Wyoming Breezes

Snow sculpture Sapporo Snow Festival Sapporo, Japan February 1980 A couple of weeks ago, I posted a close-up of this sculpture . Today, I want to give you some idea just how large the sculpture really was. Note the snow structure to the left of the sculpture. That was over 10 foot high. Sitting next to the towering figure was this large sculpture of a sitting gentleman. Other Snow Festival photos and posts can be seen here .

Scrappy Shack Lingle, WY July 23, 2015 Tamknots (a former Wyomingite) who now lives in North Carolina somehow discovered that a new quilt shop, the Scrappy Shack, had opened a couple of weeks ago in the tiny town of Lingle in southeast Wyoming. Since I was driving to Nebraska last week for my great-niece's wedding and would be going through Lingle, I decided to check out the new shop. While it doesn't have a huge inventory of fabric, what it had on display was very nice and the prices were very reasonable. I'm sure more inventory will be added as quilters discover the Scrappy Shack. The shop owner was not there the day I stopped, but her mother-in-law said she would be delighted to hear that someone in North Carolina had told me about the shop. I purchased some Kansas Troubles fabric (mostly neutrals) so I can finish a current project, a panel for a Quilt of Valor, and some notions. See that pile on the corner near the woman's elbow? That yarda...

Outdoor Mural City Park Oshkosh, NE July 2015 Oshkosh, NE is a small town, but several outdoor murals indicate its citizens are talented artists. Aren't the bright colors of this mural fun? Even though this is an abstract painting, I'm fairly certain it is actually a map of the town. The yellow diagonal line could easily be the train tracks that slice through the northern section of Oshkosh, and the large blocks of color probably represent the surrounding farm fields. Canada Goose mural at night Oshkosh, NE The goose mural photo was taken one night when I wandered downtown. It covered the side of a large, vacant building. Oshkosh is in the middle of the migratory path of many waterfowl (sandhill cranes, ducks, geese, etc.), but it is known as the Goose Hunting Capitol. I think it would be amazing to see the huge flocks feeding in the harvested cornfields. This area must be a hunter's paradise in the Fall.

source Do you always follow directions?

Maria M., Justin & Stephanie W., Dwight M. July 25, 2015 near Lewellen, NE Remember this April shower ? Fast forward to southwestern Nebraska in mid-July where authentic Hawaiian leis and heartfelt vows were exchanged under a beautiful maple tree in the presence of a proud family and many family friends. Parents (Dwight & Maria M.), Justin & Stephanie W., Grandparents (Marilyn & Harold M.) Congratulations, Justin and Stephanie! 

Peggy Vaughn, Nancy Vandenberg, John Hedberg Hong Kong December 1979 I was nearly always the one behind the camera, so I don't have a photo of myself in Hong Kong. These three were all Dept. of Defense teachers on Misawa AFB, Misawa, Japan. Peggy (from Mississippi taught high school English), Nancy (from Michigan was an elementary teacher), John taught high school math. Nancy and John were married and had an interesting philosophy about purchasing souvenirs. Their philosophy can be seen here .

Lone Star Quilt of Valor 61 x 70 Lone Star is Quilt of Valor (QOV) #70 and was made entirely with Kansas Troubles fabric. I love the deep, rich tones of all the Kansas Troubles (KT) fabrics, and one of my personal quilts, Duluth Stars was also made with KT fabrics. Pattern used for Lone Star : Charm Big Star Quilt (Missouri Star Quilt Company video link) The star gave me fits and created major waves in the quilt, so I ripped it out and reconstructed it with the half-square triangles, sized a bit larger, so I could easily square them. It helped, but there is still a bit of "wave" the the area around the star. While working with the remaining charm squares, I discovered the reason for the waves: a few charms were sized differently. Even an 1/8 of an inch can make a significant difference if it is repeated enough. My goal was to make a total of 64 Quilts of Valor by my July birthday to thank all those who have served and are currently serving in the military...

July 19, 2015 Riverton, WY Doesn't this look like he had a looong night and has done a "face plant"? This penguin balloon was really cute! Shades are nice to have when facing the morning sun! Appropriately, he flew east into the bright, rising sun!

On the Hunt Quilt of Valor 57 x 69 You may remember that in May, my friend Sue gave me a quilt kit for a Quilt of Valor, and recently I had time to work on it. The original pattern (shown below) did not meet the QOV size requirements, so I added the outer border with fabric from my stash and used hour-glass corner stones with fabric from the kit to pull the new fabric into the color scheme. Sue's kit included backing fabric for the original kit size, and by using remnants of the other kit fabrics, I made backing large enough for the QOV size. Pattern: Project 1 - Eagle Quilt of Winter Whispers (Q1804) by Michelle Mara Thank you, Sue for making On the Hunt , QOV #69 possible.

Riverton Balloon Rally Riverton, WY July 19, 2015 Early yesterday, I went to the Central Wyoming Soccer Field to watch the hot air balloons inflate and hopefully take flight. The balloons were grounded Friday and Saturday mornings due to unsafe flying conditions. The patchwork design on this balloon caught my eye and made me wonder if the pilot was a quilter or knows a quilter. Isn't it colorful? I'll be sharing photos later of a couple more unique balloons.

Hong Kong street scene Hong Kong December 1979 I can only imagine how congested Hong Kong is today. It was an amazing place in 1979, and as this photo illustrates, the variety of shops on the street was diverse. I felt safe as I wandered the streets snapping photos. Previous posts with photos and references to Hong Kong can be seen here .

Milk Truck Spring 1978 If I remember correctly, the milk truck driver moved over to the left to pass the County grader and the truck sunk into the barrow pit. My brother had to pull the truck out with a tractor. On the right, I can see the open door of my Mom's Dodge Swinger. Photos of other milk trucks can be seen here .

Rough Road Quilt of Valor 61 x 70 Rough Road was made from the "bricks" that Marilyn and I swapped a couple of weeks ago, and the outer border is fabric leftover from a previous Quilt of Valor (QOV) backing.   Cobblestones  was also made from the bricks; thus, these QOV were made entirely from scraps. Rough Road is #68 on the Quilt of Valor roll .

sample of my Mom's handwriting approx. 1978 I feel fortunate to have several samples of my Mom's handwriting: notes, letters, recipes. When I see her script, I get a strong mental image of her.  I don't have any samples of my Dad's handwriting and only a few from my siblings. Several years ago, I asked my family not give me tradition Christmas gifts; instead, I asked for hand-written notes, and I would write reciprocate. Handwritten letters and notes are personal: it is impossible to write something without revealing a bit of personality. Do you have samples of your parents and siblings' handwriting?

I dropped some paperwork off in Fort Washakie on Thursday, and while I was there, I snapped some quick photos of the Fiber Guild exhibit with my phone. In a previous post , I showed the items that I submitted for the exhibit. Lorre Hoffman did an awesome job of displaying the variety of items that were submitted. Guild members are talented in a variety of areas - spinning, weaving, felting, sewing, knitting.  I am pleased that the Guild was invited to host an exhibit in the Frank B. Wise Business Plaza and hope the members will consider another exhibit in the future.

Sapporo Snow Festival Sapporo, Japan 1981 Other photos from the Snow Festival can be seen here .