Casowasco Spring Retreat, May 2009

Twice a year for several years many of the Valley Quilters have attended a 3-day retreat at Casowasco. To get the best rate we needed to increase the number attending. We invited the quilt guild from Candor, NY to join us. What a good choice that was. We have great fun together.

A Little History Casowasco is owned and operated by the Methodist Church as a summer camp for children. It is a conference center and retreat the balance of the year. Prior to the purchase by the church in 1946 the property was owned by the Case family. They lived in Auburn, NY and this was their summer home. Theodore W. Case was the third Case generation to live here and raise his family. Like his father he was an inventor and it was he who added sound to motion pictures. Casowasco is named for the Cases and for Lake Owasco on whose beautiful shore the mansion is built.

This is the mansion that was built in 1896. Now named Galilee this is where we normally sleep and have our Weds. night entertainment. This year a large project is in the works and we were housed in another building.

The Foster Center is where we, again in past years, had our sewing space. We use the entire downstairs and from there have a beautiful view of the lake. Upstairs is the sanctuary.

Meals have been moved to the downstair area of the Foster Center for a few months and we are sleeping and sewing in an entirely different space. It works well.

Alicia has spent the winter working on basket blocks and alternate flower blocks. She is working hard to complete the top while here. This is going to be a beauty.

This is just one of the nice things about sharing Casowasco with the Candor guild. What one group doesn't think of, the other does....... The Candor gals were in charge of entertainment Weds. evening. Here Debbie is issuing a challenge. Bras have been rescued from a Salvation Army. We are to work in pairs and embellish these bras. She is giving instructions. At the Weds. night gathering she tells that we will be asked to present our bras with an explanation of the embellishments. We are told that 'presentation is everything'! Awards are to be given.

A bra as only Mother Nature (or Alicia and "the sisters") would design. Flowers for spring and dead leaves, twigs, etc. for autumn.

The bee's knees???

Trying to twirl the beaded adornments.....and not fall down laughing.

One has to keep one's ears warm in winter!

Another winter bra - with icicles hanging - brrrr

This one came complete with tiny cow buttonsThe finale was none other than our 85-year old Jean strutting her stuff with the poinsettia bra decorated for the holidays. Jean was overwhelmingly voted as giving the best presentation!

What a great role model. We all want to grow up just like her!

This is going to be a hard act to follow!

Mothers Day!

I am so blessed! We are back home for Mothers Day and with it came a visit from our terrific daughter, her hubby and our grandson Dan. How lucky am I? It somehow didn't seem fair to ask Vic to drive another 200 miles this soon so the kids came to us. After six months away from home it was so good to sit and feast my eyes on their loving faces.

Valley Quilters Annual Spring Luncheon - May 6, 2009

What a guy! Vic got me home in time to attend the luncheon that my guild, The Valley Quilters, holds for area quilters each spring. It's always a lovely day and this was no exception. Thanks, Vic!!!

The theme this year was log cabin quilts. A few are on display. The tables were pretty and spring-like. During the winter the Newark Valley gals made log cabin pincushions for the tables so that each attendee would have a souvenir of the day. Pansies completed the table decor.

Other small quilts added color.

Our raffle quilt on display. This was made and donated by member Linda Woodard. Proceeds will go to fund next year's speaker and for fabric to make a raffle quilt for the 2010 event.

Lucy Cross, who is also a member of the Tompkins County Quilters, arranged for the speaker(s). The ladies are members of the Ithaca Doll Club and a talented group they are. Here two of the ladies "show n tell" about a few of the dolls displayed. Don't they have fun? We were told that this gentleman is anatomically correct!!! Oh, my.

Quilters are invited to bring show n tell items. Their talents are showcased as the finale. For me this is the best part of the day. Such talent we have among us! I'm inspired to run home to sew and sew once again.....

Thanks for coming, ladies. Can't wait to see what you bring to share with us next year!

The Return Trip Home (or going back east with .....) - April-May 2009

The weather forecast allowed for a more northerly journey than can usually be taken safely so early in spring. Vic planned our trip to begin across Utah and Colorado. Utah's Route 12 is one of America's Scenic Byways. It winds through Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase Escalante and Capitol Reef National Parks. Every inch of it's 124-mile length was awesome.

Our first stop was at the Red Canyon Botanical Area Visitor Center. It was too bad - sort of - that it was too early in the season for the campground to be open. There are seven unique and rare plant species that it would have been fun to find. And the colors of these formations for which it was named are vivid. The variations are due to the different amounts of iron and manganese present.

These hoodoos were directly behind that center. Hoodoo has at least two definitions - a pillar of rock, usually of fantastic shape, left by erosion. The second is to cast a spell. These formations surely fit both definitions. Carved by wind and weather this Claron Formation (colorful limestone) is a photographer's dream.

This was one of two unique tunnels leaving Red Canyon heading for Bryce.

The campground at Bryce Canyon National Park had plenty of room. The timing was perfect. We had a quick early dinner and headed out to see everything we could into the couple of hours before sunset.

More wonderful hoodoos

Pronghorns that were unimpressed with the tourists.

WOW!

This hoodoo is "The Hunter". Note the trees on top.

Rt. 12 wound through Grand Staircase-Escalante National Park with often grand views of 75 miles or more.

The route through Colorado was pretty spectacular as well. After winter in the desert, Curecanti National Recreation Area was quite the sight. We followed along this waterway for 25 miles or more.

What good timing. Here on the Continental Divide (click on the photo below to see the elevation) the road was open and dry. Less than a week later they had a storm that dumped another load of snow.

A nice roadside stop for lunch. Pike's Peak is in the far distance at 14,110 ft.

A few years ago we discovered that Kansas has fishing lakes. Each county has at least one and the camping is free. This is the fourth one in which we have stayed but definitely it has the prettiest campsites. The camping at these lakes require advance planning as there are no amenities. We carry enough water to shower, cook, etc. and don't worry about having electricity. This is Brown State Fishing Lake in Hiawatha, KS. Roughing it???? I don't think so.

It was lunchtime when we crossed the Mississippi River from Hannibal, Mo to Hull, IL. A sign after crossing pointed to the John Hays Recreation Area. It looked as though it would be right by the river. How nice a spot that would be!

It seems the news of flooding in Mo, IL and IN was not exaggerated. It's a good thing we didn't plan to camp here. We did, however, pull down the steps and have lunch by the mighty Mississippi. Then Vic backed up 1/4 mile to turn around to leave.......

That's Hannibal, MO on the other side. A few years ago on our way west there was the fall festival that we enjoyed for a few days. They closed the streets for all the vendors' tents and pedestrian traffic. We enjoyed the festival and all things Mark Twain that the town had to offer. The lunchtime view

Before leaving IL we spent the night in Kickapoo State Park. The park is in a wooded area where morel mushrooms grow. This was the beginning of the season and people come and camp and hunt the mushrooms. The campground hosts invited us to hunt the gourmet treat.

When dinner was over we were tired. Physical activity and the waning daylight convinced us that we would pass up that special opportunity.

A neighboring camper stopped to visit with Vic and showed him some morels that he and his wife had picked earlier. When he left he handed Vic the bag.

Here they are - soaked and draining - ready for cooking. Wonderful delicate flavor! Thank you wonderful, generous stranger! We won't forget you.We still had to cross IN, OH, WV, PA and a small portion of NY before returning to our front yard. 2,845 safe miles in 7 days! Vic was a driving machine. He stayed alert and aware every mile, mile after mile, day after day.

It was a wonderful winter. We can now bask in the memories of new adventures in new locations with new friends. Thank you Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge staff for welcoming us back and keeping us occupied with new and interesting challenges. Thank you Jeep Junkies for all the great adventures.

We have been invited to return for the 2009-2010 winter. The Good Lord willing and the creeks don't rise, that is our plan.