Around Here

Around here...

...we're watching the weather forecast as we plan to head up to the mountains for a few days to hike the popular Hanging Lake trail outside of Glennwood Springs.  Twice we've gotten half way up this hike only to be turned back by sheets of ice.  This time we go armed with crampons! Starting May 1 reservations are required to hike during the busier late spring and summer months so we want to get up there soon.  

 Check out the big drop in temperature here in Boulder from Tuesday to Wednesday.  That's par for the course during the spring months around here. 

Around here...

...the spring weather has been glorious.  We have the patio door open, are cleaning out the perennial beds and hunting up capris and shorts.  The turkey vultures that return every spring from their migration to warmer parts are back and make lovely swooping patterns as they fly home every night to the tree a block away where they roost.  The clouds are always wonderful to see when we take the time to look up. 

Around here...

...I've been doing a lot of quilting, finishing two small journal quilts which I'll tell you about another time.   One of my goals for this year is to make a "larger" quilt than what I usually tackle.   This one is going to take some time to complete so I'll tell you what I've done so far.   I found a photo of Bellagio, a town on Lake Como which I took on our trip to Italy back in 2013.   I applied a "poster" filter in PhotoShop, cropped it, and made a drawing on vinyl, simplifying it as I drew.  The final drawing is 24x36".

Then I made a fabric "canvas" of backing, interfacing, batting, and a muslin top.  On this I layered the three pieces that I choose for the background of the image:  a blue sky which I painted, a greenish grey batik for the mountain, and a dark green batik for the green forest.     

All that work exhausted me so much that I've had to rest for the past few days!  

It doesn't look like much at this stage, does it?  It takes faith to make something from nothing!  I'm heartened by this comment on the process made by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer, of Balzer Designs

Around here...

...we've enjoyed following Pauls' work on Boulder High School's spring production of Les Miserables.  Although he's no longer a student there Paul has been working closely with the directors to help with all kinds of tasks related to producing the show.  Paul's friend Louis was the Head of Set Construction and welcomed Paul's help  in getting the set.    Ben and I and some friends went to see the play on closing night Friday and were very impressed with the show.   It was the last one for so many graduating seniors, kids I've watched perform for several shows, and I was surprised at how emotional I felt knowing this was the end of that little era.   

courtesy of Sara King

Around here...

....we are loving our new Roomba!  We finally bought one as a partial solution to some of my allergy problems and find it not only a huge help in keeping the floors clean but great fun to watch as it works.  When he's all done, he finds his way back to his docking station and sings out a short, triumphant song to crow about his accomplishment.   We find it quite amusing! (I'm not sure why I've decided our Roomba is a "he," but it seems clear to me that he is.)