Living on the Road

So, the highlight of the trip so far (the Quilter's Affair classes and the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show) has passed and Sunday & Monday we did those things you need to do just to get by on the road such as shopping, laundry and of course the thing you don't want to happen, visiting a repair shop (thank goodness there was nothing really wrong, we thought we had a problem with one of the air valves for the airbags, but we didn't- yea!!!!). Additionally, we changed campgrounds and are now at the Valley of the Rogue River State Park outside, Rogue River, OR (bottom of the state between Medford and Grant's Pass for you looking at an Atlas). Since all of that was pretty much boring, (except the drive, but you can only take so many pictures of the trees and mountains on the road,) I thought I would just let you get a look the inside of The Beast when Bruce & I are camped. I am sure you are already getting the picture that it might be somewhat scary and resemble our (Bruce & I) lives at home, a very lived in environment with 3 animals, shoes every where , a kitchen the size of a postage stamp (not our home mind you) and maybe somewhat cluttered. So, without too much prelude - here is The Beast in all it's indoor splendor.

You enter The Beast through the door in front of the passenger seat (what a pain and it is a noisy door when we are on the road) and come into the actual living area. I guess the living area could be larger than I am describing since I have realized I can turn my passenger seat 90 degrees towards the center of The Beast and it opens up the front of the motorhome so I can sit in my chair and see the world through the "big screen." Additionally, the chair then gives Samantha (the cat with the love/hate relationship with Bruce and the slight weight problem- think a cat Linda) a place to spend all day and night and stay out of the way of a rambunctious Hazel and her Dat (dog/cat) friend Wolfy. Oh, and I forgot that the Wolfy, Hazel and sometime even the weight conscious cat Samantha all think the front dash (boy am I ever glad we covered it) is their personal space to relax, view the world and just hang out. Anyway, back on track with our tour - the living area includes the couch (Bruce & Hazel's retreat) along with a cheap euro-style chair and ottoman for me across from them and we all face the 26" flat screen above the dash that can only be used when we are NOT in the mountains. Next to my chair is a set of (invisible) kitchen cabinets we put in with a nice finished wood counter top that are used to keep my computer(oh there it is, on the ottoman not in the cabinet) and printer and of course 3 months or more of the cat and dog food. Have you ever tried traveling with animals that eat high end food you can't just find at the corner grocery? Why, you ask , are you traveling with 3 months of food? Well, miss fat cat (let's call a spade a spade, OK) throws up anything new- so we had better stick to tried and true. Boy, am I off track again. Yes, I still need to be a connected traveler as we have learned in previous posts so the computer equipment is necessary, wherever it may reside. In the back ground you see the lovely dining area- a booth with storage underneath. This had turned out to be more important than we gave it credit- we would have chosen a table because it would have been much more comfortable for people of size (OK- me), but then where would I have put a full complement of pots and pans? Even better- where to store the plastic cutlery, paper plates and plastic cups we use whenever we don't have sewer at the actual site. It does have lighting overhead and yes- it always probably has all that stuff on the table. We have to remember our daily pills, have the plates, salt, pepper, cutlery and napkins readily accessible, and of course have a somewhat Hazel proof night time feeding area for the wonder cats. both the couch and the booth are in a slide=out so it opens up the whole room to living size, what a relief. Can you imagine Bruce & I trying to get by each other with only 2 feet of maneuvering room? What a nightmare that would be- and what a divorce we would end up with!

Across from the booth end slide is my wonderfully equipped kitchen (and I am not being sarcastic). For such a small space, it is very user friendly. I have a double door refrigerator/freezer, with ice maker (unfortunately right now that is a set of manual trays) that we can get away without defrosting for 6-8 weeks. After that time we enter the "ice chest from He?? " defrost period and usually stop talking to each other. but, for those 6-8 weeks we are OK. To the left of that wonderful appliance is the all in one food prep and clean-area. I actually have a full gas stove (used for bread, onion and potato storage) and gas cook-top along with a convection/microwave oven, a double sink and covers for both to enhance the counter space. To make it easier we added the wonderful cutting board counter top that plays a central role in food & drink preparation as well as holding the various clean dishes that have not been put away timely. There are 4 drawers full of stuff we don't use enough to justify carrying (but when you need that potato peeler it better be there) and the counter holds our most important appliance - the automatic coffee pot. The morning routine revolves around the coffee pot and the pet feeding- and once that is done, I usually get up. OK, some times he rebels and the dog stands on us until I get out of bed and do the honors.

We will skip the bathroom, suffice it to say that it is a walk through, with a separate head on the right with a door and the shower and sink in the pass thorough to the bedroom. You can see it if you look closely at the first picture. The bedroom is very, very tight, at least on Bruce's side next to the window. Thank goodness the closet actually is in the slide-out next to my side of the bed (left in this picture and hidden) so I can actually get up and move around. Bruce, on the other hand, has the 9" (I know you don't believe that based on your view of the picture but I am sure that is what Bruce told me, but remember, men have a real problem with inches) side so most times he has to crawl over the end of the bed to get in. All I can say is Better him than me! Of course Wolfy and Hazel seem to find the bed just perfect for their late morning and early afternoon naps.

So, that is the quick tour of the interior of The Beast- in a blogger's nutshell. Next time I will try to find soemthing more scenic and interesting to relate since we are now camped for 5 more nights at the Valley of the Rogue River State Park and we will be visiting Crater Lake tomorrow and are only a short drive from the coast for later in the week when it hits 100 here. Adios.

It's a Qult Show and More

We spent this morning in Sisters at the 2009 Outdoor Quilt Show. It was great- but let me bring you up to date on my Thursday/Friday class first. As I indicated in my past posting- I took Sarah Kaufman's Folded Log Cabin class (Titled 99% Marimoko in the brochure for the fabric she used). I really enjoyed taking this class- it is the perfect work at your own pace and almost completely sewing. You cut the strips, pre-iron them, cut to fit the first 4 around the center square and that is the last time you cut to fit or press until the block is done. You just piece and use scissors. I will be making several more using this style.I got the 6 blocks above right done and still need to decide on sashing and then mounting, etc. Jeremy & cassandra - thoughts? We can discuss in an email. This is not a block for a bed quilt- these are definitely display or ornamental. You do not batt these blocks most of the time so that will be an easier finish also. I have also included 2 of Sarah Kaufman's "quilts" she showed us in her trunk show so you can see there is not much you can't do with them. I definitely want to return next year- these classes were a blast and I learned so much! Good thing we have already made reservations- now to finish what i did this year.

On to the show- this is a great venue. The weather was wonderful, clear and not too, too hot (high 80s by this afternoon). Bruce and I were up at 6:30 and on the road to Sisters for breakfast at The Gallery and then to wander the streets as they put up the quilts, taking pictures and chatting with the other watchers. The official start of the show seems to be after all of the quilts are put up on the Stitchin Post by the Sisters Fire department. As I have mentioned before, the whole city seems to participate in this outdoor show. These are traditionally the quilts of the Stitchin' Post employees who this year were challenged to do a quilt in the "style" of the Gees Bend Quilters. The Gees Bend Quilts hung on the front of the Stitchin' Post and the employee quilts are on the end. The hang the quilts from wires that are permanently mounted on the front of the businesses and in most cases just use clothes pins. The effect is perfect.

All of the quilts are great and I admire everyone who submits one to hang. they have 10,000 people viewing their individual expression of art and not just from a distance. My favorite part of the show was the Teacher's Tent. All of the Quilter's Affair (that is what the week of classes is called prior to the show)intructors displayed some of thier work in this tent. There was quite rush seeing all that wonderful inspiration, creativity, art and of course- quilting. All of you readers I hope realize that putting the top together is piecing and the quilting is when you put the bating and the backing on the top and then "quilt" it- and that can be done in a variety of ways. There is hand piecing and machine quilting, hand piecing and hand quilting, machine piecing and hand quilting and of course, machine piecing and machine quilting. Much of the work today is done by machine and it is definitely not your grandmother's flower garden, although there were quite a few traditional quilts at this show too.


With the advent of the long arm quilter- machine quilting took on quite a different look. Also, as art quilts came into their own, the whole face of quilting changed both what was pieced, what is considered a quilt, and how it is quilted. Surface embellishment is very popular and the variety is endless. This is a true art form- just look at some of the quilts in the album. I have included a few that will make you think twice about what is a quilt and who "quilts".

Well, enough of my chatter- lok at the pictures to really get the idea. This show is a wonderful street festival with people selling drinks, food, music in the streets, restaurants as part of the actual venue and the quilters part of the crowd. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself. I think that even Bruce had an acceptable time, although when we got back to the campground he found all of the other husbands didn't have to go in to see the show and were sitting around in the shade gossiping. Their wives went without them so I am sure he will probably think about this differently the next time.

Quilt Show A Comin'

OK- we have been here since last Friday- and tomorrow is the last day of Quilter's Affair- the classes, lectures and other events that precede the show. I have taken 3 classes (OK- the last day of the last class is tomorrow) and loved them all- and have actually produced soemthing (although not completely finished anything yet, surprise, surprise) from each to bring home for show and tell at the quilt guild. Monday I took a class called Simply Floral Squares although it is being renamed Floral Remix. Take one piece of floral fabric and use it to make all sorts of combinations quilt blocks that then go into one single quilt or wall hanging. Here is a picture of one Judy Johnson's (the instructor)display quilts using the same material I have, but a different colorwave- you will just have to wait to see mine.

Tuesday and Wednesday I took a class from Johanne Gibson called Cut, Combine & Design. Using a print fabric with a 24" repeat (that means the fabric repeats the complete print every 24 vertical inches) you identify different parts of the repeat to use in your design. My choice for this project is a pastel Asian print. It works, but the colors are not what I most enjoy. Again, you will have to wait to see the final product, but here is a work in-process photo which gives you some idea of where I am going with this one.

Today and tomorrow's class is with Sarah Kaufman and is a Folded Log Cabin.No pictures of it yet, so you will have to look at the quilt pictures in the public foler to see what they could look like. Tomorrow we will finish that class and I wll then be able to decide how those cbolcks will need to go together. The classes are good, the teachers all seem to be award winners and the atmosphere is very social, informal and less hectic than any other show I have attended. Eating is the only real issue. They give you the choice when you originally sign up for classes to have lunch brought in each day and save you the trouble of finding something to eat. I opted for the lunch M, T, TH & F thinking I might want to do something different W, but should have bought then too. The classes are held at the Sisters High School, and McDonald's is the only thing close- if you have a car and of course you know I don't. Bruce and Hazel drop me off a 7:30 every morning and pick me up in the afternoons.

Speaking of Bruce, Hazel and the cats, they seem no worse for wear for having to fare without me all week, in fact, maybe they are even better. Bruce has definitely made friends with everyone in the campground and knows who is doing what and when. Additionally, he has made major inroads in his stack of books, so we will probably need to start looking at thrift stores soon for additional reading materials. The weather has held and the Black Butte II fire that is on the mountain right in front of us does not seem to be coming our way or even blowing smoke in our direction. This is a picture I took on the way home Monday afternoon the day after it started. Currently it is only 25% contained but apparently the cooler weather and other conditions have the fire managers predicting the fire will be fully contained by Sunday. That is good there are 535 personnel involved in this endeavor, with early on airplane and helicopter support. These type fires are very costly and the terrain is difficult. Let's hope that our good luck holds until we are out of here and that they contain this fire as soon as possible.

Well, it is late and 7:30 at the school is early tomorrow morning. I will update after the show on Saturday and include campground pictures too. I will also include quite a bit from the show and any other pertinent info at that time. Again, the quilt and quilt class pictures are in a separate album marked Sisters Quilt Show, so those interested can easily find them, and those not caring can avoid them. Hasta luego/...

Sisters, OR and the Quilt Show

We have been out of touch for a few days so I will bring you up to date on our whereabouts. We spent Wednesday and Thursday evenings at Farewell Bend State Park just outside of Ontario, Or. Farewell Bend is where the Oregon Trail travelers left the Snake River and crossed overland until they met up with the Columbia River. They had traveled 330 miles along the Snake River and probably felt contradictory emotions when they said "farewell Snake." They were close to their destination, but still had to cross the Blue Mountains. The campground at Farewell Bend was both old and new. The older part had trees, small sites, large park areas and was not made for today's large motorhome. The newer section where we stayed was out in the wind and sun, but along the reservoir. The sites had some grass but you knew you were in a desert area. We put the awning up at night because we didn't know what to expect. Thursday we had to get it up unexpectedly in the middle of the day because rain showers were on the way, and as we found out, they are preceded by very high winds. We left early Friday morning (July 3rd ) to drive the southern route to Sisters. Unlike the Oregon Trail travelers, who went northwest up along what today is close to I-84, we drove back to Ontario and took US 20 west which is called the Central Oregon Highway. There is no real direct route across the middle of Oregon. You drive 2 lane roads that flow through the mountains just like the rivers, following them and the sides of the mountains from one pass, through the valleys to the next pass. Once we hit Burns-Hines the scenery began to change and we drove though miles of high desert with nothing to see but sagebrush. Of course that is when I have to have a nap. I can only take so much flatness with nothing to see before my eyes close involuntarily. The initial drive in the morning took us through some beautiful irrigated farm land and along the North Fork of the Malheur River until we hit the mountains and followed Kingsbury Gulch as i said, from one pass to another. It is interesting to see where people will find to live in the mountains and it makes you wonder what they do for a living so far from any type of close civilization. You definitely don't run to the store every week, let alone every day.

Anyway, we went that direction on US 20 to Bend and the travels, although slow, were pretty uneventful. Just west of Bend that changed (just like the Oregon Trail travelers, with mixed emotions we saw the end of our journey but alas, there were more challenges ahead)and we sat in traffic because of an accident. Everyone was trying to get somewhere Friday afternoon before the 4th, so there was quite a bit of traffic. Our final destination was Camp Sherman- just northwest of Sisters out 20 on Forest Service Road 1419 - not 35 more miles, but we all jsut got to sit. Once we finally arrived at the Black Butte RV Resort & Motel I immediately knew that I might have made a bad choice. It is a small RV resort in what the locals consider the best area to stay, Camp Sherman, but all of the RVs are crammed together and of course, out site was what Bruce would call an overflow area, no gravel, just grass and not in the best location. We had passed the newly redone KOA on the way in and that was on Bruce's mind as he pulled in and spent quite awhile trying to get us set up. We of course had words and spent the first night here not really speaking, , but we are over that now- especially since we found out today we would have to pay $47-$50/night at the KOA and $34/night at the Sisters Overnight Park, if we could even get in.

We spent a nice 4th in Sisters. I preregistered for next weeks classes, got all my stuff, spent some quality time (and money) in the quilt shop, the Stichin Post, and then we did the Sisters Faire. This is an outdoor craft fair in the park where the crafters are local (Oregon & Washington), the food vendors sold everything from German sausage plates to Soba noodles to fresh made Quesadillas and there was music to shop "buy". I bought a few things, of course, that will remain nameless and we ended up back here mid-afternoon where we read, played with the computer and shared a lovely Porterhouse hot off the grill for our 4th of July feast. Sisters & Camp Sherman have no fireworks as the fire level is HIGH and there is a ban, so we don't have to worry about the dog going neurotic or things going off long after we are ready to bed down- so I would say this wasn't a bad day and a fine time was had by all. Tomorrow we will go into town and do the Fiber Arts Stroll & Quilt Walk. This is where the show sponsor businesses hang one of the show quilts during the week (so you get a preview of over 100) and they also feature a fiber artist demonstrating different techniques and displaying & selling different art forms. It should be a great time - will report on it with pictures later this week. It is late now and Pacific Time is kicking my butt- so it is off to bed once I get this posted. My Verizon may not work up here in the mountains but their Wi-Fi is taking its place so I can shop, email and blog to my hearts content.

By the way, I exhausted one Picasa web album (digital cameras make it too easy to just take pictures of everything and I have also included a few videos) so have begun another and have adjusted the link on the blog page so if you are interested, you can view one or the other as you wish. I will probably set up some smaller albums on that link with like kind pictures (e.g all of Yellowstone in one, etc.) so they are easier to find- but not tonight, that is for later. Promise to post some pictures next time for you all that only follow through email.