Perfect Driving Weather

I flew up on a Saturday to help my mom move down over Memorial Day weekend - that is, with a turn-around of less than 24 hours! It was pretty hectic and stressful. But the cloudy skies and the occasional sprinkling that met us by the time we got on the road early Sunday morning seemed to help melt some of that away.

Obligatory stop at the Rock House in Jordan Valley for goodies...

Nevada skyscapes

Ori and Cleo had been 'practicing' on short drives with mom the week before this, and they actually did very well on the long drive. 

Just leaving Bishop, this side of the California border and losing light fast - nearly there!

Welcome Home Mom!

What better way to celebrate, than with a BBQ?

Abi decorated in honor of the occasion...

May Tea Party

For our fiber arts group meeting this month, we had a tea party! Unfortunately, we didn't get our teapot cozies knitted, but we did get a ton of delicious dishes made :)

If you noticed, we all had fancy hats to add to the fun. Since Shaun put on his tophat, we decided that qualified him to join us :)

Here is the outdoor dining room, later that night, after the party broke up.

May Garden Update

 Brassicas, alliums, carrots and other roots are growing well!

Starts of beans, corn, sunflowers, artichoke, eggplant, zuccini, tomatoes and peppers planted a couple of weekends ago are really taking off!

 

I decided to try the peas in the half-barrels that were too hot and dry for the tomatoes last summer. They turned out to be the perfect place for spring peas - I got a nice harvest from about 2 doz plants.

And the garlic that died off last summer came back over the winter. I stopped watering it a few weeks ago, and pulled it for braiding this weekend.

I Swear By My Pretty Yellow Bonnet...

Ok, so it's not yellow, it's peach.... My first attempt at a Regency-style bonnet seems to have worked out alright.

Weaving 101

One of the really cool things about Abi's school, Aveson, is the way they draw in parents and community members involved in arts and projects to enrich the offerings they have for the students. I got to put on a 2-part weaving project in their afternoon arts program. The project idea came from the book "Woven Bag: 30+ Projects from Small Looms" and involved drawing a basic geometric shape on graph paper and sticking pins into the grid intersections whereever they touched the edge of the design. Then the 'warp' thread is strung back and forth between the pins on opposite sides. The 'weft' thread is woven in between these threads perpendicularly.

Of the 6 kids that participated, only 2 finished their projects. But it was still a fun learning experience.

And from the second day:

Nothing Says Happy Birdthday Like...

A Geisha mask and mouse nose presented to you along with a scoop of red bean ice cream! Happy Birthday, Aunt Pat!