Woolies, WOW!

At our last Woolies meeting, the show and tells were so many and so wonderful and came so quickly that I can't remember who made what. So I'll just show them to you and let you know that each maker did a fantastic job!

(I do remember that these first two pictures are of a quilt that Pam is making based on a design drawn by one of her son's friends.)

The last picture is a detail 

from the quilt I'm working on.

Have a wonderful day

Rainy wandering in Port Orchard

When the Feet and Forks set a date to walk, we don't let a little rain stop us! Last weekend it rained a LOT, but we unfurled our umbrellas and walked for two hours along the waterfront in Port Orchard, WA. Kandi's umbrella started out with a white design, but after it got wet it turned colors. 

We had most of the walkway to ourselves, including this pier that seems to disappear into the Puget Sound.

We never know what we'll find on a walk. 

This time there was a totem pole,

...  a Navy boat being hauled out of the water,

... brave sailors out in the rain,

... and Nick at the Nostalgia House Bakery, who volunteered to put custard filling into a donut when I was disappointed that the custard ones were sold out. I've never had a bakery do that for me before, no matter how disappointed I look!

On the way out of the bakery,

there was this sign above the door.

Thank YOU!

Here's an article about the bakery's origins: 96564990

Then we had lunch at Whiskey Gulch and I forgot to get pictures. I had a gyro and a salad and Kandi and Joyce shared two kinds of tacos -- jackfruit with fried avocado, and, I think, chicken.

We keep walking to delay that check engine light from coming on.

Have a colorful day

Getting cozy

It's the time of the season ... 

to turn on the fireplace

and fix hot cocoa

and curl up with some soft wool to stitch.

Here is a peek at the project I'm working on -- wool appliqué on a cotton background. My friend Linda punched out the snowflake, and I punched out the snow circles with a leather hole punch.

Keeping with the night sky theme, I just ordered this bunny fabric to use in a stroller quilt for a gift. The mom likes soft grey and yellow and has a starry night theme going in the nursery. And the bunnies are just the icing on the top for me! 

Here are the bunnies I have in my entry, tucked into fall leaves. Hope you feel all warm and cozy now!

Have a colorful day

Olympia Farmers Market and Nisqually Delta

Yesterday began at the Olympia (WA) Farmers Market. It was a lazy, overcast morning, but the brilliant colors of peppers, apples, pears, carrots and other produce brightened the scene.

But what really caught my eye were the bakeries and chocolatiers. I got so excited making my selections that I forgot to take pictures, except for this sign. I ended up with a slice of Swedish almond cake, an apple Danish, a chocolate cookie and a Kahlua truffle. Only the truffle remains.

There was laid back music by some old guys -- funny how everyone my age looks old now.

Then I walked off the sweets at the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. By then the sky was a soft blue around the clouds and temps had climbed to almost 60 degrees. The tide was out, revealing a muddy estuary bottom.

The Nisqually River Delta is Washington's largest relatively undisturbed estuary. The confluence of freshwater from the river and saltwater from the south Puget Sound has created a variety of unique environments and is home to more than 300 different species of fish and other wildlife. 

The cloudy appearance of the river is from silt in the glacier melt that forms the river. The river starts 78 miles away on Mount Rainier with the melting of the Nisqually Glacier.

I saw a pair of bald eagles perched high in a tree, but they were too far away to photograph. I also saw a Great Blue Heron stalking lunch in the water, but again it was too far away for a good photo.

This naked white tree stood out starkly against the sky, with the Olympic Mountains in the background.

It was a very peaceful few miles of leisurely walking through shady glades and along boardwalks through the wetlands. By the time I got home (after lunch at the Ram), I was comfortably full and tired and had a nice nap on the couch.

Have a colorful day

Cider donuts and quotes

Imagine my excitement when I got this message from my son and daughter-in-law! Every fall they go to Edwards Apple Orchard in Illinois and get freshly made cider donuts. This year Keith packed up a dozen on Saturday and they arrived still fresh on my doorstep on Monday. I finished the last one today, dunking it in my coffee.

Outside, the lengthening morning shadows in my yard indicate that we're tilting toward winter and the dark, rainy season. I must make the most of every sunny, crisp fall day.

Now for some quotes. I'm working hard at these first two in the ongoing creation of my new life as a single woman.

But I think I need to incorporate this last one into my plan.

Have a colorful day

Colors of Spokane

The first thing that greeted me when I got to my daughter's house in Spokane this week for a short visit was an array of special snacks with a heavy emphasis on chocolate! Up above was a most colorful fish mobile. (She gets her love of chocolate and color from me.)

Then I went straight to the living room, where Julia settled me on the couch with a couple of rabbits. They are so snuggly and affectionate, I could've stayed there for hours. In fact, much of the visit was spent snuggling with the bunnies.

The next morning I awoke in a very colorful bedroom, complete with vintage sheets on the bed and my tiny house quilt on the wall. She also has a hot pink shower curtain (with pompoms) in the bathroom, which casts a warm pink glow throughout the room when the sun shines in.

The next day, we set off for a drive in the rolling countryside with a stop at a pumpkin farm. There is an association of farms there called Green Bluff Growers, and a lot of them are geared up for fall activities.

I had a bag of warm pumpkin donuts and coffee and Julia had some herbal tea out on the patio at one of the farms. It was chilly, and with the sun going in and out of the clouds it felt very fall like.

That night we had pizzas at one of our standard stops, Allie's Vegan Pizzeria and Cafe. We started with vegan, gluten-free (for Julia) breadsticks dipped in a delicious garlic sauce, followed up by my Italian pizza and her mushroom one. It was all topped off with mouth watering fall spice cupcakes, but I forgot to get a photo.

The fall colors continued at the Quilting Bee, where I scooped up some fat quarters of Grunge fabric in red, orange and gold. And, of course, I had to get some yellow-green because that's my favorite color.

Last but not least, she put together two of our photos from the past, her at age 15 and me at 25. See any similarities?

Now I'm back home and ready to face the rainy season with a new quilting project, a pumpkin by the front door and the ingredients to make pumpkin chocolate chip bread this weekend.

Have a colorful day