Wyoming Breezes

Bubblegum Western Region Oddball Baby Blanket started May 2013 Needles: size 9 Stitches: 106 Yarn for my section: Caron Simply Soft Stitch pattern for my section: Checks and Ridges Update : October 23, 2013

Display outside Safeway grocery store Riverton, WY July 2013 Fourteen pallets of Pepsi products were used to build the display outside the local Safeway store to celebrate the Riverton Rendezvous and Fremont County Fair. It reportedly took the beverage company most of the day to create the display. Pepsi products are manufactured and bottled/canned by Admiral Beverage in Worland, Wyoming.

TOPS #1 Riverton, WY July 2013 I have always loved watching the County Fair Parade, but this year I was actually in the parade. The Fair is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and coincidently, the Riverton Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) group is celebrating its 50th. The woman in the white shirt started the first TOPS group in Wyoming, right here in Riverton, and she is still an active member of my club. It was fun to see the parade from a different perspective.  To prevent the parade entries from bunching up, the organizers had traffic control at the top of High School Hill. They enjoyed joking with the drivers and those on the floats. This woman wanted the large umbrella we had on the truck. Even though it was overcast, the sun bouncing off of the pavement was hot. Flags and spectators lined the parade route.  It was fun to see the anticipation the the children's faces. Many of the entries threw candy that the children eagerly scooped

Every Spring, my colleagues and I gathered at the airport to say "good-bye" to teachers transferring to another country/base or going back to the USA. We toasted the individuals to wish them safe travel and good fortune in their new assignment.

Old Faithful geyser Yellowstone National Park July 2013 A visit to Yellowstone National Park is not complete without viewing Old Faithful . A portion of the crowd gathered near Old Faithful Inn, waiting for Old Faithful to erupt.  My sisters and I were there along with hundreds of others to watch this somewhat predictable geyser. Even though I've lived in Wyoming all but two years of my life, I've only seen Old Faithful three times. More information about Old Faithful and Old Faithful Inn can be found here  and here .

Hot Air Balloon Rally Riverton, WY July 20, 2013 This was the 33rd year for the  Riverton Rendezvous Balloon Rally , and out of those 33 years the balloons have been grounded only 2 years (last year was one of the two).  This year, the sky was a brilliant blue and cloudless. . .nearly perfect for hot-air balloons. You may remember that I was disappointed that Humpty Dumpty did not fly last year , so I was delighted to see that he was back this year and that his feet actually left the ground. Humpty Dumpty FLEW and SOARED and had LOTS of company. . . even those that came from far, far, away! Previous posts and photos of the rally can be seen here .

Light Me Up Western Region Oddball Baby Blanket started April 2013 It was fun to add the last section to this colorful blanket. Needles - size 10 Stitches - 128 Yarn for my section: Caron Simply Soft (Blue Mint) Stitch used for my section: Box Stitch Update: September 9, 2013

Wild Bison Yellowstone National Park July 2013 Last Sunday while my sisters were visiting, we made a road trip to Yellowstone National Park. We saw some beautiful country and some pretty stupid people. The buffalo behind the man in the photo came up from the river, not more than 10 feet from this crazy man who no doubt wanted the "perfect" photo. Many tourists don't understand the concept that the animals roaming in Yellowstone National Park are wild and dangerous. Every year, buffalo gore (and sometimes kill) tourists who do not heed the National Park Service warnings to keep their distance from the animals in the Park. Despite their size, buffalo can move quickly. Note the twitching tail, flattened ears, and wide eyes of the buffalo in the first photo - all signs of an agitated animal. For the record, ALL of the photos in this post were taken from inside the vehicle. Taken from the safety of the vehicle not more than 60 feet from the man in the p

Misawa AFB Late Summer 1979 Due to the abundance of rain, snow, and high humidity, Japan has lush vegetation. This unidentified vine was growing near the base beach. Mildew, moss, and mold were also very common and required vigilance in the house to keep it in check.

Hot Notes, Cool Nights concert in Lander City Park July 15,2013 Featured musical group at the concert Monday night was the Fremont County Orchestra whose members ranged from tots to older adults. The group played a nice variety of classical music and even some rock. It was heavenly.

Wind River Valley by Sheila N. June 2013 Sheila snapped this photo of the Yucca blooming near the labyrinth a couple of weeks ago. This has been a good year for wildflowers in the Wind River Valley.

Pay Phone Douglas, WY June 2013 Coming soon to an antique store near you. . . I wanted to photograph a pay phone before they completely disappear, but I didn't realize just how rare they are. My community does not have any pay phones (at least that I've found), so I was excited to spot this one in Douglas on my way home from Denver. It actually had a dial tone and a current phone book. Does your community still have pay phones? If so, you'd better snap a photo before they disappear.

Buttermilk Western Region Oddball Baby Blanket started May 2013 It has been ages since I worked on an Oddball Baby Blanket, but this one was well worth the wait. My section was knit using Box Stitch . Buttermilk  will be an all-white blanket, and I love how the different stitches can be clearly seen. I hope the group does another all-white blanket soon.

Northern Japan 1979 or 1980 I'm not sure, but I think this photo was taken at the same time as this one  only from a different angle.

Antique Rose socks women's size 7 - 8 size 2 needles - 56 stitches Nearly a matched pair of socks from stash sock yarn Yarn: Red Heart (Heart and Sole - Antique Rose) Red Heart (Heart and Sole - Ivory)

Rosa aka "Rosie" approximately 1982 This is one of my favorite photos of my Mom. It was taken for a photography class assignment - portrait with prop. The riding lawnmower was not simply a prop because mom used it every week to mow her large yard. The mower in this photo was a Massey Ferguson - fire engine red and easy to maneuver around the caragana bushes  that were part of the windbreak along the road. Several years later she purchased a John Deere mower with two large bags on the back for collecting clippings. The John Deere also made it easy to clear the cottonwood trees' leaves in the fall. Rich ~ 1986 Nancy ~ 1986 notice the blanket of leaves yet to be raked near the trees In the years before the John Deere mower, leaves were raked by hand and then transported to the fields in the pickup or in the manure spreader. Many leaves were also burned in the ditch near the house. I was glad when the leaves could simply be picked up with the mower. Note

Vintage Doily size 1 needles - #20 cotton thread 11.5 inches in diameter Since the county fair deadline is fast approaching, I picked up my needles and managed to finish the doily in two late night knitting sessions. I used this pattern and was pleased with the how it turned out. My edging is not as distinct as the one online, but that may be the way that I blocked it. This doily will be in the Fremont County Fiber Guild display at the fair. Details can be found on this earlier post . Want to try a knit doily? I recommend this pattern - easy to follow and fun to knit. Intimidated by thin thread and tiny needles? Knit the pattern with cotton for a round dishcloth.