Colors of Madison

My trip to visit my son and daughter-in-law in Madison, WI, started with a gorgeous sunrise at the Tucson airport. When I got to their house, the zinnias in their garden were every bit as colorful.

I haven't seen them since September 2019 because of Covid, so there was much to catch up on, including meeting the new puppy and seeing the new garden.

The day I arrived, Keith harvested tomatillos, peppers, tomatoes and onions and made a zesty tomatillo salsa.

They also have a bumper crop of Swiss chard, kale and squash.

I also got to meet the "girls" for the first time ...

... the chickens who give such beautifully colored eggs. You're allowed four chickens per household within Madison city limits, so that's how many they got, raising them from little chicks. Keith built a luxury chicken coop for them.

And what is fall in the Midwest without a trip to a farmers market, where we got a mixture of crispy apples.

Phoebe, the new pup, was very interested in the apples. But she looks cutest when she's curled up in her bed.

The older dog, Penny, has this cute way of spreading her front legs when she sleeps.

Walking the dogs is a big part of the day.

I couldn't stop taking pictures of the fall color on our walks -- that's something I don't get in Tucson unless I drive up into the mountains.

It's been overcast and drizzly much of the trip, but we went on a hike anyway in Owen Conservation Park, near Keith and Rachel's house.

On one of the sunny, hot days (in the 80s!), we drove down to Rockford, IL, to celebrate Rachel's birthday with her family. Here we are with her parents.

We ate at this table that Keith made for her parents out of reclaimed barn wood. I had seen pictures of it but this was the first time I saw it in person. It's beautiful.

The terrain between Madison and Rockford is full of farmland and big skies. We lived in Rockford for 10 years before moving to Washington, so it was a bit of a homecoming for me.

Back in Madison, I'm staying in this great Airbnb that Rachel found for me! For only 80-some dollars a night, it has a big living room, kitchen and dining area, bedroom, library, exercise room, bathroom, office area and ...

... the most relaxing backyard right outside the sliding doors. Way to go, Rachel!

Have a colorful day

Diving into fall

YAY, the weather has finally started cooling off enough for some outdoor activities, like hiking with the Shady Ladies, neighborhood walks and outdoor concerts -- all this past week.

Three of the Shady Ladies met up last week to hike at Catalina State Park, our favorite destination. Our hiking muscles went soft over the summer, but we surprised ourselves by being able to get up the long ascent at the beginning of the Canyon Loop Trail without having to stop!

Because of all the monsoon rain, the streams in Catalina were running. This dog was standing in a cool pool looking so content.

The record rainfall also made the saguaros happy. They were bright green and plump, looking so healthy. This was especially nice to see after the big fire of 2020 that left them scorched and shriveled.

Wildflowers also were abundant.

The morning after our hike, I set out to walk in my neighborhood and found myself surrounded by serious runners! It was a triathlon, and I sure felt out of place.

I don't know why there are summer outdoor concert series in Tucson when the temps are over 100, but we caught the final concerts of two series over the weekend and the weather was beautifully balmy.

Saturday night was Rene Taylor at Catalina State Park. Her smoky, jazzy voice took us through sunset and into a starry night with tunes going back to the 1920s. Great singer and fun concert.

Then last night, we caught the final night of the Tucson Pops at Reid Park. It was actually rescheduled from earlier in the summer when it was rained out. This one started after dark, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. We passed around food and sang along and had another great evening.

I'm so looking forward to more outdoor fun now that we've turned the corner on the heat!!!

 Have a colorful day

Some sewing finishes

I've been stitching a lot this past week and finally finished the desert quilt that my friend requested for her new winter home in Arizona. I had fun adding little extra touches, like the beading on Kokopelli.

I also finished the spirit dolls commissioned by another friend for her to give as presents. She sent me descriptions of each friend's personality and I used that as inspiration for the dolls. Here are just a few:

This one is for a counselor who

 reaches out a helping hand.

This one, no surprise, is for a golf fanatic.

A veterinarian's assistant calls for animal charms.

The green is for a woman from Ireland who loves to hike (note the yarn trails).

A seed necklace and flowered dress

 are for a gardener's doll.

And I'm lusting after this cactus phone cover that a friend has. I saw it when we had lunch today. Also love her colorful nail polish.

Have a colorful day

Tucson Summer Night Market

It's finally cooling off enough that I can do more outside activities, so last night the Shady Ladies (my hiking group) set off for Tucson's Summer Night Market. It was the last one of the season, and the weather was perfectly balmy under the stars with a DJ playing tunes and people strolling among the shops and food vendors.

We ate outdoors at a Mexican restaurant called Seis, which specializes in street tacos. We split a big order of chips and guacamole, green salsa and a really hot red sauce, and I had two different types of tacos. Delicious! Afterward, Tere bought Mexican cookies for all of us from a street vendor.

There was a shop called Why I Love Where I Live, with all things Tucson inside. I do love where I live, and there's so much more to discover here. I'm glad I found friends to help me explore my new town.

I spent a lot of time looking at the fun Southwest prints at the hobo bag tent. They were a good price, but I already have so many tote bags that I resisted. Tere, however, who loves all things Mexican, bought a Day of the Dead bag.

This weekend I'm working my way through a big batch of spirit dolls that a friend ordered for Christmas gifts. She sent me a description of each of the 10 ladies for inspiration. It's been fun!

Have a colorful day

Happy Fall: Southwest and Northwest!

Happy Fall from Tucson, where it's supposed to reach 99 degrees this first day of autumn. It hardly seems like fall, but I guess I'll discover the desert's own autumn treats. I'm looking forward to cooler days which will feel like summer in most parts of the country but will be winter here!

The photo above is the view from my courtyard chair this first day of fall in the desert -- blue skies, 75 degrees, mosquitoes already eating me and chasing me inside.

The view below is from the first day of fall 10 years ago, when my (ex)husband and I were on vacation in the San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest. We had hiked to the top of a mountain and were looking out over the islands toward Canada.

Here are a few more "fall" photos from the desert near my house this week:

I watched Monday's Harvest Moon rise over Pusch Ridge from my back patio. It wasn't orange, probably because it was higher in the sky than when it first rose over the lower horizon. It's called the Harvest Moon because in the days before electric lights, the full September moon lighted the fields enough for crops to be harvested well after sunset.

From the desert, we go back to the San Juans on a beautiful crisp first day of fall:

We kayaked on a lake on Orcas Island. The water was so, so blue.

We took a ferry over to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island to do tourist activities like the Whale Museum and coffee shops. (Always coffee shops in the Northwest, everywhere you look.)

The day we left was foggy. Can you see the mast of a boat on the left poking up out of the mist?

And a fall poem by Mary Oliver:

To make this sewing related, I just made a coffee cozy with bunny fabric for a French press. It's a present for someone, but I don't think he reads my blog so I'm posting it. It will keep his coffee hot on cold fall days up north where he lives.

Here is an old photo of some of my daughter's bunnies, who have since passed away but will live on forever in our memories and photos. Don't they look so soft and cozy? They loved to cuddle.

Happy Fall