Saturday, November 3, 2018

October

Mark and I began the month of October by heading up to Lakeview Cottages for a week of solitude. The weather changed from sunny to rainy, which was a very welcome change.

We went for walks when the weather allowed. When it was raining, we read and watched some TV via our iPads. Mark made a minor repair to the leaky faucet.
He made breakfast every morning.
When it wasn't too wet, he built a couple of campfires and we roasted marshmallows.
He drove back to Fresno on Thursday because he had games to ref. During that time I was at a quilting retreat at Camp Keola, just a short walk from Lakeview Cottages.

I was able to make repeated mistakes when I sewed these blocks together, and spent a lot of time un-sewing.
I was much happier when I switched to some ticker tape blocks.
Gisela worked on a beautiful quilt.
Dotty made new banners for church.
Vicki sewed some fun projects.
Marilyn worked on a gorgeous blue and white quilt--and sadly I don't have any pictures of it. :(

Marilyn, Gisela, me, Dotty, Vicki
We came home on Sunday, and on Monday we went to the Big Fresno Fair--it was free admission for seniors, although parking and food prices were astronomical! I'm always amazed at the produce we sometimes take for granted that comes from here in the valley.

A guy was carving huge pumpkins. This one was pretty cool.
Charlotte sang with the worship team for the first time. So proud of that girl!
I taught my pattern, "Charm Parade," at the Mennonite Quilt Center.
Mark spent a lot of time reffing football. On Friday nights he often refs with Aaron and Jason (although Jason was not with them for this game).
 Mark, Aaron, Kevin
Gabe turned 7. He had a "Monsters" themed party.





Levi just being cool.
Another random picture on my phone.
Janice had a birthday, so we drove up to Lakeview Cottages for the day. We stopped at Cressman's on the way up and bought some cookies.

We had lunch by the lake.

On the way down we stopped in Shaver Lake to take some pictures of fall colors.

We were treated to a beautiful sky one evening.

I went to yet another quilting retreat, this time at Hartland Christian Camp. This is where I went to summer camp a couple of times when I was in grade school, and where Aaron attended many summers as a camper and later as a counselor. It had been a really long time since I had been there, and there is really no easy way to get there, so I drove up with friends. Barb and Mike live out in the country and before we left, I gathered my first eggs. Ever. I'm a city girl. :)

It was beautiful at Hartland. I can't believe I've never attended one of their quilting retreats before. Because none of the buildings are large enough to hold all the quilters in one place, they are spread out between four buildings. I was in the chapel. Which was also where the Mennonite Quilt Center store was set up. Convenient. Maybe a little bit too convenient!  I was able to stuff an amazing amount of stuff in this tote, including a couple of unplanned fabric purchases.



I was the teacher this year--and taught "My Swedish Ex." Barb and her friend, Dawn, worked on beautiful batik versions.



I made this cute little ghost from this pattern. Isn't this the most perfect background fabric?


It was such a beautiful fall weekend.


Since Christa and the kids had never been to Hartland, Aaron drove them up on Saturday afternoon.
We took a walk around the campground and then had fries and milkshakes in the coffee shop.
Playground activity: Levi and Aaron on the climbing structure.
Pose nicely for one picture.
Then you are allowed to go crazy.
It was such fun to spend some time with them in the afternoon.

In the evening I presented a trunk show.

It was one of the best retreats I've attended. The food was great (custom omelets on Sunday morning!)  I've registered for next year's spring and fall retreats already.
And then it was Halloween. October seemed to zip by.




Jason's birthday is on October 31, so it was time to give him the birthday quilt.

And with that, I think we are up to date with randomness and family events. However, I was able to squeeze in some quilt finishes during these months. Next up--quilts!!