WELL - I certainly have not been doing a good job of keeping up with the blog. I want to blame Facebook, but maybe I am just being lazy. I really put out an effort to keep posting while Debby was in Iraq, but since she has been home - no posts.
I am thinking a lot has happened since the last post and I know I have pictures connected with it, but I am on my Macbook and the pictures are on my Mac (I am visiting with my sister Joy for a week in Ventura). At least she now has wireless access - thus this blog.
Kathy, Paul, Debby, Max and I all went to our Timeshare in Nevada the first part of September. We finally got to fish in Red Lake. Max and I have been wanting to fish there for a long time and the last time we were going to fish there it was solid ice. We had the float tubes and it was a beautiful and calm day. I caught one fish and got one bite, but I took a book along with me and when I got tired of fishing I just floated around and read - ahhhh the life! We did a lot of exploring in Paul's new Ford truck. We found some beautiful lakes in the area and were able to fish in some. That fishing trip is what prompted the purchase of our new Ford Escape - the need for a 4x4 to get to some of the fishing spots. We went out in search of wild horses and THAT required a 4x4 for sure. We did get to see some, but it was from quite a distance, but it was still fun.
We ventured off to Sacramento for a birthday gathering for Katie and JD. That turned into a "thing" as the keys to Max's mother's car were lost. We did the key search for a while and then called AAA to come out. Before they arrived Max & Paul managed to get the car open (there was some hope the keys just might be in the trunk). No luck for keys in the trunk so we used AAA to have a locksmith come out and when he arrived (an hour and a half after the 45 minute wait for the tow truck) he informed us that it might take him up to 3 hours to get a key made because it was some special chipped key! The decision was made to just drive Annette home and have her come back the next day with the extra key to get the car. I think we managed to leave around 9:00 PM (we had started to leave about 5:00 PM). We had to stay because it was our AAA card.
Oh I forgot that Max and I went to Fremont for her to do a photo session with the teacher she has found to help her progress in her photography. That was fun - I sat and worked on the binding for a quilt while they took pictures and were messing around with lighting. The guy is very nice and seems to be a very good teacher - patient and clear.
The next weekend Paul, Max and I took our old mattress and box spring to Max's mother and then went fishing the next morning. We got up EARLY and headed out to be there when the sun came up. Max used her float tube, but I got lazy and just did not feel like going through the motions to get out in the water. I fished from shore throwing lures. I managed to hook 9 nice trout and fall in the lake once. The water was not too cold and thankfully I was able to change into my waders and let my clothes dry out. Max and Paul got lots of hits, but did not manage to hook any fish. I was very happy and the experience brought back the thrill of fishing again.
I got my new car just in time to make the trip to my sister's house in Ventura. I am really happy with the car and the way it drives. It is equipped with bluetooth and that is very cool for using the cell phone. It also came with 6 months of Sirius radio which was awesome - never lost a signal the entire drive. We are having fun sewing (I am in the process of making a really cool flannel strip quilt). I had to take my mondo expensive Creative Vision to the shop so they could send it back to the factory. This is the second machine that has gone hey-wire on me. I sent a very frustrated email to my dealer and she forwarded it up the food chain. The president of the company stepped in and I got a phone call from the head of quality control and was assured that they would take my machine and completly go over it and promised when I got it back it would be working perfectly. All I can say is it better. I have been very patient but VERY frustrated with the machine since I first got it.
I wish I had some pictures to post, but sadly the narrative will have to be it for now. I am going to put some effort into keeping up with the blog if I only do a weekly entry. I like having it and it is really nice to go back and see what was happening before. Easy to forget things as time passes.
Later . . .
Next project was to make a pillow case. We had made one years ago and I had completely forgotten how to do it. So we both made one at the same time and they turned out really cute. I want to be able to make some more by myself and I now feel confident enough to do it.
We moved on to place mats. I have been wanting to do place mats for a long so Joy showed me two different ways to do them. One way is to sew and turn and the other is to quilt and then bind. The quilt and bind is really professional looking - more time consuming, but worth it once the project is finished. I have to take the place mats home and complete them there. I also bought some material to do some autumn type mats that I think will be beautiful and perfect for Thanksgiving.
We will have sewing to do when we are home at my house and I am looking forward to being home. It is always nice to visit, but there no place like HOME!