I finished quilting the Summer Block Party Quilt.  I really like how this one turned out.  One more quilt off my pending list!

 

Since we had a quiet Thanksgiving, I used the morning to sew, and finished up a few of my projects. Margene and Jordan had gifted me a couple of quilt kits for my birthday, and I had pieced one of them up the weekend before, and I got the whole thing put together Thursday morning.  The pattern is Candy Lane, and the quilt kit is a "Half Pack" quilt - 5 pieces of fabric, a half yard of each.   

 

I also got the last "clue" for my mystery quilt done - only four blocks needed.  The big reveal is set for Wednesday, so I'll see how to put it all together then.  

 

And in my stash, I found a baby quilt kit that I bought at Joann's for some ridiculously low price and had started.  I finished it up, got it quilted, and one less Work in Progress!  It even found a home last night.  Cindy M came by to pick up her dogs, and mentioned that she was going to go see her newest nephew (born while I was in Portland in October.)  I sent the baby quilt with her. 

 

 

Hiroshima was on my list of things to see in Japan.  AJ did a great job checking off all the things on my list, as well as adding a few I didn't know I needed to see.  While Hiroshima wasn't what I would consider fun, it was well worth seeing.  We took the shinkansen (bullet train) from Kyoto, again, the way to go!  We only stayed one night, and spent the afternoon wandering around the Peace Memorial Park.  Unbeknownst to us, we picked a three-day weekend to go.  It was more crowded in Hiroshima than it was anywhere else in Japan.  Walking through the museum was like walking in step with a thousand of your closest friends - there was no way to stop and look at anything longer than the crowd was moving.  I was definitely ready to get out of the crowd - about half-way through the museum. I was stuck though, just winding my way through with everyone else.

 

I don't think I can list all the things that I am thankful for.  Even when I'm having a bad day, I am still so thankful for what I have, who I have in my life, what I'm doing in my life, etc.  I have friends in my life that I've know for decades, and friends that I've know for much shorter time.  I have family that, even though we don't live close, are always there for me, a home that I love. I have reliable transportation, extra food in the cupboard, warm clothes, and lord knows I have enough fur babies to keep me entertained.  So much to be thankful for, and here's wishing the same for you - Happy Thanksgiving!

Cindy M is gone for Thanksgiving, and I'm dog-sitting her two dogs.  Cooper, as usual, is not a problem.  He spends a lot of time over here, with or without Cindy, already.  Roo, on the other hand, is still a puppy (an almost two-year old border collie).  She's a chewer, escape artist, cat chaser (though in her defense, my cats stalk her and attack), and all around instigator of problems.  All of this, combined with me being gone for almost three weeks, has pushed Ripley back into a few of her neurosises.  She and Cooper spend a lot of time hanging out "away" from the puppy and the resulting chaos. (She is a good dog, really, but none of the dogs like to be around when someone is being reprimanded),

 She's started rearranging the rocks in the back yard again - big rocks!

And she's hiding with AJ in the guest house.  She even slept out there with him last night!  She's been sleeping with me since Roo came, but last night she abandoned me for the calm of AJ's house.

Poor Luna, no one will play with her..... 

AJ and I had both played with her and she wandered away after a bit of tussling with her toy.  I found her later, acting like no one had ever played with her, poor thing.

 

 

And I'm caught up on my Mystery quilt!  I have 48 of each of these blocks done, just in time for the next block pattern to drop (on Wednesday).  Since the quilt started while I was in Japan, I was technically behind, but, it really is not mandatory to keep to the schedule, or even make the quilt.  I just internalize the project, one way to make sure I finish the quilt.  On my quilting list to do today is to start quilting the finished quilt tops I have.  (And maybe start one of my numerous other quilts that I have fabric for?)  

One of our day-trips was to Miyajima island by boat, home of the Istukushima shrine.   

 

 The first thing I noticed was the deer.  They are everywhere!

 

There were tons of school kids there on class trips, and I think this guy learned not to feed the animals.  About 30 seconds after I took this photo, the buck was chasing him (and he was screaming!) down the street for more food.  

I thought it was hysterical, until I got an ice cream cone.  At least the one bothering me was a doe, so I didn't worry about the antlers.  She didn't attack me, she was just very insistent on getting part of my cone.  Luckily for me, some else showed up with food about the time I finished my cone (without sharing - I know better).  But, talk about doe eyes - she was working them!

 Some other views on the island: 

 

I visited Nijo-jo Castle and wandered around the garden area.  We didn't plan ahead enough to get tickets to visit the interior.  I am fine with that - on this particular day we walked over 30,000 steps, so just visiting the gardens was enough.  It was beautiful in the fall, so I can only imagine what it looks like in the spring and summer, when everything is blooming.

A quick break from Japan photos - I've started a new Mystery Quilt - the Island Hopping Mystery 50 quilt.  My fabrics are 4th of July themed, and I don't know the final quilt layout, but here's what I have so far, 48 of each block (well, 48 of each of the top blocks, just a few done for the bottom blocks, they are a work in process still).

 

One of the temples in Kyoto that was on my list to see was the Kiyomizu Temple, founded in 780.  The original site had three waterfalls, each reflecting a different blessing - health, wealth, and wisdom (depending on which reference you use).  It has beautiful views of the city, as well as a place to drink from the fountain of your choice (drinking from more than one is considered greedy).

I mentioned that many of the fountains were dragons - here is a collection of photos I took on my travels.

 

I love this shot with the Tokyo Skytree in the background.

And yes, this isn't a dragon - this was at the Fushimi Inari Taisha temple, which has foxes as the protectors.