Walking in the Woods

I managed two walks on the river trail this weekend.  The weather has been glorious here, in the low sixties with gorgeous blue skies.  The best of the colors are behind us, but there is still plenty to see.

The first day, I noticed this wasp's nest in a tree- previously hidden by the tree's leaves!

Today I saw this bird's nest, safe and secure in a couple of large limbs.

Isn't that blue sky gorgeous against the white tree bark?

I've also been in the studio.  I am determined to find a way to interpret this photo I took in Michigan in a way that makes me happy. 

I am going for the restful tones of green against the vertical lines of the trees.  The leaves were just starting to turn when I was there in September, so I chose fabric that would reflect the colors I thought I would see at the height.  Here's what I have pieced--

I am going to try some wonky machine embroidery, and add hand embroidery at the end.  I'm hoping that will help tone down some of those yellow areas that just jump out at me. The quilting will be simple and linear.

I'm already thinking about the next one.  I'm thinking I will limit the number of green fabrics, and bring it accents with thread- embroidery and quilting.  That will help take care of some of the issues I had with all those piecing seams!  In the meantime, I am having fun with these. They are small enough to do quickly, and I'm hoping one of them will be good enough to develop into a larger quilt.  It does feel good to be working this way!

Announcing Fall

That is what it felt like today- fall.  I was awakened at 4 am by thunder and lightning, and the rain did not stop until after lunch.  I managed to go for a walk between the first set of storms and the second that was rolling in just as we headed home.  It has been noticeably cooler, and the sky has been gray and overcast most of the day.

I did manage to get a shot of a butterfly on our walk, something I've never been fast enough to do before.  This butterfly seemed to pose on the flower before he finally flew off.  I love the shot I got- with my point and shoot, no less!

I am having a hard time concentrating on anything- I'm planning for my upcoming trip in my head.  Mostly, I'm wondering how I'm going to fit enough clothes for two very different climates in one suitcase.  I got this tank done today, it will definitely get used in Florida.  

I am so happy to have a tank top that fits me, since Land's End (where I used to buy loads of tanks) has decided to not carry them anymore.  I had to tweak the fit, but it looks good.  I am especially happy that my bra straps don't show, since I do not share the younger generation's nonchalance about exposed underwear.  It drives me crazy to have my straps show, I can still hear my mother's voice on that one.  Now that I have a pattern, I will be making lots of hand-dyed tank tops!

Counting Down

I'm counting down the days, in more than one way.  In less than three weeks I will be on a plane to spend one week each in Florida and Chicago with my two sons.  I am SOOO ready to hit the road!!

It's also clear that we are counting down the last days of summer, even though the calendar still says August.  On my walks on the river trail, the signs are definitely there.

I love the variety of wildlife I sometimes see on my walks.  On a recent one, we saw these roosters, having a good time grubbing in the irrigation canal,

this snake slithering off the trail,

and this buzzard up in the trees along the trail.

We took a chance today, deciding to walk even though the weather was a bit iffy.  On the way out on the trail, I was rewarded with this rainbow. . .

and on the way back, with these awesome clouds over the mountains.

I've also been in the studio. although sewing on clothes instead of quilting.  I got this cute A line skirt done- we should have enough warm weather left that I'll get to wear it a couple of times.

When I not thinking about what I will be packing for visits to two very different climates, I'm considering what to do for the next TT challenge- new beginnings.  Vicki gave us lots of starting points, and I have some research to do.  It would be nice to have it well  on the way to completion before I leave!

Sun, Glorious Sun!!

And we got to enjoy it for a fleeting day Saturday.  It was the warmest day of the year, in the low 80's.  After a busy day at church with the women's ministry, Shilo and I headed out for a walk in the late afternoon.  I have a new favorite walking trail, and best of all, it is close to home.  It starts out by the clubhouse of the golf course, winds through a park and one end of the course, then continues along with the river on one side and farm fields on the other.

We start out crossing a bridge over the river (or creek, as my Midwest friends would say).  I was taken by the patterns of the moss and rocks in the river, and snapped a couple of pictures.  They look like cool abstract art!

I played with light levels some, but other than that, this is straight from my camera.  I love the surreal look.

As we walked, I couldn't help but look up at the gorgeous blue sky- an intense blue, laced with a few clouds.  The patterns the tree branches made against the sky were wonderful.

I tried getting a close view of the new leaves on another tree, with the grays and browns of the other trees behind- hoping to get a blurred background with a shallow depth of field.  The point and shoot isn't as easy to use as my DSLR, but I did get an interesting shot after several tries.  Love the lime green!

 

This is the view I had walking back to the car.  Glorious!!

Today, it is gray, wet, cloudy, and thirty degrees colder.  The whimsy of spring in Utah, you never know what you are going to get.