So, yeah. It's been a month, hasn't it. Truth be told, a little OVER a month. Did you miss us? Wonder what we've been doing? Wonder why you hadn't heard from us? OK, so, here's a little secret for ya....we have been B.U.S.Y! Plus, I've heard from OneWhoKnowsThings, Blogger has changed its methods and processes and it's gotten way complicated.So there may have been was some quite a bit of procrastination taking place. Thankfully, though, once I screwed up enough courage to sit down and look, I found I am still operating under the old format, and I hope it stays that way, as it's familiar, and this old dog really doesn't want to learn a new format. At least, not tonight. So, here we are..go grab your favorite beverage and hold on, the road gets bumpy!
First up, we have our first frosty beverage in this camper. Only took a year, but we finally got around to it. Actually, we had groceries to stow, and there is too much liquor (didn't know it was possible, but, apparently....) in the pantry, so I was trying to empty the bottles so I could make room for canned goods. Didn't work. Only thing I actually disposed of was one can of frozen daiquiri concentrate. But, oh my, they were YUMMY! Maybe those happy hour peeps were on to something, and we're just late to the game?
So, what's been keeping us so very busy all these weeks? Well, you know I'd run out of fabric and elastic long time ago, and we weren't going out to get any, besides, the only place available (other than online $$$$) was Walmart, and their fabric is similar to cheesecloth, on top of them not having any...BUT, I was able to join a local group I found via Facebook. Somehow, they had fabric and elastic and they needed crafters to sew up face masks for local distribution. Boy, did they have fabric. There were at least 10 or 15 ladies sewing, and by the time I finished up one batch of kits, there was another waiting for pickup and sewing. Some nights, we'd go pick up as late as 12:30 am, in order to get them out of the mailbox prior to the mail carrier's arrival at 9 or 10 am the next day.
Some of the fabric was really pretty. I thought this would make a nice sundress, but, alas, there was only the one yard, so, not enough, after all those brownies and cookies. Besides, this was either donated or purchased for a very specific reason (masks) and I'd be willing to bet they wouldn't be happy with me if I absconded with their fabric.
One night, as I folded up my footrest, we heard a CLUNK, and we found a bolt on the floor, under my chair. Hmmmmm....whatever could that mean? Yup, it meant exactly what you'd think....a bolt had come out of my footrest. And, while we were at it, maybe we could even up the side panels? See, one of them was much lower than the other, and for OCD me, it was annoying to look at. Not to mention, not entirely comfortable to sit in.
Ahhhh, there it should go. Once we got the bolt replaced, and all the others tightened up, on both chairs, we were better than new. It was all evened up, and we knew there wouldn't be any more CLUNKS in our immediate future.
The next day, I called our friend in Sarasota, yes, the one who started me on my quilting journey, and she told me that she had messed up big time. (I thought only *I* made cutting errors, but, apparently....) She had miscalculated (ha, like I never do that!!) and she was going to be short a whole block in a Quilt of Valor. And, like me, she had no way to go out and get more fabric, due to the closure of all quilt shops in the area. I suggested she take the little bit of fabric she had left, and don't cut it, but instead, embroider some sort of dedication and use it as a filler instead of the originally planned pieced block. She loved the idea, but lamented that she couldn't remember how to use her embroidery machine and her arthritis would prevent her from doing it by hand. Ahhhh, no worries, *I* have an embroidery machine, I know how to use it, and I had a couple of extra days with no sewing planned! She sent me the fabric via USPS, and while I waited for it to arrive, I was able to put together this little design:
Does that name sound familiar to you? Especially to you college football fans? Yes, you are right. THAT Urban Meyer. Apparently, he's kind of a big shot, and if you read his Wikipedia page I just linked to, you can do the math and see for yourself, if he didn't squander it all, he's worth a pretty penny. Who knows if he still has any of the millions he made coaching football for Ohio State and Florida 'Gators, and he certainly has his share (and then some) of controversy surrounding his ethics and coaching processes, but, hey, he's a veteran, so he's earned a Quilt of Valor, and I was honored to have even a small part in its creation.
And then we stumbled on a recipe for Best Ever Hamburger Buns. We'd heard flour was in short supply (why??? gonna make a paste and dry it and use it for TP or what?), but, luckily, we keep that on hand in the pantry (yes, along with bottles and bottles of liquor!). We don't need burger buns, as we hardly ever have two starches in one meal (and I generally make home fries with our burgers), but, every now and then, it's nice to have a roll with dinner, so I decided to give the recipe a try. Sorry, I have absolutely NO recollection of its source, but I do recall they came out delicious! I filed the hard copy in my folder, and if I weren't so lazy, I would get up and look, but, well, there ya go. My secret's out, and now you know just how lazy I am. Maybe next time I make 'em,I'll make a note of the source and provide it in the next blog. Maybe.
A few days later, Gail's fabrics arrived. She had sent a couple of blue and red fabric scraps along with the background piece, so I was able to match the threads pretty well. Sadly, I had the PERFECT navy blue to match, but not nearly enough to do all the lettering, so I had to settle for doing only the scrollwork at the top in the perfect blue, and all the lettering in a close-enough blue. Darned COVID, if the quilt shop down the road had been open, I surely would have gone up there to purchase a single cone of that perfect blue. I was able to match the red very well, and the gold stars, too. They actually show up much better in real life than the photo below. All in all, the block turned out really nice, and Gail was thrilled to get it back, in plenty of time for placement within the quilt. I'm pretty sure she'll be presenting the quilt sometime in June, and I hope I'll get a photo or two from the ceremony.
And then, more mask cover kits arrived. This is only part of the order...there were actually 50! These were a result of MagneShade (the people who made our solar screens and tire covers) partnering with a home-decor company to source and die-cut fabric and elastic and send kits out for FREE, yes, FREE, to anyone who would put them together and donate/distribute them. I had only asked for 25, but I mentioned that I could use some locally and I would send the rest back to NC, so they doubled the order to 50. And, I have no photos, but I also ended up with about 4 more batches of fabric from my Rockport group, so I sewed and sewed and sewed. But, that's ok, 'cuz I knew my dear friends and family were getting covered, so it was well worth my time and effort.
After I sewed up the last of the Magne-Shade kits, there were two final batches for the Rockport group (she talked me into one more, then included a second batch in the kit! No pressure, she says, HA! That's OK, she sewed two batches to match mine, 'cuz she felt guilty...) Anyway, I pushed and got them done in just a couple of days, and we had a free day to go back out to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, winter home of the whooping cranes, you'll recall. It was weird, going past the Visitor Center without stopping to check in. Driver has the Golden Age Pass, so we never have to pay to enter parks like this, but we always do a courtesy check in, as requested, and we usually make some small purchase, like a few postcards or some other useless trinket. Not this time....this time, we just drove right on by. Thank you COVID-19, the office and gift shop were both closed up, tighter than drums. It was really hot, and we had our pup with us, so we didn't stop to see if the alligator was out. Instead, we drove straight on down to the observation decks and beach area. Remember, I'm not fond of heights, so, of course, I did NOT go up the boardwalk.
Good thing we weren't planning to fish, either.
Ummmmm....but we HAD planned to sit on the beach a bit and sun. HA. Apparently, we forgot to check the tides. It's ALWAYS a wide sandy beach here, but....not today!
Driver was contemplating going down and wading in the calm waters...
Looking south....
and North...
And then behind me....Poor pup. It was hot, especially if you were wearing a fur coat.
Turns out, we were among maybe 12 people that were in the Refuge that day, and at least 7 were construction workers, leveling the site for the new Visitors' Center. We only saw one other group (of 5), the entire time we were in the Refuge and the lack of traffic apparently has the animals reverting back to normal animal behaviors. Along with these two deer, we saw LOTS more deer, a fox, a racoon, 3 dolphins playing out in the bay, a Snowy Egret, pelicans, and a javelina. Definitely a banner day for wildlife watching!
When we got back to camp, we had just enough time to give Bailey a much-needed bath.
Of course, she recovered when the sardines and crackers came out...
Mmmmmhmmmm, cheese for me too, please Dad...
And the next day, of course, more masks to sew and deliver.
After we had dropped the masks in the leader's mailbox, we cruised on up to take a last look at the harbor. The waves were crashing wildly and the wind was whipping! Good thing it was a hot day, 'cuz if it had been a cold day, I wouldn't have been outside filming, that's fer sure. On such a hot day, the sea spray actually felt refreshing.
This is one last look at Fulton Mansion, which sustained MAJOR damage from 2017's Hurricane Harvey, and on March 10th finally reopened to tourists. Because of COVID-19, we were unable to tour it this year, as were hundreds of others. Bummer. It's been a long time since we've been in it, and I was hoping to refresh my memory. From what I recall, the Fulton's were the first family in the area to enjoy indoor plumbing and heating. I know just how much my dishwasher and washer/dryer and potty mean to me, so I can relate!
Somewhere in all that time, I was able to finally get my octopus embroidered. I had purchased this fabric way back in April, of last year, when we visited Gail, down in Sarasota. Yes, the same Gail for whom I sewed that Quilt of Valor dedication block. It's been in my head all this time, and I finally got it out and into stitches. I was able to purchase the hanger through an Etsy shop, and it took about 3 days for me to get back up to Ace Hardware to find Command Hooks that were suitable to hold the dowel rod and get the quilt hung up. I am so very pleased with the results. If I had to do it over again, though, I would have Newmar install a window in this wall. That would allow a bit more light (not to mention ventilation!) in the half bath. In the meantime, I'll have to be satisfied with an octopus. Eventually, I may make something else, if I get tired of the colors or seaside theme. But, for now, it's plenty good enough and makes me smile.
Ya know how shipping is, the first hanger was $7 shipping, and one more was only a dollar, so, what's a girl to do? I bought another hanger and I made another wallhanging to go up in the kitchen, next to the sink. Originally, I had seen a quilt of chili peppers, done by Barbara, of Three Cats Ranch, that I had intended to put up there. (I searched her blog, but doggone if I can find a picture hers, but I was able to find a sample done up in a quilt shop in Tucson.) But, when I showed it to Driver, he really wasn't super enthused about it, so, in keeping with the current COVID-19 theme of Stay Home, Don't Roam, I came up with this design from Embroidery Library, and sewed it up in the fabrics and colors of our two new quilts:
And then, before we could say Scat, it was moving day! After extending and extending and extending our reservation, all of a sudden, it was time to pack up and move on to our summer job, which we've been assured is still available! Of course, Bailey is ready to roll at the drop of a hat...
And we bid adieu to our favorite windmill...(and we didn't know it till later, but also adieu to flatland!)...
Along the way, we had a little discussion about which roads to take...we wanted to avoid San Antonio at lunchtime (actually, we ALWAYS want to avoid San Antonio, but especially at lunchtime!). But, remember, we are 44,000 pounds and 13 feet tall. And we wanted to fuel up before we get into the Wildlife Refuge, and hopefully, before we hit Austin. Driver doesn't mind taking the back roads rather than the Interstates, but we have to make sure they are "trucker-safe," with no low overpasses or flimsy bridges. Oh, and to add to the excitement, we had been warned of a possible tornado and/or thunder/hailstorm moving into the area right around the time we were expected to arrive. Fun city, right?
We eventually settled on a route, only to change it at the very last moment. And then I saw this bridge and thought, oh crap, we changed it wrong! It hardly looks scary in this photo, but, let me tell you, it was WAAAY higher (and longer) than it appears here. Thankfully, we went UNDER the bridge, after all, so, crisis averted. Thank you, Lord.
The airport was deserted and there were rows and rows of idle planes, obviously, COVID-19 induced.
It was nice to see decorated/decorative bridges once more....this one on the outskirts of Austin. Thankfully, no signs of the impending storm, either.
When we arrived at the Wildlife Refuge, our new boss (the Volunteer Coordinator) gave us directions over the phone on how to get to the volunteer campsites. It was dicey, to say the least. The road was steep, rocky, and in several places, washed out. The storm clouds appeared to be forming...
And there were overhanging trees around every bend...
But, when we finally got into position, what a view, eh? This is looking out our front window. We are the only campers onsite. Well, there is another camper here, but its occupant is not onsite. He lives in Dallas, but he only comes here occasionally, so we have the place pretty much all to ourselves. All 26,000 acres of it.
The storm produced baseball sized hail, but thankfully, it raged all around us, and we were treated to this sunset on our first night. Pretty darned nice, if you ask me, and the price is right. FREE! Well, free except for 24 hours a week of work. We don't yet know exactly what kind of work, but we expect it to be relatively easy and pleasant. We'll find out next week, maybe, if and when the Rangers come back to work. In the meantime, it's ours to explore.
Next up, exploring the area....till then, stay safe!
