Some of My Favorite Photos

I thought I would post some of my favorite photos from our trip. I spent two full weeks going through two or three thousand photos of Bill's, Graham's and mine to put in a photobook. With that finally behind me, I'm just not up to doing another "photolog" here on the blog. But I would like to share some of my most favorite memories. So here they are, in no specific order.

This was taken on a Monday morning after leaving a very rainy Lyon and heading down the Rhone to a small town called Tournon. So much of the landscape in this area is related to wine. We could be looking at grapes from Beaujolais or possibly Burgundy. I really don't remember all the facts from the many lectures we heard on wine production. I know that the hills were alive with vineyards and each plot appeared to be planted in perpendicular directions. What we could see, but was hard to capture on camera, were the hundreds of sections of grapevines and all were claimed proudly by displaying huge billboards with names of vintners. We watched them for miles. It was intoxicating.

I loved being able to go back to Giverny and seeing Monet's gardens again. Late June is a fabulous time to see all the flowers in full bloom. We arrived so early in the morning that the maintenance people were still cleaning up the pond, so I was unable to get a good wide shot this time. However, the water lilies were in much greater splendor than before and I was able to capture them in several photos. This one brings out some of the color along the bank of the pond. Going the second time, I didn't experience the original "ooh, aah!" moments as I knew what to expect. But I could never be disappointed in the vast array of color and variety of flowers that are found there. Cameras were clicking all over the place!

One of the real highlights for Graham, Bill and me was the preponderance of Roman ruins and relics in this part of France. The Grand Circle brochure hinted at such a find, but we must have just read over those lines. Yes, we anticipated the Pont du Gard (pictured above) and even went the extra mile to take a special tour to see that structure. It was truly magnificent and the museum there was a real bonus. But we had no idea about what we would see in Avignon, and more specially in Arles. There is a 2000 year old Colosseum and Roman theater in the middle of the "old town!" We were flabbergasted! We have since learned that there are at least two other Colosseums in this part of France. Who knew?

This last photo is so typically French, it is the one I selected to make an enlargement for framing. The name of this restaurant is coincidentally the same name as the B & B where we enjoyed our home-hosted meal in Tournon. It translates "Old Mill" and must be a popular moniker for eateries that have found their way into these very old buildings.I love the colorful tables and umbrellas and the fact that diners can enjoy their meal right on the river and watch the many popular river boats like ours meander by, maybe wondering about the travelers ~ where they are from, what they think about France. This is what I'd like to do if I were magically transported to a new life in France!

As I find time I will post some more of my favorites here. I love looking back at our trip and remembering the special moments, the beautiful places, and the new friends we made.



Baby Pillows

Graham and I just picked up Bekah's baby quilt from Kingsland on Tuesday and I am so pleased with the way it turned out. I hope (and believe) that Bekah will enjoy wrapping little Sean Patrick in it on those cold Pennsylvania nights this winter. While I was waiting to get the quilt back I decided to make a cover for a little baby pillow to go with the quilt. I had one quilt square left over and it was the perfect size for an over-sized pocket on the pillow. While I placed a diaper in the pocket, it will be useful for just about anything Bekah wants to put in it.

It has a double closure in the back so that it can be easily removed and laundered.

The quilt is a crib size - a little larger than I usually make. But Pennsylvania nights are colder than the ones we have in Texas!

I came across the baby pillow pattern several months ago and have made this for new parents when I didn't have time to do a quilt. I think it's a quite unique item for the nursery. Here are some I have made and given.

This one went to my niece Tiffany for her little boy, Richard Wyman. There was also a quilt with this in the Winnie the Pooh fabric.

My nephew Rich and his wife recently welcomed their second son, Wyatt, and this Winnie the Pooh pillow fits into their nursery.

Our friend from Romania, Razvan, and his wife had their first child, a baby boy, in June. I slipped a burp cloth into the pocket!

When a quilt just can't be made in time for a baby's arrival, this sweet little pillow nicely fits the bill!

Cruise Photobook

Here is a link to my photobook on Shutterfly. Please check it out when you have some time.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8EcNmzhmxbMfI&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET

We're Home!

Just a quick post to say that we have returned home from France. We had a marvelous time on our small ship river cruise through Burgundy and Provence to the Cote d'Azur. I am starting the process of uploading pictures to Shutterfly to make a picture book. However, if you'd like a glance at the pictures I posted on Facebook, here is a link that will take you there.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4253646938259.180043.1198367294&type=1&l=4248a80136

 

I'll be posting pictures and commentary over the next few weeks, so come back often and travel with us on the Rhone River.

Packing for "Camp"

We are at the final countdown to our trip to France. In just six days we'll be walking the streets of Paris - again. I never imagined I'd ever be going to Paris at all, but this will be our second visit. This time Graham and I will both be feeling pretty good, thanks to the timely back injections by our Pain Management doctor. (God bless you, Dr. Ybarra!)

While my brother Bill is doing the sightseeing bus tour with the rest of our traveling group, Graham and I are choosing to take the "Batobus" river taxi and check out some of the landmarks we missed two years ago. We are determined to go inside Notre Dame and Saint Chappelle and get close enough to the Eiffel Tower to get a good picture!

All of our recent activity has centered around suitcases and Miss Savannah has figured out that something BIG is about to happen! Fortunately she really enjoys her time spent at Karen Nash's "camp" so I rest easy in regard to her care in my absence. Today she got a good summer haircut and for a few hours she will be nice and clean and WHITE!

I brought out her overnight bag and began the process of fitting in her supplies for the next two weeks. She's checking it over to make sure I have her treats there too. I may have to run to Petco and get another bag or two! Two weeks is a long time for a Westie who loves her treats!

Summer vacation/camp, here we come!

Making Sweet Pickles

Our garden is bursting with tomatoes and cucumbers! Even the hailstorm a few weeks ago could not deter these hardy plants from their destiny. Of the six tomato plants Graham put in, the Juliet is the reigning champion! The fruit from that plant look like miniature Romas and they grow in clusters, like grapes almost. Every day we fill the windowsill.

The cucumbers have been close to overwhelming too. The seed packet Graham bought is for pickling cucumbers, so these grow to only 4 - 5 inches long. They are perfect for bread and butter, or sweet, pickles. It only takes about thirty minutes after the initial ice bath (which is a leisurely three hours).

The pickling process takes the iced cucumber slices and onions into a pot of boiling vinegar, sugar and spice mixture. The sterilized jars are then filled, fastened and placed in a water bath.

Once all the jars are covered and submerged, the bath needs to boil rapidly for ten minutes.

After the jars are removed you can hear a musical popping sound as the lids are securely tightened. In the limited experience I have with canning, I find sweet pickles to be the most satisfying, both for their methodology and their flavor.

Baby Presents

Several of my family and friends are having babies this summer. And they are all having boys. The last little baby girl is now a year old and my pink stash has remained hidden away in the quilt closet.

I had plenty of time to make a quilt for my great niece in Pennsylvania. She isn't due until September. I picked a pattern that was new to me and really enjoyed learning a new skill. Putting the requested blues and greens together reminded me so much of the first quilt I made for Adrian. Meredith also selected blues and greens and his quilt turned out beautifully.

While waiting to take the top to Kingsland for finishing, I decided to make a pillow cover to match the quilt. I had one set of "geese" left and turned it into a pocket for the pillow. It will be a nice place to put an extra diaper or two.

I had a real surprise in my email last week with the announcement that our friend from Romania and his wife are expecting a baby boy in June. Yikes! That's not nearly enough time to make a quilt, so I peeked on her registry and saw some monkey themes and found some cute fabric for a pillow cover with a pocket to hold a burp cloth. We're so happy for Razvan and Anissa, and especially for Razvan's mother in Romania who has wished for this day for many years.