Saturday, June 2, 2012

Cove Fort, Utah to Ogden, Utah. 06-02-12

From Cedar City we drove north on I-15 to stop at Cave Fort, Utah, close to the junction of I-15 and I-70. I have stopped before and talked about one visit at
http://delquilts.blogspot.com/2011/05/on-road-st-george-to-grand-junction-co.html  (about half way down the page).
Continuing north of the gas station one comes to the fort built by the Mormons in 1867, it served as a way station for travelers, a Pony Express stop, a Post Office for a wide area, a hostel and filled a number of other functions. The building has been restored and furnished with period items. When I have been there in the past there has never been anyone around, but today they had a group of Mormon men and women to escort visitors through the fort and show a short film about its origins. Rather interesting, but too much standing about for my still weak ankle. I started out with the group but had to return to the car about half way.  Ruth, however, stuck it out until they went outside to see the blacksmith shop and the garden, but she decided since it was almost a 100F she would give up and we drove back to I-15 and continued north.
 
This picture and the next were taken 05-17-11 when I drove through the last time.
The trees are black locust which were planted in 1867.
 
The "walkway" is grey indoor/outdoor carpet which keeps visitors from tracking the gravel inside the fort.
 
Here you see the trees in leaf today and some of the at least 100 visitors being escorted about.  One guide said that several groups of Mormon youths were there for special tours.  I can't imagine that there would be so many visitors every Saturday of the summer!  

These are the rooms on the north side of the fort - notice that each room has a chimney and, inside, a wood-burning stove to heat the individual rooms.  Wood was scarce, needed to be hauled from a distance and not to be wasted.   There aren't a lot of interesting stops along this very long stretch of highway, so if you are traveling I-15 you might check to see when the fort is open for visitors.   It was very interesting, especially if you are interested in history of the West.
 
Just down the road I spotted this beat up outhouse being towed behind a pickup truck.  The sign on it reads "Almost Home" and lists a business phone number.  This location is very remote, so I can't imagine where the outhouse was traveling to or where "home" is!
 
After checking into a motel in Ogden, Utah, we looked through the lists of restaurants in the AAA book and decided on Grey Ridge Inn, located about six miles up a canyon through the mountains to the east.  It was a very scenic drive and there was the promise of local trout for dinner.  We were somewhat surprised to be served this "fruit cup" at the start of the meal - it seemed more like a fruit thimble - just a few bites of canned fruit cocktail with a spoonful of orange sherbet on top.  We withheld judgement and waited for our trout.  It was quite good and came with small salad, baked potato and fresh lemon wedges.  Dessert was included - Ruth had a low sugar rhubarb-strawberry pie and I opted for the fudge cake with sauce.  The building is an old house tucked into the very edge of the canyon with a swift stream flowing between building and road.

 
On down the winding, narrow road the stream is joined by this waterfall tumbling down the steep hillside. It dips in and out of sight until close to the bottom where it divides into these many "springlets" before joining the swift flow along side of the road.  
 
This is Ruth Powers look that says, "Del, if you don't stop taking pictures of me I am going to take drastic action." 
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Friday, June 1, 2012

Zion Nat'l Park 06-01-12

We had a late start this morning as we had some things to deal with before we left St. George, Utah.  We had decided to go through Zion to get to Bryce Canyon, but it was 100F at Zion and it was a long slow drive to get there.  We decided that driving further west and north to Bryce was not practical, so we retraced our drive to I-15 and turned north.  So, tonight we are in Cedar City, Utah.  We ate a not very good dinner at a local restaurant - in a large turn of the last century house with some very nice art deco stained glass panels and a flower-filled yard.  The lilacs are done, but the peonies are gorgeous.  

 
Not far before Zion we stopped at a fruit stand, that also dips ice cream and gelato, which was very good and very refreshing. The trees in the foreground are apple and they appear to be loaded with little green apples growing into the fall harvest.  Towering cottonwood trees abounded and there were several families of robins busy feeding their fledglings.  Such a peaceful and cool respite on our drive. 

 
We stopped at this lodge to check out the modern whirligigs just before the Zion Nat'l Park entrance and admired this "temple" of rock rising behind it.  
 
Beside being so hot, there were crowds of people (just as I remember from 50 or so years ago).  We had leftover duck from dinner in St. George and two croissants we purchased at a bakery near our motel, so we decided to find a shady tree (which happened to be in the parking lot) and make our duck/croissant sandwiches while the A/C kept us cool.  It was a delicious lunch.  But I had to put up with Ruth turning her head away when I tried to take her picture! 
 
This gaillardia is growing in a large pot with other plants - just the right spot and just the right height for a portrait.  (sometimes they are called 'blanket flowers'). 
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Thursday, May 31, 2012

On the Road - Barstow, CA to St. George, Utah 05-31-12

Too long a day for this old Broad!  I picked Ruth Powers up at the LVegas airport at 1:30pm and we drove north on I-15 to St. George to spend the night.  But we are both too tired to do anything more.  Ruth is in bed, asleep with her Kindle open.  I wonder if it will turn itself off?
At any rate, I will have to play catch up tomorrow and it is only the first day of the road trip!

On I-15 north twenty miles or so south of Las Vegas, Nevada.

Quite in the middle of Virgin River Gorge.  I think it is so amazing and beautiful.  How did they ever build this road? 

Coming out of the north end of Virgin River Gorge.  Now we are in red rock country!
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Wordless Wednesday - Lines 05-30-12

 
 
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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Neglected garden 05-29-12

I am no longer much of a gardener, but this spring I have done nothing to keep things growing.  A "mow & blow" guy (can't be called a gardener) comes once a week to trim the grass, a few of the shrubs and blow the debris around to make the walks appear tidy.  About once a month I move the hose around on the roses, there are only six still living, for a deep soak and they keep blooming.  It is almost the first of the month and today was rose watering day.  I like yellow flowers and blue flowers so that is mostly what I have growing.  Currently blooming are:

 
The hybrid tea rose "Brandy", I think my all time favorite - except for Mr. Lincoln. 
 
A huge pile of one tansy plant.  The "mow and blow" guy would like to trim it back, but I like the wild look.  It is eight or nine feet in diameter and blooms pretty much all summer.  Tansy is good for keeping the ant population down and is a favorite of bees.
 
The flowers are, I think, quite odd.  Hard little yellow balls with a peculiar smell.
 
The coreopsis is looking sad because I haven't been out to deadhead the old flowers.  If I do that it will bloom most of the summer.  If I don't it might last until the end of June. 
 
I think is is a very pleasing bloom and I particularly like the way the buds look like little fairy cups sitting on scallop edged saucers.
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Monday, May 28, 2012

Monday Browsing 05-28-12

Song from the 1950s http://www.flixxy.com/the-diamonds-little-darlin-1957-2004.htm
[Oh, be still my heart!! Del]   Note: the singer on the left is Tom Hanks’ father.

Carol Ann Waugh is a Denver, CO. artist who does amazing things with the fancy stitches on her sewing machine and makes her quilts even more wonderful by adding hand stitching. She has a new self published book, “Stupendous Stitching”, which is overflowing with ideas, hints, instructions and great pictures. http://www.carolannwaugh.com/   The Quilt Show posted a little video with some of her work: http://secure.smilebox.com/ecom/openTheBox?sendevent=4d7a45324e7a63334d7a413d0d0a&blogview=true&campaign=blog_playback_link

One of the Blogs I regularly enjoy is Sherrie Spangler’s “Sherrie Loves Color” http://sherriequilt.blogspot.com/   She does love BRIGHT color and is an excellent photographer. If you live in or are traveling to the Seattle area you should check back in her blog for some of her favorite destinations in the area. Recently she highlighted Bellingham - who knew?

Quilt National '13 is open for entries for the 2013 show with an entry deadline of September 14, 2012. The 2013 show will be accepting entries online only. The process is very simple. Just go to the Quilt National Web Page   http://www.dairybarn.org/quilt/    and use the link to access the Slideroom entry programming. You will need to give them only email and contact information to access the entry forms. You can fill out the entry information and upload your images in one easy session - or you can save a partial entry and come back and edit before you submit. We are looking forward to this new technology and hope that it will ease the entry process for everyone!

I’ve always enjoyed Melody Johnson’s quilts and have one in the Collection.

http://www.delquilts.blogspot.com/search/label/Melody%20Johnson
She has a fabulous sense of color and most of her quilts are very bright and ‘sunny’. She is only a sometime quiltmaker these days, instead working to create an extensive and gorgeous garden, waiting on their two dear little pug dogs, and creating great hand knitted garments. But the pendulum will surely swing back to quilting one of these days. Check out her quilt galleries: http://www.wowmelody.com/Pages/Galleries.html

I love this image now being circulated on the Internet.


"So, what are you looking at?"
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Sunday, May 27, 2012

Ruth McDowell quilt posted on Blog 05-27-12

It always interests me to look at an artist's work over a span of years, so I am very happy to have purchased this early Ruth McDowell quilt from a private collector.  She had loaned this piece to the 2008 exhibit of Ruth's quilts at Back Porch Fabrics in Pacific Grove, CA. When I heard that she and her husband had downsized to a much smaller home, I asked her if she would consider selling the quilt to me and she said she would think about it.  This year when I was at Empty Spools she said she was ready to part with it and I wrote her a check! 



"At Crocker Grove"  Ruth B. McDowell 1990 36"W x 47"L 
Machine pieced. Hand appliqued. Hand quilted. Commercial cotton and raw silk fabrics, cotton thread.
www.ruthbmcdowell.com
  When she began making quilts Ruth hand quilted everything, but gradually taught herself to machine quilt which has helped her to create over 500 quilts over the years.  I believe this is one of the last of her hand quilted works, so I am extra pleased to have it in TCQC.

  
She hand appliqued the thin horizontal branches,but before too many more quilts she had refined her piecing techniques and rarely hand appliques anything now. 
 
Ruth has never been hesitant to use whatever print fabric will give the look she desires.  This background drapery fabric gives the look of branches and grasses behind the trees.  
 
Ruth's hand stitched signature appears on the front at the lower left. 
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