Reflections and flowers.

“The aim of life is to live, and to live means to be aware, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware.”
― Henry Miller

 

Today is the sort of day I truly enjoy. I have a project going that requires a lot of relaxing repetitious work.

 

Why do i like that sort of day? Well I can let my mind wander a bit while I work. Think of new ideas, decide where I want to go with the things I am doing in my life, What things have priority in my life and that sort of thing. Sometimes we get so busy just doing that we forget to take stock of where we are and where we want to go.

So I have enjoyed my day. Nothing earth crashing in my thinking, but feel more focused and relaxed about things.

Project is progressing, But still has a ways to go. Think I might just go crochet outside for a little while since the sun is shining.

I promised Flower pictures. These are from our hike on the 19th.

 

The Desert amazes me when I see such beauty. Or should I say I am amazed by such beauty in a desert?

I just love the delicacy of these flowers. One of my favorites if you can't tell. 

Nature paints with the most exquisite palette

These are truly delicate little flowers. I almost missed them.

Such soft colors. These really appeal to me.

Even the berries are striking. The promise of new growth.

Of course more fairy dusters.

Love the pristine white of these.

And then there are the ones that cry out to be noticed.

No matter how small they are.

These are also some of my favorites. The humming birds love these.

Even some of the cactus are beginning to bloom

And who can't help but be touched by such simple beauty.

 

Another one bites the dust.....

“Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect.”
― Margaret Mitchell

 

OH MY! But that pattern was a bear to get written up. But I finally got it done. I still need to proof it before I send it to my testers but I feel so good getting this done. A filet pattern isn't that tough to write up. But  a filet pattern in three sizes with 3 pieces each can be agonizing. I only wrote out the 1st 2 rows of each piece but that is 9 pieces x 2 as I had to write it up for both right and left handed people since it is a one way design. I am just so glad I don't have to write up the whole pattern in this manner. You know what I doubt it would have ever gotten done. I have had people ask me to write up filet patterns before. ( Which I refused to do )  I do not think they realize what they were asking. It took me a day and half just to do what I did and that doesn't include the time I had already put into it.

I am feeling a tad bit frazzled at the moment.  So I think I will go soak in a hot tub before I get busy on the current project I am working on. I will have some pattern writing to do this afternoon, But it will be nothing compared to what I have just done.

I am going to post pictures from our hike on the 19th of this month.  Today I will post hike shots and tomorrow I will post my flower shots.

 

Our morning started early and the morning light was gorgeous

A View down the Salt River

It was so quiet and still that I was able to get this reflection shot.

This was later in the day, the clouds had moved in and gave everything a soft light 

A view up the Salt river at the end of our loop.

I love the look of the 4 peaks mountain range. I look forward to hiking up there this summer

Another shot of the four peaks with the clouds moving in.

This is a wood knot that appealed to me. Love seeing patterns in nature.

This is a shot of the sun coming up over the Salt River

Pip playing king of the mountain. He decided he just had to jump up on this boulder.

I think it was so we could pet him better.

The clouds moved in as we hiked and painted the sky for us.

I wanted to see how my camera would do trying to capture this.

\

Again the sun behind the clouds.

Monday! Monday..... The song is in my head

“People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
― Abraham Lincoln

 

Ah another week begins and I am starting mine with some serious pattern writing this morning. While my head is clear and uncluttered from the demands of the day. I always find I do my best pattern writing at this time of the day.

Figured I had better get off the stick and get my pattern for my vest written up. I have had quite a few people asking about it and I can only put it off so long.

I will put in a mornings worth of work on it and then move to crocheting in the afternoon. 

The project on my hook is progressing as planned. All my motifs are ready to be assembled, so feeling wonderful about that.  To me that is the hardest part of this design. I have 48 motifs done and waiting. Will need to do some writing on this on the afternoon also. Oh My!!!!  it looks like it is going to be a writing sort of day. The hardest part of my job...... :(  Well it is a Monday so what can I truly expect. Just grin Kathy and get on with it. I will try and remember how happy I will be when all that writing is done.............

 

Well I am going to post the pictures I took at the Renaissance Festival today. I thinned out what I was going to post as I will never get all my pictures posted otherwise.

 

We had such a wonderful day gawking like tourists when we went to the Festival.

Watching the craftsmen working on age old skills was fascinating.

The setting they have created is truly a work of art in it's self

I kept trying to capture the true feel of the Festival and the Celebration of the way of life it remembers.

OH I could have done a whole spread on the different costumes we saw.

Thinking of making Marv and I one for the next time we go. We shall see.

Another set of costumes.

They had a great show of birds Wish I could have gotten a better picture of the hawk.

Did catch a half way decent one of the owl.

Again another scene of the lifestyle this festival celebrates.

Another craftsman at work.

Of course some flowers caught my eye and I couldn't resist.

One of our favorite shows was the Jousting

Of course I picked out my favorite horse and cheered him on.

Okay the knight too........

But the horse was my favorite thing to watch.

I liked this simple moment.

Makes me really miss my horse

And finally another horse that I couldn't help but admire. This fellow was so patient.

I am back

“I guess I've got to keep creating or I'll just die.”
― Jarrod - "Eagle vs. Shark"

 

Both Marv and I have been under the weather this week. Energy level nil. So I haven't posted like I intended. For one thing it probably would have turned into one big whine and that is not my style.

So I have kept quiet and kept steadily working here.

Did finish my doily and I am very pleased. I think I will set this one aside and send it in as an entry for the CGOA Design contest this year. At least it's a candidate.

Once that was done I did clear my desk off. It sorely needed to be found again. I love being surrounded by the tools of my trade, hooks, threads, yarns, scissors, needles,tape measures, pencils and other various items I use everyday. But it can reach a point where it becomes just clutter and then it's time to tame it. So now I can see my desk top once again and all my tools are in their proper spots. We will see how long it lasts this time. I am definitely not neat when in creative mode.

We have taken it easy this weekend. No hiking, no adventures, instead we have stayed home and watched movies and let our bodies recoup. I have been crocheting of course and my next project is well under way. It's a large one that has been on my list of things to do as it has a deadline. Well it will be done by the end of the week at this rate.

I don't care how bad I feel, I think I would feel worse if I couldn't work on my projects.................

I still need to finish posting pictures from last week so today will finish up our Feb 17th hike.

 

 

We took a new loop on this day that took us to the remains of working ranch in the desert. The holding pens and loading chutes are still there.

We had some great vistas on our hike. This was a good one.

The right mix of climbing and level with lots to keep our eyes tantalized.

We hiked along the second water for the first part of our loop.

The red along the shore is the roots of the plants,

Pip enjoying the water

There was a tiny water fall and I had to see what my camera could do with the water.

This looks so cool and soothing

One of the gates on the ranch

Another view of the loading chute

love the patterns in the wood

Looking through the chute

Marv and Pip at our rest stop

Me on the trail

gnarl Marv took a shot of down in one of the canyons.

I love this shot

This is called Garden Valley.

Panorama view of one of the valleys

This shot isn't all that clear. But what is amazing is I took this of the ranch from over a mile away.

Another great vista. Chicken soup for the soul?