Projects and Nature

I have started on a new project - Don't know if it will be table mats, table runner for small quilt. It is something different for me to do. Called paper piecing. I'm still having to rip up a lot 'cause there is just something about this method that my brain cannot compute.  You start out with the pattern on a piece of paper. Then you sew the material to the back of the paper. 

You sew on the side of the paper with the pattern so you'd better pay attention to have the material front facing the way it will end up. There are two pieces of fabric here.

When you finish the block it looks like this. The paper is still on the back and now needs to be removed. UGH.

I use a real small stitch so it makes the paper easier to tear off, but really hard when I have made a mistake and have to rip the stitches.

Oh, oh - the first one I made. Put one wrong color in the wrong place, should have been blue. 

Bill got a hold of the camera. All the cut fabric and me trying to figure out how the next piece of fabric goes. 

Hopefully it is right. 

Have a few of them done, there will be one inch pieces of some kind of material all around these blocks for the finished product. 

Bill is also back to one of his projects. The garage is now warm enough in the morning for him to work out there.He is making me a big rooster. Each piece of which has to be cut and formed one by one. It is all different kinds of wood. 

The pattern he cuts the wood from.

A closer look at the many, many, many pieces. 

A photo from the the person/company who sells the pattern of a finished project. Of course every one's will looks somewhat different. 

I think we will both be busy for a while. 

I am now walking alone in the mornings. The people I was walking with don't want to start until 8:00 - This morning at eight it was 82 degrees out. I went at fifteen to seven the day I took this picture and by seven thirty it was 80. I cut the walk short so only got in 5000 steps that day.  If I want to walk longer will have to leave house by six. At that time of day I don't want to walk alone in the Wetlands, so will probably just be walking around our neighborhood. 

See the road runner back in the bush. I took this picture through a window from a ways away. I could see his head violently moving up and down. Wondered what he was doing. 

When he came out from behind the bush I discovered what he did. He has a lizard in his mouth! A pretty good sized one at that. I thought they just ate bugs. But guess they eat meat too. We have a lot to see just in our back yard. 

Went out to lunch with one of my friends from working days yesterday. First time, I've been IN a restaurant for a couple of years. It was fun visiting with her and we hope to do it again in a month or so. First time I've driven in a long time too. Guess I didn't forget how. 

Today and tomorrow will be up over 100 then we get another little cool down to high 80's with wind. And that's about all of my news. 

Plodding along - one day at a time

Time marches along. Kind of keeping busy. One neat part of the day is early morning and early evening when the birds and bunnies come and visit. Usually there are two bunnies that wander around the back yard. Maybe looking for orange lantana. But we learned our lesson there. We only have red, yellow and purple. For some reason they don't eat them.

And the pair of quail are pretty regular visitors too. Can't believe he stood still long enough to get a good picture of him/her. 

It is getting to be summer weather here so I've had to change my walking time some. Last Wednesday morning I took off alone at 5:30. It was already warm out. 

Bushes in one of the neighbors front yard. They are so pretty. 

The moon was still up. 

Sun starting to come up. Once it is high enough it really is hot even with cool air and breezes. 

Lots of new home being put in here. I wonder where the other half is? This is a prime lot as it has a garage. The older home that was here burned down but garage wasn't damaged. 

Another new one a block from us. Been waiting to be put together for a month now. 

It was funny I guess I walked so early all the dogs that usually bark as we pass the homes must have still been asleep as none barked. When I got home noticed my little plant was flowering, such pretty flowers. 

In fact that whole yard is blooming like crazy. 

Did another puzzle, this one was fun and only took a couple of days. 

That night we had a rather pretty sunset. I wish all the houses weren't in the way. But I usually don't feel like walking a couple of blocks to get a better view. 

On Friday morning it was cool enough to walk with the group and head to the Wetlands again. Probably my last time there unless I can find some one to walk early! Saw this. A web of some sort with a big hole leading into it. The hole was as big around as my thumb. No one wanted to stick their finger in there...One big spider???

The area is very interesting. Here is a tree that had been cut down, sprouting a whole lot of new branches. Life goes on.

Really like all the informational signs they are putting up. 

Now this area is still brown and dry looking. 

We found another pond we hadn't seen before. Pretty big one. 

One the way home we passed the owls nest area and discovered both babies out and sitting in the tree. He/she still has a lot of its baby soft feathers. 

He got all puffed up - maybe didn't like us being there. We've never seen the parents. 

The other one was on another branch just watching us. No baby feathers on him.

Go away people!

This one is still all puffed up. 

Got both of them in this photo. 

On both days managed to get in just over 10,000 steps in. Have also been working on a couple of new projects. And Bill is also working on his project. He likes the fact that it is warm early in the morning as he can comfortably work in the garage then. 

A few different things.

 John Richard Sirimarco

May 16, 1965 - December 29, 2006

Friday was probably my last morning walk in The Wetlands as the weather has decided it is now summer. Already 80 by 8:00 this morning. Talked with a few of the other walkers and hoping to maybe change starting time to around 7 a.m. It will still be warm but the sun won't be up as high and beating down on us. We'll see. I will miss it. Even after the sun goes down in the evening it stays pretty warm.

So here are some pictures from Friday's walk. Really like all the signs they have put up explaining about the flora and fauna out there. Didn't know there were foxes out there. I know these are hard to make out but include them any way. 

About some of the different plants growing out there. 

I took this because of the very still water and the neat reflections in it. 

Same with this one. Didn't realize the Koi was in it until I looked at it at home. 

Liked the shadows in this one. And the burnt trees with all the green growth coming back. 

Pretty flowers on one of the trees. There are several of these trees out there and a few of them have the same flowers except they are light pink on them. 

We were surprised to find this turtle in the middle of one of the paths laying her eggs. 

More signs and info. 

From next to the river in the park we can look across the town to see The Strip from downtown to the southern most casino. I bet no one in the hotels know we were standing next to a river. 

A lot of water in it.

Hum...haven't seen any bobcats, but did see some paw prints that resembled the bobcats paw. 

A glimpse of a road runner. This past week we've seen more wildlife in our back yard then in the Wetlands. We were visited by two road runners and a coyote. And a pair of quail. Didn't get the camera fast enough to take pictures.

Another pond we hadn't seen before. 

This is in our backyard. They are quick, hard to get pictures of. 

Last nights sunset. With clouds there are usually pretty sunsets. 

But the clouds made the eclipse hard to see. Did catch the beginning. 

But soon it was behind the heavy clouds. The small light is an airliner on its way to land. 

It did peak out again a while later. 

But that was the last we saw of it as more clouds rolled in.

Liked the finish of the NASCAR race yesterday the Busch brothers were 1st and 3rd. They are from Vegas.