What happened to September??

I have been 'chatting' with myself that I need to post an update since returning from our PNW vacation. Last night I noticed I managed to completely skip the entire month of Sept and felt motivated to begin again before I have no readers. Sometimes too much has happened and its difficult to break it down in a post. Let me get another coffee and I will see what I can do.
5 DAYS IN SEATTLE
We arrived to beautiful weather and spent two nights with Ingerlise and her friend Mark. They fixed a fabulous dinner and we all got a chance to catch up. The art reception at the winery was a disappointment in the sense that about 8 people showed up to taste wine and none to see my work. It was a beautiful day and probably everyone was trying to enjoy the last days of summer. I had about 10 friends show up and they made it a wonderful day and even bought a couple of pieces!!

After the show we went home with Philip and the girls and had dinner on their dock. They have created a wonderful lifestyle and everything seems to be going perfectly including expecting another girl on the 15th...The girls didnt remember us and it took most of the evening and gifts to get them to warm up.

We were invited back to spend Labor Day with them on the lake and it was heavenly AND hot!

 

Well and of course this is one of my favs...I was told Megan is a mommy's girl but I turned on my GrammaCher charm and she was mine for the day!

For me the best part of the visit was getting to know the girls again after 2 years absence, the chance
to see their place and enjoy a bit of their amazing lakeside lifestyle... and to see Philip's joy at having us share his life even if only for a day. Did we fix everything that is wrong? No. Will our relationship ever be what it should be? No, and I am eternally sad about that. I love being GrammaCher and they were my chance. We did lower some of the walls between us and thats a good thing.

We spent the next day in Gig Harbor and stayed with our neighbors Aki and Mary. We have never had or never will have neighbors/family like these. Love them always and our visit was wonderful.

Aki ~the chef extraordinaire! I had a family photo but our camera decided to die and I lost it. Guess we will have to go back!
We headed to Seattle to return the rent a car and spend the night in the city close to the train station.

Pike Place Market

Seattle sunset

The next morning we were up oh so early and hurrying in the rain to get aboard the Amtrak Cascades to Vancouver.

Our hotel in Vancouver was wonderful and we were able to walk to Yaletown Brewery for dinner. There was a farmers market going on and just fun people watching even tho it continued to lightly rain. So far our trip has been memorable and we have just begun. I need to kick this day into gear so I will continue with our Canadian vacation next post.
Thanks for dropping by!

I have become addicted...

I have a love hate relationship with the news...I feel I need to watch the national news because we don't get a newspaper and I should be informed. Yet I end up angry, frustrated, sad and a bunch of other emotions when I do. My favorite part is the making a difference segments telling someone's personal story. One of these was about a guy living in his camper that loses his dog in Utah. He tells a fellow camper and she posts it on her blog and by that night they found the dog in Boulder CO. Its such a sweet story because not only does he get his bf back but the VA finds him a little home to live in and his life is turning around. The camper that posted the dog lost in her blog has this great site and I started following her travel journal. She spent 7 yrs getting ready for her retirement and became a full time camper. She has a van with a solar panel on top pulling a 17ft Casita trailer with her two dogs. She posts great photos of her journey and seems to go out of her way to camp in nature away from people.

So then I start checking out other full time RVer sites and found a young couple traveling in a big ol 40 ft RV with 4 slideouts, towing a car. They have been doing this for 3 years with no plans to stop. They travel with a dog and two cats and love to meet new people wherever they go. They have found its better to slow down and spend time where they stop to really explore and enjoy. Sounds perfect to me!

 Completely different from the first blog... but I can't stop reading about the two different adventures and lifestyles. I am embarrassed how much time I spend on my ipad checking for new posts. I am sure J thinks I am on fb but this is so much better! Its so great because they even share how they got down to such bare bones to live. The big RV still has a storage unit but after 3 yrs realizes they need to downsize even more. They wish they had bought a smaller camper to get into more campsites. The trailer has bare necessities and avoids campgrounds keeping overhead to a minimum. She relishes the simple life and solitude~ her motto is 'living on less...enjoying life more'.
I also love that things like material possessions, clothes and appearance dont seem so impt. We live where there are billboards and tv ads telling us we dont have to age. Its more about the experiences and people they meet and living life as an adventure not just passing time....I wish we had not chosen buying a house and settling into this retirement lifestyle so young. I could see this being perfect for our 70s and maybe traveling around like these lucky people for our 60s. Trying new things and meeting new friends sounds wonderful to me.  I have always thought this would be such a cool life adventure to try out but never seem able to 'get there'. They both mention it being a bit difficult to get rid of all your possessions and live for the moment. I have also read about RVers planning to go fulltime and finding its just not for them. How do you know if its the perfect lifestyle for you or if you will miss having a home to return to? What if you sell everything and find it a mistake? How do you eliminate all the treasures and antiques you have collected in your lifetime? Yet as I walk about my house I see my lighthouse pictures and collectibles I have loved from past trips. The couple in the big rig have spent the summer staying at lighthouses in Oregon for free because they volunteer to work at them. Hmmm which is better? Collectibles or actually doing and living it...?!?
Its just fascinating to follow along and amazing how many full time rvers there are sharing blogs.
Not all are interesting but so many to choose from! I may not be the right person for this nomad lifestyle but I sure love to live vicariously thru people that are. My full time camper brother is one of the most content people I know. I plan to continue to downsize the clutter and stuff we have collected and who knows where our destiny lies.
 I hope to update from Canada but otherwise catch you in two. Thanks for dropping by.

Ready to kick August to the curb

Update on shower/tub doors...HD replaced the broken one and J was able to finish the job. I will admit we were both nervous while he hung the 2nd door.  We were traumatized by the explosion and are worried sick it might happen again with someone in the shower. I realize this is similar to the fear I had getting back on a horse after my fall. The chances of it happening again are slim and bottom line it looks much better.

Our other news is the big monsoon storm we had pass thru. WHooey! It was a doozy and we are still cleaning up around the hood. Thanks Ivo for stopping by!

Our pool overflowed into rose garden and rocks...coming about 2 ft from our bdrm door. This is bark floating in pool. Yuck!

Dry rock basin in front of our house

Grass park located across from entrance to Hidden Canyon

Washed out banks with exposed sprinklers. Grace checking it out and our house across street.

Tree down and yard in street!

Water came off mtn in force and washed rocks etc into street.

We needed a double rainbow after this!

With a sunset like this all was forgotten.

So today we are still drying out in the yard and our bathroom is ready for our next guest which will be Rande tomorrow.The storm and sitting water has definitely made our humidity unbearable. Soo ready for our trip and a change of scenery. This has been a difficult summer for sure.
Thanks for dropping by~

One more week

I have been busy since my last post trying to have a few more pieces to take up to Seattle next week. I have also been looking around my house for existing quilts I could include. So here is what I will be throwing into the exhibit just to fill the room. I do wish I knew if people were enjoying my work or interested in any...

I finished the new Sea Turtles late yesterday and I felt like crying I was feeling so burned out. Timothy said working under pressure tends to do that and I agree. I am going to clean and oil my machine and cover it up for a while. I need to take a break and do other things until it feels like it will be fun again for me. I can't help wondering if selling something is so important to me to validate myself as an artist...or do I simply want to have money of my own.  I have realized I do not possess the business skills it takes to make my art lucrative and its time to let it go. Thanks for listening to all my artist frustrations over the past year...

Last weekend we made a trip up to Idyllwild to hike a bit and listen to the Jazz Festival going on. It was a beautiful day and lots of people in town. Our hiking was a bit of a bust because there was so much soft ground cover we did nothing but slip and fall going down the mtn. J thinks he might have broken a rib again on one of his falls. We decided from now on we hike on trails and no more bushwhacking! The other sad part was there wasn't a drop of water in Strawberry Creek when we reached the bottom. No wonder there are so many fires this year...so dry.

The hikers!

Lily Rock

This was Strawberry Creek last year...

We have one more week before we leave for our NW and Canadian vacation and we are feeling so ready.  No I have not packed but I have been going thru my closet wondering what to wear. The temps are going to be about 40-50 degrees cooler so we need to layer and be creative in our choices. Not much room for bulky items since we are traveling like airline people with one under-your-seat size suitcase. Ugh. I cannot wait to be on the train sitting back enjoying the scenery and the gentle rocking of our car! We are such train people I cant think of a better time!

this will be us ...only clearer!

 Speaking of train people, Rande just proved once again he is our son and trained from Seattle to San Francisco.  He spent a few days and then jumped the rails for Denver. We just chuckle at the time he spends getting somewhere sitting in a big old chair. How wonderful he enjoys the journey more than the speed to arrive at his destination. Ah the good old days when travel was part of the adventure and still enjoyable.

J called me from the road to tell me Bryan Adams was on a billboard coming to perform nearby. By the time he arrived home I had these waiting for him! Bryan is coming the week of our 32 anniversary and no one sings love songs like Bryan. We both love his music and he puts on a great show so its the perfect anniversary gift. Oh boy!! I floated around with a smile on my face for hours just feeling lucky!

I rotated them but it wouldn't stick...!!

J has been busy with some putzing projects and his portable AC allows him to hang out in the man cave. Its been back up around 110 and off and on muggy. Will summer ever end?!? Even our pool is in the 90s and less than refreshing at this point.
 This is his latest project...replacing the shower curtain in our guest bath with clear glass doors. The poor guy has come up against the same old problem as every home improvement we attempt.  They slapped up this development and never cared about the workmanship. So he has a tile raised up right where the track goes and needs to grind it down.

Before

problem tile

I was hoping to have the finished photo for you but so many trips to the hardware store has slowed down his progress. Maybe today...!

 UPDATE!!
Well today didn't go as planned. I was standing in the tub slanting the first door back so J could install 2nd door. As he carried it from its packaging to the bathroom without touching a thing it absolutely exploded. It was so shocking and loud just like being in a movie. Glass flew everywhere and we both were bleeding from the force of the glass hitting us. Okay I only had a little slice but J needed bandaids since he was holding it. It has taken an hour for him to get up all the glass and still not done. Not sure where we go from here but hopefully Home Depot or the manufacturer will cover it. It had to be flawed and carrying it tweaked the weakness. Poor J..nothing has gone right with this job and he was almost done. If you dont look at the floor you can actually see how nice its going to be right?! I quickly went in and made his favorite chocolate pie to ease the pain...such a good wife right?!

I had the pleasure of accidentally stepping on a bee this week and its been interesting. My foot began to look like one of Fred Flintstone's and was itchy and achey. All from a tiny little bee....
Last year we kept saying 'all from a tiny mosquito!' Goes to show size doesn't reflect the ability to take you down!

Thanks for dropping by and have a wonderful day!

Hello August..thank you for being so lovely!

I flew up to SEA last week to hang my work in Isenhower wine tasting room. The walls are painted a very ugly brown which did not compliment any of the work. The walls were huge so everything looked ridiculously small. The room was larger than I thought and lots of empty space so I was told to go home and whip up a couple of big ones. Really?!

Also the mgr did nothing to promote me as the artist even tho they have been doing this artist of the month for years. I asked what should I bring and was told nothing. There wasn't a card to put business cards in, no bio, absolutely no mention of my name or a way to contact me. I went away frustrated but took a deep breath and let it go. We go back up the 31st with a reception on the 1st and I can always take something up then. I hesitate to come home and sew more when I dont know if anyone is even looking at my work. My goal was to sell a few to make room for other new ideas.
The positive side is a friend here came to see my work before I left and wants to buy the sea turtles. My friend Ingerlise helped me hang and wants to buy the rooster. Neither sale would have happened w/o the wine event so there is the silver lining. Also as I had pointed out to me, I am a featured artist in a major city for two months. I am somebody for a minute and wasn't that truly my goal? Yes, I believe it was.

I had an amazing visit with a friend whose husband was in a coma for a month last year. You would never believe what they as a family have endured and he continues to be in and out of the hospital. He went to the 'light' and spoke to angels while in the coma. Their journey is inspiring and their calmness and joy for life make you want to learn how to be better. My friend has transformed herself spiritually and physically to show the world she is a survivor.
She wrote me an email with such incredible insight and advice I want to share some with you.
 "This web of friendships we make over a lifetime are not by random chance.  There are no coincidences, only stories being played out the way they are supposed to.  We are not victims to our stories if we learn the lessons from them. But I believe at some point in time we co-create our destinies with the Divine.  We chose the lessons we need most to reach a more enlightened state while we are here in this "learning ground."  That's why the lessons can be so hard, it is what we are missing most.  The soul is eternal so the sooner we learn the less we have to repeat the same lessons over and over again, becoming a victim to them."
I love this because I have always wonder why people come and go in my life. Have I  done something wrong to make them leave?  Its not personal.  Some stay for the duration nurturing our souls and some are merely here to help us grow and learn.
So rather than 'whip up a couple of big ones' I saw this in my head and knew I needed to create it. I feel these three words are all I need each day to find calmness and the path to happiness.

I love the colors and find they make me smile and feel the joy. Its a keeper.

We are having the nicest August ever...Usually this is the month full timers try to get the heck out of dodge its so hot and miserable. Last year everyone said it was the most miserable Aug anyone could remember. I have been dreading it after the June/July we had. Well its turning out this is more like June with temps in the 70s at night and only going a bit above 100 in the day. Our pool is normally in the 90s by now and its so refreshing at about 87. We are leaving in 3 weeks for Canada so basically we have survived summer. Hallelujah!!!

J and I have talked about how much we are missing our month on the lakes. We are water lovers thru and thru and it soothes our souls to be there.  I contacted the owner to let her know next year we would love to return...with lots of mosquito repellent! Her reply was to tell me they have both recently retired and want to spend more time there and most likely wont be renting it out again. While I feel sad I completely understand their decision. I would never want to leave if it was my family cottage.  I feel we were so blessed to have two summers there and if you saw it you'd know why.  Who knows maybe another door will open to someplace special we can get away to.

We have another fire going on north of us in Banning and its unbearable to be outside with the smoke. The wind was so strong yesterday it blew smoke all the way to LQ and we could barely see the mtns outside our door. The air is so smoke filled its uncomfortable to be outside and again ash everywhere.
The fire grew to 6000 acres in 4 hrs to give you an idea of how fast its spreading. Prayers for our wonderful firemen yet again. What a horrible dry summer its been and we still have a ways to go to be out of fire season.
Thanks for dropping by.
Strength Peace and Joy!

Today...

We have finally gone back to real desert weather and the humidity took a hike. Thank goodness. It has been a miserable summer so far but mainly because heat and humidity take the fun out of life.
I have had most of my worse faults come to surface the past couple of months. There is something so depressing about being lethargic and unable to find joy. I am one of those people that has to be busy and I feel like lately all I do is pass the time. Such a waste. I wish we were in Minnesota sitting on the deck smelling the wonderful lake and hearing the loons calling out. I think I need to experience different lives to be happy. I have neighbors walk by the same time every single morning and the conversations are all similiar. I find myself walking in a different direction or time to simply not be routine. Maybe its my flight attendant background of a different route, hotel, crew, plane that makes me this way. With that in mind I definitely found the perfect occupation for myself didnt I?

We went bike riding on Sunday and I was determined to go 20 miles. J slept in so we didnt leave until 830 which is when the sun starts to get going. If you are peddling the breeze seems to help you not notice the 100 degrees but once you stop sweat is dripping off. We made the 20 miles and it felt great to be outside doing something I love. I was so overheated arriving home I jumped right into the pool and it has never felt better!

Please notice how purple/red my face is from the ride....wth. Gracie got so excited about me in the pool she jumped in the deep end and landed on my head. She managed to scratch my perscription sunglasses so badly they were rendered useless. So today I am going to get new ones...a very expensive jump for sure. Good thing I love her so much!

I am leaving for Seattle tomorrow and have all 12 pieces stuffed into one of those really big suitcases you only use if you are running away. I had to clean all the dust and dirt off of it from years of sitting around waiting. I hope it survives the trip and we both land at the same time...a neighbor came over yesterday to see all of my work before it was gone. Its so interesting to see what someone else is drawn to and their comments on pieces. I hope this happens at the wine tasting room as well. If nothing else my work is diverse and unique pieces of art. I am taking my favorite Yosemite piece and while I hope it returns to me I put a price on it I can live with.
 I see its suppose to rain one day and be chilly the next...I am so excited for the chance to wear different clothes again! I packed a jacket...can you imagine?!?  I am looking fwd to visiting with Ingerlise and just maybe seeing a few familiar faces and places.

My mom had a time share for a week at Lake Arrowhead so I went up for 2 nights to check it out. Well and again to cool off...reoccurring mission it would seem. Its beautiful up there with the lakes and pines..very crowded tho and so many winding roads. We took the boat tour of Lake Arrowhead and it was great fun to just be out on the water. Definitely a wonderful place to visit and I do so love the mountains. Throw in a lake and you have me....

Popular duck hangout in Arrowhead Village

So jealous of all the fun sailboats out enjoying the day

Big Bear Lake

My bf has spent the summer going thru her house, closets and garage getting rid of anything she doesnt love. I so admire her and have begun walking thru mine mentally pointing out all the things I have that I dont love. I read an article on downsizing for retired people and it said 'don't make your house a museum of your life.' OMG that is exactly what we have done..I told J we either hang it, use it or get rid of it. No more storing treasures for a better day. Well except all those cool toys we thought we were saving for a grandchild. Guess I need to spend the next year organizing and selling, giving away etc. all the things we dont need or love.
I made the bold decision to try and sell a set of china we have as well. I went online to see what a place setting cost and then went to ebay. $119.95 for a place setting but no bids higher than .96 for any piece on ebay. So do I give it away, donate it for the write off, or simply let it sit where it is? This is where I become sentimental and its so difficult to remove that from the equation. They say all collectibles, china, silver, crystal are absolutely worthless. Everyone wants fast and easy now.  I have an antique camera given to me from some distant relative I would imagine. I dont want it but how do you throw away something so wonderful from the past?

 I was designated the keeper of the family treasures on my mom's side. How do I get rid of things over 100 yrs old and feel good about it? I dont know.  My friend works in a thrift shop and someone dropped off a 100 yr old hand beaded wedding dress. The thrift shop didnt want it and we discussed how cool it would be to know its story and how sad that this was its destiny. We are such a disposable society and the younger generation dont want clutter or stuff. Yet how do we dismiss the value of our past and generations that went before us? I love to watch antique roadshow and see the treasures some people come in with. I find myself wondering do they all go home and try to sell them or do they continue to hold on to a piece from their past.
Thanks for dropping by...

Happy birthday Timothy!

Well here I am and its been another two weeks since I last posted. Could the fact that I am always surprised how much time has passed also mean summer is rushing by too? Sure doesnt feel like it but I am pretty sure we are at least half way thru it. That's a good thing.
We made one more trip to Fallbrook last week and were all together again. Never quite sure when that will happen so I am always requesting a photo. It wasn't the best visit weve had but hey that's family...always something.

It was great to have Ky come home and we found time to catch up and also have a bit of fun. Timothy and Jammie had a nice BBQ and it was perfect SD weather. Loved the cool ocean breezes after the hot temps we have been having.
This week I finished my last piece for Seattle and am trying to get all 12 ready to go and squeezed into a suitcase. Some need hangers and some need clasps on backs to hold them in and just last minute details. I feel kind of sad and let down because I stopped having fun. Maybe it was just too many in a short time or maybe I am ready for a new hobby. Maybe 'I just need a couple days off!"
Best Huey Lewis song ever! Anyway here is the last one...

 

J and I drove up to Idyllwild yesterday just to get out of the heat and be outside again. It was a blue grass festival and must have been 100 motorcycles parked in front of the beer garden. It was 90 but if you were out of the sun it was heavenly. Its such a funny eclectic little town and yet people are nice, relaxed and just want to be who they are. A neighbor went up a few months ago for the first time and said she hated it~bunch of hippies.

This rock was at the end of our street when we lived there and our Goldie would climb it. We have since taken numerous family photos on this rock.

I guess we all see something different depending on whats in our hearts. Have you ever seen the movie Life as a House? We watched it while Ky was here at his request and its one of my favorites. I highly recommend you see it. Anyway in the movie George  has his teenage son help him build a house. Pretty soon there are lots of friends and family helping and its just so cool to watch the process of working together. J said he would love to build one more house like that...nothing big and fancy just more about the process and working together. All five of us helped finish our house in Colorado and felt great pride in that. So while we were up there we looked at lots just in case someday it became a real dream come true. You never know and a life without dreams just bores me to death.

Doesn't the love bug look great in the manzanita and pine trees?! Wait ~she looks good everywhere!! This was a lot we looked at and it was pretty sweet. Just need to get my lottery numbers lined up correctly! We are just dreaming of possibilities and fine tuning the bucket list. It feels good to think of this in our future because it means we are still together working on something.
I did see this sweet little casa driving thru town and she was adorable. They have written sayings all around it and it was obviously loved. I want one too. We could live in it while we build!!

Yesterday our baby boy Timothy turned 26 and I just wonder where all those years have gone. He was the sweetest, cutest, most affectionate, helpful little boy ever. I hope the year ahead is amazing and his dreams come true too.
Thanks for dropping by...

I need to update that Mountain Center, next to Idyllwild is on fire and only 5% contained. The smoke and ash is so bad we cannot go outside right now. Its blowing down the mountain into the desert. The sky is dark with smoke and its oh so sad to think of the firemen trying to fight this. It has been such a dry winter who knows when and where it will stop. Prayers being said for everyone in the path.
~Its Wed now and the fire has grown to over 14,000 acres and there are over 2200 firefighters on the mtn. They say its heading east toward PS which is a good thing because not as much to burn and Idyllwild remains safe.