Wednesday Weather Report #175 - 9/23/20

 There was a slight change in the weather this last week...

September 9 - 15, 2020
69 - 61 - 62 - 48 - 52 - 56 - 66 F

So... can you guess which four days I went camping in the Adirondack Mountains??!!

Which days it was 30F when I got up?

There's almost always fog on 8th Lake this time of the year - some days it's just around the edges like it was on Saturday and some days it's so thick you can't see past the edge of the beach.

The colors this year seem to be very far behind schedule and very muted - almost like the faded colors at the end of the season. Still, we had sunny days, star filled nights and lots of campfires and cocoa to keep warm. 

Feline Friday - 7/24/20

Hi Momma!!!! Welcome home from your camping trip!!!

Lemme help you unload my your car ...

Snoopervising is hard work ... maybe it's time for a nap.

As your reward, I will allow you to look at the belly furs!

Wednesday Weather Report #124 - 10/2/19

Yesterday's weather made it nearly impossible to tell that it was October already: 84F instead of last year's 54F!! Who would have expected October to start with a red??!??

September 25-30, 2019 : 76 - 63 - 70 - 75 - 58 - 64 F
October 1, 2019 : 84 F

Today's green temp is much more realistic. What I'm not quite prepared for is this while I'm camping:

I was planning to pack as light as possible (regarding food and gear) but I've made some revisions to that plan to pack lots of blankets and clothes to keep warm. We are still a few days out and we all know that forecasts change (often!) so I still need to be prepared even if they take snow off the table before I leave.

As you may have noticed from the first picture, I've finished the neutral quilt:

Chantal says my feet show the scale of the quilt. This is now laid out on my coffee table to await inspiration for the silhouette while I work on some other UFOs before my trunk show. Nothing is near completion so it's more about making progress on projects than finishing at this point. I was told to bring "everything" so progress is just as important.

The problem is...

...I have 7 doll quilts that need quilting but I'm not yet inspired to start quilting any of them. I've got the evening off from job#2 so I'm hoping something will inspire me tonight, if not tonight then maybe this weekend. Cross your fingers!

So - how's your weather? Is it typical October weather?

Thursday Weather Report #108 - 6/13/19

Ever go on a trip and when you rush back into your daily schedule everything is all discombobulated? Well, that's me today! Left all my notes and things to share at home.

I went to my last work conference of the year earlier this week. It was 4 days, nearly 700 miles round trip and a lot of fun in my beloved Adirondack Mountains. That's right, I went to a conference in Lake Placid! Woohoo!

Remember the "new" car I picked up less than 3 weeks ago? I've already put over 1,000 miles on Elvis (what else do you call a Blue Velvet Metallic car?). I'm pretty sure I've worked out any kinks and gotten the seats and buttons all situated...

This week's trip included a little recon for my summer vacay trip to a different campground and we did a touch of mountain "climbing". I'm playing catch up today at work so I'll just share this one photo today since I was able to get quite a bit of work done on my weather quilt. Lots more photos to share another day of Lake Placid, Whiteface Mt, the rest of the temp quilt and Mr Serious.

June 1-11, 2019

Wednesday Weather Report #71 - 9/26/18

It's amazing how a little R and R can throw routines out of whack.

I went to the Adirondacks for a long weekend - it was a good weekend with mountain climbing and the Homesteading Festival on Saturday. I was going to go to the Moose Festival Sunday but after two loooooong days of driving I decided to hang out at camp. It was a brisk 36F Sunday morning but the afternoon sun was quite delightful and that allowed me to sit outside and get lots of stitching done.

I'm guessing this is about twice the size it was a week ago.

I stitched quite a bit on Mr Serious but not on the temperature quilt that I had left at home.

BTW - I started a "page" on Mr Serious. You can always click the label to read all the related posts but now you can also check the page to see semi-weekly progress photos all in one place.

I pulled the temperature fabrics out last night but neglected to take a picture. Let's just say that there were 5 yellows (60s) and 3 2 greens (50s). I'll add a photo of the fabrics to this post tomorrow and I'll post the stitched pieces next week after I get more papers.

68 -67 - 66 - 53 - 58 - 61 - 69 F

How was your weather for the last week?

An InLinkz Link-up

Feline Friday - 7/27/18

Woah!

Look what Momma spied on her way home from the Adirondacks last Sunday!!

This cat was on his way up to the Adirondacks!!

His Momma told my Momma that he was trying to have a good time in the car but my Momma noticed he mewed a lot when his Momma went in to pay for their gas.

I hope he had a good time camping - I see he already had his harness on...

An InLinkz Link-up

Wednesday Weather Report #62 - 7/25/18

Hello! Hello!

Did you miss me last week? I spent 10 days in my favorite Adirondack Mountains where the weather was both hot and cold. I'm trying to get a post together for next week...

First is the week that finished while I was camping:

Week #61
75 - 80 - 84 - 73 - 80 - 92 - 74 F

That Monday where it was 92? Yeah I was hiking. Ugh. I had tried to talk myself out of it but then someone said oh just get up early so you can finish early and it will be fine.

Well... I kinda got up early, didn't account for the long drive there (half on a washboard dirt road) nor did I count on the almost vertical climb for the last mile of the 3 mile hike. And I am not the fastest climber to begin with, being an overweight asthmatic with a formerly Cranky Ankle to look out for. Anyway, after reaching the top, taking some time to rest, eat lunch and do a few hexies, take a climb up the fire tower and a hike back down to the car, the afternoon was half over, let alone going back down that awful dirt road.

This high was followed by a quick thunderstorm which helped drop the temps for the next two days.

Week #62
66 - 75 - 79 - 80 - 81 - 80 - 74 F

The low for the week was 44 Thursday morning - it was great sleeping weather but I didn't get to enjoy it otherwise as I was sick as a dog. Bummer cuz it was perfect weather to go hiking.

The month so far has been quite warm which makes that one cool day stick out like a very sore thumb.

I especially get a kick out of seeing June and July together. Saturday I'm doing my annual hexie demo at the local farmers' market. They really got a kick out of the start of last year's temp quilt so I hope they will enjoy the finished year 1 and start of year 2 just as much.

How's your weather been??

An InLinkz Link-up

The numbers

Maybe you figured out that I was on vacation last week?! I did have the security system set.
No pictures today. I'll just give you the numbers :)

I spent 10 days in the Adirondack Mountains.
I drove 867 miles.
It rained 1 day, instead of the 8 or 9 that were predicted.
1 bear visited my campsite at 1:30 in the morning.

I went on 10 hikes, including 3 mountains (Pillsbury, Castle Rock, Snowy).
Snowy is the highest mountain in the southern ADK and taller than 2 of the "46 High Peaks"
I completed the Indian lake 4-3-2-1 Hiking Challenge.
I am only the 36th person to finish this challenge since it started 1 year ago!!!

Fitbit says I took 230,744 steps, climbed 500 floors and was active for 31 hours.
I hiked a total of 90 miles!!
On 2 days I hit my personal best of 40,000 steps and 15 miles!

I attended 1 bluegrass concert on the library lawn.

I visited 1 quilt store - we won't mention the dollar amount spent!
I bought 2 pair of silly socks.
I bought 2 Christmas gifts.

I had ice cream for lunch 3 times. (As someone I met said - "It's fun being an adult")

I stitched 15 hexie rosettes - 13 for my pieced hexie project and 2 for the temperature quilt.

I finished 13 books, while 3 more (iPhone, car and paper) are still in progress.

And I did all this on 1 very badly twisted ankle...

It was divine!!!!!

Blue

Have you ever had something you wanted to do that just felt insurmountable? Climbing Blue Mountain has been my nemesis for the last four years. I'm game for climbing anything but...

Yes, the road does go to the left and DOWN before getting closer to Blue Mountain.

For years I've driven past THIS and completely talked myself out of climbing Blue. It's too high! It's too hot! It's too whatever!

Taken from ADK Museum parking lot.
Trailhead is 1/4 mile to the left.

Finally, last week when I knew I was taking one last camping trip for the year, I told everyone that I was going to climb Blue. I figured if I told everyone I couldn't talk myself out of it...even when I came down with bronchitis the day before my trip.

Oh, such a sight for sore eyes after climbing for 2 hours

The day dawned a brisk 36F which turned out to be very nice hiking weather. Blue is a 2 mile climb with the first mile very rocky and mildly steep while the second mile was very steep rock face "scrambles" that have been known to be quite damp and slippery. A bonus for a drought year is a completely dry hike!

And then, yes, I also climbed the tower.
You can see from the cement where buildings used to stand.

I felt quilt slow after taking 2 hours to huff and puff my way to the top but I've been told that I made pretty good time. I was the first person to summit for the day (9:45am) altho there was a worker at the top dealing with the radio towers. He rode up a brand spanking new $1,000,000 road on his ATV = cheater! It was fantastic to enjoy the view in near solitude for nearly an hour before heading back down the mountain.

Sun rays were an unexpected bonus

Now that I'd made it to the top of Blue I feel like I can climb anything I want to.

first building on left is under 1 of the comm towers - you can see the guy wires
building in middle is where a ranger lives in the summer
fire tower is top center
second comm tower is off to the right

I like to hike mountains and flat trails alike but lately I've been trying to complete some of the hiking challenges that are around the ADK. Most of the challenges offer a patch for finishing and I plan to sew the patches to the new woodsman quilt I'll be making!

remember the shot up above taken from the parking lot?
the finger points to the parking lot. eek!

One such challenge is for firetowers (I've now climbed 2 of the 5 mountains) and another is called the 4-3-2-1 Challenge (which includes an increasing amount of difficulty for the 10 required hikes but I've already completed 5 of the 10 if I can count hikes from 2015). They both include three of the same (difficult!) mountains and crossing off Blue has given me the gumption to plan on finishing both challenges next summer. It's going to take a lot of hard work but I've got a "few" months to up my hiking skills and I KNOW I can do it!!

Well...I think so any way.

Bwahahahaha!

Design Wall Monday - 9/19/16

I took one final camping trip this past weekend!! It was a good trip but a little weird.

Weird cuz the leaves are not really changing yet given the extremely dry weather...there was green and burgundy and nothing in between.

Weird cuz I have bronchitis (yeah, AGAIN, third time this year & 2nd time while camping which puts a damper on the mountain climbing).

Good cuz the weather was perfect - 36F Friday morning for my big hike and 60/70s the rest of the weekend, with rain Saturday Night which is perfect for sleeping.

I finished 10 background bits,
whipstitched the already basted pieced hexies and
got a good start on the next Jefferson Star.

Good cuz after the hiking and the antiquing, there was time for hexies!!!

Bad cuz when I got home, the children hadn't been playing nice and Zorro had a big abscess on his neck.

Worse cuz before I could get Z to his vet appointment today, he had scratched open the abscess and bled all over the latest Jefferson star. It's not like I can wash the fabrics with the papers in them so I'll need to star that star over. I only had enough papers to make 6 stars...wish I could get more.

I think that's all the camping I can handle for one year...but I've already started planning my hikes for next year!! And, let me tell you, they are some pretty big plans!

Feline Friday - 8/5/16

When Momma came home from camping last Sunday she was telling me about the wildlife she saw.

First she saw this big bug in the bathroom. The bathrooms are the only buildings in the campground with electric and there are always bugs attracted to the lights but this one was pretty big. Ugh.

Then she told me about the two yummy sweet chippies who would come eat out of your hand. They will even hold your fingers to look for food when you don't actually have anything to offer them.

You will notice there are no photos of ducklings this year - can you believe there were none?? Momma actually threw out most of her stale bread cuz the yummy chippies only showed up twice.

You will also notice that there are no photos of bears - with the drought they are more prevalent but alas they didn't bother Momma or her campsite. Phew!

Can you find me??

Does your hydrangea turn from white to lime green like Momma's does??!!

It was all so sad and scary that I hid under the hydrangea!

It was so exhausting snoopervising Momma unload the car that I had to take a nap.
I feel better now.

An InLinkz Link-up

Design Wall Monday - 8/1/16

This week's blog posts are brought to you by the Adirondack Mountains!
Did all y'all miss me last week??!! I know a certain little B&W pussy cat that missed me...

For all the rain that was predicted, there wasn't a drop until I was already partway home. Woohoo! I took advantage of the good weather to get a LOT of hiking in and that meant that I didn't get a lot of hexies done 'cuz I was too tired to do anything. I know! I was surprised too!

I took the owl project with me but for the tiny bit of stitching on the mother ship and background pieces it just wasn't worth a photo.

I basted the hexies for another blue rosette - I just need to pick a layout.

I also worked on adding the sashing to this other blue rosette.

Yeah! That was it for hexies. I carried hexies to the top each mountain I climbed but never touched them there either. I think the trip was just too short - of course, isn't every vacation too short? - but with 2 travel days on a 5 day trip including 3 days of hiking, 1 days of quilt show and 1 day of rest it just flew by...

Tomorrow is The Bibliophile Files - I did a lot of "reading" while hiking and driving :)

Other posts I know you are sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for will include the AQS-Syracuse show (I made just a couple purchases!), the 5 mountains I climbed (3 had restored fire towers), and camping in general.

Cya tomorrow!

Feline Friday - 7/29/16

I am SUCH a good boy!
I've been helping Momma get ready for her camping trip!!

The cooler seems clean enough, with room for plenty of kibble.

I'm holding down the pop-up until she gets it packed. Rumor is these canopy tents can get pretty rowdy with all the excitement. Momma told me she bought a clear shower curtain with pretty butterflies to hang from the canopy just in case it rains. In case, Momma? Have you checked the weather forecast lately?! 60% doesn't sound too promising...

I've also helped arrange the rose stars for Momma's project. It was pretty tiring but she was thrilled with my arrangement! I think there is a lot of blue in this quilt but she didn't ask my opinion before she made them. I suggested a different color for the border and she seems to agree.

And last but not least, I made sure to get some lap time snuggles with Momma! A treat for both of us. GrandMomma comes to feed me so I'm not alone but it's just not the same without my favorite Momma. GrandMomma likes me but I think she's still just a little afraid of me - something about my naughty reputation when I first moved in to CasaGrande... I have NO idea what she is talking about tho cuz I am such a good helper!!

An InLinkz Link-up

ADK trip #1

Since I was 10 years old (just a couple years ago!), my family has been camping at 8th Lake Campground which is a NY State run campground.

The campground is nestled in the woods between 8th lake...

and 7th lake. They are part of the Fulton Chain of Lakes.

Rome, NY
3 FQs and 4 2.5" strips for my pieced hexie project

Inlet, NY
6 FQs, mostly for the pieced hexie project

It's a personal tradition to stop at the 2 quilt stores on the way up to the ADK mountains - an excellent way to break up the 4.5 hour drive.

I enjoy walking around the campground and trails early in the morning, allowing me to see the campfire smoke twisting through the trees.

Mt Sawyer with Tom, Kristie, Tyler and Ryan

Mountain climbing is one of our favorite activities. I don't know that I'll ever be a "46-er" but it's fun to find new mountains for every trip. Most of the local towns have "challenges" that include water falls, fire towers, lakes and or mountains so I have plans, on the next trip, to hike the Tupper Lake Triad which means three (easy?!) mountains in one day. The weather isn't supposed to be great most of the trip so my fingers are crossed that at least Thursday will have nice weather so I can complete the TLT.

The Fourth had a lot of activities this year...

We attended the 39th annual Ping Pong Drop. For the last 38 years a seaplane had dropped the colored ping pong balls onto the field but for legal reasons that part of the tradition is over. The kids are broken into 3 age groups and allowed to grab 3 balls per kid. The balls are then traded in for prizes. I suppose I should not have been, but I was surprised at how many people attended.

Later we spent time at the Inlet beach listening to an excellent Springsteen cover band.

And watching the sun set on 4th Lake.

Eventually the barge headed out to set up for the fireworks show.

I think this was about the time that Tyler asked if I ever get tired of hexies. Uh...no!
And when I said I would be posting his goofy pic on my blog, he told me that
only lonely ppl write blogs. I don't think so Dude!

But we continued to goof around with lightsticks and music.

We weren't the only people ready to watch the show - many boats were in the middle of the lake.

That gorgeous tree was in the way for photographing the fireworks which meant I could enjoy them for the fireworks and not be fiddling with my iPhone.

I think that pretty much covers trip #1 and trip #2 is right around the corner.

I'm changing the travel plans up a little this trip with a stop at the Syracuse-AQS Quilt Show next Wednesday. Is anyone else going to be there?

Random ADK photos

This was the view in my backyard the day I left - I love foggy mornings with sun rays.

I finally treated myself to some fancy balsamic vinegar at The Oil Well (in Old Forge) for one of my fav camping (or anytime) salads: tomato and fresh mozzarella. The proprietor suggested original or fig. No way was I spending that kinda money for plain so I went with fig and haven't looked back yet. Yum! Not sure this bottle will last me until next summer! Next I'm getting the black cherry...

I found this sculpture on a walk around the campground and couldn't resist smiling and some photos.

I'm not sure I even want to know what this bug was but y'all should know that the squares on the table cloth are about an inch. Also, you should know he never came back. Phew.