AND SO THE SUMMER BEGINS....

Those of you who live in a climate where you still have to wear a sweater or long sleeves - ENJOY IT!!! We have already achieved record-setting temps and it isn't even the end of May. Can only imagine what summer will have in store for us. I am already sick of walking out the door at 8 in the morning to be blasted in the face with 80+ degrees. One positive note: the high so far has only been 99... so at least we are not yet in triple digits.

However, unless a person is willing to sit in the air conditioned comfort of their home for the next solid six months, a certain amount of bravado needs to be mustered so that life can continue and adventures can still be embarked upon. Two weeks ago a neighboring community held its annual Main Street Festival. We trekked to Grapevine, Texas to sight see, walk among the historical buildings, and ride the vintage steam train.

The train was my favorite part of the adventure. I am a sucker for old trains... or actually, any train at all. This one is glorious! It was once referred to as The Tarantula Train, but apparently the name was rather off-putting to some potential passengers and age groups, so in the effort to increase ridership the locomotive was renamed Puffy - apt enough for such an engine, I suppose.

The interiors are all redone and beautifully appointed in wood and period upholstery. We chose to ride the open-air car, hence the reason there are no passengers in this enclosed, air conditioned car. The weather was quite lovely the day we set out to Grapevine. We concluded the day with a seafood dinner at one of the local establishments.

.......... THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND.............

We traveled to the days of kings, queens, knights, ladies fair, and jousts!! The annual venture to Scarborough Faire is a favorite springtime destination. Acres and acres of medieval village life and venues abound. The costumes and pageantry never cease to intrigue me. Above you see "the" King and Queen of the Ren Faire. Their costumes are highly detailed and intricate. I asked one woman how they survive the heat in so many layers of brocade and velvet. She said the main rule to follow is "walk slow". She also shared a secret. She says they go to a florist and get those capped vials for roses, fill with water, freeze them, and then put them down their bodice to keep themselves cooler. Great idea!

The "family" above was adorable. The mom and dad dressed in royal blue velvet and the little boy dressed to match. Some of the attendees make a really big deal out of this and go to great lengths to be as authentic as possible. Others just throw together a costume that looks more reminiscent of a Halloween costume party, not quite sure which century they are trying to re-live, than "the real deal".

The day always ends with a joust between rival knights. One knight always "kills" the opponent, which I managed to capture in a photograph this year.

As much as I'd like to continue my revisit to the Middle Ages, I need to get busy doing other stuff anyway...using modern conveniences and appliances.... in modern air conditioning, using modern electricity. THANK GOODNESS!!!

Until the next adventure.....

Life in the Old City ....

First there was a ruckus in the street....
Then the bounty hunter came to town....
After more people got shot, the bounty hunter got the bad guy.

No, these photos weren't taken yesteryear in the 1800s. They were taken about 2 weeks ago during a visit to Old City Park. (It has since been renamed Dallas Heritage Village). This is a jewel of a tiny haven just south of all the cement and steel of the skyscrapered skyline of Dallas, Texas. They offer a glimpse of life as it was known in that bygone era. Most all the buildings and facilities are functional. By that I mean the blacksmith shop holds demonstrations, the print shop actually prints samples, the saloon serves [root] beer, the kitchens of the houses prepare and serve meals, and the farm houses actually grow crops. The photo above is the once-upon-an-era train depot for Dallas.

This bank building fascinated me! I walked inside and immediately felt a sense of calm sweep over me. I don't know if it is because I was born a few generations too late or what. Something triggered this enormous feeling of "going home". The squeaking wooden floors are incredible. The only alterations which have been made....granted, they are HUGE....have been the addition of air conditioning and electricity. I've said many times if I could take the internet and air conditioning with me, I'd gladly go back to the good old days!

A trip to the doctor's office would have been an adventure. Here is the apothecary portion of his office, where the powders and potions were measured and weighed. Made me think of the scene in It's A Wonderful Life when druggist Mr. Gower prepares the wrong medication and formulates a poison instead!

The porch and swing sent another whiff of "home" to me. It made it seem as if even the hottest of days could have been tolerated in the shade-cooled breeze of such a wrap-around porch.

No doubt the meals served here were just as tasty without the microwave, state-of-the-art stovetop oven combination, and designer placesettings!

How many Presidents and other statesmen were educated in a one-room classroom? Of note during the visit were the 38 stars on the flag. [And if I knew how to work the photo editing software better, I could have published these photos in sepia tones as they no doubt would have appeared in their day!]

The visit was marred only by the heat and humidity of the day. It was 92 degrees with a humidity to match. The first few days of those temperatures are always the roughest. By the end of the summer "only 92" will seem cool. This was our first 90+ day since last October.

Will be adventuring to a few places this weekend. Will share those as time permits.

Until the wanderlust is appeased....

Lack of Posts.....

It has been quite a while since I last updated this blog. Truth is, I've got nothing to say. Right now life is serving lemons and I didn't stock up on the necessary sugar to make lemonade. I'm being torn a million different directions by a thousand different people and circumstances. I am not making any headway. So for now I am withdrawing into my safe, private inner self for some reflective healing; some personal down time. This will pass.... until then I will check in periodically to see what is going on with the rest of you......

A Day of Smiles

At one point today I confided to the S.O. that as a result of my keen interest in photography I was looking at the world through different eyes; that things took on a whole new perspective when one tried to see the photo-worthiness of a person or object. He countered with the statement that when he first got a camera he took pictures of everything, even things for which he had no true interest. At that point I realized that I don't take pictures of anything just to be taking a picture. I take pictures of things that make me smile! The list isn't extensive: flowers (nature), architecture, small-town America, trains, and animals.

So today was full of smiles. It started when we drove to Midlothian, Texas for their annual Spring Fling. We drove to the town square to park and I immediately smiled when we had to do head-in parking along the square.

Since we started going on weekend drives (aka adventures) it has surprised me that in nearly every small town we've visited there has been a quilt shop in the downtown square. It is almost as though I've started going on mini shop hops. Midlothian proved to be no exception. The shop is called Quilts and More. Likewise it seems easier to justify a small fabric purchase at a shop in these small towns because I can claim it is a memento of the day's travel. Today I couldn't resist the bright red batik shown below. Oh, and I finally broke down and got a bit of Maypole by April Cornell.

After spending time in Midlothian, we hopped on Texas Highway 287 to head east because we knew Waxahachie was only about 15 miles away. Waxahachie has some of the most wonderful architecture in the state when one is talking about old courthouses and downtown squares. Here is the Rogers Hotel. Most everything was constructed in the late 1800s or shortly after the turn of the century (19th to the 20th).

This building, the county courthouse for Ellis County, Texas is one of the most exquisite pieces of 19th century architecture in the state. Literally. There have been featured documentaries on television about this structure. It is completely restored to its original splendor and is still the working courthouse for the county. On another occasion I was fortunate enough to tour the building and sitting in the balcony of one of the courtrooms reminded me of a scene from To Kill a Mockingbird!! The wood appointments are all solid mahogany (I think I remember being told it is mahogany) and even the tables, benches, jury boxes, etc. are all refurbished originals. It is truly a magnificent sight to behold.

Unfortunately, no courthouse is complete without the adjacent jailhouse. Here is the Ellis County Jailhouse, circa 1920. It is no longer being used, but no doubt Waxahachie has plans to keep this building for later renovation.

This building is now the Ellis County Museum. I don't recall what it used to be. Today was a photo expedition rather than a tour.

More of the courthouse. The entire structure is made of quarried rock, including several colors of granite.

It was a wonderful day, full of many smiles. After taking photos in Waxahachie we continued in the easterly direction to Ennis, Texas.... home of the annual National Polka Festival that is always held Memorial Day weekend. We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant (in honor of Cinco de Mayo???) that served some of the best Mexican food we'd eaten in ages. It was better than any of those in our immediate neighborhood, that is for sure!!

Until I post again.........

Adventures.... through pictures!

Last weekend the "special other" and I visited a local nature preserve. It was really rustic for an area in the midst of a huge city such as Dallas; complete with thriving poison ivy, posted warnings about feral inhabitants, and poisonous snakes! It is in a hilly section of town and maintained by the Audubon Society. At one time it was operated by the City of Dallas parks department, but I can fully appreciate the reasoning behind the city letting an organization better suited take over its management. There are approximately 8 nature trails of varying distance and intensity. We opted for the "easy to moderate" path of slightly more than one mile. Either we are too old for this type activity, or the person who designated the rating has a cruel sense of humor! The path was steep up-and-down in the slippery clay soil upon which Dallas is built. Parts of the path were under water from rains of a several days prior to our visit. In fact, some of the paths seemed to be nothing more than the usual run-off path after heavy rains. There were times when a choice had to be made - walk in the water-covered path and get your shoes wet, or walk in the poison ivy but keep the shoes dry. I chose ruin the shoes because I have had one too many tangles with poison ivy in my life. I can spot that stuff a mile away! The picture below is from the preserve. At one spot along the path there was an observation tower we climbed for a view. Hence the picture of the lake. While on the trail we had no idea we were near a lake; the brush was so thick we were only aware of the mosquitoes, plant life, and the mud!

The next day I was out and about in the neighborhood and happened to have my camera with me. There is a house along my walk route that has an incredible display of natural wildflowers. I took quite a few pictures of the various species. Here is a favorite.

Later in the afternoon I was again practicing with the camera at Harry's house and took this picture of the rosebud. Lovely!!

Yesterday we took a road trip. We drove to a community about 90 miles NNW of Dallas, nearly in Oklahoma. The town is Muenster, Texas and it was their annual Germanfest weekend. The town claims about 1550 residents and is a wonder to visit. The small downtown square resembles the buildings one might find in a German village. The grocery store boasts ...rightfully so... a German meat and cheese market, filled with all manner of "wurst und kase" (translated to "sausage and cheese" for the non-Deutsch folk). The local restaurants feature German fare and each had booths of their specialties available on the festival grounds, including strudel from the local Konditorei und Bäckerei (confection shop and bakery). We listened to good old-fashioned German polkas and waltzes, not to mention a Chicken Tanz (dance) or two. Food was excellent, beer was flowing, weather was perfect, traveling companion his usual enjoyable self.

We ended the day by deciding to attend the anticipatory Mass at the local Catholic church, Sacred Heart, at 5:00 p.m. The rectory is directly adjacent to the sanctuary and is the charming house in the picture below.

The day was declared a "good adventure". Amazingly, it was mutually agreed the best part was attending Mass in the small German Catholic community. (You'd have to be Harry or me to understand!!) We decided that in the future when we travel to a small community for a day trip we will investigate the Mass schedule for the particular church in that town. Sounds like another adventure to add to the list!!!

Until another time......

Round and Round

I am on a merry-go-round and it is refusing to stop...or even slow down!

When I have a few moments to spare... to actually relax... I will post some new pictures and update on my sewing progress.

Until I catch my breath.....

What I've been doing.....

Click on the pictures for close-up views! This was too much fun......

No Time for F-U-N...almost

Today I started a new (second) job. There are a myriad of reasons why this additional job became necessary, but rather than expound from that perspective, let me just say that I LOVE what I am doing!!

I have become a retail merchandiser. I am one of those ladies (or men) you see in a store who are rearranging and restocking vendor items.... greetings cards, magazines, books, etc. I am servicing the Disney DVD accounts in various stores around my neighborhood.

Last week I did my new hire training and this week I am doing my field training.

There are very few things to dislike about this job. The biggest adjustment seems to be one of remembering all the details about what paperwork needs to be completed where and when. The accounts are all within a few miles of my house so there is little to no time spent behind a wheel getting from account to account. In some instances one shopping center houses multiple accounts on my list, making the drive even less a factor. (Worth a great deal in these days of exorbitant gasoline prices!)

Other than that, I am so used to having my afternoons free that now it seems I am having to relearn how to budget my spare time so as to squeeze in all my personal chores.

Sewing?? What is that????

Until I get more coordinated with juggling all these new tasks.....

It was a wonderful day.....

Yesterday was a wonderful day! It was my 53rd birthday and I had gotten it into my head by the time April 4 rolled around that it was going to be a lousy day with little or no celebration. I won't go into why I felt this way, but I was pleasantly surprised when it became one of the best birthdays in recent memory.

The bouquet of flowers above was courtesy of my sister. She showed up at my door in the afternoon with flowers and a beautiful purple butterfly balloon. When I was saying goodbye to her and walking her out to her car, the mail arrived and I received the next installment of a Christmas Block-of-the-Month (BOM). This was a shock because I just received the 2 previous months late in March.

While at the office in the morning I was presented with a large, wrapped box. Inside I found a portable "boombox" CD player. I wanted one of these to use when I am sitting by the pool, working in the yard, or heck... even working in my sewing room since it has no radio, television, or stereo.

Late in the day Friday I finally received a FedEx package for which I was waiting.... the main reason I was feeling glued to the house and unable to go about my usual business.

Went to Happy Hour and dinner at On the Border. The weather was gorgeous and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to enjoy margaritas.... mixed berry and then peach!!

Once dinner was over we went to the home of the "special other" in my life. He brought out another, almost-as-large-as-the-first-package box that surprised the daylights out of me. Inside was the lovely Jim Shore angel shown below. This gift made me feel very fortunate to have this man in my life. He understands that many quilters are fond of Jim Shore because of his incorporation of block patterns into his creations.

I am thrilled with the way this photo turned out. It is exactly the look I've been trying to achieve. When I take a close up I want the rest of the background to be little more than a dark blur. I don't know how I did it, but I succeeded!! LOL

After we watched a movie on television at the "special other's" house, he disappeared for a bit. I was shocked when he came out of the laundry room with a birthday cake..... not just any cake... but a frozen, ice cream cake!!! (He knows I am not much of a cake person).

It was a wonderful day and I was forced to resolve I better start being more appreciative of some of the people in my life... or else!!

Until I come back down to earth.....

Happy APRIL 4TH

I've been meaning to update this blog for several days. Time has continued to march on despite my wish for it to slow down.

I bought myself a new camera and have been devoting time to getting acquainted with it. I am reading books and manuals and websites. I am doing online tutorials. I am studying photographs taken at various settings and trying to discern the affects (and techniques) of the differing lenses and corresponding settings.

The main reason I bought the camera was so I could take pictures of quilts. I get frustrated that my point-and-shoot camera can't squeeze everything into the shot. I am maddened when I want to show quilting details and get nothing but a blur because the camera doesn't like close-ups. Never again. Now the frustration comes from the sense of overwhelm I feel as I try to digest and absorb all the new terminology.

That out of the way, here is a photo essay (of sorts) showing what I've accomplished with the camera thus far.

This is a picture taken with my old HP Photosmart.

This was taken with the new digital SLR camera. The main difference is that the entire quilt is now in the frame rather than "chopped off" along the borders.

Here is the camera I got:

I wish everyone a terrific weekend. I am headed outdoors to enjoy the few rays of sunshine we've been afforded today. Maybe I will take some pictures of some flowers... or some bugs. As far as photography goes, I can tell I am fascinated by the micro world. I think its a holdover from my days of being fond of microscopes!

Until I get the hang of things......