This is Mt. Rainier

At the Sunrise Visitor Center

R&R in their prime

This is apparently what we look like in our element (think ocean behind us, fire before us, shooting stars and constellations above). Magical moments, people.

And the Quilt Show!

Mom & I had a great time. We stayed at the Mill House Inn in Bend and surprised Rhonda with Mom's visit. The town of Sisters looked all dolled up and festive with the vibrant quilts hanging from the old buildings. It was sensory overload, and after a while it all started to look the same, but we definitely came away feeling pretty inspired. We also managed to hit up a few fabric stores (always arriving a few minutes after tour buses full of ladies beat us there!), including Sew Many Quilts and BJ's Quilt Basket, which are both worth the stop. Here's what we saw:

Mom & meHotel room #1
Hotel room #2

She wears my giftsSisters, Oregon

Waist packs (formerly known as fanny packs) are alive and well, especially among the quilting community. These truly are my people.One of Mom's favorite quilts

Some of mine

Side note

Yes, this is the third of four consecutive posts this evening. You could say I'm procrastinating. You could also say I'm a bit aimless. That's because Ryan's out of town.

I was thinking. Check this out:

1. Ryan is currently on the second of three field trips out to his old stomping grounds in Eastern Oregon. If you didn't know, he is an expert in all things paleontology-related. This trip is with a group of eleven year olds. The way I understand it, the boys were planning on riding in his van and the girls were going to ride in the female teacher's van. Makes sense. He already new ahead of time which trouble-maker was going to sit up front with him, and he and the other instructor made plans to stop several hours into the drive out there to shuffle misbehaviors around if necessary. If you're still with me, thank you, and how about this? On his last trip out a few weeks ago with college students, they were just getting going on I-84 when the hood of his van spontaneously popped open. They safely pulled over and eventually made it to a gas station, where some folks got out to stretch. Back on the road a few minutes later he noticed they were one man short in his van. Isn't that funny?

2. I have been to Idaho once this summer, am heading up to Mt. Rainier tomorrow, and will be down in Sequoia/Kings Canyon next week for work.

3. We were at the coast last weekend and have an extended camping trip planned in the Olympic National Forest coming up.

4. Ryan has booked a trip to Maine for a MONTH and I'll be joining the family back east for a week.

My point here is that this has unintentionally become a very busy summer of travel. Some for fun, most for work. Time is flying by.

The finished quilt

Its a keeper.

Grand & glorious Rockaway

:: farmers market berry pie served along side full-production breakfasts :: fog clearing late morning, sun shining bright :: walks on the beach :: trips to town for more ice cream! & window browsing in antique shops :: elaborate mid-afternoon lunch involving homemade tortillas and copious quantities of fresh guacamole :: nap on the lawn in the sun, book forgotten, friendly round of bocce ball in the background :: dessert smorgasbord for dinner :: late night fire works & bonfires at beach :: late, late night card games in the kitchen with Lady & the Tramp playing in the background :: sleeping under the stars to the sounds and smells of the ocean ::

made new friends, celebrated the birthday of an old comrade. arrived home very well rested, relaxed, full, and smelling like smoke from the fire. face is a tad sunburned. sand is everywhere. i am content.








I look like an adolescent lobster here and Ryan looks like he's auditioning for a role as Mr. Honesty, but hey, we're happy.

One more for the road

*These are some of the things Ryan sees when he's at the beach

I am grateful for a chance to head to the coast for the weekend. I'm taking my newly finished summer quilt with me for lounging, along with a good book and some sun block.

Happy weekending!

The Gratitude Five

In the spirit of acknowledging the positive things in life (you know that saying, "if the only prayer you say in a day is 'thank you', it is enough") I present a handful of things I am truly grateful for today.

- the warm [but not too warm!] and glorious sunny weather

- deviled eggs for lunch (a rare treat b/c the mister has a zero tolerance policy around them)

- happy hour with Katie

- Polaroid cameras (ours was a wedding gift from cousin Justin and has been getting quite the workout lately), which are perfect for capturing impromptu summer moments

- finding, quite by accident, two darling little camping espresso mugs to compliment our new espresso press

- being able to spend some solid time with mi mama on her recent visit (this one is a bonus one, and perhaps the one I'm most grateful for!)

What I'm loving

Everyday Musing's blogger Olivia Rae is documenting her trip through Europe and I can't get enough. She's satiating my itch to travel. I can almost taste the croissants.

Mom's in town for our annual birthday visit, and we're headed to Bend and Sisters for the quilt show. Be back next week with some photo documentation.

Weekend highlights

Friday: lunch with Yosa & girls night with my PSU pals
Saturday: BBQ at Christian & Matt's, complete with grillables from Gartner's and several firecracker close-calls
Sunday: date night, involving my favorite vamps ever and cheese fondue
Monday: a little work and a whole lot of sewing (like the table cloth, for instance)

And a happy 4th to you!

Lets here it for an all-American holiday weekend!

images from here

to Idaho & back

I've just touched down from a visit to Idaho, where an associate and I were documenting historic structures for the Minidoka Internment Camp. The trip was busy but productive, and rural Idaho was in peak early-summer form. The desert was green and blooming, the skies were wide and blue, and the rivers were full. The camp itself is a sad reminder of our recent history and a testament to what folks placed in rough situations can overcome.

Carin and I had a few interesting encounters while we were there. For instance, after we landed at the airport we went to the rental car place to pick up our car. I asked the woman behind the counter to add me as a driver, and she asked if we (my very pregnant co-hort and I) were spouses. We just stared at her and she paused, then asked, "Ah, or coworkers?". We got a chuckle out of that one.

Out of the two buildings we surveyed one was the former Mess Hall, which was relocated to the local fair grounds after WWII and used as a community canning operation. The building (now out of commission and used as storage) was full of remnants from its canning hay-days and included some interesting signage, like this message:

Don't we all wish we could formalize sentiments like that sometimes? Anyway, I anticipate more work travel this summer, including visits to Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks and Mt. Rainier National Park.

Documenting old buildings is dirty work. Here's a list of what every lady architect should pack when on the road for business in rural locals (you know I can't miss a good opportunity to make a list, and this is one I should remember):

Equipment
- tape measures (30' & 100')
- flash light (or head lamp)
- clip board & notepad (with rubberband for windy situations)
- multiple colored pens (black, red, green, blue)
- camera & extra batteries
- laptop (only bring that heavy contraption if you know you're going to use it)

Clothes
- brimmed hat
- sun glasses
- gloves
- head bands/rubber bands/hair pins
- layered tops
- light-weight pants that dry quickly (mine were men's hiking pants from Eddie Bauer & Columbia, which fit surprisingly well)
- work boots
- flip flops & a change of clothes for dinner
*I'd add a fanny pack to the list, because I know it would be useful, but I think I'd loose friends if I did

Food & Drinks
- water bottles (leak proof!)
- gatorade
- snacks for in the field (granola bars, trail mix)
- snacks for hotel (chocolate, tea, instant oatmeal in case the hotel doesn't serve breakfast)

Other
- business cards
- sun screen
- baby wipes & hand sanitizer
- first aid kit
- Nyquil to help with sleep

Here's to being prepared.