Monday, August 12, 2019

My holiday is over. Pat and I both came back to Powell River this morning. Although I’m not completely unpacked I managed to find and pack enough projects to take to sewing tomorrow. I made a collection call on behalf of the Hall (never a fun conversation), got a package sent off in the mail, did a drop at the thrift store and stopped at the recycle depot. We also got our garbage and recycle bins out to the curb to be picked up. Pat made a run to the bottle depot and shopped for some badly-needed groceries.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time on Texada, although I didn’t get as much accomplished as I thought I would – but then I seldom do. There were no long afternoons in the hammock – the sun didn’t cooperate as much as I would have liked – but I managed to get quite a bit of reading done. Some of that reading was proofing Pat’s manuscript; it was easier to read from the book than it was to read online.

I did some quilting but most of my workshop time was spent sandwiching quilts. I’m amazed at how many quilt tops were done and waiting for this step. I have three finishes that I will get up on the website tomorrow. I also worked on some cross stitch, my knitting, and my embroidery. No wonder I didn’t want to come back.

I will eventually adjust. The mornings will be filled with cars, trucks and buses making their way up the hill rather than the call of the loons. The evenings will be filled with people walking up the hill from the bar or down the hill from Seven-Eleven rather than the hoot of the owls.

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

I came across on the ferry late yesterday afternoon. I originally intended to come back this morning but that meant setting the alarm and getting up early so I decided to make the trip yesterday.

I had a nice day at sewing. I worked on a couple of September cards and then moved on to a couple of Splendid Sampler blocks. When I pulled out the first package I realized I had brought the Splendid Sampler book but my package was for a block in the Splendid Sampler 2 book. I had another package that I was able to figure out how to make the block but I did some cutting wrong so only got about half of it done. Next up was a paper-pieced project and that went smoothly.

After sewing I had the usual amount of running around to do. My first stop was the Hall; renovations are underway and you can see things taking shape. After the Hall I made a trip to the Library and then to the bank to make a deposit. I picked up a few groceries and have been working at my computer since I got home.

I’ll be heading back to Texada on the 6:00 PM ferry and I expect to be there for another week.

Friday, August 2, 2019

I’ve been on Texada a week and I’ve not missed home at all.

Last weekend was the Blues and Roots festival. The weather was good, I had a free pass onto the site and my job was quite simple. I was there to promote the next season of Home Routes concerts and another show Pat has booked for October. Sales were slow but I spoke to several people about the events.

The first few days of the week were spent between some quilting, some cross stitch and some baseball. Will was playing in the national tournament for 14 and under boys; some of the games were broadcast over the internet and I watched as many of them as possible. I was quite quiet in my cheering the first game but after Pat left to go back to Powell River for a couple of days my cheering got much louder. Maybe I just wanted to hear someone’s voice but I was actually very much “into” each and every game.

While Pat was away I dug out The Princess and spent a couple of days stitching. Since then I’ve been working in my workshop; I have a miniature quilt finished and I’m just finishing up the quilting on a larger quilt. I have several more ready to sandwich and quilt so I won’t run out of things to do.

I expected I would have more done than I have, but I’m not pushing myself too much. With my first cup of coffee in the morning I check my email and play my games (for the first several days I missed my iPad because I had forgotten it at home), with my second cup I do a little knitting. Then, and only then, do I get busy quilting. I don’t have a bathroom in the workshop so I’m up and down the hill a few times during the day.

In the evenings I’m either reading or knitting or sometimes working on an embroidered tablecloth.

Sandcastle Weekend starts tomorrow; I’m volunteering for a 2-hour shift on Sunday. Except for a day trip back to Powell River next week I’ll be staying put for at least another week.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Getting there may be half the fun but the other half certainly is not getting ready.

Pat and I did some running around this morning and then did some prep work for selling House Concert tickets at the festival on Texada. Late this morning, Pat got groceries while I went off to the fabric shop and my sewing session. After sewing I did some printing at Staples before I came home.

I’ve had supper and now I need to start packing. I’m taking all of my finished quilt tops to Texada; I have more room to sandwich them over there and I’d be taking them to quilt anyway so they may as well all live there until I get to them. I was able to find backings in my stash for all but two of them and I picked up fabrics on sale for those two. I’ll be taking a few other projects along with me, and I look forward to afternoons in the hammock and doing some reading. I’ll spend the better part of two weeks on Texada but I may be back and forth a time or two.

I want to get the grass and boulevard (mostly weeds) cut before the evening is over so I’d better get at it.