grandkids

Three of my youngest grandchildren have been visiting here this summer. Here are a few pics of them. They are Greg's children.

New Quilting frame and machine

I bit the bullet and upgraded my quilting frame and machine. I now am the proud owner of a Tin Lizzie 18 and a new larger Grace frame. She is up and running well as you can see here. I plan to do a lot of quilting this winter; I have friends lining up and wanting some quilting done on their quilt tops. Some are just piecers and don't do their own quilting. So maybe I can bring in some $$ to help pay for this new toy-HA!

Baseball

Wish I was in Omaha to see Evan play. He is 12 now, a lefty, and plays 1st base when not pitching!

Summer

I have not been posting here anything new but look for some gardening pics soon. I am finishing up planting today I hope. Gonna have my flower pots done and we have two new flower gardens. I will put annuals until I can get some perennials established. Larry is working on getting the grass to grow in the new front yard we had done last summer. We finally got some rain!

Anchor Point Library Quilt for Raffle

We started this quilt for raffle about mid January and it was completed and handed over the end of March. I organized it and also did the quilting on it. Made from scraps from quilters. The label shows who worked on it or contributed in some way but sorry the photo is not very clear. Hope it goes up for raffle soon and they makes some good $$ on it.

Redoubt 4-20-09

This pull off is on the way to Ninilchik heading north and I pulled off to get some photos of Redoubt. She still talks back... Notice in the first shot that a ship or barge is going up the inlet--or maybe down...



I took this photo on my way home from Ninilchik at the Deep Creek Rd. to the beach--just outside Ninilchik on the southside. It was a beautiful day for photos. Some kids had just rode their bikes down this rd to that RV park and were looking out towards Redoubt. You know it is spring when kids are out on their bikes.

Redoubt from across the bay

I stopped the other day on my way to Ninilchik and took this pic of the mountain REDOUBT all quiet. However, yesterday a big plume was billowing up but I did not have my camera with me. It continues to build a lava dome and lahar is streaming down and into Drift River. It keeps talking!

Redoubt strikes again!

This cloud came with thunder and lightening. It turned totally black--I took a pic of that but it did not come out (just black). Now these pics are blurry but they again were taken through my windows. It was very very eerie and dark with this fall out of ash. It was heavier this time and everything was so ugly but we got snow to cover it up and now the snow is almost gone. They say the ash will be good for my garden!

First ash fall out--Redoubt

Here is what the first ash cloud looked like coming our way. The blue was beautiful color in the sky as the impending cloud moved in.




I took these two pics of course from inside as it was raining ash. This was looking over towards our neighbor's house.

Volcano

As most of you know, Mount Redoubt has erupted. Last Sat. the 4th we got major ash cloud over the southern tip of the peninsula. UGLY mess. I don't have pics ready for posting because still using Larry's computer as mine is not up and running again yet. Anyway, they say the ash will be good for the gardens this summer so that s the only positive end to it I can relate to. It is helping the snow melt quickly too. So spring is coming. We are all well here and busy as always. Watch for pics soon.

whispy waves

Larry took this pic on the 15th of this month at Anchor Point Beach. Isn't it just simply beautiful? He was able to capture a wave breaking. I don't think he even got out of the car. LOL

Another completion in quilting

I could not decide which photo was a better shot so put them both here--of the same quilt. This was a mystery quilt. In other words, they tell you what fabrics are required and tell you to make a few cuts and then you go to class and they give you steps to get the main part of the quilt finished. I did this class last spring but did not finish the border part until fall. I would have chosen something better for the interlocking circles as one fabric is too light to really show up. I quilted this right after Christmas and just now finished the binding. Not sure where it will find a home.

sunsets Jan. & Feb.

These are sunsets taken late Jan. at the beach and the one from home was taken by me from the house in Feb.. Larry took the ones at the beach. We have had lots of nice days lately but more snow is coming. Lots more daylight now and the sun has moved west again in its setting time.

This storm came through about 10 days ago! As you can see we get white out conditions and can barely see the neighbor's house. The wind makes it more exciting in my book. I love to watch it snow when it is like this. Now we are having longer daylight and the sun has moved west--will be putting up some sunset pics next blog entry. Enjoy!

Volcano

No, the volcano has not erupted yet but we are on alert! It is at least 25 miles across the bay to land over there by boat--further from the Mount Redoubt. The ash and dust are our concern.

Angry surf

Surfs up. I was up in the parking lot and the waves looked a lot bigger than they do here. I tried to capture the surf breaking against the chunks of ice but I am not that great at photography. I took these pics just a few days ago. Across the way you can see mountains in the background. The mountain tha tis talking about erupting is in that mountain range. I will try to get pics of it erupting but we won't be doing any driving because of the ash. Stay tuned.

Flat Stanley

January 7, 2009

HI! I arrived today in Anchor Point, Alaska! BRRRRRRRRRR It is cold here! -8 degrees. I am late in arriving as I have been enroute longer than I should have been—maybe I came by dog sled! That’s why I was flat and white—frozen? I am just glad to be where I am supposed to be and to get some warm clothes on. The lady I am visiting said she will dress me warm. She will also take a pic of the view out her back yard today—I am hoping there will be a moose out there too to make it really look like the wilds of Alaska. I hope to get to the beach too for some look at the ice on the beach today.

Until later!

Flat Stanley (FS)



January 8, 2009


Above is the pic of the home I am staying in here in Anchor Point with the Dixons. My visit is short since I arrived so late. But the lady took some photos. All the photos she took 1/7/09 except for the moose because I did not get to see a moose so a photo will have to do—I did not want you all to miss out on seeing a moose. We looked but just did not see one moose on our short ride. Anchor Point is just a bump in the road with a post office, library, and a couple of cafes and small stores. I don’t have time to go to Homer, 15 miles south and the end of the road and to see the harbor and Kachemak Bay. Wish I had come earlier so I could see those places. But alas, I have to be back in South Florida ASAP! This photo is the back yard of where I am staying taken shortly after I arrived—the tracks in the snow are not mine—they are of the moose who wandered before me—there are moose tracks everywhere in the yard.


How serene it looks but it is cold outside! I want to come back when it is summer and daylight almost 24 hrs. And wish I could stay for the winter games/carnival coming up the first part of Feb. I don’t mind the cold since the lady has put me in a parka and boots. So no snow machine ride, skiing or sledding!


Look at the eagles! We had to stop at the transfer site to deposit some trash and there the vultures were in all their glory chortling in the trees.


Ok then we made a stop at the beach which is only 2 miles from where I am staying. There was a fog bank on the Cook Inlet so I could not see the mountains across the way. Anchor Point Beach is awesome. They told me they launch boats from the beach with big tractors in the summer when there is fishing frenzy—I would love to see that!


That white in the middle of the bay is a big ice floe. Those chunks of ice on the beach at high tide are huge! It is about 25 miles across the bay to Iliama area. The mountains are potentional volcanoes over there too. This inlet goes all the way up to Anchorage 200 miles north. Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city!


This moose photo was taken a few days after Christmas in the Dixon’s yard off the south side of their house. Mr. Dixon had cleared a lot of the yard last summer and it enables a moose to walk through easily but nothing stops a moose except a 10 ft fence.


Here I am in Mrs. Dixon’s sewing room where she dressed me up in my parka and boots. This is Mrs. Dixon’s favorite spot as she is a quilter. She sews and looks out on the back yard . She also has a big quilting machine frame in the other living area part of the home here in Anchor Point, Alaska. Sure wish I could stick around and watch her quilt, sew, and visit with her quilting friends here in Anchor Point,in Ninilchik 20 miles north, and Homer 15 miles south. However, it is time for me to get popped into an envelope and taken to the post office—I might be in Anchorage tonight and then I can fly back to South Florida. Hope you all enjoy my visit on paper as much as I did in person.

FS

Mystery Quilt

It is no longer a mystery--here it is! Today I completed the top of the mystery quilt I started on New years' Day with planetpatchwork.com--I have no clue as to when it will be quilted--it can get in line!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well, here we are in 2009! Who would have thought? I am so grateful to be still here on this planet.

I took these moose photos on Monday or Tuesday. Look how low the sun is. And it was blasted cold out there too--we have been having some below zero temps. They don't usually last long however and it is nothing like Fairbanks. Two shots were from a dining room window--same window Christmas card photo was shot from--and the other from the living room window.

I am doing a mystery quilt today on line and watching the Nebraska football game as a result of urging from Lynnette who is a big fan--ya, they live in Omaha, NE and would be!