30 November 2012 - Family, Feast and Fix-ups

My entire family was together for Thanksgiving. All four of us. We had a great time, as usual.  Robin came in a week before Thanksgiving, which gave her time to visit with her friends, then she was free to be with us the following week. We decided to eat our turkey on Monday, giving us plenty of time to eat leftovers during the week. We all love turkey dinner leftovers. 

We decided to go simple this year. Just the staples, nothing  extravagant. And we mostly adhered to that decision. However, a 20 pound turkey for four people was a bit over the top. David made a pumpkin and a pecan pie, which we gobbled up in a hurry. I whined a lot when they were gone. Thankfully David took the hint and whipped up another pecan pie for us, so we could finish the week in style.

While it seems we spent a lot of time cooking and eating, we did have some fun. Robin and I went to the Marriott Library to see a book exhibit from the International Book Maker's Guild. There were some interesting bindings, shapes, and concepts. The two other exhibits: one of broadsides and the other on bindings with a Fantasy and Nonsense theme had both been removed the previous week. I was unhappy about that, as they were really wonderful. 

Robin and I spent several hours standing in a checkout line at an Xpedx store, making friends with the many others in line. Xpedx closed all their retail stores, and this one has having a 50% off everything sale. It was mobbed. I found many reams of paper for my printing projects, and Robin found some specialty metallic papers--at a very good price. 

Robin and I took a pass at the garage. It was a chilly day, and the    garage was even colder. You can't see that she is about frozen in this picture. We pulled out many boxes, mostly Christmas decorations and lights as well as more quilting fabrics and notions, yard art (yay!), kachinas, and lots more. We unpacked some boxes and found places inside to put yet more stuff away. And we did a little decorating in the living room. Gotta have a little sparkle. 

At the bottom of one of the piles, I was excited to find the box with my architectural stars. I was beginning to wonder if I had left them in Michigan. Now two fence panels are filled with my stars. So nice to have them up where I can enjoy them. 

Robin and I also spent some time poking around in stores looking for the perfect candlesticks for the mantel. We found them, too. Hefty and sparkly, what's not to like? Even the gargoyles have festive ribbons. 

Robin and I made some big snowflakes, and David helped me hang them. It is beginning to look a bit more festive around here. 

What else does one do on a vacation?  Work in the shop! Finished the February calendar page for the Monks and Friars. The calendar page ended up being more complicated than I had planned, ending up with five passes through the press.  I also printed a Solstice card --it makes me laugh every time I see it.  

 Robin cut paper for me and once again helped with shop clean up and organization. If I could only get a regular schedule out of her--it could be pretty nice out there. 

Robin also indulged me in my passion (or is that obsession?) with signage and handmade metal stuff. 

I love old signs: neon signs, bowling alley signs, motel signs in particular, but you name it, any of the above result in hard braking and a picture. 



 

 Then there is my personal favorite from this set. How can anyone not love a sign like this?  A seedy hotel with the Mormon temple on it?  What's not to like? Now I need to see it at night, all lit up, although you can tell it is missing a ton of bulbs. Still, could be interesting. 

 
 Two weeks later: I did go back at night. Darn it. So many lights were missing and most of the neon did not work. Very disappointing.


I had also hoped to get a picture of the Ritz Bowling Lanes sign at night. It too was missing most of its lights. Humph. This sign is easily three stories high. The bowling pin should be completely lighted. The word 'bowling' rotates inside the pin. I always loved this sign.
 
 
 


  

 

 

13 November 2012 - Snow birds

It has been a busy month. We finally made a decision to add on to the shop. In order to do this, we had to remove a very large Austrian pine.  It was quite an experience to watch this come down.  Phil, the guy who climbed up with the chainsaw must not have a nerve in his body. What the heck is holding him up here? 
 

 It took one day to take the tree down, and two days to get it all chopped up and removed. It looks so bare without the tree, it really took up a lot of space. The magpies and red squirrels are quite put out with us. This was a major part of the squirrel freeway, and the magpies spent a lot of time squawking and waiting to be fed in that tree. 

While we were waiting to get the stump ground we got snow. 

Twenty-nine inches of snow fell in two days. It was hard to do anything other than wander from window to window watching those huge flakes fall straight down. 

This was one of the few storms that come across the Great Salt Lake, resulting in a huge dump of lake effect snow. Not realizing how much we were going to get, we didn't start shoveling out until the second day, and by then it was so high, it was really hard. Jack had to plow a path out to my shop for me.

The birdbath was engulfed in snow, and only the top of a gazing globe behind it is above the snow. 

But this is Utah, and after the second day the sun came out and the snow began to melt very quickly.  All 29 inches were gone in four days, but it sure was pretty while it lasted. In the two pictures below, you are looking at the same tree--just two days apart. 

 





















Along with all the snow, the birds showed up in big numbers at our feeders. We saw birds that had not before been guests here. It was great! And some of them we haven't seen since, but I'm sure they'll be back with the next snow.  We were thrilled to see quite a few Steller's Jays. With their crested heads, they look very pterodactyl-ish to me. We also had the first evening grosbeaks show up. I don't know if they were migrating south, or just came down from the hills, but they ate a lot for two days, and we haven't seen them since. 
 

  

 

6 November 2012 - Last of Fall?

Lots of pictures for you today. The snow has disappeared, and we have had beautiful fall weather that includes the requisite blue skies, great color and the attendant rodents. The forecast is calling for snow (again?) on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so I have to enjoy every bit of this gorgeousness while I can.

Even the sunsets have been spectacular--they start out pink and move to gold. A change that metamorphs in about 10 minutes. Don't blink or you will miss it.

With the cooler nights the deer are coming down in droves. We currently have six to eight does and fawns come through the yard several times a day.  

We had quite the excitement this morning. A doe jumped the fence and came to a stop about 10 feet from our patio. Her sides were heaving, her tongue was hanging out, her back legs were quivering. She took a quick drink out of the bird bath and fled. 

We were wondering if she had been chased by a dog, when over the fence comes a small 2 point buck. He takes off over the back fence after her. We run to the next window in time to see them cross the street. Ah-- rutting season. Got it. 

But here's the fun part, a large four point buck comes out of the trees, chases off the little buck and herds the doe back up the mountain. You just never know what is going to happen around here. 

Jack and I both thought he was smaller than the big bucks we had in the yard last winter, but he certainly out-weighed the little two-pointer. 

In addition to deer watching, we have been amused by squirrel antics. The cats have also had their noses pressed against the windows while nattering at the squirrels.  I moved our trestle table onto the balcony and covered it with a beach towel to protect it from who knows what. 

The red squirrels and rock squirrels think the towel would make great insulation for their winter nests. They spend hours gathering huge mouthfuls of towel then they jump up and down trying to take the towel with them. This is a rock squirrel and he has a really good grip on the towel. 

 We just happened to be looking out the kitchen window watching our covey of quail run from across the street into our yard. What a shock to see a peregrine swoop in and take one. You can see the feathers flying. Not something you  see everyday. Wish he'd take out the squirrels instead of the birds. 

And speaking of birds, we are thrilled to have Steller's Jays showing up at our feeders. Don't know if they are just passing through or if they will stay all winter, but they are are a gorgeous blue with striking racing stripes on their heads. 

They are very fast, very shy birds so trying to get a decent shot is really hard.