What's growing in my garden?

First plumeria blossom from a trimmed branch from Stacy's tree. So fragrant!

Also the pomegranates are getting bigger, and the plum tree is full of almost- ripe fruit.

What I'm working on

What I really want to talk about is the fun multi media project I'm working on for my First Friday Artists group. We each made a list of 5 things we would put in a box to signify us. Then we drew the lists out of a hat, to do with whatever we wish. It will be a gift for the person who made the list, so I can't share it now. But I will in December!

So I am posting photos of a group quilt I'm involved with for an auction,  for Flying Geese Quilters. I'm making embroidery stitches on the handles while we figure out how to quilt it. Suggestions?

Interview on Dinner at Eight Blog

I have been remiss in not mentioning that I was interviewed for the Dinner at Eight blog, and the interview was posted on the 15th. You can still read it and all the other artists interviews. Go to http://dinnerateightartists.blogspot.com/
Scroll down to find my post. Here is a detail of my quilt for the Reflections exhibit. It is called "Saffon in the Park."

Boston visit

After we left family in New York, we stayed a night on Cape Cod. Then we spent our final time in Boston. Our hotel room had a great view of the harbor.

One day we braved the subway system, the MTA, and visited the wonderful Museum of Fine Art. There was an exhibit of the Pilgrim and Roy collection of quilts. There was some framed art to complement the quilts. Quite nice.

More Sammy fun

These are the last few photos from New York. The ice cream photos were taken at Rock Star Creamery, in Poolville , I think. It was delicious! Black cherry rules.

 

This next bunch was taken on our last day in NY. Sammy is wearing the dress I made and posted about just recently, the crocheted yoke dress from the Purl Soho blog.

  I think her grandpa is tickling her.

This pic is pretty good of everyone.

Cute photo with Grandpa Dave! Her new doll is nearby.

 

 

around the farm 2014

Just some random photos of my daughter's farm in central New York...

The hollow trunk of an ancient apple tree.

Crops growing on this beautiful day in June.

Jack and Dave on the back porch.

Just a few of their chickens, plus their rooster on the left.

Isn't the rooster beautiful? He was watching me, as I was watching him.

Cows in the pasture.

I forgot to photograph the goats, who are off to the right, behind the barn.

This is their pond. Some of you may remember photos of Sammy ice skating on it this past winter!

Pond again. You can see how green everything is. They have had so much rain.

One of the lovely peonies in bloom in their back yard.

Sorry for the blurry photo. I'm reading to Sammy in their kitchen area. They have painted this room a very subtle blue. I love it!

Erie Canal part two

This photo was taken on the return trip on the Erie Canal, approaching the lock. You can see how high above us the walls are.

After the rear lock doors were shut, water started gushing into the lock area.

The water is rising up, up, up.

There is a man in this tiny building who operated the locks and raised the water up for us.

The view on the way back.

Sammy got to steer the boat for a while!

Nice shot of Martine and Samantha.

Dress with crocheted yolk

I did the sewing ahead of time, but I crocheted the yolk while we were traveling to NY. I attached it to the sewn part by hand in a hotel room. I followed a pattern on the Purl Bee blog. The crocheting went so fast and easy! The yarn is linen, something different. I will post photos of Sammy wearing this dress in a day or two.

Erie Canal boat ride

One day we went on a tour of the Erie Canal. It was so interesting! Did you learn about the Erie Canal in school? We did, although all I remember about it was the song, "15 Miles on the Erie Canal." Did you learn it, too? I remember all the words. Portions of the canal still remain, much as they were.

I asked to sit in back with Sammy on the drive to the canal, so that we could read books together. So nice to have some quality time with her. I really enjoyed it.

Sammy likes to talk. A lot!

Okay, now we are on the tour boat. I was concerned it would be hokey, but it wasn't.

There were only ten of us on the boat, plus the captain. Sammy was very curious about the concept of captain. Would he be anything like Captain Hook?

Sammy is modeling the croquet dress I made her recently.

No, the captain wasn't anything like Captain Hook. He was a 39-year veteran "canaler," a fount of information on the Erie Canal system.

Colorful tugboat we saw along the route.

Here we are entering a lock. You can see other boats already here, waiting.

After the lock gates closed behind us, the water level sank. We could see the walls rising around us.

We sunk maybe 20 feet lower than we were before.

When we looked out the back of the boat, the lock gates were exposed, with little spurts of water coming through here and there.

Then we were all set to continue down the canal. I have just a few more photos of the rest of the canal trip, that I will share next time.