Wyoming Breezes

Eberle School near Edgemont, SD mid 1920s My mom (back row far left) and her siblings (Albert - back row far right, Marie - front row center, Oscar - front row far right) and several neighbor children attended the school located on the Eberle ranch. Mom adored their teacher (Katherine Moore) and kept in touch with her for many years. I think Miss Moore may have stayed with the family during the school year. My mother eventually attended high school in Edgemont, SD, but she did not graduate. I can't begin to imagine how difficult it was for teachers to deal with such a variety of ages in one classroom: I'd love to know how they planned and delivered the lessons.

Stained Glass Quilt of Valor 57 x 71 inches Stained Glass  ( QOV #93 ) was the last project I worked on during the Sisters' Sew-in in late April. The blocks were finished and the black sashing added in Denver, but the border wasn't added until last week. The pattern I used was  PineTree Lodge Designs (Whirligigs): it offers a variety of designs that can be made with the basic blocks. Here are two other quilts I've made with the pattern:     Star Gazer  -- QOV #11     Whirligig   -- QOV # 77 You may remember from earlier posts that I've also used the "bonus" or "waste" triangles, created by this pattern to make other blocks for more Quilts of Valor.         Simply Stars  -- QOV #80         Calico Stars  -- QOV #81 Stained Glass provided a fresh batch of bonus HSTs . Stained Glass was awarded to a veteran on February 28, 2017. An online article about the presentation is found...

twenty-one presentation cases for Quilts of Valor June 2016 Inspired by Marilyn's gift of fabric , I pulled some older fabric from my stash and paired it with some of her fabric to make twenty-one presentation cases for Quilts of Valor. I'm taking half of them to the QOV coordinator and keeping half for the Quilts of Valor that I make and take for distribution. These cases basically represent 21 yards of fabric and made a sizable dent in the stash. Check out my Slash the Stash progress here .

Nancy Stearns and Roy Sargent Resting on the Towada Lake Trail Japan 1979 Most of the photos I took while overseas were taken with a Minolta SLR camera. I hauled that heavy, but reliable, camera and lenses with me nearly all the time. It is the first camera I can honestly say that I literally wore out. With all our camera gear, Roy and I definitely looked like tourists. Often, I balanced the camera on nearby rocks, cars, etc. to take timed photos that became known as "rock shots." These two photos were rock shots, taken when Roy and I hiked the trail to Towada Lake. By the time we finally arrived at the lake, we were tired and the skies opened up and dropped buckets of rain. Thankfully, we found someone who agreed to give us a ride back to our car. Other photos of the Lake Towada area can be seen in these earlier posts .

short-cuffed summer socks women's size 10 June 2016 I wear hand-knit socks year round, but my summer socks have short cuffs and are knit with a wool/cotton blend. This yarn has been in my stash for several years, so I don't know if it is still available. I'm still wearing the socks I knit years ago out of this brand of yarn, and they wash and wear very well. Pattern : basic sock pattern with a 2" cuff. Stitch count : 64 sts Needles : US size 2  -  16" circulars Yarn : Opal Cotton 2010 - Color #3021            (38% superwash wool, 32% polyamid, 30% cotton)

scrappy block April 2016 Even though I made twelve of these blocks at the Sister's Sew-in, I have yet to finish the top. The blocks are sashed and sewn together, but the final borders have yet to be added. The nearly finished top hasn't seen the light of day since I left Denver, nearly a month ago, so it's time to sit down at the machine and get busy. The small HSTs shown in  this post , came from these blocks.

Mary Kay Richard, Paula McDaniel, Susan Youtz Wheatland, WY approx. 1975 or 1976 This is one of my favorite photos from my six years in Wheatland - a photo with lots of details and emotions. It was taken the day that my good friend, Susan moved out of the little, white house she had shared with Mary Kay for several years. Mary Kay was a speech therapist and Susan was a physical education teacher in Wheatland. Paula (also a physical education teacher) was Susan's friend from Upton who visited often, and came to help Susan move to Newcastle. Susan and I often went to nearby Laramie Peak with Dan Brecht, a teacher who grew up in the Wheatland area and knew the back roads well. Dan often drove his little red pickup on our treks, and because it didn't have a radio, we sang belted out old songs for hours and challenged each other with Hink Pinks. We usually stopped for a picnic lunch at Esterbrook or visited Vick and Mary Ballard's ranch, sometimes bringing them supplies f...

Arlington Cemetery Spring 1995 Memorial Day was not created to host BBQs, to go camping, or to enjoy a three-day weekend: it was established to honor those who paid the ultimate price to ensure our freedom. It's a time to proudly display the flag and to wear red poppies. It's a time to pause and utter a prayer of gratitude for those who died to protect our freedom. Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years and many Americans have forgotten the meaning and traditions of the day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored or neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. (excerpt from usmemorialday.org ) How does your community observe Memorial Day?

Lake Towada Trail Autumn 1979 The trail to Lake Towada was a 5K trek and highlighted many beautiful scenes. Earlier posts that featured photos of the trail can be seen here .

Riverton, WY approximately 1947 I'm assuming this photo was taken at an exhibition because of the crowd and the evidence of another plane's tail in the extreme left of this photo. That plane is pictured below. These images were in a group of family negatives that I was given several years ago. A post about those negatives can be read here . The first photo clearly shows the name, "Challenger Airlines," so I did some online research. Challenger Airlines was founded in Wyoming and regularly flew into Riverton in the late '40s. In the 1950s the airline merged to form Frontier Airlines. More information on Challenger Airlines can be found here.

Brenda and Marilyn April 2016 The week I spent in Denver wasn't just about sewing: Brenda and I assembled a 1000 piece puzzle at her house, and at Marilyn's house, we finished the puzzle in the photo and started another 1000 piece puzzle. Working on jigsaw puzzles and quilting are similar activities, which is probably why Marilyn and I enjoy both.

bathroom counter April 2016 Sometimes images just seem to pop out at me, and when I was staying at Marilyn's house last month, an image became clear to me on the granite counter in the guest bathroom. So tell me, do you see a face, or it is just my active imagination?

Bonus HSTs April 2016 This box contains 180 large "bonus" HSTs and 96 smaller "bonus" HSTs from the construction of Scrappy Lanterns, Cheerio , and another QOV that is still in the works. I love patterns that create useable scraps.

Beppu, Japan April 1980 Other posts and photos of Beppu can be found here .

Nature's confetti Private office entrance Riverton Post Office Riverton, WY May 2016 The crab apple trees put on a lovely display despite the cold, rainy (even snowy) Spring weather. Now, their blooms are scattered on the sidewalks, drives, and streets like confetti from a party that ended too soon.

scrap yarn hats three teen-sized and three newborn-sized May 2016 I'm still working on eliminating my scrap yarn - fingering and worsted weight. The teen hats were knit with worsted weight yarn and the baby hats from several small balls of scrap sock yarn. My attempts to Slash the Stash can be seen here .

Yardage from Marilyn April 2016 After I finished Scrappy Lanterns, Cheerio, and Autumn Glory at the Sisters' Sew-in, Marilyn asked if I wanted to select some yardage from her older fabric stash for backings. I selected three pieces for the backings. Then Marilyn said I could take any of the fabric in the stack that I could use. Really? What I can't use for QOV backings, I can use for QOV presentation cases. I was excited to receive this fabric windfall. Thanks, Marilyn

Oil City Statue east entrance to Casper, WY May 2016 I've wanted to photograph the welcome sign that sits next to Interstate 25 on the east edge of Casper, WY for a long time. When I came home from Denver on May 1st, I decided to take time do it. I took the Hat Six exit and drove to the frontage road and was surprised that most of the road was dirt and filled with water puddles and potholes, caused by the recent snow/rain. I grew up driving dirt roads, so I didn't let the condition of the road bother me and easily found my way to the sidewalk that led to the welcome statue. east side of Casper, WY at the Hat Six exit on the north side of I-25 According to the signage the sculpture was created by Seth Vandable and called "Man Made Energy." The welcome statue was dedicated July 7, 2005. Casper's nickname is Oil City, and the faces of the four men in the sculpture bear resemblance to four Casper energy giants: H.A. (Dave) True , Mick McMurry , John Wold...

Judy Loxtercamp, Nancy Stearns, Judith Kravetz Southern Japan April 1980 A group of DoDDS teachers toured Southern Japan in the Spring of 1980. Two of them (Judy L. and Judith K.) were colleagues of mine in Misawa. I can't remember what Judy L. taught, but I think it was Physical Ed. Judith and I were the Language Arts department at Robert D. Edgren High School for two years. She was from Georgia and had a contagious laugh.

Autumn Glory Quilt of Valor 56 x 69 inches Early April, I delivered several finished Quilts of Valor to Sheep Camp Quilt Supply, owned by the Wyoming QOV coordinator. While there, I browsed around the store and found the kit for Autumn Glory in the Clearance Room for 30% off. I thought it was a great deal and bought the kit for a "non-traditional" QOV. The kit included all the fabric (including the binding) and the pattern. I cut the fabric and took the pieces to Denver for the Sisters' Sew-in. Autumn Glory was made using a Villa Rosa Design, called Crimson Glory , and is QOV #92 - a complete list can be seen here