As Promised: 3 Quilt Blocks!

I shared the Seattle fabric with my quilt group and had purchased it originally to make some pillow cases. As you can see, I never got around to that!

The rest of the fabric was from my stash, and I still have quite a bit of that left.

I think this pattern is called "Chain Link".

 ~~~

It will be fun to see everyone's blocks at our Monday meeting!

We've Been Busy!

For the past couple of days we've been entertaining our grandniece and showing her around our area.  On Saturday we went to Pike Place Market and walked a bit on the water front. You can see the Ferris wheel in the background, but we didn't have time to ride on it.

On Friday we took the ferry to Gig Harbor and saw this great view on Mount Rainier.

 

We also saw this heron which was a very nice surprise. On Thursday we walked at one of our favorite parks on Lake Washington, Coulon Beach. Then on Saturday we also walked through our local canyon before dropping her off at our daughter's house where she stayed until today. I think by now she may be back home in San Diego.

Lately both our indoor and outdoor plants have been blooming. This is the third time our corn plant which we've had for a long time has bloomed. We learned the hard way to cut the blossom off before it fully opens though because it smells awful!!

This is a trillium which usually grows wild in the woods. I saved it when they built the road behind our house long ago, and it's rewarded me every spring with its pretty blossoms.

~~~

I spent most of today sewing 3 blocks for the quilt our group is making but will show them later. Hope you are having a fun day, too.

Our Most Recent Adventure

Last week we took a ferry to Port Angeles, WA. Enroute we had a great view of Mount Baker which stays snowy even in the summer.

Near the waterfront is a small park dedicated to the fire fighters and law officers from our area who served in 9/11. This is a beam from one of the buildings that was destroyed then.

This sign is on the rock that is near the flag poles.

If you walk down the trail from the park, you can follow the trail along the beach and catch sight of the boat traffic. We even saw a couple of seals!

From Port Angeles you can drive up to Hurricane Ridge and do a lot of hiking in the summer.

Right now though there's still lots of snow in the parking lot! There were lots of snow plows up there, too, working hard to clear the area.

Even a few brave people went hiking in the snow! I have no idea how the folks walking in the bare part got up there, but it must not have been easy.

~~~

This beautiful park is just one of the places in Washington that is fun to visit!

Hurrah for Spring!

Fortunately the rabbits have left our tulips alone!

This is a trillium that I rescued when they built the road behind our house.

This camellia was heavily pruned a couple of years ago and is blooming again much to our delight.

Do you ever see this little bird at your house? A couple of them live in the bushes under our dining room window and love to steal peanuts from the squirrels. In case you don't recognize it, it's a towhee.

~~~

Enjoy the rest of the week, and if you celebrate Easter, I hope you have a very nice time! 

 

Yesterday's Fun Walk ~

 

Yesterday we had beautiful weather, and I had a very nice walk along with fun taking pictures. What you see in the distance is the city of Seattle and one of the bridges you have to cross to get there.

I took lots of flower pictures including this one of a very pretty Rhododendron.

And this was a big surprise. I don't think I've ever seen so many deer at the same time, but they do live in our area and love to snack on our vegetation!

~~~

Have a nice weekend!

 

Memories and a Bit of Nostalgia From My Years in Shorewood, Wisconsin ~

My father had a radio and appliance shop in this building, and when I was in second grade, our family moved into an apartment above the store. This was the entrance and the shop to the right was a wonderful candy shop that specialized in fudge and caramels. 

Here is a view from Capitol Drive of our apartment, Dad's store and a barber shop. Above the barber shop you can see the back view where there was also a porch off the kitchen. We had a cat that once escaped from inside and jumped off down to the street!

Directly across the street is Atwater School and a view of St. Robert's church and school. The high school started in Atwater School long ago.

Around the corner of Murray Ave. on Elmdale Ct. was my grandparent's house, and my Dad and his siblings grew up there.

When I was a senior in high school, my parents moved into this house on Farwell Ave. I lived there until I graduated from the University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin and left Wisconsin for a teaching job in Colorado where I met my husband!

We were married in the chapel of the Northshore Presbyterian Church almost 60 years ago! (My grandfather directed the choir and played the organ in the church until he passed away long ago.)

And here's Shorewood High School where I went along with my sister and a few cousins. My father and his siblings graduated from there, too. It will celebrate it's 100th anniversary this summer!

~~~

In addition to seeing our family in Illinois and friends and relatives in Wisconsin, seeing these reminders of my growing up years was special and brought back lots of memories!

 

Finally Back Home!

We returned from Chicago last Friday with lots of nice memories. We attended Montsic's service, the first two days, saw friends and family that we missed last fall when we caught COVID, and we even got to see our oldest grandson who is studying art in Canada. It was a wonderful trip!

The wake and service were held at the Armenian church that is near Northwestern University and is within walking distance to Lake Michigan.

The church was built in the 1800s and is beautiful inside and out!

This is the altar, and you can also see a tiny bit of the casket. The stained glass windows are beautiful also.  The service  was a very nice tribute to our daughter's father-in-law, Montsic, who was born in Iran and came to the USA, where he became a good business man, husband, father, and grandfather.

~~~

During the rest of the week besides visiting friends and relatives, we had a fun time taking pictures in Shorewood, Wisconsin, where I lived until we got married almost 60 years ago. More photos soon!