I took advantage of having Cindy M watch Alli over the weekend and took off for the coast. Spent the day wandering along in the redwoods and on the beaches in Crescent City. Not my best pictures, but they’ll do until I get back home and it’s easier to upload.

Again, I really do not need help quilting!   It's hard enough for me to quilt, much less to have the "added advantage" of a "helper"!  I'm (finally) quilting my Dinner Plate quilt, and when I went to move it, I had a passenger.  Jessie had curled up on the quilt and was taking a nap.  I didn't notice until I tried to move the quilt and it was a bit too heavy. 

 

Jessie is constantly "escaping" outside - either into the garage or completely outside.  She is supposed to be an "indoor kitty" but she refuses to accept that label.  She got out in the garage the other day, and I couldn't find her to bring her in (when it's 105+ outside, the garage is an oven!)  If she closes her eyes, you cannot see her in her new hiding place! 

 

Pat's Southwestern quilt is done - ready for shipping!   I sent her a picture of it, complete with her favorite kitten.... 

Not my favorite quilt to do, since it was 75% complete when I got it, I just had to add borders to it and quilt it, but I enjoyed quilting it - two different border quilting patterns.  As usual, it does not look like it was professionally quilted, but that's okay by me.  You can tell it was hand made that way.

I got the first egg from one of "the babies"! Saturday, I found the smaller, darker egg in the nesting box, and Sunday I found two incomplete eggs (just the insides, no shell - very weird, but common for the first eggs) in the boxes.  My babies are all grown up!  They are right around 24 weeks old, so I was expecting to start getting eggs soon.   The newest addition to my flock are Summer Welborns, and they usually start laying when they are around 6 months old.

 

 I didn't get a photo of the Viceroy butterflies at Mt. Lassen, but I did get a video of them. 

 

More photos from Mt. Lassen....I didn't manage to get a photo of the Viceroy butterflies that were migrating through, but I did get this white butterfly. 

 

Another Mystery Quilt underway.... 

 

I put Pat's Southwestern quilt on the frame and quilted it!  I don't think I've had my quilting frame up for several months, and once I got started I was really enjoying the quilting process.

I have the center quilted, and am working on the borders now....

 

I got the Summer Block Party quilt top done - the last block,the pineapple in the middle, took forever!  Lots of little pieces!  Then the sashing strips seemed to take forever too - probably because I was ready to finish it.  The sashing really adds to the quilt, so I'm happy with it.  Now it's in the "to be quilted" pile.

 

More photos from the Mt. Lassen hike....the trail head at the parking lot.  I knew I was in trouble when I was winded from this section - it was going to be a long 2 1/2 miles~ 

A panoramic view:

At the top!

Cindy ahead of me (as usual - the girl runs 2-3 miles daily!!!)

Here is where Cindy starting having to wait for me to catch up.....it got steep!!!

But we made it to the top!

Cindy M and I hiked to the top of Mt. Lassen yesterday!  I did it at a much slower pace this year - I need to start hitting the treadmill!!   

 

I did get a bit of a sunburn though - I think I sweated off all my sunscreen.

 

 

 

Very few things are sadder than seeing a dog in a "cone of shame" and now, I have two dogs in a cone.  Luna has had a hot spot for a while, and it just wasn't getting better without the cone, so she's been in one for a couple of weeks.  Ripley had dental work done and will be in a cone for a couple of weeks too.  About the time Luna's hot spot heals up, she'll be back in the cone due to some scheduled surgery for her later this month.  Poor things!! 

 

I took advantage of my first day of vacation to work on the Summer Block Party quilt, and got the last block done.  I swear this block took forever!  Of course, if you don't have to stop and tear out a misaligned block from the center of the larger block, it would help!  It's so much easier to do it right the first time, sigh.....notice anything wrong with the top of the pineapple on the right?

 

But they are all done!  Now I need to make the sashing and put it all together..... 

 

And my supervisor....

 

I took Pat to the airport on Sunday, and about the time I hit Red Bluff on the way back, an alert hit my phone from Watch Duty.  I do usually take a look to see where the fire is, and hate it when the fire is named after a place/street I recognize.  I was NOT thrilled when the alert was for the "Airport" fire - though there are a lot of airports in the north state.  Then I saw the rest of the alert....my block on my street...... 

Talk about panic mode!  I called Cindy M, who was watching Alli for me, and she didn't answer, so I called AJ.  He was a bit breathless and agitated - large explosions and fire behind the subdivision (he was breathless because he had to run get the phone, but it only added to my anxiety!).  It wasn't on my street, thank goodness, and no structure damages anywhere.  According to NextDoor, it was started by someone running a tractor in the field (seriously, running a tractor at 4:00 p,m, when we were 105 degrees and close to 0% humidity?)  My phone blew up with texts while I was driving home from friends checking to make sure I was okay - it's good to know I'm loved, and even better to be able to say things were fine. 

And the finished project!  A storage bench with plenty of storage and a soft place to sit when I put my shoes on. 

 

Cats love boxes.....an IKEA trip is a present for them too!  I got a box unpacked, and it had an occupant as soon as I turned my back. I had inadvertently left it hanging over the end of the entryway, but it didn't seem to bother James much.  She walked back and forth in it, making it tip.