Wyoming Breezes

Hudson, WY July 2018 When Brenda was visiting in July, I asked her to snap this photo as I pulled over to the side of the road. The image on the side of the building is similar to the Wyoming State flag that was adopted in 1917 .

University of Wyoming Symphony Orchestra September 2018 Last Thursday, I attended the first concert of the UW Symphony Orchestra Season. Since I purchased season tickets for the symphony and the theatre/dance performances, I will be spending a lot of time enjoying the 2018-2019 fine arts season. I snapped the photo before the conductor entered, but many people were taking photos during the concert. The seats in the last two rows of the hall are called "Tweet Seats" and are sold to those who want to tweet quietly during the performance. Do you "Tweet" and would you tweet during a concert or play?

llamas Laramie, WY September 22, 2018 I spent several hours on Saturday at the Higher Ground Fair. One of the barns was converted into a "concert hall" with various performers taking the stage surrounded by spectators sitting on hay bales. I watched some Native American dancing for a bit before I wandered over to the llama show. The judge evaluates a llama and its handler. The llama show was interesting. The handlers had to lead their animals through various obstacles they might encounter as therapy animals. The van in the background was the first test: only a couple of the llamas actually entered van. Other tests were walking up and down stairs, walking across a spongy mattress, allowing a stranger to approach for petting, backing up, walking through a hanging curtain, and passing completely through a hoop. A couple of the llamas breezed through the course and others resisted. llama costume parade  After the show, the llamas paraded through the grounds - lots...

American Patriot 56 x 66 inches Quilt of Valor #148 presented to Ken B. Laramie, WY January 26, 2019 

listed August 9, 2018 Riverton, WY Today, I am back in Riverton for the closing on the sale of my house. I walked out the door for the last time on Thursday, August 9, 2018. The "For Sale" sign was placed in the yard as the movers were loading the truck with my possessions. I didn't anticipate that the house would sell so quickly - just 47 days from listing to closing. As Fall approached, I was making arrangements to winterize the sprinklers and possibly the house. I'm relieved that winterizing, fall cleanup and snow removal are no longer on my "To Do" list. The couple who bought the house saw it last Sunday (September 16, 2018) and made a cash offer on Monday, September 17th. I countered on Tuesday, and they accepted my offer. Winter January 2017 I'll miss the house and the neighbors, but not the snow shoveling! While I'm here, I plan to visit with friends and tie up some loose ends: utilities, banking, etc.

Some quilts start with a pattern, but others are improvised. This panel will eventually become a Quilt of Valor. I'll play with some scraps and come up with a plan to make this QOV unique.

Wyoming wind gauge Riverside, Wyoming September 2018 Wyoming humor at its best. While the anvil suspended from the chain was made of wood, I'm sure Wyoming wind could actually get an iron anvil to swing on a chain if it were placed in a good location. Wind farms (wind turbines spaced in wind prone areas to capture wind energy for electricity) are abundant in central and southern Wyoming. A previous post about wind turbines can be found here .

Stars Abound 56 x 66 inches Quilt of Valor #147 I enjoy working with panels and trying to make the borders around them unique. The star border on Stars Abound were scraps from another Quilt of Valor, and I think the stars make the panel "pop."

Aspen gold Snowy Range Scenic Byway September 2018 Last week, I headed to the Snowy Range on a "leaf peeping" mission. Most of the Aspen on the north side of the mountains were near peak color. I made the full circle from Laramie to Centennial, from Centennial to Riverside, and from Riverside to Laramie. The Aspen on the south side were mostly still green, but I'm sure they will be gorgeous this weekend. I spent most of the afternoon admiring nature's beauty. clear mountain water Mirror Lake - Snowy Range Scenic Byway September 2018  I ate my sack lunch on the shore of Mirror Lake - just me, the birds, the fish, and a gorgeous view. Mirror Lake September 2018 Are the trees in your area showing Fall color?

Liberty Bound 57 x 70 inches Quilt of Valor #146 Liberty Bound was finished last Monday (Patriot's Day.) The piano key border surrounding the center panel were scraps from a previous Quilt of Valor that I discovered when I was packing. I discovered that the garage door makes a nice place to hang quilts so I can snap a photo.

box of 8-track tapes for sale Goodwill - Laramie, WY September 2018 . . . when these were popular? I played some of mine so much they literally wore out.  Lots of wonderful memories of cruising down the highway with the windows open (no A/C) and singing along to the Mamas and Papas, The Carpenters, John Denver, The Beach Boys, and Buck Owens. Somewhere in my garage are two 8-track tapes one of my students made of the musical Godspell that I directed at Wheatland High School in the mid-1970s. I don't have a player anymore, but I can't bring myself to throw the tapes away.

using scraps to add borders to remaining pieces of the Blackbird Village panels September 2018 It didn't take long to whip by the backings for the two Quilts of Valor, so I focused on preparing a back for Blackbird Village , another quilt top finished in June. Two pieces of the original panel were not used on the front of the quilt, so I framed them with scraps to use on the backing. two panel pieces framed with scraps September 2018 This strip made from remaining panel pieces and scraps was created to add length to the backing fabric.

two QOV and backings September 2018 Once the sewing room was rearranged, I felt like preparing backs for the last two Quilts of Valor that I finished in June - Lone Star II and Square Dance .  It has never taken me this long to prepare backs for completed quilts. Clearly my sewing mojo has been missing for two whole months.

Over the weekend, I finally felt like turning on the sewing machine and working some old projects. Three quilts that were finished earlier this summer have been waiting for me to prepare backings, and I kept moving them from pile to pile. Part of my lack of motivation was the arrangement of my sewing room. It's a smaller space and one whole wall cannot be used because it has two doors. sewing room arrangement August 2018 Brenda and Marilyn helped move the tables around when they were here helping me unpack, and we settled on the arrangement shown above. It left me with a lot of open space, but I wasn't comfortable using the cutting table. Then it dawned on me that it was awkward to have the rulers on the left side of the table. I tried moving them to the right, but then I didn't have enough room to maneuver with the ironing board right behind me. I pulled out the measuring tape and some did some figuring. I put painter's tape on the carpet for the size of the ...

antique ice cream scoop collection September 2018 The owner of Grand Villa hosts an ice cream social every year for the tenants. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to meet some of my new "neighbors." A tenant directory (each person had to sign a waiver to be included in the booklet) was distributed. I spoke to the owner briefly as I examined the scoops. He told me he used to collect Civil War pistols until they became too expensive, so he switched to a more affordable hobby of collecting antique ice cream scoops/dippers. He brought about half of his collection to display at the ice cream social. The variety of designs was interesting.