June Road Trip

Clouds in the Big Horn Mountains close enough to touch.

Welcome to Thermopolis.

Thermopolis Hot Springs. Yes I had to touch.

A return trip to soak is in order.

Wind River Canyon waterfall hidden in a crevice.

Wind River fishing below Boysen Reservoir Dam.

Red Canyon. The picture doesn't do it justice.

Oregon Trail ruts. I swear they’re there. I just wasn’t tall enough to photograph them over the sagebrush.

Storm coming in over the Rockies.

Historical gold mine at South Pass.

Fun with Drying Dishes

Finished 15 x 20 inch (38 x 51 cm) dish towels

So. I finished my Space Shawl and a very lacy scarf, and was looking for something different to do. I found a dish towel pattern in one of my weaving books, and off I went. I'd never worked with cotton yarn before, so before I ordered a big shipment from my favorite weaving store, I bought some good old Peaches and Cream cotton yarn. You can find it darn near everywhere, it's cheap, thick, and usually knitted or crocheted into dishcloths of some type.

I grabbed a big cone of white, some colors, and got to work with my pencil and math designing. You'll notice the edges are fluffy/fringey. I left them that way because I didn't want to make hems on my first set, I wanted to see how things would go. I am definitely going to hem my next set, I hated the fringe, it wouldn't stay even and frayed and feathered and just did its own thing. The heck with that. So I need to learn to do hems for my next trick.

The selvedges (sides of the weaving) weren't too bad, cotton has a LOT less give than wool yarns do. It made it easier to control things, although the cotton towels shrank from around 24 inches (61 cm) long to around 20 inches (38 cm) and width wise went from around 18 inches (46 cm) to 15 inches (38 cm). Lots of shrinkage. But the good thing is there are some super warp and weft calculators out there, so I can do the minor math, have them do the major math, and then get an idea of what to expect. Of course washing and drying bring on that shrinkage big time.

Since I bought a bunch of cotton yarn (of course), look forward to more colored varieties of dish towels, until I feel the urge to move on and learn something else. Or run out of the need for dishtowels.

Tie on, header, hemstitching and we're off, weaving!

The gap between the two towels. 10 dent heddle with a worsted weight type cotton. Took about 3 days to do as I figured things out as I went. 

In a Pickle

Last hurrah for autumn.

One thing I love about the coming of fall is the bounty of produce available. I start plotting what to can during the summer, subject to change with the whims of the Farmer's Market. Cabbage for sauerkraut, Bok Choy for kimchi, Carrots and Cauliflower for pickled vegetables, Lemons for preserved lemons, Onions for relish, Fruits for jams, and a big favorite around our house, Cucumbers for pickles.

We generally only make two kinds of pickles, Kosher Dills, and Bread and Butter pickles. This afternoon I put up 8 quarts of bread and butter pickles. That should last us the winter. I think. Something about the sweet and sour taste, and the crispness that makes them irresistible.

Fermented foods are supposed to be good for your digestive system. I have no reason to doubt it, besides, they just taste good. We make all the pickled vegetables including the ever potent kimchi, kombucha, beer, sourdough bread, yogurt. I haven't gotten into making kefir yet, but I think that is coming. Also on my hit list is pickled beets. Anyone have a good recipe?

So what are your favorite pickle-ized things?  Anyone make Lemon Curd?  What other foody things do you have to share?

Pickles in waiting.

And still waiting. These are very patient cucumbers. I recommend them.

Super secret pickling concoction swirling in the pan.

Before and after. Ready for transformation. 

Puppy Max

I felt like doing a flashback post, so I give you Puppy Max.

A few months old and already plotting his herding chores.

Napping after a hard day of dogging.

Contemplating which mischief he will get into next.

"The stealthy Corgi lies in wait for his arch nemesis, Anubis D. Cat." 

Posing with one of my humans.

Max at 6 weeks old. Ears up and ready to fly. After a nap, of course.

Every pizza you bake, every snack you make, I'll be watching you.

Wyoming Spring - Views from a Ranch

View from a ranch, One.

View from a ranch, Two.

View from a ranch, Three.

View from a ranch, Four.

View from a ranch, Five.

My escort, Milo.

Farewell, Minneapolis

The farewell tour of Minneapolis included a visit to the Minneapolis Institute of Art. In the spirit of Halloween, a sculpture.

As a matter of fact, the whole post will be sculptures. I danced around becoming a sculpture major in my Fine Arts program. I still carry a love for figures to this day. Buddha's come in an enormous array of poses.

I was fed a steady diet of Greek and Roman sculpture in art school.

I grew to appreciate the more abstract views of the figure.

How far could an artist go with deconstructing a figure?

Sometimes the figure didn't even need to be there to convey presence.*

* detail of above photo showing dog tags used to make up the sculpture

Is a figure the sum of its parts? Do multiple jack-in-the-boxes make you immortal?

Or is sculpture an outline of a moment captured in time?

An art museum is a great place to ponder all kinds of questions, or just to sit and absorb. Art helps you explore the question - What does it mean to be human?  If you stand still long enough, art offers a small respite from the ordinary. And sometimes we all need that.

The Periphery Goes Visiting - Part II A Bit of Fairy Dust

A red squirrel contemplates chucking a nut on our head, a secret red squirrel "Welcome to Minneapolis" ritual.

The foliage on a walk around a lake dazzled our brown Wyoming weary eyes.

The guardian of the house decides whether or not to let us enter her domain.

A duck stands tall above the lake algae. Am I friend or foe he wonders.

Ruby decides we are harmless - and might have treats.

Lake debris reflecting a gorgeous fall afternoon.

A park bench invites us to rest by a tree sporting the pink ribbon of death.

This duck found clear water and clear sailing for his afternoon.

The trees that changed colors went all out to gain our attention.

Lake fairies begged us to stay a while longer. "Come back, come back" they cried. I think we will.