Night Bloom

This rose in our front yard becomes magical in the twilight.
I stopped to smell.

Spotted St. Johns

In my neighbor's yard ... pretty little bits of sunshine.

Leaves of Grass

Now, at late summer, the changes begin. The pines lose their cones.

Grass stubble browns.

The illusive blade grows tall and wild, dancing on a wisp.

On the Sunny Side

For the first time, I planted some sunflowers this year. I wanted to bring some color into a part of the yard that gets a lot of shade.

It was a treat to watch the buds form and bulge.

The leaves at the base of the plants wilted the taller the flowers grew.

Then the flowers began to unfurl

and turned their faces to the east.

A new habitat for our 6-legged friends.

Well Done, Grasshopper

Dale and I borrowed the truck from our daughter Jeanne so we could pick up a piece of furniture in Spokane Valley. On the drive home, look who crawled out onto the hood of the vehicle?

I was able to capture him with my phone's camera before he hopped into a gust of wind.

Kaylee's Afghan

It's baby afghan season at my house. I crocheted this one for my niece, Tonya, who is expecting her first child, Kaylee, in October.

The stitch is called a Granny Stripe. It's formed much like a traditional granny square ... but without corners.

I finished off the edge with some single and double crochet, and a little scallop stitch.

I was invited to Tonya's baby shower in Lewiston, Idaho. So I had a very nice ride south. This time of year, the wheat harvest is coming in and the hills of the Palouse are magical. I had lunch with daughter Julie and her boyfriend Jeff in Moscow. Then I drove another hour south to Lewiston. (It took an hour instead of 45 min because I got lost ... hey, it's been 31 years since I graduated from college there!)

The biggest surprise was that Tonya's little sister was visiting! I haven't seen Emily since she was four years old. Now she's a sweet young lady of 11.

On the way home, a deer crossed the road in front of me, the Palouse pulled out all the stops and was gorgeous in the twilight, and I rolled into Post Falls as the full moon rose over the Spokane River.

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I was inspired by an afghan I saw by Arctic Strawberries on Pinterest:

Huckleberry Season!

My brother and his family spent some time in Montana and had a chance to pick some huckleberries. When he visited me the next day, he gave me a bag full.

Yum!

Last night, huckleberry pancakes for dinner.
Tonight, huckleberry cheesecake for dessert!

For those interested, I simply used a Jello No Bake Cheesecake.
Then I made a glaze with:
- one and a half cups of huckleberries
- 1/6 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 cup sugar
- a squirt of lemon juice

Once the glaze was cool and set, I added another 1/2 cup of uncooked huckleberries to the glaze, spread it on top of the cheesecake, and let the whole thing chill.

Checkerboard Giraffes

Time for another UFO finish! I stitched this giraffe pair in 2001. I decided it's time to get them on the wall. The pattern is from 1998 and designed by Pat Theode of Noah & Company.

My daughter Jeanne gave me this high-gloss black frame. It's fairly ornate, but is the right size and color and I like the juxtaposition of the ornate frame with the simple design. Why not, right? I edged the stitchery with a green cotton print. Then I used a gold ribbon as an accent. I try to frame all my giraffe pieces with some black and gold.

The giraffes are stitched on 25ct. Mushroom Lugana and stitched with DMC floss. I like the little heart button accent and their little braided tails that swing freely. 

This afternoon they joined the rest of the herd in my gallery.

A Few More Crocus

Culling my stash of flower photos, I came upon this beauty.

A Few More Roses

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As Roses Fade

Anniversary Roses

For our 23rd wedding anniversary in April, Dale bought me a dozen white roses.

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An Afghan for Sophia

Peek-a-boo!

I see you!

Look at you ... all dressed up in purple.

I can't wait to play this game with my grand-niece, Sophia. She is due to arrive in July. So I made her an afghan.

"Sophia" means "wisdom." The color associated with wisdom is purple. Sophia will have a little granny square gingham goin' on!

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This afghan was inspired by an image I found on Pinterest,
pinned from The Examiner.

Pet the Alpacas

My daughter Jodie and I met in Hood River, Oregon over Mother's Day weekend. Along with a massage, a walk along the Columbia River watching the sailboards, some geocaching, and glass blowing, we also went out to an alpaca farm. And "out" it was. We thought we might be lost, but no. The farm was just around a lot of bends and through some hills and past the fruit farms. But what a treat! The countryside is just gorgeous.

Click for a larger image

Plus, who could resist these faces?

The alpacas ate out of our hands.

The Foothills Yarn & Fiber shop was nicely stocked and quite sweet. Weavers and spinners would love it as they carry wheels and looms. Jodie and I are more into crochet, so we had fun petting the yarn.

Post card from the shop

I bought a few secret treats for my daughters (they'll get them next Christmas) and this beautifully dyed skein for about $20. The wool came from one of the animals just outside the door.

Also outside the door? The shop dog. We literally had to step over him to get in the shop.

Skitter Critter

While Jodie and I were geocaching during Mother's Day weekend, we found this little guy sunning himself in the briar patch near ground zero.

Stonehenge

Story by guest blogger Jodie Davaz

Mom and I can't help but to have fun in each other's company.
Sometimes that means getting sidetracked on a road trip.

Usually this manifests in a quick stop for a geocache at a scenic overlook.
This time we got a blast of gorgeous scenery -- and a piece of history.

The Maryhill Stonehenge monument, erected in 1929 as a memorial to local fallen World War I heroes, is nestled in the hills just off Highway 97 on the north side of the Columbia River not far from Biggs, Oregon.

Looking at some of the names and dates on the stones, I had a solemn moment.
Many of the boys were my age when they died.

But we did have a grand time looking at the scenery of the hillside. 

We tried not to giggle too much as we scampered around to find a cache among the rocks.

Adventure takes us to the most remarkable spots -- places of learning and reverence and fun.