was down to only 100 left before something was done about the terrible waste and destruction of the breed. They are protected now and plentiful.

On June 25, 1876 George Custer and 600 soldiers along with a scout from the Crow Indian tribe, sought out ‘hostile’ Indians who refused to go to the reservations. They came upon the huge gathering of Sitting Bull and decided to make examples of them. The soldiers were split up into 2 groups. Major Reno was to take his men and attack from the south. Custer planned to take 210 men and attack from the north. Bad idea. Custer ignored his own scout’s warnings that the tribe was too large for this small band of soldiers to overcome. Custer, in his arrogance, would not back down. Reno went in first but quickly retreated when 1500 warriors rode against his men, chasing them back into the hills. Then the warriors retreated and went after Custer and his men. Custer was trapped on a hill with his men and slaughtered within 40 minutes. The warriors dismounted and crawled toward Custer and the soldiers, raising up only long enough to rain arrows shot straight up into the air and curving down in a storm over the soldiers. A thousand arrows hit their targets over and over but crawling warriors were impossible to hit with rifle fire. The strategy was brilliant and deadly. The warriors overtook the soldiers who were scattering like scared rabbits. Custer and his 210 men were soon dead. The indians did unspeakable things to their bodies and took their horses and guns. I have included a photo of the gravesite as it appears today.

Major Reno and the rest of the Brigade held their own against the warriors until reinforcements showed up, saving their lives and running the tribes off.

The Sioux and Cheyenne victory at Little Bighorn in 1876 was a great achievement for Indians, but, with the exception of Sitting Bull’s band, all of the participants surrendered within a year of the battle and were forced onto reservations.

Port Townsend and Fort Worden, Washington

2005-07-01T08:04:00.000-07:00

We went to Fort Worden in Port Townsend yesterday. It was particularly interesting because that's where " Officer and a Gentleman" was filmed. It's a beautiful fort that has been recycled into a resort of sorts (state park) where you can camp, stay at a bed and breakfast or hunt ghosts. Yup...there are a few ghost stories associated with Fort Wordens including one at the Guard House where a soldier accidentally shot and killed himself and has haunted the guard house ever since.

As we drove the grounds we could just visualize Lou Gossett addressing his unit of recruits, including " Mayo" played by Richard Gere.

Trivia re: movie

John Travolta turned down the leading actor role on the advice of his agent. Richard Gere was the second choice.

Fort Worden was called "Fort Ranier" in the movie, a misspelling of "Rainier", made famous by the mountain of that name.

The paper mill is indeed the biggest employer in the town of Port Townsend.

The balloon hanger, famous for the fight scene between Richard Gere and Lou Gossett, Jr., has now been converted into a 1200 seat performing arts pavilion.

The dorm room used by "Mayo" was in building 204. At the end of the movie, Lou Gossett saluted them on the porch of dorm 204, now used as meeting rooms. (See photo)

The obstacle course was on the beach near Kinzie Battery. No trace remains.

The mooning was photographed from Battery Putnam.

The airplanes in the opening scene on the parade field were brought in just for the movie. But the corner near the park office still looks the same as when Richard Gere drove around it on his motorcycle.

The pool used for the diving/ rescue scenes is the swimming pool at Mountain View Middle School.

The set for the scene where they suffered a lack of oxygen and tried to play cards as part of their training, is still in the basement of dorm 225.

The Town Tavern was a prominent tavern on Water Street in downtown Port Townsend. In 2001 it was sold, remodeled, and currently operates as "Maxwell's Tavern"

The dance scene was filmed in the USO building.

The barber shop was in dorm 202.

Port Townsend reminds me of Sausalito, California. The downtown area is old....all buildings were built around 1880's and the names of the men who built them are engraved on each one. I guess that was a status symbol those days....you put the date and your name on your building. There were dozens of wonderful shops for tourists including quilt stores which made me very happy. It's a port town so you will see lots of boats and seafood restaurants. It was nestled in a beautiful harbor surrounded by dense green forest. Spectacular.

2005-06-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

Dale, Molly and Duffy

2005-06-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Duff at the falls

A trip to the falls

2005-06-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Duffy took us for a nice walk up a shady lane which led to a beautiful waterfall just a mile or so from his property on the Dosewallips River. The falls don't have a name, as far as he knows, but they were spectacular and descend into a large pool where brave kids often frolic and swim. It looked very dangerous to me because of all the steep rocks around it which have fallen over time but you know kids....they know no fear. Here's a photo of Dale, Molly and Duffy walking up the shady lane and also one of Duffy on a rock just under the falls.

We are winding up our stay in Washington on Friday, July 1 and heading east towards Idaho, Montana and North Dakota. Since it's all unknown territory to us it feels a little scary, but also exciting. It'll be fun hunting for unique sites and interesting people to interact with.

2005-06-22T06:24:00.000-07:00

The new rig and 'toad'. (Dale mowing in background)

Loving our new RV

2005-06-22T06:16:00.000-07:00

We've had a chance to live in and enjoy this RV and we've decided we absolutely love it. The slideouts make all the difference in comfort. You are not squeezed into small spaces and it's very much like living in a small apartment. The refrigerator holds lots of food and the cupboards aren't bad either. We had our first dinner guests ( Linda and Duffy) and cooking and cleaning up was a breeze. Dale loves the way it drives and handles. Do I miss anything I don't have on this rig? Not really. I can't think of anything I really would need that I don't have. I have even made a sewing area up in the front passenger seat where a section of the dash slides out like a desk and puts the sewing machine right where I need it to stitch away. The only down side is that there is some clutter. But hey.....there isn't the room you need to put EVERYTHING away and what's a little clutter when you're having this much fun!!! And the yard. We may have a small house but we have a HUGE back yard that stretches from coast to coast.

2005-06-22T06:04:00.000-07:00

Kitty & Don

2005-06-22T06:02:00.000-07:00

Kuz'n Kitty and Sherry

Visiting Kuz'n Kitty

2005-06-22T05:47:00.000-07:00

Today was FUN!!!! We drove down to Graham, Washington to visit my cousin, Kitty and her husband Don. Kitty and I stay in touch through email and the internet, but we hadn't actually seen each other in person since about 1991. We marveled at how much alike we look as we get older. It must be in those Lilly genes. Kitty's Son Gavin, a local sheriff's deputy, came by to visit as did his family, wife Angel, and kids Brady, Peyton and Kaity. The kids are absolutely adorable and extremely well mannered. It's no wonder Kitty and Don are so proud of them.

Kitty and I reminesced about old times and looked through family albums of relatives who lived so long ago, we never had a chance to know them. She has an enormous collection of ancestral photos and information and plans to make copies for other family members. I can't wait....how interesting it all was.

After a day of feasting on Barbequed ribs and hamburgers, it was hard to say good bye but we'll be back. They have an RV as well so they could come visit us too, that is, if they can catch up with us. Actually, we're thinking about investing in some local recreational property on the Dosewallips river and...if that's the case, then they could come park with us and go fishing when we're up here. Don seemed to like that idea a lot. Life is good!!!

2005-06-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

Duffy and Dale on Dosewallips River property

2005-06-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

Sherry and Linda at Linda's property on the Dosewallips River

2005-06-14T10:10:00.000-07:00

Jessica and Sherry in Olympia

First week of retirement and travels

2005-06-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

What a week it was. After saying goodbyes to the kids, we finally took delivery of our RV in Oregon. We went to the DMV to register it only to find out that they wanted proof that we had established residence in Oregon and that we had Oregon driver's licenses. The dealer had lied to us. They had told us we could do this to cinch the sale of the RV and left us hanging in Oregon to sort it all out. NEVER NEVER trust someone who wants to sell you something .
Anyway, we will pay the exhorbitant sales tax on the RV and register it in California. We're a little poorer heading into retirement but wiser.

We stopped in Olympia to visit with a long time friend Jessica and enjoyed a lovely lunch and afternoon of talking and laughing. Jessica is one of five very intelligent, witty women with whom I get together everyday online through emails. We have running conversations about politics and everything else you can imagine. We have been doing this for 11 years. We will do it until we all pass on. It was fun to actually sit down with Jessica face to face. Our conversation was as smooth as butter. Like two people who have been doing it a long time, we were very comfortable with one another. I look forward to traveling across country to spend time with the other gals in our group. One is in Wisconsin, two in New Jersey and another is in Georgia.

We arrived in Bremerton on Saturday night at the home of Linda and Duffy. Linda and I met when we both worked for Crocker Bank in 1969. We've been true and fast friends ever since. We have laughed, cried, bantered and discussed with amazement the things we've both experienced in our lives. Linda eventually moved back to her home state of Washington but daily notes and phonecalls kept the friendship alive. Linda is now going through a rough spot in her life. She was recently diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy. But Linda has always been an advocate offering support for someone or something, everything from helping those living out their last months with dreaded diseases like HIV to being an active lobbyist for the Democratic party on issues she was passionate about. This woman is a fighter so we have no doubt that she'll whip this cancer into submission as well. She is unflagging in spirit and approaches everything with humor. I have never laughed harder or longer than when I'm with Linda.

We are still sorting through our 'stuff' and pitching more out. I just cannot seem to find a place for everything and I hate the cluttered look so I just have to keep evaluating what stays and what goes. The problem is I'm getting down to really important stuff, like video cameras and my favorite clothing or parfum. There is just going to HAVE to be SOME clutter.

Finally on the road

2005-06-09T22:19:00.000-07:00

Our last day of work was Friday, June 3. That, coincidentally, was the same day our escrow on the sale of house closed. Talk about cutting it CLOSE. We picked up our escrow check at 3:30 in the afternoon and went straight to the bank to deposit it, then raced to the RV dealer to see if our RV was ready to go. We transferred all of our belongings from the old RV to the new RV which was a huge job. Just like moving all over again. Got it done in two long days over the weekend. Then left it there at the dealer's so they could install the satellite dish in the new RV before delivering it to us in Oregon. We headed for northern california to visit the kids and say our goodbyes. That was kind of tough. I'm homesick already and I haven't even left the state. But we've made tentative plans to rendezvous with them at different locations across the country throughout the year so that made us feel a little better about leaving them. I know I know.....the kids are GROWN for crying out loud, so why are we being so silly. It's just not easy to leave family behind. That's all I can say. It's the hardest part of this whole venture. Leaving loved ones behind for an indefinite period of time.

We then drove to Ashland, Oregon (just over the border from California) where tomorrow morning, FINALLY, we will take delivery of our new RV and register it at the DMV in Oregon. That saved us a bundle in sales taxes. Since we won't be living in California anymore, why should we pay the exhorbitant sales tax they charge on big ticket items????? Makes sense to US. The only stipulation is that we cannot bring the RV back into the state of California for one year which is no problem because we didn't plan on going back into California for a year and even then, we would just be visiting the kids and moving on.

SO...we're on our way. We are just now starting to feel like its really happening. We're retired. And we're free to do whatever we want. First stop will be to visit friends and family in Washington. Guess we had better call them and warn them that we are coming. :)

We survived the yard sale, and then some

2005-05-24T04:44:00.000-07:00

I don't believe it. We actually survived the yard sale and everything is gone now. We couldn't have done it without the generous efforts of friends who jumped in and organized and reorganized ad nauseum. What would you do without friends????? Parish the thought. We will miss them all terribly when we're on the road.

We also have other news. We traded our RV for one with slides and more closet space. The more we arranged and rearranged the more we knew that it wasn't going to work. We had a great RV for vacationing but not for living in. To do what we intended to do required an RV you could actually live in. One with a refrigerator that would hold a few groceries and cupboards that would hold dishes and cooking utensils. And closets that would hold enough clothes to keep you from going crazy trying to keep them laundered. We bought a 2005 Fleetwood Southwind 32 foot with double slideouts (galley/livingroom and bedroom). What a difference it makes. We haven't taken delivery of it yet. We're still waiting for escrow to close so we can finalize everything. The escrow isn't closing until June 1 and we're supposed to be leaving on June 3 so you can see that we have a lot of unloading and reloading to do between the two RV's in a matter of one or two days. Could it be any more stressful than that? Why does life have to be SO dramatic? Oh well...as John Lennon is often quoted as saying, " Life is what happens to you while you were making other plans."

We have 8 working days to go (yes...we're counting ) and I swear, as many doctor and dental appointments squeezed in as well. There is not one day that we don't have an appointment of one kind or another to prepare for the long long trip. Advice to you other soon to be fulltimers. Don't wait until the last minute to get it all done. You may think you have to schedule the appointments right up to the last minute but it's not a good idea. A month or two ahead of time in the big scheme of things is not a bad thing. Who knew that retiring would be such hard work?

Dale nor I can believe this is really happening though. We both agree that we just cannot imagine what this is going to be like to actually get into the RV...drive off into the sunset and not have any schedules or jobs to worry about. It just doesn't seem possible that it is really going to happen. At a time in their lives when most retirees are settling in and pitching camp for the golden years we are selling our lovenest and hitting the trail for parts unknown. To be fair, though, the last I read there are over 750,000 fulltime RVers out there doing the exact same thing. It is a new lifestyle that appeals to a large segment of the population. The way we figure it, is you have a long long time in your truly golden years to settle down and stay home day in and day out waiting for the final days. We've got our health so now is the time to pursue dreams and have adventures. Someday we won't have that choice and we'll have to settle down to a mundane routine existance. In the meantime, we're keeping those roads hot and pioneering with other RVers just waiting to swap stories over a campfire on a river's edge or at a picnic table plunked down in the middle of a bluegrass festival. Yeeeehawwwwwwwww!!!!

Kicking into high gear

2005-04-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

The house sold. Two days after we put it on the market, we got two bites. Both from serious buyers and one of whom is now in escrow with us. We are SO excited and still pinching ourselves. This, however, ends our lollygagging along and pushes us rapidly along into the process of downsizing from an apartment to an RV. What a headache. All of that 'stuff' to sort through while agonizing over parting with and then ultimately, selling favored possessions for pennies on the dollar to drooling neighbors and friends who are hovering over the booty like vultures over a rotting carcass. We're happy to have our 'stuff' find good homes though. All is well that ends well. I just hope we make our deadline of May 31, 2005 as that is the date we gave as our last day on the job. At that point we are caput....done. I sure hope escrow is caput....done by that time as well. It would make life a lot easier if everyting was settled so we could embark on our wonderful journey.

Since all the furniture in our apartment has sold already, we are forced to set up housekeeping in our RV now, a month before our scheduled launch. That's kind of a neat thing, actually, because it forces us to live with the things we load onto the RV in a sort of trial run. That makes it easier to determine if items are really necessary or can be tossed back to be sold with the other treasures at the mother of all yard sales. We've gone through things over and over (books, clothes, pots and pans), each time eliminating more and more items until we are down to our favorite 'must have' articles for our new household. At some point, we will go to a local commercial scale and weigh each axle to see if we are overweight. If we are, guess what? We'll be sorting through the stuff again and again until we are no longer dragging our rear bumper. I'm dreading that part. I want to take EVERYTHING.

I'm a quilter who loves her quilting books and fabrics not to mention her sewing machines, including my vintage Singer Featherweight and my Juki high speed quilting machine. Of course, these items weigh a lot so I've had to get real creative. Would you believe I'm putting a couple hundred pounds of fabric into the trunk of my VW new Beetle, our Toad (tow car) so it won't weigh down the RV? I didn't think you would believe it. But I am. That's how I fudged so I could take lots of the stuff I really cannot live without. Dale said we should have a van instead of a Beetle and call it a rolling closet. Not a bad idea. LOL

I'll check back when we get closer to lift off and let you know how much of this 'stuff' we actually got away with.

2005-04-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

On the Oregon Coast at Florence

Getting ready for the big day

2005-04-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

There are many big events in your lifetime. Graduating from High School or College, getting married, having kids, getting that big promotion. But none has stressed me out as much as getting ready for retirement. What a job!!!! We started planning this a year ago for 'someday' and someday is here. Sooner than I thought. Of course, we're not retiring in the conventional way. We're selling the house, throwing everything into storage (or selling it) and taking off for a gypsy lifestyle in a motorhome. They're known in the RV world as " Fulltimers". You live in your RV fulltime, travel from town to town at a pace you set for yourself with no rules. Throw out all the rules. You don't have to do anything on a schedule and that includes eating, sleeping or arriving at some destination. It's very difficult to rid yourself of the old restraints and just go for it. But we're going to do just that. We're going for it.

This blog is for family and friends so they can track us across the country and share in our adventures if they want to. Future fulltimers may find it interesting to read as well. Anyway, all are welcome. I hope you have a sense of humor because I can be a little irreverent at times. No harm intended. Any disparaging comments I may make about my traveling companions, my husband or my dog, are meant in jest and no, I seriously doubt I'd drop him or her off in the middle of the desert or throw either of them over the edge of the Grand Canyon. I've been married 36 years and hope to see our 50th anniversary when all is said and done. Molly, the maltese, has been a steadfast companion for 5 years now and she's looking forward to sharing in the adventure as well.

So come along with us down the carefree highway.