Doll Quilt Swap VII ~ Teaser #2

Wildflower Wednesday

These are some of my absolute favorite wildflowers...Shooting Stars! I discovered these on one of my first trips up here, and sketched them in my sketch book so that i could look them up later. It took me a while to figure out what they were, and sadly, they never grew back in the place i originally found them. Then about 3 years later, i discovered them on the south side of the island in a nice sandy spot along the river, and they spring up there every year. These delicate little flowers grow straight up on a very thin stalk, and i find it amazing that such tiny flowers can survive in the wild the way they do. Arent they gorgeous!

These are called Yellow Sweet Clover, and we have bushes of them growing along the driveway and ditch.

Horsemint grows on the island, but they are blooming in large batches all over this year. This flower is very interesting close up and also one of my favorites!
Hope you have enjoyed this weeks Wildflowers :)

1% Well Read Challenge ~ Beloved by Toni Morrison

Book #3 for me in the 1% Well Read Challenge is Beloved by Toni Morrison
This book was very good, very dark, and very disturbing! Its about slavery/life after slavery and all of the horrors that entails. It took me a while to get into the style of her writing, but once i did, it was a page turner...and frightening and depressing after each page. I wont read this book again...as i said, it was depressing...but an eye opener for sure! A reminder of a world we never want to see repeated! There were two sections of the book towards the end that nearly lost me...the story was really moving along great...and then Morrison threw in this bizarre dream/poem sequence that really stopped the flow of the story for me...but since i was so close to finishing, i trudged on, and then the book picked up again. Over my head, i guess, but i just didnt get it. But on the whole, the book was very good.

Meanwhile, i promised something quilty...well, this is a teaser of the doll quilt im swapping on about.com. The top is nearly finished, but i didnt want to give away the surprise just yet. So stay tuned!

Wildflower Wednesday

Another batch of wildflowers...This first shot is a blanket flower, and they grow along our driveway. I have these planted in my garden, so i was surprised to see them spring up in other parts of my yard :)

This next one is a bit of a guess, but i believe it is called European Milfoil. Very small delicate white flowers, with beautiful greenery.

and finally, Smooth Aster...rather abundant in these parts, but lovely just the same!

Meanwhile, i hope to blog about some quilty stuff soon! cheers~

Rogue Camp 2009!!!

Rogue Camp officially ended at 7pm tonight when the last Rogues pulled out of the driveway. We shared laughter, food, music, dancing, kegs, potato guns, oxygen, more laughter, more food, hilarious stories, zip lines, tears, glow sticks, and even more laughter. Stay tuned for entertaining details!!! I miss you guys already!!!

Rogue Camp Be Here Matey!

Rogue Camp was officially kicked off last night when the first two marauders, Ali and Phin, showed up...and partook in a shot of rum! We have quite a crew of pirates showing up this year, traveling from all over the country....Michigan, Florida, New Mexico, Utah and Idaho. Last year was super rainy, so several folks canceled on us, meaning this years adventures should be filled with revelry!
To enjoy some shots from last years adventures, click here!

Ill check back in after the weekend.....arghhhhhhhhh!

Wildflower Wednesday

These have recently sprung up everywhere, the Narrow-Leaved Penstemon. They are part of the figwort family. (meaning, they look very similar to many other figwort family flowers)

I have been looking for these...we had two at the end of our driveway, and i was very excited...then about a week later, 10 more popped up. These Mariposa Lilies are very beautiful in person!

Ive been told these are Golden Tickseed...they have sprung up all over the mountainsides, adding color to a normally brown rocky landscape. The splashes of yellow all over the mountains are quite a refreshing change! The rain has certainly brought about some lovely new colors this year, and i love it :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Jordyn!!!

Here are some shots of Jordyn enjoying her new sandbox from grandma and grandpa...as you can see, she loves it! I have to admit, so do i...on those days i miss being near a beach, i can take of my shoes, and wiggle my toes in the sand, and im good to go! Building sandcastles is cool too! I also love the little crank to lower the shade cover...keeping cats and other animals from using it as a litter box! :)
Jordyn is spending the day with her other grandma and grandpa today, while mom and dad ready the house for Rogue Camp (a big party we have at our house every year that draws over 50 guests who all camp out on the island for the weekend!) You can check out photos from last year here too! Folks start showing up Thursday, so i better get a move on! Happy Birthday Jordyn! We'll celebrate tonight when you get home :) xoxoxo

Wildflower Wednesday....uh...i mean, Thursday!

Okay, so i skipped Wednesdays posting of wildflowers, but i have a good excuse...i was in town all day shopping for Jordyn's birthday presents. Been a long time since i was at a Toys R Us, so i had a ball checking out all of the cool new toys (and even some of the old school toys) that they had.
But in honor of the Wildflower Wednesday, i decided to post these photos i took on my way thru Wyoming last week for our camping trip. Every year we drive by these gorgeous flowers that grow on the side of the gravel road...and i have no idea what they are....anyone recognize them?
This is what a bush of them looks like......

and they arent all pink, some are this color...

And this is a shot of the curious cows wondering what i was doing crouching down on the road with my camera...

Anyways, i would LOVE to know what kind of flowers these are, and if i can transplant some to my yard...so if you know what they are, please let me know!
Have a fabulous day!

P.S. The flower has been identified by my friend Lisa over on Facebook...
Veiny Dock Plants ~ Wild Begonia......Thanks Lisa!!!

Happy 4th of July....er.....6th of July!

On our way to camping over the 4th of July weekend, we drove past this cool barn...a reminder of the holiday we were celebrating! I hope everyone had a safe and fabulous 4th of July.
We dont celebrate the holiday in the traditional sense of BBQ's and fireworks, but instead with medieval dress, drumming, belly dancing, and lots of music! Stay tuned for some video of the fun :)

Glory and Goodies...

After a long weekend of camping, rain, music, rain, dancing, and more rain, we got home yesterday evening. I will be doing laundry for a week, but other than that we had a great time! Due to constant soaking, i didnt bring out my camera much this time around, though i did capture some fun video (which i will post soon), and this photo of Jordyn jammin by the fire. With fabulous company, you can have a great time under any circumstances...and that was definitely the case here :) It was, however, nice to sleep in a warm dry bed last night!

And look what was waiting in my mailbox when i got home! Marguerite over at Adventures of Quilting and Sailing sent me these lovely goodies. She had this great article about the book i received for my birthday, so she thought i might like it...but she included a few fun extras that were a nice surprise! Thank you Marguerite!!! Justin and Jordyn have already gobbled up most of the chocolate biscuits and im totally thrilled about the fairy fabric :) I love the postcard too, as Jane's blog and photography are favorites of mine. Quilters are the most generous people i know...Thank you thank you thank you!!!

I also signed up for another mini quilt swap on about.com, so i ordered this book thru amazon for ideas. I may not use it this time around, but the price was right, so im sure it will come in handy in the future. Besides, you can never have too many quilt books.
Cheers~

Wildflower Wednesday

More wildflowers for you today, before i take off to go camping. This is from the wild rose family, Prickly Rose. These bushes are very thorny, but the flowers are lovely.

Western Chokecherry...these flowers will transform into chokecherries and become a cordial or jam (as long as the bear doesnt eat them all)...we have several bushes all over the property.

These delicate little flowers are called Musineon. You have to look at them very close to appreciate their beauty.
Well, im outta here for the 4th of July Weekend...hope everyone has a fun holiday!