Anniversary

Yesterday was our 46th Anniversary - and what a fabulous day. First I went to the sew-in at Anacortes (more about that later) and Don stayed home and did housework and mowed the lawn (is he well trained or what?) Linda, from Fiber Fabrications and I left at 8 for the monthly sew-in in Anacortes, a bright and sunny day. We had a fabulous time, how could you not have a fabulous time with Linda, she is such fun!!! After a day of feasting and sewing and laughing and shopping I was back home by 4:30 and it was time to celebrate our anniversary. For dinner, we picked the Oboe Cafe, in the Best Western Hotel. A great choice. We had never been there before but had heard great things.

The Oboe is softly decorated and softly lit, and all evening they played the most wonderful Oboe Music . . .

The Oboe features local food and it was all delicious and excellently prepared.

Starting with a pretty glass of ice water . . .

Don ordered a large steak - with mashed potatoes and asparagus - ok - so he didn't order the asparagus (you know him so well) but it came with his dinner and I got to eat it. It was lightly grilled - to perfection!!!

I had Alaska Halibut and Chips (you can see I've already snitched his asparagus) . . .

The meals were all served in large bowls, even the steak.

The servings were huge - here is what was left after I ate the fish - and many of the fries. They were delicious - and much too plentiful . . . I didn't get a picture of Don's plate after he was finished - but he only ate half the potatoes and half the steak. Very generous servings.

Then, because it was our anniversary, dessert was on the house.

Don's cheescake before - well sort of before - he'd already eaten the strawberry and some of the cheesecake. The cheesecake is made by a local company, Chuckanut Cheesecake Company.

Don's dessert after . . .

My banana split before - well almost before. I swear it was the size of Rhode Island . . . and made with local Mallard's Ice Cream.

My dessert after . . . it was delicious, but I can't eat a dessert the size of Rhode Island . . .

This was my gift to Don - a mug with a collage of photos of the boys . . .

Just outside the window by our table was a waterfall and fountain, Herons in a pond . . .

You can see the top of the waterfall behind the stairs. It is all so beautiful.

We had a fabulous time celebrating together.

Sneak Peek of Contest Quilt

Thank you to all that emailed asking where I'd been. I've been here, just a little busy. It's only been 2 1/2 weeks, but I sure do appreciate your interest and concern. As you know - I'm entering a quilt in a national contest - and I've been busy working on that. I showed you a peek at the colors in my last post - but I've switched those about a little and taken the darker ones out. I like the way it is coming along.

I have to have it hand quilted (since I don't machine quilt - and only one person can work on the quilt) before Dec. 18 - I think I can make it.

Here are some peeks at the work in progress.


And one more . . .

And one last one - some wrinkly hearts - first order of business today is to press the hearts - and then . . .

to be continued . . .

Slow Poke Quilters

I was over at Sunny's blog and found Slow Poke Quilters, over at Momma Made This. I like the concept - because that is how I quilt. I love the process, all the details along the way, and of course, the finished product eventually. Be sure to click on both blogs and enjoy the fun and companionship of Slow Poke Quilting. You can also click the Slow Poke Quilters icon on the right sdie of my blog to get there. Join the fun - and make quilts without pressure. I started a new quilt today - it is for a contest and it is going to be fun. Lots of pretty colors, three different blocks, all variations of the log cabin block, which, if you have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I've fallen in love with.

My watermelon quilt was a log cabin quilt,

and the quilts I made for our grandsons were planet log cabins.

I really like the precision of the block, once the strips are all cut to size. One hint here, if you are cutting log cabin strips and want them to not stretch when stitching, cut them the length of the fabric and not across with width. There is less stretch to the length and it gives a firmer log cabin - and more accurate. These are the color combinations that I have picked - a light and a dark of each color. I think I'll replace the pinks with ones that have more contrast. I have the beginning strips cuts - 2 1/2" wide - and now to cut the lengths for each block. I am going to hand quilt this quilt - more fun and slow poke - but I love it. What are you working on, slow poke or otherwise?

Afternoon at the lake

This afternoon we went to Lake Padden - a city park surrounding a lake - with no private buildings or residences on the lake. It is one of our favorite spots.

View from where we sat . . .

Lots of kayaks and canoes on the lake today . . .

Some ducks came to visit . . .

They were very friendly . . .

Goodbye ducks . . .

The other side of the little cove . . .

Looking out at the lake . . .

It was a fabulous afternoon!