Off To The Fair

We talked Nathan in to going to the fair yesterday :)  Since he's been receiving 'intense' development therapy, it's been a little easier getting out and about with him.  The highlight was having him walk through the horse barn.  (OK ... I bribed him with a few pennies ... he's saving up 70 so he can 'purchase' an outing to the bowling alley.)

Aaah ... the sights and smells of the fair.  Fried food galore.  Even deep fried pickles.  I was not tempted to try one ... have you ever eaten a deep fried pickle?  Who thinks up food like this??????

My favorite part was walking through the quilt exhibit.  There were so many beauties displayed.  I'm working on finishing up a hand pieced quilt top that my(dearly departed) grandmother started.  There are enough complete squares to make a full size bed quilt.  She must have started the pieces in the 1960's from scraps of fabric she saved.   It will be so special to sleep under the cover knowing she hand stitched the pieces.  Her son, my dad, will enjoy using it when he returns for his annual visit next summer. (Mums the word mom if you read this post.)  Inside the quilt barn were some ladies spinning wool yarn.  Since I have been mastering so many new/old skills the past few years, I'm looking for something to work on this winter so just might take up spinning ... it looks so relaxing.

Did you get out to a fair this summer?  If so, what is your favorite part?  Rides, food, exhibits?

Savoring The Last Bit

... of summer. 

Already the leaves on our maple trees are starting to be tinged with yellow and flame red.  Hints of cooler temperatures can be felt upon the daytime breeze ... and the nights .. well, they are getting chilly.  School starts once again the day after Labor Day ... and then I can begin my LONG rest.  It happens each year.  Look forward to spring (which bypassed us this year) ... then work like a dog all summer ... and slide right into the restful mode that autumn ushers in.  We are predicted to have a snowy winter this year.  Each season is a welcome change from the one that just passed.  We are still busy storing away food for the colder months ahead.  Our freezers are full and the storage pantry should be overflowing in the weeks to come.  The cycle will begin once again ... Life goes on.  Ebb and flow.  The cricket will have its swan song soon enough ... then the quiet peace will return as our little area settles in for a long winter's nap, once again devoid of summer's tourists.

Photo credit:  Carl Larsson, Apple Harvest

"The Big Burn" 1910 Fire

This coming weekend will be the 100th anniversary of the tragic 3 million acre forest fire that consumed much of the northwest including areas of Idaho, Montana, Washington, and Canada.  Monday we took a trip up to Wallace Idaho to see the Historic Nine Mile Cemetery where some of the fire fighters that lost their lives are buried.  Our son Patrick, a federal forest firefighter, has been working to spruce up the graveyard in preparation to this weekend's activities.  It's a very moving experience to tread upon the site where so many heroes are laid to rest, including U.S. Veterans, miners, and various pioneers from a bygone era.  To read more about these devastating fires check out these links:

 

USDA Forest Service’s Northern Region 1910 Fire Commemoration Information web site

Outdoor Idaho August 20: The Day the Fires Burned

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America, book by Timothy Egan

Summer Vacation - Part III

... company. 

My parents are visiting and playing catch up with their grand kids.  Jacob has his Gigi wrapped around his little finger as she is a good audience for his imaginative play.  We're trying to squeeze every living bit of summer warmth out of this season ... it's predicted that our winter will be rather snowy.

Photos:  My parents (mom and step-dad, Helen and Otis), Jacob and his Gigi 'wearing' plastic volcanoes as hats, story time with her grands.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD.
       From the house of the LORD we bless you.

Psalm 118:26

What I Did On Summer Vacation - Part II

Lake cruise on a kayak.  We've stayed pretty close to home this summer with company, summer camp, a basketball tournament (upcoming) for Nathan, etc.  Mr. Mac and I have been wanting to go kayaking for the longest time .. so we took the plunge last weekend and signed up for lessons .. this involved safety as well and we had to learn rescue techniques should we tip over in the boat.  It's a good thing the water was nice and warm or I'd have chickened out. 

One more mini-trip before school starts for Nathan ... Let's see .. it's a National Park just about four hours from home .... any guesses?

Lest We Forget

"He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”

Matthew 3:12 (New Living Translation) 

Photo credit:  Winnowing The Grain by Carl Larsson, 

What I Did On Summer Vacation - Part I

... in pictures. 

Summer wouldn't be summer without a little relaxation thrown in the mix.  I tend to stay close to home due to the gardens .. and the busy production of storing food for the winter.  Hubby did let me slip away one weekend to the west coast of Washington to visit new found family. 

This is my cousin Egon and his wife Debbie.  He emigrated from Denmark years ago and is the keeper of our family tree.  They invited me to join them for a Danish picnic ... and a visit to Viking Days at a Nordic museum. 

It has been my dream for years to discover my Danish heritage ... and this was a great way to start!