Work, work, work...smile

New York is just a memory now. We made our plans, we stayed at Pari's place in the middle of down town Manhattan. Another recommendation if you are going to NYC, splurge on a city hotel. We've also done the cheap route for a week and gotten a hotel in Pennsylvania and rode the train in every day to save some money, and if you must, you must, but, it's so nice to able to walk from place to place. We were a block from the Moma and the Folk Art Museum. While my DH was in a conference I was able to spend blissful hours in both. Here in Louisville, we have a great museum, called the Speed Museum. I don't take the time to visit it as often as I should. It's had quite a lot of wonderful visiting displays and now I am resolved to get my share of culture in the local museum more often. Back to our life in the routine of Crestwood, Kentucky, USA. Like a comfortable pair of fuzzy socks and a cozy jogging suit to wear, life in the routine is pretty nice. That's another benefit of going away, it makes you appreciate, just a little more, your life at home. I like to travel and the anticipation of it is so very exciting. It's a bit like buying a new car, the shopping is sort of fun, until you actually buy it. Like traveling, the planning is the best. The actual travel can be exhausting but, then you've created some wonderful memories and expands your thinking about the world. It helps you see the bigger picture in life. Travel is where life is at, for me at least. Having experiences is most important.

Ah well, back to work and routine. I've finished making a quilt with my mom for my daughter Chelsea. Now I'm making these really cool bags for people in her geology club. Apparently, as a geologist, you need a field book and a bag to put them in. So, I've been designing and working on several types, trying to find a design that will meet all the needs of the students that choose to try one. Here's what I've come up with so far. We tried magnetic snaps, but there may be issues with compasses. So I picked up some velcro buttons that should do nicely. Then there is an issue with attaching them to the belt so I'm trying "D" Rings, like we have on backpacks. It needs to be very sturdy and secure. If there are any other suggestion for improving this design, I'm all eyes...smile.

It's been a great day of catching up on some work

I've been out of town for a week, then, my mom from Oklahoma came to visit for a week. So I've not been able to catch up...until now. It's been a nice day, in Kentucky. I've got to watch my new favorite series TV from the BBC called Ballykissangel. It's a drama/comedy, made in the 1990's, about a small town in Ireland. I was raised in a small town in Oklahoma, called Collinsville. There was only about 3000 people in it while I was young. I have very fond memories of the City Park and adventures of my goofy youth. Anyway, I've come to like the BBC and this show is from BBC Northern Ireland. If you are looking for a show with humor and no violence with an interesting story line, I recommend this. Over seas, I think they do a much better job of stories of real people on TV. Not plastic people, nips and tucks and boob jobs abound in American TV. I'll take bad teeth and a paunch any day...smile.

While watching my favorite show, I was able to finish a quilt for my DD #2, Chelsea.
I call it Paris Kitties, you can see from the fabric why. It's a super simple pattern from a book called Anka's Treasures. It's a really good book with uncomplicated quilts with fabric colors and choices I like. My mom and I pieced the top in under 3 hours and I was able to quilt it in about the same time. I also love my quilting machine and making feathers on my machine is what I like to do best. I try to work them into any quilt I'm working on. Of course you know that's not always and option, as the quilt will tell you what kind of quilting it needs. Just lay it out on the bed or floor and you will begin to see what's needed for your quilting design. I've tried all types of marking tools and now I'm strictly a free motion gal. When you reach a certain point in free motion, it feels like painting. The faster you free motion quilt, the easier it is.

It's one of my daughter's favorite color combinations, pink and brown, so I hope she likes it.
All it needs is a label and it's off to Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. For a college student that makes me smile, just thinking about her.


Does everyone have a place in there house where the like to take pictures of their quilts? I like to use my dining room. It has nice windows and a wooden floor that sort of frames the quilt.

One last thing, the leaves in Southern Indiana are at their peak for fall color. I also highly recommend a day trip for Kentuckiana folks. That means people on the boarder of our two states, call themselves that-Kentuckiana.

Leaving our house about 9:30, from Crestwood, my mom and I drove out hwy. 60 towards Shelbyville, KY to see all the beautiful horse farms. Three rail and four rail fences galore. In Shelbyville you catch hwy 64 west and after you cross into Indiana, stop at the rest area and pick up a travel map of Indiana. It's a unique map the has pictures and information about cool places to visit in an area. Also, get a brochure for the Schnitzlebank and the Monistery in Ferdinand. Get back in the car and drive to Ferdinand, Indiana and visit the Monastery there. It's a nunnery and a beautiful church to see. Then it's up the road to the Schnitzel Bank, where you can pig out on great German food-if you go, don't pass up the German fries and the coleslaw is the best I've ever had-very mild. Keep traveling to French Lick to see the restored resort and if you are inclined, they have a casino. A half a block down the road is the West Baden Springs. It's a marvel of architecture. It used to house the Ringling Bros. circus in the winter-you'll understand once you walk inside. There's also beautiful grounds to walk around. Next, quilters, head on over to Salem, Indiana and see Craft Town. It's a wonderful old fashioned looking quilt shop, found in the town square with a limestone courthouse that anchors it. All along the way, you will see some spectacular fall leaf color, probably for a few more days-so get out there.

It's been a long and busy couple of weeks.

Like this woman, I was scratching my head-you know, just another weirdo that makes it all okay.

We've returned from NYC for the 4th time this year. We were there for a week and then my mom visited for a week, so I've got a lot of work to do, but, I just don't wanna do it! So, I'm catching up on my blog writing.

I took over 600 pictures, with my trusty, indestructible camera so I have a lot to write about and will do so over time. But, to begin our time in New York, one of my new discoveries was Brooklyn. It's only a short walk over the bridge. The industrialists took over Brooklyn first, they left, artists moved in. The artists are currently in residence. But the rich and wealthy are saying, hey that's our Brooklyn, so they are buying up all the artsy places and the artists are protesting. I hope they can hang on to the rustic beauty of Brooklyn, but, in the end, money will win, so you better get there while it still has a lot of inexpensive charm.

After crossing the bridge from NYC, we had pizza at Carmichael's, it's under the bridge-classic NY pizza-thin crust and real Mozzerlla cheese in squares, not shredded and thick crust, like I'm used to, I didn't care for it that much. I musta been the only one that didn't like it, cause that place was jam packed with people. I guess I'm a deep dish girl at heart. After our very pricey meal, next we continued on to explore Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Botanical gardens is my one of my new favorite places in NYC. I guess, technically, it's not NYC, but, it's only a hop skip and a jump across the Brooklyn Bridge. Then a short walk from there.

There are many different types of gardens, some formal and some not. We went in the fall, so there's not a lot of flowers to see that are not in the water, but, don't let that stop you from enjoying the tranquil Japanese pond garden with a large artistic structure jutting out of the pond, imposing itself in every photo like Santa Clause in a parade. One of my favorite things about the BBG is the Bonsai museum. Some of these plants are over 100 years old. You know I'm a quilter and that is an art form that requires the patience of a butter churner. I'd like to learn the art of bonsai. It's sculpting plants-so artistic and lovely, like a statue, almost.

We were given directions to walk up to the BBG by way of this fountain that is in front of the Grand Army Plaza.

I hope you have enjoyed one segment of our week in NYC. Tomorrow, I'll pick a new topic to write about, maybe my mom and me making a quilt for my DD #2's geology club's fund raising raffle quilt. I call it Paris Kitties.

It's back to NYC for me...smile...

Well, finally, we are going to NYC in decent weather. So far we went in record high heat of the summer and record low cold of the winter and now I'm in hopes of going in October to enjoy a few walking tours of Brooklyn. It's off the beaten path for me, but, not too far, cause you know there's some weirdos there.

I'm taking my trusty old camera which is way out dated by now and probably 1/3 the price I paid for it 2 years ago, but, it's totally indestructible. I think I've dropped it at least 5 times, on cement and it's still clicking away with nothing broken. So, no fancy smancy SLR that ways a ton and no doubt takes much better pictures than mine. I think I'll save the 1000 bucks and buy some fabric and make beautiful quilts that are in demand. Of course that's free demand-dare we ask a price that China products have so undercut our beautiful value of really great fabric in quilts.

I'm rambling on. That's what blogs are best for, getting things out, I suppose. A cub reporter not quite ready for the Daily Planet, but, you know it's somewhere deep in us.

Ah well, we are leaving on Tuesday and will be gone until Sunday, when, we will be picking my mom up from the airport the same day. We live about a 14 hour drive from our original home in Collinsville, Oklahoma and so we don't get to see relatives often. My folks have moved from there to Oologah, Oklahoma, which is not far from C'ville.

Anyway, we are planning to visit old historic homes in the area, of which Louisville, Ky abounds. Also, Abraham Lincoln's boyhood home is not far and there's lots of little day trips and maybe even a visit to the French Lick Casino, cause my mom really likes to play Keno-whatever that is. Me, not much of a casino person. At one time, I liked tried playing craps and it was fun, but only when you win and the casinos don't look like they do because they win.

I've got to go clean house. There's nothing like having company over to make me want to clean house...you know pretend it looks that neat all the time...smile.

It's almost here....smile...

At last, I think, it's almost here. The leaves they are a falling...smile...We've been having record high heat and I just heard that we will be getting some cooler weather tonight. That's none too soon, because tomorrow, our quilt group is going on a trip to the Louisville Stoneware andHadley Pottery stores. We'll finish up with a trip to Bear's fabric store. It should be lots of fun and just in time to buy a gift for my MIL.

I had hoped to finish the Diamond in the Rough quilt but, have been in need of a purse so I made these 2 cute clutch bags that my DD #2 grabbed and I'm keeping my favorite.

Oh yes, I've been busy of late and am now a National Geographic Scuba Diver. Yeah me!! It's a great sport? hobby? I don't know, but, it's a lot of fun and great exercise. I can't wait to go to the ocean and dive at a reef.

We did our testing in Mermet Springs, Illinois, right outside of Paducah, Ky, yes, that Paducah, the quilt capital of America. But, alas, woes me, I went on Sunday to quilt shop-ain't nothing open on Sunday in the quilt world in Paducah, so I go this, everywhere we went

Also, went to another concert-Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem. We left before the main act, Arcade Fire-DD #1 had too much homework so we left a little early.

Nope the book case did not fall on my head!

Whew! It's been a busy time around here. I've been to a concert with my DD #2 and saw Andrew Bird at the Brown. We sat in the front row and I got great pictures of his striped socks-so cool. A man really has to be secure to kick off his shoes and wear striped socks! Of course it really helps to be cool if you are playing a violin and guitar, practically at the same time.

Next we went to an auctiongot this beautiful quilt for $110.00. It was a lovely day started about 10:00 and we got to the quilts after many, many tools and other old estate items from a probably 100 year old farm. I really wanted this but, you know when you go toe to toe on the bids with one other person, and you've already gone over your limit, you live in the satisfaction that you made them pay for it. I was quite happy with my wonderful Cinderella find. There was no label and no one attending knew the story of the quilt. Once again-put your labels on!!!

After the auction we signed up for scuba diving lessons. We are on board to learn how to dive here and then we plan to go to a reef somewhere in January or February. I can't wait. I've always liked the water. We used to have a boat, but, I was the only one that wanted to go out on it, so we sold it. Now, my DH wants to do this and so far so good. We are having a crash course hopefully before the weather gets too cold. We have to have 4 open water dives in a quarry before we are certified-there's wet suits for cold water but, warm water, I think is probably always better...smile. Then we played poker with guys and spouses at one of the fellows from Bob's work. We didn't win, but, you know I hear their names and it was nice to get to associate a name with a face for a few hours at least...kinda fun. And last but not least, my super sensitive, of late, DH surprised me with Salsa dance lessons just in time for us to dance on the rooftop of a club downtown for the Latino festival. It was nice viewing the Ohio river from a different perspective, feeling the breeze and watching the talented dancers. Then it was our turn, we got up and remembered our steps, quick, quick, slow, quick, quick, slow and did that for a while. We tried our turn and walk through, but, it was so crowded, I just knew I was going to elbow some one so we left kind of early. Quite enjoyable that my husband would put so much thought into surprising me...touching...smile.