Nebraska

Tonight we are in the middle of Nebraska, North Platte.  It is as humid here as Texas if not worse.  Wow.  Pretty good road going right through the middle of the state.    This is the "home" of Wild Bill Cody for what that is worth.  Think we will be sticking close to the RV in the air conditioning.  The park is really nice and has great internet which is a bonus.  Too bad I do not have more things to report.

Had terrible storms last night so I am hitting the hay early.......Jasmine is exhausted from being freaked out about the thunder.  Not sure what is going to help her get through it.  It is pretty pitiful to watch.  I think a visit to the vet is in order when we get back and perhaps some intense training.

The NASCAR race is rained out for today so it will give us something to listen to while we are going through Kansas.  We will be in Liberal, Kansas tomorrow night.  HA    I wonder if they really are liberal there.

Thanks for visiting

More if/when it happens and hopefully I will have some real progress on the stitching front to report.

Goodbye to South Dakota

Spoiler Alert:  No stitching news or updates in this post!


Had a good couple of days in South Dakota.  Visited the Bad Lands.......amazing.   I would recommend it if you ever have the notion to be in South Dakota.

 We saw several Big Horn Sheep and more prairie dogs than you can count.  They are EVERYWHERE.

You can barely see one of the little guys standing right in front of this huge and tacky statue!

Also visited the famous (or infamous) Wall drugs. It kinda freaked me out......lots and lots of people and lots and lots of gee gaws.   I cannot say much for Wall except it is a convenient place to stop and there is a great dog park where we stayed.


Also visited Wounded Knee.  Kind of sad.  Pitiful as monuments go.  You have to go through practically the entire Reservation to get there from Wall, SD.  It is massive and desolate.  Worth the trip for me, but I am sure I would not do it again.

We finally saw buffalo just as we were entering the Pine Ridge Reservation, but drove past them too fast for a photo.  Other than that, we have not seen any other buffalo.

This is where the 250 Lakota were camped when they were murdered. on December 29 1890.  They were eventually buried several days later in a mass grave at the place I am standing to take this photo.   The hill containing the mass grave was used to place the US cannons that were fired into the indian camp.

This same hill is used today as a graveyard for members of the Lakota tribe.   They took the 25 soldiers who were killed to the Army Outpost and buried them there.

We are headed South tomorrow through the middle of Nebraska and Kansas.  Should be "interesting".  Will keep you informed!

Thanks for visiting.

Wet in Wyoming

It has been refreshing to have some rain showers.  Especially since we are landed for a couple of days in Wall, SD.  Cute little town.  Has the famous Wall Drugs that still gives free water to travelers.  Interesting story, interesting town that we plan to visit tomorrow (cannot take the dogs in the rain ya know).  Jasmine is really enjoying the cloudy day and watching all the activity in the park.

I have to say, when we got this RV I was not that thrilled to have a washer and dryer (it came with the unit we purchased).  Well, I have definitely changed my mind.  It is SO amazing to be able to do a load or two of laundry while we are hanging out at the RV.  Clean sheets are my passion (sick I know).  Remember our dogs like to snuggle under the covers early in the morning, so being able to wash them is a real bonus for me.

On the stitching front, I decided to take out all the work on Inside the Box and redo it.  I had used the wrong thread, was a thread off on the count, just a big mess.  So, I am redoing some of it.  Here is where i am right now.

Also have been working on both my Americana project and Halloween projects.  It does not feel like I have making much progress, but they are coming along.

I am really loving this piece.  I think it will be very cute in my RW&B room in Blanco.

As much as I do no enjoy backstitching, I am thinking that the hat needs it.  I don't know.  Maybe.

Tomorrow we are going to visit the Bad Lands and the city of Wall so I should have something interesting to report.

Thanks for checking out the blog.  Hope you are not too bored.

In Wyoming for a Couple of Days

Our internet connections have been a little iffy, so no post yeterday.

Not alot to share.

This was on the highway next to a truck with a "What the Hey" sign on it.???????

Tonight we are in Sundance, WY.   We visited Devil's Tower (AKA Close Encounters of the Third Kind).  It is amazing.

Then we got ribs from a place in Sundance called, Maw and Paw's Barbeque.  It was terrific.  Of course all the places here are gearing up for the big Surgis Bike rally.  It much be in a couple of weeks or so.  Crazy.

Not sure where we will be tomorrow, and have not found a stitch shop in the area, but I am not giving up yet.

I worked on Little Boxes but it is not going well.  I am not sure what to do about it.  I think it is one thread off but I am not sure where.   Because of the graphic nature of this project I am not sure I can fudge even one thread.  While I hate to rip it all out, I do not think I am going to go forward until I figure it out..  Now I am wishing I could find a needlepoint shop so I can change projects!

Thanks for visiting.

More as it happens!

Back in the USA

After a marvelous visit with my cousins we made it back to Great Falls Montana today.   Already miss the milder weather.

You know, it is amazing that when you cross from Canada into the US the difference in the terrain is amazing.  Canada looks green, productive and well kept; the US looks brown, fallow and mis-handled.  Wonder how the weather knows where the border is?

I realized that I do not have everything I need for the other needlepoint project I brought (what WAS I thinking) so I am just going to do the portions that I can with what I have.  I put in an order at Nordic Needle that should be waiting for me when I get back home.  Too bad we are not going to Fargo, ND while we are up here!

The project is Inside the Box by Freda's Fancy Stitches.  It is only 10x10 and should not take too long.

I promised to post my hauls from the two shops I have visited so far during this trip, so I will do that. I ordered all the threads for these projects as well.

There are the fabrics I got for Christmas projects and finishing while we are in Colorado Springs.

These are fabrics I got from Traditional Stitches outside of Calgary.  There were so many fantastic fabrics at that shop it was just amazing.  The white and blue are both opalescent.  The other two fabrics are for specific projects that I have planned.  Janice was kind enough to help me figure out the size fabric needed for the Sing a Sampler that I plan to do next  year.  It comes in several parts and I just could not figure it out (it is the Belfast Linen in Sand).  The other fabric is the Belfast lLinen in Vintage Lentil for the Canada project.

 And these are the patterns and kits I got while I was there.  I am going to try a couple of samplers and cannot wait to get them started.   I have been coveting the Glendon Place Christmas project (bottom left) so picked it up while I was there.

Jeanette Douglas is a resident of Calgary Canada so I picked up her latest design (on the far right) that I plan to do for my wonderful Cousin.  I discovered as I was reviewing the information that it was specifically designed to honor Canada's 150 year celebration in 2017.  How perfect is that?!

Not sure what the rest of the trip will hold so I will keep you informed as we go along.

Thanks for visiting and thanks for all the wonderful emails and comments.

Into Canada

Jasmine enjoyed the sunshine in Coumbia Falls, MT

We made it across the border with no incidents...not that we expected any, but you never know.  We are actually in Okotos on the Sheep River.  It is really nice, operated by the Lions Club.

It is so beautiful here.  The fields are bright yellow.  I learned later that it is rapeseed (canola).  We are going into Calgary to check it out and to a visit a cousin who lives here.

I finished Lilca Time, the Laura J. Perin project.  Although it has some flaws I am pretty happy with it.  After seeing the photo I did a little work on the leaves and added some more lilac color to the center lilac.  Looks a little better I think.  I still think the center leaves need work.

Here is  close up of the corner detail.  The Ribbon Floss is so beautiful.

I also finished Blue Heron by Imaginating.  Will frame this when I get back to Blanco and hang it in the guest bathroom.

My wonderful husband took me all the way out of Calgary about 40 minutes to visit "Traditional Stitches".  OMG!  What a wonderful shop.  The lovely lady, Janice, was so helpful and amazing, she has her work hanging all around and it is just exquisite.  I got lots of goodies!  (I will post them later when we are on the boring part of our trip headed back through Texas) I have never been a person who does samplers, but I gotta tell ya her work is amazing and gave me a new appreciation for them...I may even do one.  With the US dollar so strong here I was able to pick up a few things at a good price.

We had a fantastic visit with my Calgary Cousin Kati.  Had dinner at a wonderful place called The Keg.  Terrific food and lovely atmosphere.

Today we will be exploring Okotos and visiting again with Cousin Kati here at the campground this evening.

I will start a new needlepoint project when we leave here head back to the States.  I am looking forward to getting it set up and ready.

That is it for today...

Thanks so much for visiting and sharing our trip.

More Montana

We are in Columbie Falls, MT just outside of Glacier Park and near  Flathead lake.  It is very "Piney".   Lots of forest.  We met up with some dear friends for a few days so not much stitching happening.  More sight seeing, eating and visiting than anything else.

Spent the day in Big Fork and on Flathead lake.  Really, really beautiful.  This is the view from our friends house.  Can you imagine!  The lake is as blue as the sky.  Amazing.

This is on the way back to the RV park from Big Fork.

Now that we are stationary for a few days, here is the progress on the Laura J. Perin, Lilac Time Needlepoint that I work on while we drive.  Will get back to it when we leave here later in the week.
I hope to finish on the way to Canada.  Just have to finish the final border and then the large lilac in the center.  Should not take too long.

Still working on the Blue Heron project.  I will post it once it is finished which should be in the next day or two.

Thanks for visiting.

Land of the Big Sky

Montana is certainly beautiful.  The air is so clean and it is chilly.  Especially at night.  Speaking of night, it stays light until almost 10 pm.  I am exhausted waiting for it to get dark so I can go to bed!

 For some reason the photos do not show how blue the sky really is.

We are in some little place outside of Butte settled for a couple of days.  There is a driving range close by so RNL is going to practice while I watch the NASCAR race.

I am concentrating on the Blue Heron piece for a couple of days hoping to get it finished.  It is going pretty slowly for some reason but the largest part of the bird is almost done.

That is all the excitement for the day.  We are meeting up with friends outside of Kallispell, MT tomorrow for a few days so we are on the road tomorrow morning.

Thanks for visiting.

Made it to Montana

Tonight we are in Garryowen, Montana.  It is the "home" of the Custer Museum which sits on the site of Sitting Bull's camp site.  Interesting.

Garry Owen is the name of an Irish song that was supposedly the "theme song" of the 7th Calvalry.  There is really no town, just the museum and the RV park where we are staying.  Kind of funny, we looked for it on the wrong side of the highway.......hit a dead end and had to unhook the car to get the RV turned around.  It was kinda funny to me.....not so much to my traveling companion.   Also kind of funny to me is that this RV park is on a dirt road................kind of dusty, but it is really nice.  On the top of hill overlooking a nice valley.  All is well as we are settled and enjoying the incredible view.

We are due a storm (small storm) tonight and it is really nice watching it come in as the sun sets.


Stitching Progress:

Made good progress on Lilac Time, the Laura J. Perin piece I do while we are driving.  I am enjoying it a lot.   I really like the fibers that are used. #5 DMC us nice to work with and I  like the metallic ribbon that is used.  It is alot of fun even if it is alot of counting.

Last night I worked on Wicked is as Wicked Does by Waxing Moon.  I got the witch's hat done which was my goal for last night.

We are off to the Butte area tomorrow.  It will be a long travel day so we will be up and out early.

Thanks so much for visiting.  

Onward to Wyoming

Spent yesterday sight seeing in the Colorado Springs area.  Went through the Garden of the Gods, to the Cliff Dwellings and to Manitou Springs.    It is really beautiful here at the base of Pike's Peak.  The weather is mild.

Also visited Ruth's Stitchery in Colorado Springs.  It is a really great shop.  I was so overwhelmed I did not buy anything to speak of.  They have so much there it is hard to imagine what I need or want.  I did get some notions type things and some fabric pieces for finishing.  It is mainly a quilt store now, but they ladies in there were so nice.  I met a lady there who told me about the Woodlawn, Virginia stitching something or another.  She has won things there.  I have never heard of it, but I think it is a big deal.  Anyway, I probably should have asked her name.  I did ask for an autograph but she ignored me.

Tonight we are in Glendo, Wyoming.  I had never been to Wyoming.  I think if you wanted to disappear, this would be the place.  Everyone is talking about the heat!  HA.  It is 80 degrees.  We are loving it but we are the only people sitting outside.    We did not stop in Cheyenne so I missed a shop there, but I have found actual shops so intimidating that I am not upset about it.   Have been making ok progress on the needlepoint project, but not much progress on anything else as the evenings are filled with dog walking, fixing supper and cleaning.  Ahh the RV life.

Tomorrow we are headed to Montana.  I hope I will have something to post.



Thanks for visiting..........and for sharing the trip.

Rocky Mountain State

We are now in Colorado Springs for a couple of nights.  We plan to do some sight seeing and, of course, find a needle shop or two for a visit.    The trip has been wonderfully uneventful.  Once we got out of Texas the weather cooled off a little bit.  I am hope for some cool nights so we can sit out... speaking of which......

No sitting out tonight as it is really windy and dusty.

I gave both the dogs Benadryl for the climb since both have had problems with altitude changes in the past.  They both did well, no head shaking or whining....until it got close to dinner time of course and they are not good at time changes!

Now to the important stuff.


I gave the Canadian Flag project the college try.  I just could not get the hang of counting it correctly so it is shelved for the trip.  I think, perhaps, I need to mark the lines on the pattern so I can count correctly.  I will do the project, but not this trip.  It was a litte more work that I want to do while I am traveling.


Here is my progress so far:

Lilac Time, Laura J. Perin Needlepoint

The photo is not great, but it is kind of overcast at the moment.  Now, you would not think that those lattice portions on the four sides would not be that hard.  As usual, I nearly wore the thread out getting it right and there is one part that is off just a little.  I am leaving it!  I have to remind myself constantly to count THREADS not HOLES.

Wicked is as Wicked Does, Waxing Moon Designs

This is a new start since I got frustrated with the Canadian Flag piece.  It is on 32 county Linen in Copper Penny.  I really like the fabric and hope this turns out well.  I will probably move it to a Qsnap (the one the flag was on) to finish it.

I am still trying to figure out why comments are not showing up on the blog and I cannot find a way to answer them.  Please do not think you are being ignored.  I can read them, I simply cannot answer them.

That is it for today.  Thank you so much for visiting.  I appreciate all your kind words and hope you are not too bored!

Beginning our Travels and Beginning a Project

We are in San Angelo, Texas for tonight.  There is some kind of update to our RV that needs to be done and the place to do it is here.  They open at 7am so we will be up early.


I have mostly brought straight DMC projects of various sizes and subjects.  I also have prepared a couple of needlepoint projects to do while we are driving along.

Lilac Time,  Laura J. Perin Needlepoint

I got a fair start on this one today.

These are the projects I will work on during the trip.  I will post progress as it happens; this is where these are at the present time.  That way you do not have to go backwards on the blog.

Knot Garden, Chatelaine
  I would really like to finish the DMC potion of this project during this trip.  We will see.

Books Reading Books, Heaven and Earth Designs
  I would like to get a couple of pages (or perhaps just one) done during the trip.

Blue Heron, Imaginating
  I should be able to finish this if I really give it some attention.  There is very little back stitching (Hurray) and it is not a full coverage piece.

Great Blue Heron, Crossed Wing Collection
  I am not sure why I included this one.  I have barely started it.  This project is also not full coverage so who knows, maybe it will go quickly.

Starburst Flag of Canada, Cherry Lane Designs
Am doing this for my cousin we are headed to visit in Calgary, Canada.  I hope it goes quickly.  I am a little nervous about it since it is specialty stitches and I am afraid I am not going to be able to count it accurately.  I will give it a whirl, but I already feel overwhelmed by it and I have only put in a few grid lines.

Mini Mandala 05, Chatelaine
  I threw this one in at the last minute because I decided I could not go a month without doing a Chatelaine.  Am I loosing it or what.

Also taking along my Americana small projects and my Halloween small projects.  Why?  Because I have completely lost my mind!

I am sure I am being overly ambitious.  If I only took one or two projects perhaps I could actually have finishes!  Not sure why I feel compelled to take so many.

Tomorrow we are headed to Amarillo.  It always takes at least 2 days to get out of Texas ya know.  I should have some great progress on the Needlepoint project, and who knows what I will work on this evening.

Thank you for visiting.

Oh, There is some magic thing about comments and being able to contact me.  I messed with the settings (Google + and whatever else I ran across) so hopefully all will be well.  I do enjoy your comments (well, most of them anyway) so feel free and I will attempt to respond to them all.

A Fourth of July Finish

I was able to complete this Lizzie Kate project over the weekend of the 4th.

I would like to say I am getting better at finishing, but I still need alot of practice.  I have been encouraged and entertained  by many of the videos on Tube showing finishing techniques.  I will get better at it I hope.

All in all, I am happy with the project  It was a kit so all the finishing materials (other than the batting) was included.  The instructions were clear and easy to follow.

I have a version of a Red White and Blue Room so that is where this will live for now.

Thanks for the visit

July Starts with a Bang

I really got in the Americana mood from watching some floss tube videos.  I realized I do not have anything in this subject, so what did I do......went to 123 Stitch and went crazy

This is Red White and Blue by Lizzie Kate (not sure I will make it as the kid comes, but we will see.
Freedome House by Little House Needleworks
All Dolled Up (I call it Liberty) by Little House Needleworks

I have also changed the way I keep my projects like this (smallish) organized.  Rather than have one entire 7 compartment box  and a separate bag for them, I decided to put them all in one 10x13 mesh bags (I love the ones with the zipper) and label it "Americana".  Many of the projects for seasons use the same threads so that should make things a little easier.

I also made one for my Halloween projects and will make one for Christmas Projects.

Although it is taking me away from Old World Vinery, I am needing a diversion from that huge project.

That is it for the beginning of July.  I am sure I will have some finishes to post before too long and a travel update as well.

thanks for visiting.

End of June Progress

Am getting mentally ready to take our RV trip up North. I will not take my large Chatelaine projects (Gardens of London and Old World Vinery) with me because they are a little cumbersome and they cannot be laundered once they are finished.  I am a little bummed to go that long without making progress on them.  I wanted to get the center portion done before we left so concentrating on it this month has made the difference.  Whew.

I needed a change of pace so I did this little small Halloween project.  It is "Be a Witch" by  Shepherd's Bush.  I substituted all the colors.  I called for Weeks Dye Works and I did not have even one of the recommended colors, so I subbed them out with colors I did have.  It is small and only took several hours.   I am not sure how I will finish it but I saw a tutorial for something called a "flat fold" that I may try.  It did not look too complicated and did not look like it took alot of sewing ability.

 I may not add the buttons that were included with the pattern.  Depends on what finish I decide to do and if I decide I like it well enough to add the embellishments.

I kitted up another Halloween project just in case I feel inspired before Halloween.  I also ordered a couple of Patriotic themed projects since I realized that I did not have anything for the 4th of July.  They have been shipped but I am sure will not arrive before the holiday.

That is it for the end of June.