Wool birds sited in the desert

I finally pulled out my embroidery threads and resumed work on the wool birds. I'd been so busy hiking that I wasn't getting any stitching done, but last week I set that straight. I took my supplies out on the back deck with a glass of iced tea and stitched in the desert warmth.

Here's one of the views from my work station. It's hard to concentrate on stitching with such a breathtaking view.

I'm using patterns from Sue Spargo's "Bird Dance" book. Above is the latest bird that I appliqued down. Below shows some chain stitching around the bird.

I used some new silk thread by Trebizond and I love the luster. It's a three-ply twisted thread that you can separate, but I used all three strands together for a nice hefty stitch.

Like I said, the stitching had fallen by the wayside because of my hiking. Here's a shot from a recent hike in the red rocks of Sedona:

 
And here is last night's sunset, taken from the popular sunset viewing spot on Airport Mesa:

Have a colorful day