One Foot in Front of the Other

Well, I figured it out and now know for certain that hiking is all about one foot following the other. I can hike far, up, down and all around if I don't psych myself out and think that what I am about to do isn't possible. Take this past weekend for example. I celebrated my last 50th birtday with Bill by hiking up the highest mountain in the Lake Tahoe basin, Mt. Tallac. It was hard work, and near the end, I was ready to unroll my sleeping bag and sleep along the trailside. We did 14 miles on Sunday so that meant much of Monday was spent massaging our calves and resting. That didn't matter at all because the feeling of accomplishment and the delight in viewing ten lakes from the pinnacles of Tallac were well worth what ever pain I inflicted upon myself. So, if you were wondering if we are still in training, the answer is yes, most definitely!!

This Saturday, Sept. 8 we hare hiking up to Marlette Lake, a spectacular hike on a trail about one year old. So it's hiking every weekend for October will be here before long.

Dylan's Unquilt

Dylan graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno with a degree in biochemistry in four years. What a great job he did and with honors too!! I wanted to make him a quilt but he said that he would want one that looked like I didn't know what I was doing. Now what is this about???!!!%$@?? He didn't want sharp points, flying geese, nine patch squares or anything that resembled a traditional quilt. I was up for the challenge and welcomed it with some help from Rachael. Together we explored fabric and came up with some "manly" colors that might appeal to Dylan. Armed with a rotary cutter and a 20" square ruler I began hacking up fabric and sewing it back together in a "devil may care less" manner. The quilt measures 60 x 80 inches and has no border. To quilt it I did wavy lines in the squares.....simple was the key to this quilt. I even put the binding on with a zig zag stitch to keep the quilt from becoming too "quilty looking." The result is an unquilt that delighted Dylan and one that he actually took with him when he moved to Portland. So, I did it! And the best thing about it is that I may actually try it again some day.

Sister's Quilting Retreat

Getting together with sisters can be fun but even more so when it involves quilting. My little sister Jackie traveled to Nevada with two sewing machines, three unfinished quilts, and boxes of sewing supplies. The marathon weekend began when she arrived on Friday night...late. We were up early the next morning and the machines were humming. I worked on Shayna's graduation quilt and Jackie quilted the quilt that Shayna made for her in her Young Womens Group at her church. Jackie was so intent on her quilting that she managed to quilt her scissors on to the backside of her project. What a laugh we had over that one. We even managed to make a visit to Ft. Churchill where Rachael and her family were camping with friends and we celebrated Jackie's Birthday. By the end of the weekend we did plenty of sewing, lots of reminiscing and snacking.

Grand Canyon or Bust

Randy and Dawn overlooking Reno on Jones-White Creek Trail
We are planning a trek to the Grand Canyon in October 2007 with Aunt Jackie in celebration of her 70th birthday (which was actually last year but planning this trip takes time). Jackie trekked the Grand Canyon with her mother Louise when she turned 70 and the trip ended up in a helicopter flight out of the canyon. Jackie has a different approach to the trip and plans to hike it, not once but three times within a two week period! If that sounds unbelievable, it is but I think she is serious.

We are on trek two and our group consists of Debbie, Randy, Holly, Mike, Ross and Michelle, Aunt Jackie, Bill and me...nine total. We plan to spend the first night on the rim of the canyon, hike to the Canyon floor, spend two nights, hike out and spend the final night on the rim.

TrainingWe are in serious training which involves lots of seriously good hiking food, of which chocolate is a staple as it is also used for medicinal purposes. Today we did the Jones-White Creek Trail again and still have yet to get it right. Somehow we ended up on Timberline Road amidst million dollar homes, looking for the hiking trail. Thanks to Derek, we hitched a ride back up the mountain to Galena Park. Now how we managed to do that is puzzling but the chocolate was good, for sure.

The next hike will most likely be from the Mt. Rose summit down to Davis Creek...if we can figure out how to stay on the trail. We did this hike about 15 years ago and there were too many people in charge, each planning a different course. We'll see how much wiser we have become in the past 15 years.

Meanwhile, I keep walking most days and keeping track of my miles on the pedometer. We want to be in shape and the time is drawing near. Today Bill and I hiked along the Carson River in Ft. Churchill. We brought Bailey with us, a good reason for dogs to stay at home. It was a hot hike and Bailey was too hot, constantly seeking a cool down in the trickle of river water. So...we spent time looking for her, being hot and eager to return home. There are so many more hikes to do and living near the Sierra Nevadas provides many different opportunities. We are so blessed. I'll keep you posted of our progress. Look out Grand Canyon for here we come!

Randy the Queen of Quilts

I guess this blog would not be complete without a posting about my dear friend and quilting buddy, Randy. Randy is older than I am. She is also talented in a multitude of ways. Her quilting is exquisite in design and craftsmanship. She is an avid reader and loves a good mystery novel. Her favorite food is popcorn(note the story about Palomitas for Dagan below) and over the years she perfected eating popcorn without getting any butter on her hands. She uses a cup and catches the popcorn kernals with her tongue. Now if that doesn't show talent, I don't know what does. Randy does all things domestic except cook, that she leaves to her husband of 40 years, David. Randy is beautiful and enjoys creating beauty around her.

Twinkle Stars for Noah

Noah Domingo was born January 8, 2007 in Reno, Nevada. My daughter, Cheyenne selected the border fabric to use in his quilt. I admit I was challenged because the fabric had lots of pink and Chey and Larry expected a little boy. Well, we got it done and now little Noah has his own quilt from Nana, "Twinkle Stars for Noah".

I plan to send this photo to Quick Quilts since the pattern is one they published in their magazine. Who knows, maybe Noah will get his first photo shoot in a quilting magazine. Now I can't imagine anything more exciting than that!

Noah is such a sweet little baby. He watches everyone with his dark brown eyes and doesn't miss a thing. Chey and Larry are so good with him and manage to work full time jobs and take good care of Noah at the same time. We are truly blessed by our children and grandchildren.

Palomitas for Dagan

Here is the quilt I made for my grandson, Dagan Donosti. The quilt is titled "Palomitas for Dagan." The morning Dagan was born, January 18, I emailed my quilting buddy, Randy and she thought his name was "Dragon." She did a double-take and then searched the meaning of his name. The name Dagan is Hebrew and means a grain of corn. At that moment she declared that Dagan would have a fire sign, the dragon, and that his favorite food would be, of course, popcorn. Hence the quilt was titled.

Dagan is a precious little baby, so curious and energetic. I just returned from a week with his family and enjoyed playing with him so much. It is delightful to see what wonderful parents Kyna and Scott are to their little son. So, since I'm not in Seattle to wrap my arms around him, I'm glad the quilt is there to give him some Nana comfort.