Wyoming Breezes

Torii gates Beppu, Japan April 1980 Earlier posts with other images of torii gates can be seen here .

Large Crane Conservatory of the Bellagio Hotel Las Vegas, NV April 2015 As I prepared some recent blog posts, I found some photos taken a little over a year ago when Brenda, Marilyn, Cheryl and I flew to Las Vegas, NV to celebrate Marilyn's birthday. Today, I want to share a bit of springtime, Vegas style. Conservatory of the Bellagio Hotel  The morning we walked over to the Bellagio to have breakfast, was the day the floral displays were being refreshed - new, cut flowers were being placed into the large featured displays. This worker is replaced some mums on the large crane's wings. According to the sign near the crane, it was 6 foot high with a wing span of 6 foot. It was constructed of 200 feathers and 1,400 flowers. The legs were sculpted epoxy coating over steel armature. The cranes eyes were fabricated from acrylic. We also saw workers refreshing the flowers on the turtle's shell. This is a job that I would enjoy. How about you?

found on FaceBook While this is not 100% true for my generation, it certainly is for Marilyn's grandchildren who are in their 20s. I was a yearbook (annual) advisor for 25 years and clearly remember when digital cameras seriously came into play for snapping yearbook photos. Pixel count was a BIG deal for those early cameras and anything less than 10 pixels simply did not take photos worth publishing in the yearbook. In those days, the staff relied on Pentax SLR cameras, and they were workhorses and took a LOT of abuse from the student photographers. I taught the students how to develop their film in the darkroom and print their own photos, too. I loved watching their excitement as the images seemed to pop off of the paper as it was in the developer tray. Gradually, those days disappeared as digital cameras improved, and the darkroom was used less and less. By the time I retired, it was rarely used for anything but storage. I love digital cameras, but I think film cameras st

Old Grain Elevator west and south of  Mahnomen, MN February 2016 If you've read Wyoming Breezes for a length of time, you know how much I enjoy taking photos, especially of old buildings. I take the photos for two reasons: I like the architecture, and I want to preserve a bit of history. My nephew, Bruce drove my sister, two brothers-in-law, and me to the casino in Mahnomen, MN one day in late February. One the way there, we passed this delightful old elevator, and I told Bruce I'd like to get a photo on the way home. I was delighted that he remembered and pulled over to the side of the road.  west and south of  Mahnomen, Minnesota The building is well-maintained and should see more years of useful life. 

Eyelet lace Hitchhiker scarf April 2016 After finishing the Sakura scarf , I decided to knit another Hitchhiker scarf but with eyelet lace every repeat. On the eighth row of the pattern, I bound off as the pattern requires, and then K2tog, YO until the last two stitches, K1, Kfb. Pattern:      Hitchhiker  by Martina Behm (Ravelry link) - see eyelet adaptation above Yarn:       Cascade Yarn - Sock Yarn - Heritage 150 Paints (color# 9961)     150 grams - 492 yards Needles:     US size 6 Since there is more yardage in this skein, the scarf will undoubtedly be longer than the Sakura scarf.

Miyajiama, Japan April 1980

Gallatin Scarf April 2016 During Show and Tell at the March Fiber Guild meeting, I saw Jeni V's finished Gallatin Scarf and knew that I had to knit the pattern. The pattern is free on Ravelry and it is a fun knit. Pattern: Gallatin Scarf by Kris Basta (Ravelry link) Gallatin Scarf by Kris Basta (non-Ravelry link) Needles:  US size 10.5 Yarn: Universal Yarn (Echo Twist)  84% acrylic and 16% wool Note: the pattern calls for worsted weight yarn. The Echo Twist was a very light worsted almost sport, so my scarf is not quite as large as the ones on the Ravelry site. The top photo represents the true color of the yarn.

Baby Cuddle Sacks April 2016 All of the worsted yarn that Ellen sent has been knit, and resulted in four cuddle sacks. Note the bit of green at the top of the smaller cuddle sack in the photo. That yarn was remaining from the green ones I finished earlier and posted about here . Last Monday, I accompanied my friend Sue to a charity knitting group that meets at the Extension Office on the second and fourth Monday of each month. They have yarn available for those who attend, and since I was between projects, I selected two skeins and got to work on another cuddle sack. It came off the needles on Friday. Baby Cuddle Sack April 2016 The five cuddle sacks will be laundered and then taken to the local pregnancy center.

The Wind River by John Cox Mural on the east side of the Riverton Ranger building Riverton, WY March 2016 I can't remember when this large mural was mounted on the wall facing the post office, but it has been quite a while. Last week, I went to the post office early to mail a Quilt of Valor, and the street was void of vehicles, so I snapped a couple of photos. The scene is pretty typical of a Wyoming river bank in late Fall, which is probably why it is so appealing to me Another "new" mural (it's been in place for over two years) is on the A.D. Martin storage building, but I have yet to take a photo because it's in an awkward position on Main Street. I've avoided getting a photo because of its position and the traffic. Maybe someday the time will be right.

Diamond Facets Quilt of Valor 60 x 69 inches The majority of this quilt top was made from a single, Tonga Treats (City Lights) layer cake* that I purchased in a Craftsy clearance sale for $21. I added a 3.5 inch border to bring the quilt up to Quilt of Valor (QOV) size requirements. Thanks to the Craftsy sale, this quilt was made for less than $25. Of all the QOV I've made, this one is in my top ten favorites.   Diamond Facets is #89 on my completed QOV list . * a layer cake = (40) 10 inch squares of fabric from a fabric line.

Train Station sign April 2012 Today's photos are provided by my friend, Sheila N. She snapped these photos at a train station when she and her husband, Doug visited Japan in 2012. Train Station sign April 2012 Other trip photos that Sheila shared can be seen here .

Frog car near Denver, CO Spring 2015 Last year, Marilyn and I spotted this unusual car in the JoAnn's parking lot near Denver. Obviously, the owner loves frogs, as you will notice they are on the windows, aerial, and mirrors, too. note the large fly on the frog's tongue As unique as this frog car was, I can honestly say it is not the most unusual vehicle I've ever encountered. That distinction would have to be reserved for this pickup , spotted near the Redrocks on the way to Dubois, WY in 2010. What's the most unusual vehicle you've seen in your travels?

Stephanie W. assists a dentist in the Dominican Republic March 2016 (photo from Facebook) My great-niece, Stephanie will be finishing her studies as a Dental Assistant and graduating in three weeks, and I'm very proud of her. Stephanie is currently working for a dentist in Nebraska but recently had an opportunity to go on a  week-long dental mission to the Dominican Republic. She jumped at the chance, and I'm glad she did: the experience she gained and opportunity to help others will be something she will never forget. Here's what Stephanie had to say about the mission, "It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. Met some really nice people, I would like to go back sometime soon." Stephanie W.  (by window) assists a dentist in the Dominican Republic March 2016 (photo from Facebook) Congratulations, Steph! Your future will be filled with many opportunities, and you will help many people in your chosen profession.

Allegiance Quilt of Valor 58 x 70 inches The Henry Glass and Company center panel (American Dreams) with the flag and pennants was purchased in a Manhattan, Kansas quilt shop last summer, but I haven't seen the panel in any other quilt shops.  I used a variety of red and blue fabrics from my stash for the five borders. The quilt was made with this free pattern by Beth Logan - American Dreams Allegiance is Quilt of Valor #88

Julian K. Lander, WY April 2016 Recently, I joined three friends at the Crux in Lander for some tea and a light breakfast. While we chatted, the young man pictured above provided delightful music on three different stringed instruments. If you look closely, all three can be seen in the photo: large harp (to Julian's left), small Celtic harp  (shown horizontally above Julian's head), and the lute  Julian is playing.

Laundry Day near Bangkok, Thailand December 1979 I loved gently gliding down the river and snapping photos of the surroundings. As you can see the water was smooth and slow moving. friendly children gliding down the river near Bangkok, Thailand December 1979 The river was so calm that it wasn't unusual to find children maneuvering boats to go on errands or to just have some fun. I loved this area of Thailand: gorgeous scenery and friendly people

Baby Cuddle Sacks March and April 2016 The yarn I received from Ellen a couple of weeks ago , prompted me to knit some baby cuddle sacks. I added a small ball of off-white scrap yarn to knit the second one. - visible in the top left.  I've already started another sack with the brown yarn. Yarn:      Bernat Berella "4" (Green Ombre and Neutral Ombre)          a full skein contains 10.6 oz     Each cuddle bag uses approximately 5.6 oz of double stranded yarn Needles:     Knit Picks - US 10.5 circular Stitches:     Cast on 50 sts, using double stranded yarn throughout Pattern:     Baby Cuddle Sack - free online pattern     In 2009, I made several cuddle sacks with scraps .   Thank you, Ellen for making these cuddle sacks possible. They will be donated to a local pregnancy center.

click to enlarge Recently, I went to the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center with some friends. I had been to the museum before, but I really wanted to see the featured quilt show, entitled The Fabric of Memory . The photo above gives an explanation about the show and those involved. Below is a sampling of the small, art quilts in the exhibit. Daily Chores Linda MacDonald Powell, WY The tag for Daily Chores stated, "My inspiration for this piece is the human spirit and how we can make the best of any situation. As detainees adjusted to their new life at Heart Mountain, they continued their daily chores, including wash day and gardening. They built raised containers for vegetable on the hillside and raised crops on the flats. These farming techniques were so successful that their crops supplied other relocation camps with fresh food, as well.  The clothes drying in the breeze are made from actual Japanese kimono scraps."  Peaceful Internees Carolyn Aichel