Happy Birthday Honey

Today, 40+ years ago, my dear husband was born. I am so glad he came into my life while I was in high school.

I hope your day is a good one, honey.

Happy Birthday

September Quilt Blocks from Suzanne

The mail man delivered this to my door today. Even the cat liked them!! Suzanne, you must have a cat? Our cat went wild over the blocks and the paper they were wrapped in. He's still wandering around sniffing for them because I put it where he can't get to it.


I love the embellishments, the bow and buttons, they really make the picture whole. And the rake and leaves, it's ideal for September. I don't know if you can see it, but the rake tines are all satin stitch. The colors will go well with what I have so far. Thank you!!




These are the ones I sent to Suzanne:

Seasons

This says it all (because we've used the woodstove 2 times already this week), though I really, really like Autumn!! I keep meaning to take a picture of a tree up the street. I think it is a Vine Maple. It still has green leaves on it, but they are changing to yellow, orange and red. It is so beautiful!!

You Belong in Winter

Quiet, calm, and totally at peace... You're happy to be at home, wrapped in a blanket, completely snowed in Whether you're lighting a fire or having a snowball fight, you always feel best in the winter.

What Season Are You?

Comfort Zone

First a public service announcement: Adventurous Tom and Bel, where are you? Your blog is coming up with an error. Are you guys ok? I don't have an email for you either, so email me with the address in my profile. Thanks.

Ok, back to your normal viewing.

Doesn't this look comfortable? We spent most of the day away from home today, first with an informal fashion show, then on to quilting at auntie's house. DD was exhausted on arriving home, and asked her daddy to "please build a fire". The temp in the house was 64 F. Even with a long sleeve shirt and sweater, I was COLD. So, that wood stove behind her is fired up, we have 2 1/2 cords of wood, we are ready for (almost) anything. Yes, we did have 2 cords of wood delivered last week. It took all week and the weekend to move it and get it stacked. Amazingly enough, I hardly helped this year. The kids and dh did most of the work. They are all sore now.





Hmm, is there knitting going on around here? Yes, I was almost finished with the Cedar Creek socks, tried them on again, and ripped them back almost to the heel. They are in time out right now. I have done two and a half blocks for my 4 Seasons Throw KAL through the lys, and I started on a great gray green greasy limpopo blob. Oops, that should be a great (light neon) green blob. It is the 3rd and final Feather and Fan shawl that I am making for the (already finished) Amazing Lace. I did finish two of the shawls before the end of the game (photos in previous posts). This third one is probably the most amazing though. It will take after the Feather and Fan in "A Gathering of Lace", since it will be round. However, the center of that pattern is a beautiful flower, which dd does not like, so I am changing the pattern. It is a K and YO every 4 rows until I have enough to start the F&F pattern. I am doing a twelve stitch pattern, I think. I haven't thought it out too clearly, though I am taking notes, counting stitches and looking at charts. I did not take a photo of it though, maybe once you can see the F&F take shape.

Secret Tea Swap

Here's the package I sent out today for my secret knitter's tea swap pal.




And....



Oh, there was a box of cookies as well, that didn't get photo'd. I hope she/he enjoys it!!

Our day in the kitchen......

Remember these boxes of apples? Well, now it is down to one box. Our day was spent in the kitchen making 33 pints of applesauce.



Everyone helped.












And two apple strudels. (One went to the neighbors already)



Later in the week, I will tackle the other box and make one batch of apple preserves and dry the rest.

My plans for the weekend

Almost 100 pounds of apples to be turned into applesauce, muffins, and





other goodies like this....apple betty.






And dd's CIC vest that we finished last week. It's clickable so you can see the colors closely.

ARGHHHH! Matey!!

Today is..........International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Just before Pirates of the Caribbean 2 came out this year, there was an article in the local newspaper about pirates. There are several local pirate groups, and the international talk like a pirate day originated here in Oregon!! If you go to the Pirate website listed below, read the article written by Mad Sally about Keep to the Code.

Here's what was yesterday's Word-A-Day: Buccaneer


Guest Wordsmith John (Ol' Chumbucket) Baur
(chumbucketATtalklikeapirate.com) writes:

Every September 19 people around the world celebrate International Talk Like a Pirate Day. It's been marked on all continents -- even Antarctica. Why? Because it's fun, it's anarchic. Its very whimsy -- trying to get everyone on the planet to talk like a stereotypical Caribbean buccaneer on the same day each year -- sets it apart from other holidays.

The holiday had its genesis during a racquetball game between John Baur and Mark Summers, two friends in Albany, Oregon. It was a private joke that went around the world. The rest is, if not history, at least a good story, which you can read at their Web site http://www.talklikeapirate.com . To help you celebrate the day this year, we offer a sampling of words
based on pirate lingo.

A note -- I've often heard people talk about pirates' "cockney accents." Wrong! The stereotypical pirate has a Cornish accent, based on the performance of Long John Silver by actor Robert Newton in the 1950 Disney version of "Treasure Island". He was from Cornwall, and his over-the-top performance and native accent are the reason people think that's what a pirate sounded like. Of course, pirates came from all nationalities. But the pop culture image is firmly embedded, and Robert Newton is the reason why.

John Baur worked 23 years in the newspaper business and two years as a university science writer before casting his lot as a pirate author and performer. He and Summers are co-authors of the book "Pirattitude!")

buccaneer (buk-uh-NEER) noun

1. An unscrupulous adventurer in politics, business, etc.

2. A pirate.

[From French boucanier (buccaneer, barbecuer, hunter of wild ox), from boucan (a frame for smoking meat), from Tupi mukem.]

Today's word in Visual Thesaurus:
http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=buccaneer

Buccaneer comes from a French adaptation of a Carib Indian word bukan, a way of slow-cooking meat over a low fire on a grill. The first bouncaniers were interlopers in "Spain's" Caribbean, and the Spaniards tried to drive them out. It was only too easy for England to recruit the buccaneers into attacking Spanish interests. So modern day barbecuers, with their Webber gas grills and comical aprons, are actually descendants of the classic Caribbean pirates.

"[Greg] Palast's book is packed with groundbreaking new information about the corruption of empire, the lies of our leaders and the raiding of the treasury by crony capitalists and corporate buccaneers." John Nichols; Giving 'em Hell - And the Truth; The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin); Sep 7, 2006.

Sponsored by:

Ever wonder why we don't just talk, we chew the fat? Derivation, ahilarious
game about word and phrase origins. A great gift! http://entspire.com Monthly French, German, Italian and Spanish cultural audio magazines for intermediate-to-advanced learners. http://web.champs-elysees.com/wsmith1


............................................................................
Very few established institutions, governments and constitutions ... are ever destroyed by their enemies until they have been corrupted and weakened by their friends. -Walter Lippman, journalist (1889-1974)

Discuss this week's words on our bulletin board: http://wordsmith.org/board

Remove, change address, gift subs:
http://wordsmith.org/awad/subscriber.html

Pronunciation:
http://wordsmith.org/words/buccaneer.wav
http://wordsmith.org/words/buccaneer.ram

Permalink: http://wordsmith.org/words/buccaneer.html

YIKES!!

Blogger is so slow today and they have an outage scheduled for this afternoon. No pictures here.

I just posted my tea stash to the Knitter's Tea Swap 2 site. Check it out here!

It's as bad as the yarn stash!!

I have done absolutely no knitting since getting back, just sitting and reading emails, blogs, etc. Dd has a cold and is keeping to her room. She's trying to take care of herself for once. She's also got some really good audiobooks right now. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, So you want to be a Wizard by Diane Duane, Holes by Louis Sachar, The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, The Christmas Doll by Elvira Woodruff, and Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath. I know she has listened to the first one and is on the second one now. She likes both of them. And my parents think she isn't learning anything because she's not reading. HA!! She's just learned about numbering the jews and helping them hide during WW2. It's real history. She's finding that there are other books out there that are like Harry Potter, her absolute favorite to listen to. HA!

Harummph!!

I was going to let you know we were headed to the coast for the week and forgot. I was going to work on my sweater all week and instead spent countless hours working on my Cedar Creek socks, knitting, ripping, re-knitting, re-ripping, many, many times!! I am past the heel for the 3rd (?) time and am trying to make it fit my foot. The last time that I worked on it, I was just to the heel, but didn't want to work on it until I could concentrate on this new heel technique that I really want to perfect. They look good on one side, but are more open and airy on the other side. I just can't get the stitches tight enough or something, so I will go in after I am done and tighten those areas.




I did NOTHING on my sweater, absolutely nothing!! I am disappointed, but I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel (for these socks) or is it someone's flashlight?

I did spend the morning catching up on the 100's of emails that I came home to, even though I set everything to digest, I still downloaded close to 200 emails. Man alive that was a process!! I'll post later about our coast trip. I will say, "It was fun!!"

A Rose is a Rose or Sweater Design

Sleepovers that turn into awake all nighters don't work for me. I am wiped out today. Our house is such that any noise made anywhere in the house is heard anywhere else in the house even if the doors are closed and the fan is on. I wish it wasn't that way, but it is.

Getting up early this morning, we found that it had rained some in the night. I've been thinking about my roses and I need to trim them a little bit and maybe fertilize them one last time. I have never done anything to my roses until this year. Due to that, they have been covered in rust and blackspot for many years and I've trimmed off every leave and stem that had yuck on it. So, about 6 weeks ago now, I bought some special rose fertilizer and nasty stuff killer. My roses look beautiful, new growth, no rust or blackspot. I had to take some pictures of them this morning.

























See this? I am designing!! I did some reading last night about sweater design. Then I thought, I've got to get this onto paper so I can continue on my sweater and not go too far before I need to do my decreasing. This is so cool!! I never would have had the courage to play around with a sweater pattern until I met other knitters who do this all of the time!! And there will be yoked neck, I just didn't add the design pattern to it. I will be following it from the pattern, actually no I won't, I will need to refigure the number of stitches and the pattern. Hmm, at what point can I call it my own pattern?



I have a better picture of the original sweater, Susan, it was several pages further to the end of the book. I couldn't get blogger to load it though. I must be at my limit for now.

I think I am headed off for a nap so I can do laundry later.

Yarn Harlot Signing

Last night was so cool!! Meeting an author of knitting books. Humorous knitting books. I am not good with numbers, but there may have been 150+ knitters at Powell's Garden and Home Bookstore last night. I think we got there around 6:50 pm, the event started at 7:30, and we literally got the last two seats that were together. There were probably two or three other seats scattered around the room that weren't taken. I'm not a good photographer in crowds either. I did take a few pictures, but I'm shy with the camera so didn't stand up and take the whole group in. Stephanie Pearl-Mcphee has such a great sense of humor, with a dead-pan serious look on her face!! At least that's how it started. I did see Stephanie crack a smile a couple of times, though.






Stephanie photographing her traveling sock.




Stephanie you have to know, that even though your teenagers think you are uncool, my almost teenager thinks you are COOL!! I am serious. Last night she was recapping to her dad the evening. (As we are laying in bed and it is past midnight). I am quoting her!! "That was SO AWESOME. She is SO COOL!!"

I stuck a home-brew in Stephanie's bag telling her it was a Pumpkin Ale, when in fact it was an Amber Ale. Miscommunication on our part at home. I hope she liked it anyways!!



On the left, Stephanie, middle is my dd, on the right is dd's friend.

I did see some folks that I recognized, Chrissy, Yvonne (I met both of them at Black Sheep this year), Tina and Kaci, and Kelly of KnitPicks, though I didn't really meet her, I did meet her little white dog. It was just enough to ask if we could meet the dog.

So cool! Well worth the time to go down and see her, wait and drive in Portland evening traffic!! Oh, Stephanie, I drove back down that hill that you climbed to get to Powell's from the Yarn Garden, I had no clue it was so steep!! No wonder you had a heck of a time getting back to Powell's!!

Oh, oh, oh!! I forgot, the woman sitting right in front of me had on the most beautiful modular sweater on. It was purple and blue. I should have touched it!! Later as we were standing in line, she had this cool looking book in her hands, with the books by Stephanie. She was telling the folks she was standing with about it, so I had to write the name down. Sanna, Sorceress Apprentice, by Roxanna Matthews. It has yarn winding it's way all over it. Once she got up to Stephanie, we find out that SHE wrote the book. You will have to read her experience on her blog!! So, I looked the book up when I got home, then found her blog and left a comment. I got an email back this mornng from her. She is so cool. She's a Certified Master Knitter as well!! Wow, what an inspiration. Someone who knits, knits very well, writes cool looking fantasy books, and was very friendly!!

Living Room Furnishings

I did take some pictures today of the two areas I moved around on Sunday. It is still cluttered, but not as bad. The loveseat may have a new home tonight, much to the dismay of dd. She is a worse packrat than I am!!

The wall on the far right with the three hangings has not changed. The mirror and 4 plaques are newly hung!! They are black lacquer and mother of pearl inlaid. I don't remember exactly what country they are from, but I do have it written down in my grandmother's handwritting. The elephant lamp is from her as well. The medium size teddy bear on the far right, she knit a long time ago. A lot of the knick-knacks on the piano are from her, as well as the stuff that is barely visible on the top of the bookshelf.





The spoon collection on the walls were started by grandma. She tried to get me interested in collecting stamps, but I had no interest at all. Then she tried this. I have probably been collecting them for close to 25 years. She gave me the rest of her own collection when she moved into assisted living. The one lone holder is full of the state quarter spoons from the US Mint.

See how the couch takes up too much of that wall? The piano didn't take as much room!! I am anxious to get it moved out!!

Just Ramblings

Monotezuma Castle National Monument in Camp Verde, AZ, May 2004.



I have a sweater I want to make put of some Rowan Felted Tweed in the colorway Sigh. It is a purple that I really like. This was supposed to be a simple sweater, with rolled hem, rolled sleeve hem and rolled neck. Until I saw one in a similiar yarn, with some cables on it. It is similiar to this one, but the neck isn't cowled, and there are about 11-12 cables around the front of it. I have had the yarn for it for quite a while, since last year sometime, maybe in the Fall? I started a swatch back then changing needles as the swatch grew bigger and I wasn't getting the right gauge. I started with US 6's, and am now down to US 3's and still just barely getting gauge. If I don't get gauge, the sweater will either be too big or too small, and I want it to fit!! I cast on 188 stitches last night and started my round. I need different needles now. The ones I have are either too short or too long and the round does not fit on it. So, off to the knitting store today!!

The Yarn Harlot is coming to town today!! DD and I will be there (with our books to sign and our camera) with the hordes of knitters wanting to meet her. She is hiliarious!! If anyone can make knitting fun, it is her.

Last evening, there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, a young man asked if we would like our stump drilled. Less than 20 minutes later and $45 out, we had our stump drilled. One less thing to worry about!! We had the tree taken out about 6 weeks ago or so. It was one of those mimosa trees, or as we called it, "that crappy tree is dropping stuff again", Silk Tree. One site I just saw said that they are short-lived trees, 10-20 years. We've been here for 7 years now and these trees were full grown when we got here. Dh didn't want them to do the tree in the back, he wants to try to compost it. You drill holes in it, soak it real good, fill with Nitrogen fertilizer and blow it up. JUST KIDDING!! You don't blow it up, but you cover it with tarp real tight and keep the rest of the soil around it wet. Over time it will compost itself from the over-fertilization.

What Kind of Flower are You?

I saw this on Sherri's site. What kind of flower are you?



"You are just a sweet person. When a friend needs a shoulder to cry on, you are happy to offer yours with a box of tissues as well. Once in awhile, you wish you could be a little more dramatic but then sensibility sets back in and you know that you are perfect the way you are."

I am a Daisy What Flower Are You?

Another Post Today of FO's!!!

This weekend has been somewhat productive. I got the kids pictures back up on the wall. The spoon collection is now back up as well. I had to take them down a few weeks ago for the roof to be done. I also changed the living room around a bit. I didn't take any pictures of it though, so you just have to imagine it. In one corner I had a love seat that was angled from the corner so I could "stash" stuff behind it. Back there was the leaf to our dining room table, and probably 2/3 of my yarn/fiber stash. It wasn't easy to get to, so I thought I would pull everything out and repackage it, or get rid of some of the yucky yarn that I know I won't use. I pulled everything out, moved the couch out of the way and moved the piano into that corner. It pulls the piano more into the room and it should be safer from the cold of the front door, and the heat of the wood stove come winter. I put the love seat on the little wall that the piano was on, and it is too much for that wall. It probably sticks out to the front another 6 inches than what the piano did, so I am going to get rid of it. I've offered it to the neighbors for their basement, but haven't heard back from them yet. If no one wants it, it will either go on freecycle, or there is an organization in Portland that gives these things out to the homeless who are just starting up in new homes. Now my stash is out in the open and I have boxed it up into large totes. I have one that is all acrylic that I do have a use for, one that is all wool, a nice chest that is a mix of both, and three baskets with a mix. There are also two big bags, one with acrylic that is designated for hats and scarves for local organizations and one that is all wool for CIC/Russian orphanages. I also cleaned out some of the book shelves, but the extra books are now in the big room with no place to go yet.

I also got two knitted items done. I started these socks back in July after finishing the last vest for CIC. I put them done after dropping dd at the airport, that first weekend of August, which was kind of dumb. I was just on the toe of the second one and could've finished it in an afternoon. But today I finally got it done.

If you notice on this first one, that little gray yarn stub about half way down on the right? That's what was left of one of the strands of yarn I was working with. TOO CLOSE for my comfort!!




On this second one, the little ball of yellow is what is left of the rest of the yarn.




I finished my Feather and Fan shawl on Saturday, but got all of the ends woven in this morning. It measures 83 inches by 30 inches when all pulled out. I used 6 skeins of LionBrand Microspun on size US 7 needles. It has a seed stitch border on all sides. I will have dd take some pictures of me modeling it later.

Another Daughter Photo Opportunity

Yesterday our dd was headed to a birthday coast trip/sleepover/brunch tea, with costumes for the tea. Here's some of the photos I took of her trying out the costume she would wear. I think it is a traditional dress of Singapore. Back in the 70's my maternal grandma did work overseas for our church. She worked mainly in the Adventist hopsitals overseeing the kitchens or doing office work. As she was cleaning out her closets before moving into assisted living, she pulled two dresses out and asked if I wanted them. The pack rat that I am, said yes!! I got them home, tryed them on and they really look awful on me. I put them back in the closet. This year I thought, oh, I could make some of those tiered skirts out of them. So, I pulled them out and asked dd for her opinion. NO WAY!! She tried them on and they look so good on her. So, without further Adieu.........






I sent some of these to a high school friend. She took one look at this one and emailed me back "Oh my goodness. In picture number 3 I saw you!!!!!!! She looks just like you!!!!!!" DON'T TELL DD THAT!!!

Quilt Blocks are in!

Jennifer did an awesome job on these blocks. It is really overcast/smoky here today, so I don't think the colors came through as well. I love how the purple flowers are growing, and the quilt hanging on the line. THANK YOU Jennifer!!

The pictures are clickable so you can see the details of the flowers.







I got mine sent out today to Jennifer. YEAH!!

Photo Opportunity

I forgot in all the camping hoopla that there was a quilt given to dd. My dad made this quilt, and the photos do not do it justice.

Top of quilt.


Bottom of quilt





The quilt is made with blocks for the top, middle and bottom. You sew the three together, leaving approximately two inches around the edge. This edge you will cut into, making ties that you use to tie the quilt blocks together. The middle filler section is going to be that same amount smaller, so you aren't having to cut it out, you don't want that as part of your tie. You work from the inside out, until you have the size of quilt that you want. On the top section, all of the ties are seen, on the bottom, you don't see them, except for the edging. This quilt might fit a double size bed and it is pretty heavy, so it won't go on the bed for another month or two. It took him almost 8 months to make it.

No updates on my knitting, it's happening ever so slowly, same with my quilt blocks which are due to be sent tomorrow!!

I am Content!!

Aren't they just adorable? Obviously they aren't this size anymore. What with one being almost 17 and the other 12 1/2? Tonight, both of my children are under the same roof as me. I am content with that!! I don't have the worries that have plagued me off and on for the past week, or three weeks before that. I can rest easy tonight.

Ds had the "best week of my(his) life" at the "Survivor" high school age Audubon Camp. 15 kids that became friends easily and worked together. Now to find more camps or classes to suit this interest of his. Any ideas?

Dh's nephew is coming up on Monday afternoon to spend the week with us. He's almost 7 or 8 is it? It should be an interesting week. I already have several activities going, as well as one child going on a sleepover (just for one night).

10 Random Quotes That Kind of Describe Me

1. The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself. Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873)

2. I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. Bill Cosby (1937-)

3. Life only demands from you the strength you possess. Only one feat is possible - not to have run away. Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961)

4. I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business. Michael J. Fox (1961-) quoted by Lorne A. Adrain in 'The Most Important Thing I Know'

5. The central struggle of parenthood is to let our hopes for our children outweigh our fears. Ellen Goodman (1941-)

6. The most important thing is to be whatever you are without shame. Rod Steiger

7. To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

8. My evil genius Procrastinator has whispered me to tarry 'til a more convenient season. Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1882)

9. The Internet is like alcohol in some sense. It would accentuate what you would do anyway. If you want to be a loner, you can be more alone. If you want to connect, it makes it easier to connect. Esther Dyson Interview in Time Magazine, October 2005

10. A witty saying proves nothing. Voltaire (1694 - 1778)


To do one of these yourself go to Random Quotes. If you don't see any you like, click on New Random Quotations at the bottom of the page. Let me know if you do one. Thank you Kris for starting this.

A Needed Pick Me Up!!

Thank you Donna, you knew I would need this on Monday!! I dropped ds off at Audubon Society Survivor Camp for the week. Later that morning the mailman brought me a box, from a REAL person!! In it was lace weight yarn, a scarf pattern, some other merino/microfiber yarn in a beautiful color, a slip-stitch (?) scarf that Donna had made (with the pattern), (which I put on right away as it is chilly here this week) some chocolate, candle, soap and little notepads. Just right for a day of quietude. The lace yarn reminds me of those hard candies that are swirled pink and white, Creme Savers.

Part Three Back at our campground and the Falls

Facts about the Falls
129 feet tall
42-48 F
100 million gallons goes over in one day




On Saturday, back at our campground, we saw that there was a planned hike on the Falls Loop trail. It was only an hour long so the dh, the kids and myself took that hike. It was a good hike, learning that the park has no poison ivy at all, and the difference between white oaks and black oaks, and there are 5 main trees in the park. White Oak, Black Oak, Douglas Fir, Ponderosa Pine, and Incense Cedar. There are other trees, but these ones make up the majority. I know there is more information, but my brain can only hold so much. Once we got to the bottom and started up the other side, we did see one of the rare Black Swifts that nests behind the Falls. That was kind of cool. There were more earlier in the summer, but most had migrated already. They migrate before the falls start to freeze up in the Autumn, at least that’s what the sign says.

We headed back to camp for lunch, then some more hiking, at least a little bit. Ds, grandma and grandpa and I headed for the Headwaters Trail after lunch. We wanted to see how far we could go with grandpa’s scooter before having to turn around. Technically I don’t think we were supposed to have the scooter on that trail, but I didn’t see the sign until we came back. I should say that we were working on some questions in the camp newspaper to earn a patch. One of the questions had to do with The Pacific Crest Trail. How far is Canada, and how far is Mexico? So, we did that first on this trail. We crossed the fisherman’s bridge above the falls, and took a very short little hike to the sign.








Then back the same way we came to start up the other side of trail. We needed to find a building with signs on it. I didn’t know it was a pumphouse. Anyways, we knew it wasn’t too far up the trail, maybe ½ mile. There were some tight spots for the scooter, but it wasn’t too bad. There weren’t any ups or downs, it was level ground. The signs on the pumphouse? Warnings about raccoons and other animals dangerous to your health, Warnings about leaving tangled fishing wire, and Don’t Feed the Animals. We hiked for that!?@!



Fortunately some of that trail was shaded, but we were very hot and dusty when we returned to camp. Dh, dd, grandpa and I went down to the lake after that to swim, while grandma fixed dinner.





After dinner, dd, dh and I hiked part of the Pioneer Cemetery Trail. We needed to locate the cemetery and find the I inscription on the gravestone of one Earnest Baker. I did not take any pictures there, really dumb or me!! Instead I took pictures along the way of a burned out tree. It looked like a forest fire had come through there fairly recently. So, the inscription on the headstone said: Earnest Baker, son of ……& M.C. Baker; died Nov. 24, 1893; Aged 21 years 8 d’s; Lost in the storms of earth, but saved with the Saints in glory. We came back covered in more red dust. It’s like visiting Mars or something, there is so much red dust there. (I took no pictures at the Pioneer Cemetery, which was really dumb of me!!)




Later that night we drove down to the lake for a meteor shower viewing. It was supposed to be the peak of the Perseids, but I think I saw a total of 6 meteors, dd saw 10 or so. It was kind of a dud.

Next morning saw us packing up camp and heading to Redding for breakfast. We ate at a pretty good place, Country Kitchen on Hilltop Dr. They were doing a booming business, which was a good sign. Then we said our goodbyes and headed for home. The drive was fairly uneventful, and by 8:00 pm, we were home, airing out the house, unloading our junk and saying hello to our kitty.

I don’t think I forgot anything, but who knows. So much has been happening here this week that has taken my mind elsewhere.