Where has the month of August gone?? They say the older you get the faster time flies, I must be ancient because time is flying by in the blink of an eye!!
I did mention to a few of you that I was going on vacation and now I can tell the rest of you! We haven't had a "proper" vacation in quite a while, with my Dad being so ill and traveling back and forth to see him, then his passing (still miss you, Dad!!), and then my work and then my treatment for cancer, my life hasn't seemed my own for a long time. Well, here it is, 10 years since our last real vacation...and the guys, of course, outvoted me and chose a mostly sports oriented vacation. I'm cool with that as they have had to give up many things to accommodate me in the past few years. I truly love my guys! They treat me like royalty and they are the reason I did so well during my illness....that and a lot of prayer!
So...you are probably wondering where we went. Well, I think I'll give you the information over a couple of days as we did a lot of things and I wouldn't want to overwhelm you.
We left here, and headed for Niagara Falls. Now I know you are probably thinking...really? Niagra Falls? I have ALWAYS wanted to go there. I lived in NY state for 24 years and never made it there. If you've been following my blog, you know I LOVE waterfalls....and this is one of the largest in the world. How could I have missed seeing this beauty? When the guys mentioned they wanted to visit Toronto and the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Stanley Cup, I decided they had to throw in something I was dying to see...and since it was literally on the way, they compromised...and we are all glad that they did. We spent two nights on the American side, but traveled back and forth to the Canadian side as well, and hopefully caught all the major highlights.
We saw the Skylon tower...the view from there is just astounding!!....
The American Falls...
The Bridal Veil Falls....
The Horseshoe Falls...
And the Rainbow Bridge that connects the American and Canadian shores....
We took the little tour of the Cave of the Winds and stood on the Hurricane Deck....
We took the Maid of the Mist boat tour...
Just LOOK how close those boats get to the falls!!
And watched the fireworks and the Illumination from both the American and Canadian sides.
Unfortunately my camera died while we were on the Canadian side but DS got some...
We saw the daredevil exhibit of people who have succeeded and failed at going over the falls in a barrel...
We even saw a magic show one night and had our pictures taken with a real live tiger....which growled at DH because he instinctively knew that DH HATES cats! LOL
The thing that struck me the most about the falls was the sound of it...the sheer force of the water that nearly ripped our raincoats off as you stood on the Hurricane Deck...the legends of the Maid of the Mist and the jaw dropping beauty. We were told that 20% of all the fresh water in the world pours over the falls. I'm so awe struck by it...and glad I finally got to see it in real life. I had people ask me what the big deal was, it's just a waterfall. True enough I suppose, but there is something that draws me to it...I can't explain it. I also think God likes it that we admire his handiwork as He has created it for us to enjoy.
Another thing that fascinated me about the falls was the mist that forms. While on the boat tour we got very close to the falls. The mist that was falling was almost as forceful as the waterfalls themselves. It is also the first thing you see as you drive toward the falls. It shoots high into the air (a tour guide told us it has been as high as1,100 feet, nearly as high as the falls themselves) and can be seen for miles before you reach the falls.
My feeble pictures just do NOT do it justice, it's something you would have to see for yourself.
I did a little stitching as I was traveling. I was able to stitch on Thursdays and did do a very small amount on my UFO. I'm down to the last page of the pattern....yippee!!
I also stitched a bit on my Cirques des Carreaux. This is one of the January crazies that I'm hoping to finish soon. I love the design, but stitching this over one on 32 count has been a challenge.
I'm pretty sure my partner has received her biscornu so here are pictures of what I sent her. She told me she liked anything about Canada so I found this pattern for the maple leaf and I made it the colors of the Canadian flag. I haven't heard, but I hope she likes it!
Ok, that's enough for one day....check back soon for more of the family adventures! I sure missed you guys and your lovely comments! *Hugs*
Hi there blogging buddies!
If you wondered where I've been, my brain is back in Virginia, sitting near this tree, looking out at this view...vegetating...in my dreams...wishing I were back there in the cool mountain air!! LOL
I know it's been ages since I've posted in any yahoo groups, since I posted much about stitching, since I've done any stitching at all. This summer is going by waaaaaaay too fast, and is still promising to be even busier. My friends that live nearby are probably wondering where in the world I've been, and the answer would be....traveling to and from medical appointments and spending time with doctors, dentists, and physical therapists. *sigh* I'm sure you're as tired of hearing about it as I am doing it, but I'm nearly there. I had a very good experience today when I switched Gastroenterologists and had an appointment with one today who was kind, compassionate, explained in detail all that the recent tests were showing, and what my Dad had experienced and why I shouldn't be worried. They still can't understand why I'm anemic, but because they can't find anything drastically wrong, I can relax and just treat the symptoms for now. I'm cool with that! He also explained why I'm feeling exhausted and again, it's nothing to worry about, this too shall pass! How do you spell relief? I spell it D-R-H-E-R-L-O-N-G!! I learned today that he is a teaching Dr at Johns Hopkins Medical Center and that I was lucky indeed to get an appointment with him. That was two appointments today, three to go this week!
Did I happen to mention it's HOT here? I remember a line in a movie..."It's hot....like Africa hot!" With temperatures being broken as the highest temperatures here in Maryland since they began recording temperatures!! The hottest day so far has been 108 F and with the humidity it feels like 123 F. For those of you who use metric...THAT'S HOT!! That means it was 42 C but felt like 50 C!!! I'm so thankful for air conditioning!
Ok, now for fun stuff! STITCHING!! And for the past couple of days, I've been doing a lot of it!! FINALLY!! I've wanted desperately to get back into it but just haven't had time. Anyway...on with the show!
I finally caught up on several SAL's I've been working on.
Sampler Romantique from http://magicaspuntadas.blogspot.com/ parts 9 and 14! According to the designer we are now half way through the project. I've seen some really lovely interpretations using other colors and fabric, so mine seems pale in comparison, but I do love the way it's coming out!
Owl sampler from Oakhaven designs yahoo group...I love the little July owl...so patriotic!
Star Sampler from http://periphaeria.com/tales/ is coming along nicely too...this has been a quick stitch which I've enjoyed!
The Tree of Stitches going on at The Stitch Specialists yahoo group has been a fun one also. I love learning the new stitches, and we are nearing the end now, there are just two forest creatures left to stitch!
Friendly Stitchers yahoo group is also offering a SAL with unique stitches that have been fun to learn also. I've just been doing the stitches, but others have been adding the name of the stitches below them...and now I wish I had done that too. I have been thinking I might restart this in the future and do just that...I'll have to think how I would like to present this one...but here is my attempt at the new stitches.
I started a new SAL a little while ago...I know, call me crazy, but this one intrigued me, and since I've seen others choose different color thread and fabric, I thought I would give it a try. This SAL is called Guimauve et Violette and can be found on this website http://talonsaiguilles.over-blog.fr/ I've switched up the colors and this is not a good picture, but I thought I'd show you how mine is shaping up....again...I'm not sure about the colors.
I did some stitching on my UFO last week, and hope with all my might, that I can keep stitching on it once a week (the next couple of weeks are going to be insane, so I hope I can keep it up!!) It would be awesome to finish this up before the year is out...it's been a challenging piece!
When I finally finished catching up on all my SAL's I started stitching on one of my crazy January challenge pieces. I have only three left, Cirque des Carreaux, pictured below, Tree of Stitches and Sampler Romantique, both pictured above. Since the other two are SAL's I'm at the mercy of the designers, but the Tree of Stitches should be done soon. That will leave two, so I'm feeling hopeful that I'll be able to finish before the year is out. Whew!! I can't wait, because there are quite a few other pieces I'm dying to start....
I also stitched on a biscornu, which I'm also dying to post pictures here because I think it turned out neat...I'll have to wait until I hear from my partner to see if she's received it before I post the picture.
And that, as they say, is that! The next couple of weeks appear to be eaten alive with things going on, so if you don't hear from me for a while, don't panic, I'll be back before long! Thanks for stopping in, and if you have stopped by, please leave a comment, I would love to hear from you!
*Hugs*
Hi folks! I guess you've been wondering where I've been...well the name above says it all. I have to say, my hubby really outdid himself! I mentioned in my last post that DH was planning a surprise. BOY did he!! Surprise me, that is!
First off though, I have to start with our little trip in the spring. We decided one night that we would take a long weekend and visit Virginia and Monticello and a few other places. Well we decided too late to get in on some of the better tours of Monticello and so I lamented on the way home that I would have liked to see the behind the scenes tour. The very next week, DH made plans and made reservations, and planned this surprise back in April! You have to know my husband, he's terrible at keeping surprises, but he did indeed keep this one until we left last week.
What gave him the idea is a picture that was in our hotel room in Charlottesville. There was a picture of a waterfall (he knows I LOVE waterfalls) and he asked where it was. He googled it when he got home and found it was near Steele's Tavern, Virginia. It was called Crabtree Falls. He then googled bed and breakfasts near that area and came up with the Osceola Mill. I HAVE to rave about this place! Not only were the rooms lovely, the setting peaceful and quiet, but the owner made things just lovely for us! We had the place to ourselves for the first three nights, and we were treated like royalty. The food was AMAZING, and we enjoyed our stay so much we've decided we'll go back if we ever get the chance. (And we HAVE to, because again, I didn't get to see everything there that I wanted to.)
Did I mention the breakfasts were amazing? They even put rose petals on our plates the first morning!
Did I mention we had a hummingbird visit each morning while we ate breakfast?
So...what did we do? Well we made a mad dash back to Monticello for the behind the scenes tour (we got to see the dome room, and a few other rooms that you don't see on the regular tour). I'm only posting this one picture, as this was the only room we could take pictures of.
We hiked part way up crabtree falls. Just to let you know, this is professed to be the longest cascading waterfall east of the Mississippi. I believe it, it's a 2 mile hike to the top. I want to go back when I have more stamina and really make it to the top. I was only able to make it partway up before I ran out of water and energy. Here are a few pictures of it on the way up, not to mention the hike we had to take...it's called a "moderate" hike.
The butterflies we saw along the way were all amazing!!!
We visited Woodrow Wilson's birthplace in Staunton, Virginia. No pictures were allowed inside either, but they would let us take pictures of his Pierce Arrow (how would you like THAT as your presidential limo?)
We drove along the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway, both celebrating their 75th anniversary this year.
How do you like my hair now? Did I mention it's growing in curly? I've always had arrow straight hair...what a difference! LOL
We stopped to hike up to wigwam falls, just a short little hike but well worth it for the view!
On the way home we stopped at James Madison's home near Orange, Virginia.
We did a few other things on our trip, but sadly, no stitching. So today, I tried to make up for my naughtiness by stitching on my UFO today. I didn't get far, but at least there is some progress.
I did stitch on a biscornu for an exchange but no pictures as it's not together yet AND hasn't been sent to my partner yet...but as soon as I get an address and the right button, it will be in the mail and winging it's way on to it's new home.
Other news...I'm still babying my arm and getting some workout at physical therapy. I hope I can clear things up before we head off again. We're heading north soon to see our mothers. It's been a while since we've been able to get out of town.
DS has a wonderful time on his trip to Louisville Kentucky. Next week he'll be headed to Daytona Beach for Big Stuff, another Christian youth gathering. What a lucky guy he is!
Ok, off to try and get a little more stitching done before I head to bed. We have a busy weekend planned. Thanks for stopping by...*Hugs*
