Starting Out in Moscow

We landed in Moscow on a Friday afternoon, tiredness setting in from little or no sleep on the plane, and a nasty sinus/cold thing brewing in my head. By the time we reached the ship it was after 8 p.m. and we were ushered quickly to the dining room for a late dinner. The greeting was a musical, colorful, noisily happy welcome from members of the crew who were to be our family for the next fourteen days. The landing was hard, but the promise of adventure was stronger. Tomorrow we would hit the ground running. There was much to see in Moscow!

This picture of St. Basil's in Red Square is probably the most recognized icon of all Russia. It really is breathtaking and we were able to get up close and personal with it. In the off-season the crowds are dwindling, so we weren't rushed or pushed around.

Our travel companions, Pat Wilson and Lois and Doug White, were just as awestruck as we, hungrily taking in every detail of color and structure. We couldn't take enough pictures as we captured every angle of every building. And yes, there are that many onion domes in Moscow!

 Yes, we all did the goofy tourist thing, standing beside the gorgeous buildings and having our picture taken for posterity, or maybe just proof that we really were there!

This is one of many red brick buildings, mostly government offices, that make Red Square the beautiful place it is.

I turn into a sour puss when Graham insists on pointing a camera at me. I love seeing everyone else in my pictures, just not me.

It's also very cold and windy on this day, and I am realizing to my sorrow that I did not prepare well when packing my "winter" clothes. I left my nice warm, flannel lined jacket in the closet at home, choosing instead this lightweight one. My first purchase on the ship, later in the day, will be a fleece vest that zips all the way up my neck!


Because of the cold and wind, and my unfortunate choice of clothing, in just a few hours I began experiencing that old familiar pain behind my heart. The more I walked, the more pronounced it became. And when we walked into the Metro station and the stuffiness of the large room, it was apparent that I couldn't continue with the group. Our wonderful Program Director situated us with a taxi and directions back to the ship where I was able to sleep off some cold medicine and catch up on much needed sleep.

After dinner, Graham, Pat, Lois and Doug took the optional "Moscow at Sunset" tour and were dazzled by the light show that illuminated the now familiar buildings. Night photography being what it is, not many of his photos were good, but this is surely representative of Moscow in the evening.

The next day was one that I could enjoy staying on the ship while my companions took off for more sightseeing of Moscow, including a visit to the New Maiden Cemetery where large and realistic statues memorialized the deceased residents. In the afternoon two Russian veterans of World War II came to talk to our passengers about their experiences in the war. It was a good time to explore the Tihki Don and become acquainted with my temporary home. Just down the hall from our cabin were my two favorite places - the Library with two internet enabled computers, and the most lovely on board gift shop. Lois and I would soon become fast friends with the sales girls!

 Our final full day in Moscow included visits to the Kremlin and the Armory. The word "kremlin" simply means "fortress;" thus, the Russian Kremlin is a walled area which surrounds palaces and cathedrals. The official residence and workplace of the Russian President is within its walls.
The Assumption Cathedral (left) was the site for the coronation of the Russian tsars.

Red buildings and red brick walls surround the Kremlin, where security is very tight and tourists have access to only a small portion of the area.

By this day we are much smarter in our choices of winter wear and we are all wearing many layers of warmth to protect us from the cold! The temperatures remained between 45 and 55 degrees the entire two weeks we were there.


In the evening we were blessed to hear a concert of acapella singers, the Zlatoust Singers. Their sound was magnificent and the costumes in the second half became an inspiration for a Russian quilt.
Our ship will depart Moscow at noon the next day and begin our cruise on the Moscow Canal, the Volga River, Lake Onega, the Svir River, Lake Ladoga, and finally the Neva River. Stay tuned for some of the most beautiful countryside you'd ever imagine seeing in this giant country of Russia.

Home, But Not Really "Here"

Yes, we are finally home from Russia! Our trip ended on Thursday and after a scant five hours' sleep, we awoke, gathered our possessions, and were taken to the airport in St. Petersburg for a 6 a.m. flight which was the beginning of a 26 hour marathon from airport to airport. We left in a 53 degree rain, and arrived home in 93 degree Texas dry heat. We were five very tired travelers, ready to fall into bed and try to sleep off the worst kind of hangover. Before I could allow myself any respite, I first had to go get my dog from the sitter. And since I have yet to go through my pictures from Russia, I will share some of Savannah's pics and playmates.

She is the epitome of Westie self-assurance in any situation, but especially in a group of her peers! All her doggie companions are similar in size, and all have equally congenial personalities.

There must be something of mutual interest for these three.

This happy face is long-distance assurance that all is well on the home front. Her wonderful sitter, Karen, sent me pictures every three or four days, with a glowing report on the friendships developing in the group. I was relieved to see, when I picked her up, that Savannah was just as happy to see me as she was living with her canine buddies!

In the days to come I will post some of the highlights of Russia. Right now, I'm just slowly getting my body back into the Central Time Zone!

Almost Time to Leave

We are beyond countdown now. In fact, as I write this, we are at T minus 36 hours. I had only one visit to Walgreen's today and bought only one item. I guess that means that everything is packed. Or I should say everything I can think of is packed! I'm not locking my bag until Thursday morning, though!

Speaking of bags, Savannah will have her very own overnight bag to take with her to the petsitter. We tell her that she's going to "Camp Nash" for a few days, where she'll have several dogs to play with and a great backyard to enjoy. Her bag is filled with food for two weeks, lots of treats and toys and her heartworm medicine. Last night she discovered a little bundle of tennis balls in her bag. You can see one in her mouth that she just lifted from her bag!

Our bags have been packed and unpacked so many times. It's just too hot here to think clearly about winter wear, so coats and sweaters come and go and come back again. In fact, our Program Director just called from Russia to wish us safe travel and mentioned that in Moscow today the high temperature was 60. But then she reminded me that St. Petersburg is "in the north" and is much colder! Yikes! I think I need another neck scarf!

Savannah gives these bags a "once over" - I'm not sure what doggie thoughts are rolling around in her head!

Meanwhile, I've been busily sewing Curious George pillow cases for my soon-to-be two year old grandson. His birthday is just seven days after we return from our trip, so I'm very happy to have these finished now. One is for his big boy bed, and the other is for his little pillow he will take to Kid's Day Out come January.

Last week I got a call from Anita Howell, the lovely lady who was quilting my quilts up in Kingsland. She was finished with both my quilts and they were ready to be picked up. Before I could even look for an open day to go to Kingsland, my friend Susie called and said her quilts were also ready and would I like for her to pick mine up for me! What an answer to prayer! She brought them home on Saturday and I have entertained myself over and over with the results of Anita's quilting. I am so through with trying to quilt my own quilts. I'm just piecing tops from now on!

Hmmm. I hope I don't long for one of these to get warm next week! Until I get internet connection (which may or may not be on our trip). I bid you "Da asvid'ania!"



Quilt Tester in Training

From the very first quilting class, my Westie Treasure was my sewing partner and loyal quilt-tester. One of her favorite napping places was up on my sewing table, preferably on a stack of fabric. If I had to scoot her off the table so I could sew, she would find a nest right by my feet.

Once I had a quilt top laid out in preparation for finishing, or maybe just laying a finished one out to be photographed, Treasure would find a comfy spot and do a "trial nap" to be sure the quilt was satisfactory! Once it passed the Treasure test, it always went directly to the washing machine!

When Savannah came on the scene she was not familiar with the ways of sewing. She doesn't mind napping in the sewing room while I'm busy piecing a quilt. But she never has shown much interest in either the process or the finished product. Until last night!

When I laid out the Fabric Frenzy top for its photograph, little Miss Savannah decided it was time she did a sniff test on this strange object. "Finally," I thought to myself, "she's showing some interest in my hobby. I have another sewing partner!" However, after giving a good sniff to the quilt top, she proceeded to try to dig a little nest in the center of it! I scooped her up as fast as I could and decided she might need a few lessons in "quilt ettiquette!"

Hope springs eternal!

A Diminished Fabric Frenzy

Last night and today I slipped in some time to work on the fabric squares for my Fabric Frenzy quilt. Fortunately I had some leftover strips from the jelly roll I used on the last quilt, because I needed more 2 1/2 inch pieces without using up all my charms. When all was said and done, I could either get nine finished squares or eleven. And I was so hoping for twenty!

So nine it is, and here is the frenzied nine-patch middle...

I have some leftover off-white fabric that will make up one border. Then I must decide how much more border I want and where to get the fabric for it. I think I will have some leftover backing that matches one of the charms in this quilt. So I guess this one will be an ongoing project. At least I'm having lots of fun with it.

Speaking of fun, here's another picture of my pretty Westie.

I just brought her inside for the night. It's a good thing we took those bows out yesterday or she would surely have lost them in the bushes where she chased a squirrel! We are now counting down the days to our Russia trip - after today it is 13 days away! All the clothes I'm taking are laid out on the dining room table. Graham's bag is packed. And Savannah is starting to divorce herself from me. She knows something is up. For the last two nights she has slept in the TV room and only comes up on my bed when she's ready for me to wake up! I'm starting to tell her that she's going to "Camp Nash" in a few days. There she'll have the company of some other dogs and the Nash children to play with.

Meanwhile, we pray for rain here in Texas and drier skies in the Northeast. God help us.

Fabric Frenzy

I must be in one of my quilting moods, because every time I finish one quilt top, I see a pile of fabric begging me to do another one! And I have discovered a storehouse of video tutorials from one of my most favorite quilt teachers, Eleanor Burns. She has a whole video theater on her website. As I was looking through the titles the other evening, this one caught my eye: "Fabric Frenzy"!!!

Eleanor has jumped on the pre-cut bandwagon and she offers lots of opportunities to use them. I happened to have one extra package of Prayer Flag charms, and lots of leftovers from the last quilt. So I jumped right into her class and studied her instructions till I felt that I could follow them. I can't show you what the finished quilt will look like yet, but all these pieces of fabric sewn together properly will make these nice ten inch squares that will eventually be pieced together to make a virtual frenzy of 42 different fabrics! And it's so much fun!

Each ten inch square will be loaded with different patterns and colors and sizes. Because the fabric is all from the same line, all the colors complement each other and the frenzy will at least be manageable and easy to look at! Here are three finished squares. I hope to make twenty of them.

Today was Savannah's "Spa Day" at Pet, Bath & Beyond. I really love that place! The groomers at PetSmart were unable to groom her properly due to her "jumpiness," but she has encountered no problems at all at PB&B. Her first haircut there was done really nicely. Today she only needed a bath and a few areas trimmed. I forgot to mention to the lady who took her in that she really doesn't care for bows in her hair. So she came out looking like a sweet little girl! I begged her to let me photograph the bows before they were removed! I'm afraid the lizards and squirrels would laugh if they saw her running toward them with pink bows on her ears! Sans bows, she is a very pretty girl!

Here is the link to Eleanor Burns' video theater. And another link to Pet, Bath & Beyond.

Let's Do "Crafts!"

Grandson Adrian is in his second year of Kid's Day Out this fall, and he loves to do "crafts." Being a very bright little boy, he needs something to keep his hands and mind busy or he'll get into all kinds of mischief. When he comes to my house to play, he either wants to watch Thomas on DVD or do crafts at the kitchen table. So while I was at Target looking through the "Dollar Spot," I came across some color books that feature "dot-to-dot" activities. Perfect!!

Adrian has his own technique for conquering the puzzle. With crayon in hand he first studies the picture to try to determine the outcome.

Now that he knows where to begin and end, he gets a little lip action going. That helps with the concentration, you know!

Some may see this as just "playtime" but, as you can tell, to Adrian this is serious business. He has 15 to 25 dots to connect here and it's important to get them all in correct order. See that concentration?

Success! Can you guess what the puzzle turned out to be? Here's a hint: "Who" is it? Why, it's an OWL, of course! And what does the owl say? "Whoo! Whoo!"

We love our crafts!