Wyoming Breezes

Six weeks completed on February 8, 2013 By exercising at least 30 minutes for five days a week, I reached the first Full Marython checkpoint on Friday afternoon. Since January 1, 2013, I've averaged 244 minutes of exercise per week, and I am proud of every step I've taken. Thank you, Cheryl for being my exercise buddy a couple of days a week. Exercise is more fun when I can visit a bit, too.

Jim A., Dan O., Sue A., and Tanya O. February 9, 2013 I live in a great neighborhood where nearly everyone is friendly and helpful. This morning as I was checking blogs and reading the paper, I glanced out the front window to find Dan O. shoveling my walks and driveway. When I opened the door to thank him, I noticed that his wife Tanya and another couple were out shoveling, too. The two couples had done their own walks and drives, and then joined forces to shovel the walks of my next door neighbor and the elderly lady across the street as well as mine. It warmed my heart to see their neighborly good deeds.  My area is due to receive an additional 8 inches of snow today. Even though it causes some inconveniences, every flake is welcome. Update : February 11, 2013 This storm brought my area's snow-water equivalent up to 88 percent. Hopefully, more moisture-heavy storms will drop snow in the mountains and in Fremont County in the remaining months of Winter.  ...

Main Gate Misawa Air Force Base Misawa, Japan Autumn 1979 In 1979, two gates provided access to the base. Note that the vehicles are stopping at the check point and that they are driving on the left side of the road. Vehicles were stopped entering and exiting the base. Vehicles of those living on base had a sticker on the windshield. I am sure security is a lot tighter now. An Air Festival/Show is held on the base every autumn, and the base was open for anyone in the community. This video  gives you a taste of the 2009 show. To the right of the gate was a building that checked pedestrian traffic. Many Japanese nationals worked on the base and walked or rode bicycles to work. The base bus stop was just inside the gate. Also on the right was a building where gate passes were obtained. The business to the left of the gate (large white sign on the building) is where I purchased my car .

advertisement from Workbasket magazine circa 1958 This "Home Haircut Kit" looks a lot like the ones that my mother used to cut my brothers' and nephews' hair. Previous post and photos can be seen here . source: wikipedia I remember Mom taking the clippers apart and oiling the motor with 3 in 1 oil  from a can  like the one shown above. Old clippers (probably long broken) were stored in boxes on an upper kitchen cabinet shelf. They were probably saved for parts, but I doubt they were ever utilized. source: online image Several hand clippers like the ones shown above but with a broken handle were also stored on the upper shelf, but I don't remember my mother using them. Given a choice, I would prefer to have a haircut with the electric clippers.

Peacock Western Region Oddball Baby Blanket started October 2012 The colors of this blanket are vibrant, but they were difficult to photograph. My four-inch section is on the left. Needle size: 9 Stitch: Box Stitch Yarn: Caron Simply Soft (Oceana) Update : March 23, 2013

National Dinosaur Monument Visitors' Center near Vernal, UT circa 1968 or 1969 My sister's family lived in Vernal, UT during the late 60s, and when I visited them, we went to the National Dinosaur Monument Visitors' Center and Quarry Exhibit Hall . If the current photos I've seen online are accurate, the exterior of the building has not changed much over the years. My nephew (Dwight) and niece (Brenda) are the two children shown in front of the dinosaur sculpture. photo taken in 1968 or 1969  What's really impressive at the Vistors' Center is the quarry exhibit hall. The center is built into the hillside not only to protect the dinosaur bones, but also to allow the massive bones can be seen by the visitors. photo taken in 1968 or 1969 A recent Smithsonian magazine stated the dinosaurs did not die at this location, but that their bodies were carried by the river and deposited in silt layers at the quarry site. The quarry, visitors' center, an...

Raindrop Western Region Oddball Baby Blanket started October 2012 Even with a large basket heaping with Caron Simply Soft in multiple colors, I needed to borrow a light blue from Cheryl in order to knit my four-inch section of Raindrop . Needle size: 9 Stitch pattern: Single Chevron Yarn: Caron Simply Soft (Soft Blue) Update : March 23, 2013

School for Buddhist Monks Bangkok, Thailand December 1979 In Thailand, all the Buddhist monks wore saffron robes .

The Sky's the Limit  Western Region Oddball Baby Blanket started September 2012 Blanket knit on traveling needles in four-inch sections. Knit on size 9 needles and 130 stitches. I used Mary Maxim Starlette (Royal Blue) and (White) to complement the first section and to give the blanket a "planned" look. After my friend Cheryl adds the border, this blanket will have been completed by two knitters in Texas, two knitters in Oregon, one knitter in Canada, and one knitter and one crocheter in Wyoming. It's a well-travelled blanket. I have the privilege of beginning and naming a new blanket with the empty needles. Update : February 4, 2013

Jackknifed semi Togwotee Pass May 1979 A jackknifed semi can bring traffic to a halt, especially on a slick mountain pass. I remember being glad the cattle hauler was empty because if it had been loaded, the process to clear the road would have been more involved and the delay much longer. Unexpected incidents like this are good reasons to always have a tank full of gas when driving in cold weather. May 1979, I was traveling with a group from Wheatland, WY to a conference in Jackson, WY. That morning we left Wheatland's sunny skies and temperatures in the 60s and encountered snow and slick roads on Togwotee Pass. Wyoming's weather is notoriously unpredictable and can change quickly even in the summer.  The road over Togwotee Pass was recently improved (widened, realigned, and resurfaced), but even with the improvements, a jackknifed truck would still bring traffic to a halt. Previous posts of Togwotee Pass can be found here .

Cotton Candy started and finished January 2013 I am attempting to find the bottom of a yarn basket (without much success) by knitting baby blankets on large needles. Even after knitting three, double-stranded blankets, the skeins in the basket seem to be multiplying rather than diminishing. Cotton Candy's specifics:  Needle size 13, using double strands of yarn Yarn - 1 skein Red Heart SuperSaver (Petal Pink) and 1 skein of mystery yarn (White) Pattern -  Encore Eight Hour Baby Blankets  (EBB06) - Plymouth Yarn 71 stitches Tickled Pink  was knit with the same pattern and Iced Lemonade , used a different pattern from the Eight Hour pattern book. The following photo is for those who wanted to see the mobius I made from the Sky Scarf.  Sky Scarf photo by Cheryl, a knitting buddy Because my back was facing the windows in the restaurant, the lighting in this photo is not the greatest, but the scarf is clearly visible. I am ve...

Barney and Bill taken in the 1940s My Dad used horses for farming long before I was born or before he owned a tractor. I don't remember the team (Barney and Bill) in the photo above; maybe my oldest sister will leave a comment about her memories of this team. I do, however, remember a team called King and Queen. I can't find a photo of them anywhere, but I think one or both of them had a blaze face, and I recall both were black. I wish there was a photo of either team working in the field, but I can't find one. A neighbor to the west of the farm, used their team for hauling wood into the late 60s. I recall the distinctive sound of the wagon and team as it made its way up the hill and past our house. The family heated their home with wood collected at the dump about three or four miles to the north. Sally and Sam Bull Mountain Ranch (front of postcard) February 1987 My nephew used two teams (both were Belgian ) on the Bull Mountain Ranch to feed during the lo...

Singapore Harbor taken from Mount Faber December 1979

Iced Lemonade Needle size 13 Yarn - 2 skeins white and 2 skeins variegated mystery yarn, knit with double strands Pattern -  Encore Eight Hour Baby Blankets  (EBB14) - Plymouth Yarn 72 stitches It was fun to watch the variegated yarn make the argyle pattern. 

Longaberger flower planter Filled with blooming plants, these large baskets  line the streets of Dresden, OH, the site of the Longaberger manufacturing plant.  I purchased my first Longaberger basket in the early 90s, and if I looked hard enough, I could find the exact year because it is written on  the bottom of each basket. That information wasn't placed there by me, but by the weaver. Yes, these maple baskets are hand-woven and are Made in America. Marilyn and I visited Dresden, OH several years ago to tour the plant, so let me share some photos with you. Disclaimer : I have nearly a hundred Longaberger baskets in all shapes and sizes in my house because I love them so much. (I was not paid to write this post, I am a satisfied customer.) Each basket starts with a form. Note that it is attached to the black frame in front of the weaver.  Some of the baskets have colored bands woven into them. Thousands of baskets were being made the...