Book club is Wednesday, and once again, I didn't read the book.  This month, it was The Little Book, a novel, by Selden Edwards, and I just couldn't get in to it.  (And I'll be honest - I was a little turned off by the intro I read that said it took him 30 years to write the book - if it took him that long, I knew it wasn't going to be 'my kind' of book - way too wordy!!!)  The premise is good, I just didn't force myself to read it long enough to get hooked.  So....for bookmarks, they get autumn leaves!  The pattern for them is here.

Alex humored me yesterday and went hiking with me.  All these years, and I've never been to Kings Creek Falls at Lassen.  What a beautiful hike and falls!  I really want to go back in the Spring and see the meadows green and with flowers - not they weren't beautiful now, but.....

It's not a long hike - a little over a mile in.  There is a one-way looped trail, so you don't cover the same landscape coming back for most of the trip.  Note to self - any time you see a sign for a one-way trail, no horses allowed, think twice before taking it....it was gorgeous, but....the steps are cut in to the stone of the mountain (hence the one way and no horses....) and it was steep!  I had to stop near the top and let my heart rate drop a bit before I continued.  I'm definitely out of shape!!!

The view off the trail:

Kings Creek near the start of the trail:

AJ and I called this a dragon tree - so cool how it grew so twisted.

More views:

AJ above the canyon - Kings Creek is down below.

AJ climbed down to another rock (and I do mean climbed.  I walked away and told him I didn't want to watch....)

We did see some wildlife....

And this is the top of the falls

And the falls:

Coming back - some wildflowers

A view of the trail steps

Another curiously shaped tree - and another view of the trail

I can feel autumn in the air....time to make some scarves!  I found a new yarn at Joann's the other day (okay - I went in for spray starch  and thread for my quilt, but I had to walk past the yarn.....) 

It's done!!!!  The quilt top is done!  Only a month (and a week) behind the normal club time too!  Not too bad!  Now to get it quilted and put the binding on to have it really finished.....

Hmmmm....I think my department at work is trying to tell me something - here's my birthday gift (along with a gift card from Michael's)

Too true????

I got almost all of my quilt done!  I need one more border row.  Unfortunately, I messed up my cutting of the fabric, so will have to modify the border a bit.  It's doable, but I hate it when I do that!!!

Happy birthday to me!!!  Here's my present from Ralph (and the kids of course....)

I also got a cool thermal, sealable cup from Margene.  It can be used for wine, of course.....but also for so many things I don't want to spill.  Not that I'm a klutz or anything.....

And the view from work yesterday.  Due to the Delta fire, our air quality was around 600.....and anything over 150 is bad....

 

I didn't get it all the way back to where I started, but.....I did get the error fixed, and I trimmed up the next boarder row so it's ready to put together (all of the blocks were cut larger than needed and had to be cut down after adding the applique - something I conveniently forgot until I went to put them together....).  I have a few small blocks that still need work.  They were supposed to be embroidered - one with the year, one with my initial, and two are ladybugs that I need to put legs on.  I also need to embroider legs on the ladybug in the main panel.  My plan is to get that done this week, but we'll see.

When I realized I messed up the quilt, I fell back on my standard de-stresser:  crochet!  I found a couple of skeins on sale at Joanns - black and red with sequins!!!  I finished this cowl on Sunday, and started one in black yesterday.

The dogs (Luna and Koori) and I took a walk yesterday morning before it got hot (104 yesterday....)  It's the first time in forever since I've taken them for a walk, poor things!  We put in just under 2 miles, and they both looked tired.....

I got some nice pictures of the dried grass out in the field....

Yesterday, AJ and I drove up to Whiskeytown and up to Keswick.  So sad.  AJ was more affected by the burn at the lake, but I was more affected by the loss of houses at Keswick.  (AJ had never been there, and if you didn't know where the houses used to be, you didn't know they were gone...)

I got another border on my quilt, and was proudly showing AJ, and he asked "Is one side supposed to have more blue on it than the other???"  The answer is "no, they are supposed to be the same on BOTH sides....."  Heavy sigh.....When I trimmed up the main panel, I trimmed one side twice.  Time to rip out some seams, sew a new strip on the right hand side, re-trim and re-sew.  Maybe tomorrow....

Alex is home.....know how I can tell?  My grocery shopping list doubled, and I had 4 'extra' guys here for dinner last night.  

AJ had Jeff, Wes, and the twins (yes, they have names - Donald and George - I just don't ever hear them referred to as anything but 'the twins'....) over for dinner last night.  Only Jeff spent the night, but the original plan was everyone was here overnight, which made logistics a pain...how do you sleep that many extra bodies around here, and try to shelter them from waking up at 5:00 a.m. with Alli?  I made them lunch (10 quesadillas total, plus chips and salsa, sodas, etc.) and then hamburgers and fries for dinner.  I offered a healthy fruit salad as well, but it was pretty much snubbed.  I forgot how much 'boys' can eat - and how much noise they can make.  

AJ rearranged my sewing room into a gaming room and we had 4 computers with the guys all gaming.  (Wes was only here for a short time, he didn't bring a computer)  Add some music to the mix - both AJ's and Alli's running in her room - some Pokemon' on Alli's TV, and a baseball game on my TV, and it was a pretty nosy evening here.

But, some things never change - water balloon fights in the pool!  (Alli was in 7th heaven with them all splashing around her in the pool!)