A Few Shots

This is my post for Soma's Wandering Camera Linky for August.  Like the bugs and flimsy clouds in this post, I am flitting in and out of QBL this summer, but I have been getting a fair bit accomplished in the sewing department.  EEEK!  Dayna's quilt has almost fully metamorphosed from flimsy to quilt!

Rocco and I are walking 1 km, sometimes slightly more, this past couple of weeks. He is SO happy, although he does turn into a bit of a grump when we turn around (much too soon in his opinion).  This is this morning at the beach as you enter Lakeside Park from the east:

A few gaggles of geese! Easily 40, and six sailboats.

Last night it was an incredible sultry evening, the kind I just love, so I went for a walk about 8:30.  On my way back home, I came upon this stunning scene in Lakeside Park:

Nature and her glories NEVER fail to soothe my soul and put things in perspective:  I'm pretty minuscule, me and my issues and my celebrations.

This next one is a woe and a celebration.  Naala alerted me to the presence of a bug in our bedroom a few weeks ago when MacGyver was in Alberta. She was doing her job, protecting the sanctuary since the boss was away.  I saw a bug that I have never seen before, a good 3/4"-1" in length, and quick grabbed a shoe and smacked it.  I gasped when I saw its most incredible lettuce-green blood.  I got it onto a piece of toilet paper and went into the ensuite to toss it into the garbage.  The light wasn't on.  Why does that matter, you think.  Well, this is what I saw in the garbage when I dropped it:

Its blood GLOWED (bioluminescence - I looked it up)!  That's when I knew I'd killed a firefly.  :-( We have lots because of the small group of trees and bush behind our patio, and I just love watching them sparkle and wink at dusk, so magical, so ethereal.  I felt very sad that I had lashed out first without trying to simply get the bug into the tissue and set him or her free outside...  hmmm, there's a life lesson there isn't there.

Looking up the other day at the incredible blue sky, I saw this sight, another I have never before seen:  cotton candy-coloured clouds!  Look at the ones below the top white gauze one.  They shimmered and changed colours, much like the Aurora Borealis (which sadly we don't get to see now I live so far south in Canada). I think it was the humidity in the air, and the reflection off the waters of Lake Erie perhaps? These iridescent rose and turquoise ones took my breath away.

Attentive doggies:

Oh how they love getting their Kong biscuit/peanut butter treats!

One final collage:
Clockwise: another hydrangea from our bush, flanked by two Pee Gee ones from our small trees.  The pink ones last and last and last.  At first I was horrified to see this dead, huge 'cricket' on our front step.  MacGyver said he did not believe it was a cricket...I finally got up the nerve to gently nudge it over with a shoe and saw the pincers or mandibles...I knew this was no cricket.  So I texted Julie of Pink Doxies to see if she knew what it was (she knows a LOT about the flora and fauna around this area) and immediately got a response: "A stag beetle, quite rare! Save it for Brady!" which I have done. I'm not as much a fan of it as I am of cicadas, but it is rather fascinating, and very large as you can see.  Here's an interesting article I found on these beneficial insects. On to warmer and fuzzier bodies...Belly pics of Bella, sunbathing early this morning in the sunlight streaming through the open full-screen front door, and last Friday, Rocco having a wonderful back itch on one of our walks.

I'll also be linking up with Sew Fresh Quilts

Now back to the cool basement to churn out Dayna's quilt!

OMG and Wandering Camera

It's been crickets here for the past week in the sewing department, buzzing bees in the packing, unpacking, organizing department as we made the trek north, and then slugs as we lay about on couches, beds or chairs, suffering and trying to recover from a very bad bug that gave us coughs/aches/general lethargy.

Here are a few shots that show what a difference 1000 miles and a few days can make.  All are taken with my iPhone 6, some at the speed of 75 mph down an interstate, so quality and technical finessing were not always possible!

Clockwise from top left:
1. Bougainvillea - a captivating display on both sides of the entrance to this area of North Port, FL
2, 3 and 4. Wisteria (I think) in and around Atlanta, Georgia - jaw-dropping stunning displays

None of those shots capture the grandeur of these displays.

5.  Apple(?) tree in northern Georgia
6 and 7.  Dogwood - Tennessee  These are frothy, wild hits of soft pastel pinks that lean to lavender, and large starlet white blossoms that make my heart ache with their beauty through two states, Tennessee and Kentucky, and a bit in southern Ohio.  Ache because of their beauty, ache because they are in peril from anthracnose fungus.

 8 and 9.  Sunrise - Kentucky
10.  Bella keeping me warm and purring me healing vibes.

Made homemade tomato soup (recipe at end of post) yesterday which also helped with feeling better and warmer.  Anyone in North America knows how the northeast is fuh-REEZING our butts off this week in way below normal temperatures, while the west is enjoying way above average temps.  I rallied enough this morning to take Rocco for a walk through Lakeside Park.

11.  The contrast between the white birch and the brown, rain-dyed willow(?) struck me.  The interesting thing is that the two herons mirror this contrast.  You can easily see the white one, but do you notice the grey one in flight just above her?  That made me smile.
12.  The "magic" 100-year-old stone bridge that I love with a massive cottonwood.  Muddy waters of swollen Mill Creek from all the rain.
13.  Nearly captured the ducks, all six burst into flight (fleeing under the bridge!) but what I was trying to capture was the English feel to the park this morning.
14.  No clue what these delicate blooms are, about 6-8" tall. Love the droplets of rain on them.

OMG for April

I haven't written up my Q2 FAL goals post yet, but I do have one OMG and that is to get the Blue Skies quilt finished.  I plan to make this the first one for sale in my yet-to-be-opened (need to get on that) Etsy store.   I think it will be a good one to load first and get back the feel of quilting on Avril. 

Made with Kona snow and 2.5" strips cut from a 10-yard bundle I got on sale from Craftsy

Linking up with
Red Letter Quilts
Wandering Camera

Weekend Sale!
Craftsy is running another clearance sale on kits and supplies all weekend.  Look for deals discounted at least 40% off, some terrific savings to be had.  There are 1-yard bundles like I bought, 1/2 yard bundles, and fat quarter bundles, any of which would lend themselves to making a quilt like mine.  I do get a commission if you purchase through the links on my blog.  Thanks so much!

Nearly forgot!  Here is the recipe for the delicious and super-easy Tomato Soup.
Thanks Jenny of Romany Quilting in New Zealand, who told me she got it from Alison Holst, aka Saint Holst, a well-known New Zealand TV chef.  Love how her recipe got made here in Canada.  Her Muffy and my Bella, outside of slight size differences, could be sisters!!

3 lbs ripe tomatoes, skinned (I used 1.5 cans of diced no salt added tomatoes, ~1200mL)
2-3 slices brown bread, broken in small pieces
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp each dried basil and dried oregano (could add more if you wish)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
chopped parsley (optional)

Put all ingredients into large soup pot or pan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and cook slowly until soft and mushy.  Adding the bread helps to thicken the soup as it cooks.

Then blitz with a handheld wand.

Serve and enjoy or ladle into containers and freeze.

Jenny says she usually skins the tomatoes one day, chops them up and put them in the fridge overnight so they are ready to use the next day.  Being sick, I was not going out to the store to buy tomatoes and do the skinning prep, so I tried the canned ones, and they worked fine.  Enjoy!

New Bloggers Blog Hop 2016
One last thing!  I was a part of this fabulous group in 2015.  I met so many many terrific bloggers in QBL (Quilting Blog Land), and my blog and yes, not to be over-dramatic, but my life has improved as a result.  If you have a blog that is under 2 years old, then head over and sign up; I promise you will not regret it.  The three wonderful hosts will share a wealth of knowledge and expertise with you.  Gratis.  Click the picture or click here and you will be taken to the sign-up page.  Sign-ups are open through April.