Amicalola Falls

 Bill and Marsel rented a wheelchair for me today...

So we could take a hike into the mountains and see the Amicalola Falls in Northern Georgia;  about an hour north of their home.  It starts with this little creek.

That flows out towards this beautiful vista

under the boardwalk and into the unknown.

 Then you hike a bit to get around the trails to see more of the Falls from the other side.  On the way, we passed this, the beginning of the trail to the Appalachain trail!  It is still on my list of places to go but as you can see, this is not a wheelchair accessible trail.  It was wonderful to walk on it for a few steps anyway!  Does it call out to you, too?

 

Bill pushed me down a beautiful trail that was paved with old tires so it was comfortable to everyone!

 We enjoyed the view all along the trail, see this old truck?   Parts were succombing to gravity and falling down the hill but it was blocked by the railing!  Fun.

To the other side of the trail was the drop off-a beautiful forest rich in smells and sights.

You could hear the water before you could see it-very exciting!  Looks lovely, right?

It was a very long or high or something waterfall!!!!   Just astounding to watch.   Amicalola means talking waters in the local Indian language.   It is 729 feet in height and the mountain is at 2250' in elevation!

 It was our first visit and it was special to be able to share it with our grandkids!

 And family!

Marsel worked a bit on her sock, 

and I worked on mine while in the car but we did a lot of sightseeing, too!  What an incredible day.

Georgia Love

We traveled differently this time, Bill and I left together from our home, Bill drove me to the airport-kind of on his way to this home-then he continued on my ground and I flew to Atlanta where family awaited me-it is so wonderful to see them at the end of the flight!!!!!   Bill made it through Atlanta without too much trouble and we are all reunited at the McKee home!  It is good to be creative when you have some physical challenges!  (The 8 hour car ride is just out of the question for me)

After traveling, I did a bit of recuperating and knitting and enjoying being in the McKee household!  I really liked working on my Georgia Geology Shawl here with the soil for inspiration!  I am on the 6th of 7 layers!

We got to enjoy watching David at his basketball academy one evening!  It sure brought back memories! 

Today, the girls had yarn and movie day!  (Bill and David went to play golf and Bruce had to work!)

Marsel picked a skein (the one on the bottom left) from the grab bag and began a pair of socks;

   I worked on a pair I had brought with me and I taught Abigail how to crochet a granny square!   She has been working on her knitting but wanted to make a square like Aunt Ashley did a bit ago.

She did it!  Abigail took to it immediately even with having to train and find her own way to make her left hand participate in the job!   It is so neat to see her determination!

(We watched Anne of Green Gables, then the old Cinderella from Rogers and Hammerstein and then the Sound of Music!)   What a great day!

Just Stuff

 I worked on this today.   Quilting the borders on the quilt for Millie.  I take the quilt off the frame and then repin to work each of the borders separately while positioned at the top.  It is a bit more time consuming but it works for me on larger quilts!

 I let the finished part just hang out of the way and work away.

 I slide back and forth on my chair-it is nice to work free motion and not have to stand up the whole time to do a pantograph!   I will need to do more of this kind of work.

 While I was quilting, Bill was getting ready to hook up the pool cleaner when he got a surprise!

 This guy was in the skimmer and struck at Bill when he took the cover off!   Sure did get some adrenaline flowing!  This picture is of the dead pygmy rattler (which is devoid of rattles btw) because my daughter taught me that you, 'dead them first, and then photograph' .  Wise words which I employ every time!  All in a days work, huh, Bill?!  (September is a busy time for our poisonous snakes-it is mating season so they range farther looking for mates and they are very aggressive.    I had noticed one of the cats staring at the pool earlier and didn't investigate;  I am glad I missed first dibs on this adventure!

 The quilt is finished and delivered!

 And the next one is loaded on in its place!  Another quilt for Millie using antique nine patches.

And in between the usual fun times, I did this.......

Birthday Messages

We went to Orange Park for a birthday visit!  Matthew turned 31!

We went to a new to us restaurant called Santioni's and it was beyond delicious!

 Three generations of Minota men pictured here!

 Will was bored with the time factor involved for good food but he did well.   He liked the live piano music best!

 After dinner we went back to their place for cheesecake and a bit of conversation.

 Will got to the good part before Ashley got back with the plates!  He whispers, 'Frosting!'

While he did like that part best, he did eat most of his slice off his plate, too!   And a good time was had by all!

Hey, Grandma!

 I got a bit sidetracked with a visit from this guy!  He was too shy at first and I felt bad.   It doesn't take long to have withdrawals from both of us!  I do enjoy seeing him play and 'get ideas'!  He didn't want me to take his picture, he wanted to be the camera man!

 He took a 'selfie' ...

 His view of me....

Grandpa on the computer...

And a great one of Mommy and Bling!

 Ashley wanted to relearn how to crochet.  She had learned how when she was a girl but now wanted to do things again.  (Football season is upon us and we need something to do in front of the tv with our guys that requires thinking!)  She caught right on to the Granny Square pattern.

                                          
During one of Will's naps, we did a design wall exercise.  I have taken up the challenge on a friend's blog to pull out orphan blocks and put them in a quilt.  Since that is not something I collect,  I dug out my box of samples from my Grandmother and Ashley and I arranged and rearranged them until we had a pleasing layout.   Now I have to fine-tune and add borders to each block so they can be sewn together.  It is another good brain exercise for me!

Goodbye until Friday Will!

 When it came time to work the heel on the second sock, I did my usual heel.   I just didn't like doing the many wedges of the Sweet Tomato heel of the first sock.

See, the sock on the bottom, the S.T. heel, it just looks deformed.  In case you haven't noticed, I like what I like and while I like hearing about new, I rarely switch my technique because they work so well for me!  I will gladly rework the first sock so they match!  I also changed the leg portion ribbing of the second sock into a twisted 1 x 1 rib and I am liking that better , too.  

On the Needles Today

I did a few rows on the second sock and then I heard this.......

the call of the Georgia Clay Geology Shawl......and I cast on and knit the day away!

Humming in the Sewing Room

 First thing in the morning, I put the borders on this little butterfly and flower quilt.

 Then I figured out how to use up every last bit of fabric to piece this strip so the backing was long enough to work!

 and then I loaded it up on the frame!

 I did a cute butterfly/fairy wings/ angel wing pantograph in a pastel thread.

 It took a few hours and several good resting time but I got it finished!

 The binding was put on completely by machine and now I can give it away to a newly born little girl!

 And just because the design wall was empty, I pulled this pile of blocks back out to put them together.   I had to trim each block to square them up, then sew them together!

 I need to buy just the right combination of rainbow fabric for the borders!

 Here is a neat trick for storing blocks and newly cut fabric-line a pizza box with parchment paper!

 It will keep your blocks in order and together until you get to them again!

 I have enough squares to make another kid quilt out of these using the disappearing pinwheel again.   It was that fun to make and since I have the fabric, I will make another!

The quilting frame was empty so I loaded another quilt from Millie.   She is still using up the pile of vintage blocks she has and so I will begin work on this one!