Montana & Home

The last leg of our journey was with Sammi & Mark- we stayed at their place back 2005 when Sammi & Mark hosted the Ya Ya gathering that year-no qualms about the MOTH here - the beer flowed freely & the politics were the same!

Montana is a beautiful place-the skies are big & blue, the people friendly & plenty to see & do.

By the time we reached Sammi & Mark's we were still reeling from the whirlwind tour with Vi & Bruce so were just looking to catch up with old friends & have a relaxing time.

On our last trip here we toured through Yellowstone & Cody- did the Custer's Last Stand out at Harden & managed to see lots of the touristy things-this visit was a catchup with friends.

We were going to go onto Bryce canyon after leaving Montana but MOTH had had enough of being on the road, there were things to sort out at home & visitors, arriving early from Malaysia. The extra 4 days didn't matter-I am glad to be home & to be able to recover from the jet lag before returning to work.

Sammi & I did a shop hop of fabric stores-I can't say my resolve was that strong- purchased patterns, chalkboard fabric to make our GS a portable drawing mat, & fabric for a quilt (yes, another one) & yarn- more yarn.....lots of it! (well, it wasn't fabric!)

I managed to pull my knitting book out while visiting & work out the cast on for the toe up sock-easy peasy lemon squeezy when I managed to apply it correctly-I even managed to knit one whole sock- the rest of the yarn in that colour had been shipped home in a box, luckily I did have more yarn to keep me busy!

Cast on a second sock in purple & knitted like a mad women possessed & got to the ankle before having to pack it away for the trip home- I am not attempting to travel with short needles again.(see previous blog on having them confiscated)

So, 2 new techniques learnt- toe up & on 2 circular needles-love the fact that there is only to yarn ends to darn in at the end & no grafting!

I must say that after seeing Sammi's stash of yarns & fabric-I think I'm just a novice at this stash building- I thought I had a lot- it would seem mine is much smaller than what Sammi calls 'stash'! Now I can tell MOTH that all my stash is nothing in compared to what my friends have!LOL

Another thing I discovered was that if you don't take pictures of the roses first thing in the morning- the sun burns them by day's end- literally cooks them! Sammi told me when they were blooming as she knows I like to do flower pics!

We did do a bit of driving around Billings to take some pictures- they had some spectacular sunsets while we were there....the week passed very quickly & off we went... to return home to Sydney-exhausted & in need of a holiday to recover.

What wonderful friends I have made through the Internet & even better that we can visit them- now to convince them to come to visit us! It's something about that 13 hour flight that scares them off...

Vi & Bruce's- Virginia

Welcome to Virginia!

Wow, we were exhausted by the time we left! Vi & Bruce had us out everyday showing us the sights of their beautiful little neck in the woods.

When staying with friends where the MOTH haven't met before, there is always some trepidation that they won't hit it off- for all my fellow forum friends- its easy for us- we all have sewing in common-there is always something we can do together & look at together-but when the men come into the equation, one is never sure-especially with my MOTH who follows US politics as much as our own & has strong views on it all & isn't afraid to say what he thinks- even though I warn him to tread carefully until he is sure of the lay of the land.

I had stayed with Vi & Bruce 2 years ago & had enjoyed myself so much with them, and was delighted to be able to return again when they asked us both to come for a visit- they live in an idyllic little spot & are very proud of the rich heritage of the area where they are situated-this time I had MOTH in tow.

The equation changed.

I need not have worried.

These MOTH were like twins separated at birth- boy did they get on- too well at times! There was lots of talk of politics & Bruce being keen on the history of the area & MOTH keen on seeing it (being a bit of an American Civil war buff) was only too happy to be taken to any & all battlefields! I must say I do not share his interest in battlefields but thought it would be a great photo opportunity none the less. I'm just not that into massive loss of young lives & the strategy of the battles fought.

Vi & Bruce had us out every single day-did we see the sites. Antietam, Harper's Ferry, Stratford Hall, Roanoke Mountains (I sure hope I have the right range-their house look out onto these mountain ranges & the sunsets are awesome!), D.C. & down to Potomac Beach.

MOTH wanted to see deer & 'wildlife'- he felt cheated at Terry & Ruth's as he didn't sight anything more than a few squirrels & chipmunks....he was after bigger game to 'shoot'.
A trip up to the mountains soon fixed that.
Deer-lots of them, even some bears- he managed a shot form the car window-not all that great a pic, but you can see it is a bear. I saw a mother with her cubs on the other side of the road but they were in a heavily wooded area- not much good for snapping pics! & more deer! By the time we got home he was indeed a very happy chappy! Both of us saying we had the better picture. I do concede he did get the only bear shot (my excuse being I was on the wrong side of the car to actually shoot anything recognizable).

We visited Antietam & Harper's Ferry on the same day- the loss of life was shocking but the battlefields have been left as they stood-a reminder to all of the great losses suffered.Stratford hall was another visit along with Potomac Beach- boy don't you see the sites on a beach. Some sights should be well hidden!

We did a trip into D.C. -I must say the traffic is frightening on those freeways- sheesh, no one slows down, uses an indicator to change lanes & they hurtle along, ignoring for the most part, any speed limits! I found the best way to cope with this was to sit in the back & close my eyes! Even when it's pouring down rain & visibility is lessened- no one would think of driving at a lesser speed!We did see the White House,the Vietnam Memorial, Korean war Memorial, Lincoln's Statue- the place where Forrest Gump ran through the crowds in the water (I can't remember the name of it- but do recall that scene)-the Smithsonian (what a gorgeous building- this was a drive by as we were running out of time) & a lot of other notable landmarks in the area!

Vi & Bruce have a pair of geese that return to their pond each year to raise their family- this year there were 6 babies- there were 7, but the snapping turtle got 1 on the first day out.

It was amazing to watch these parents with the babies-father keeping a watchful eye on his brood while they walked along the grass eating & mother goose up front keeping them all together. Off they'd go in a line & then all be on the pond & each night they would return to the pontoon in the middle of the pond to sleep in safety.

Their flying lessons were so funny to watch-the babies just weren't sure what to do with these huge wings as they ran along the grass-the first day they got lift off- 2 of them managed to get off the ground & land, not too delicately, back in the pond!

Each day the flying lesson was done & each day they got better, by the time we left they could all fly & land without too much trouble. Vi tells me the following week they were doing water take-offs, so the time for them to leave would be coming soon.

While at Vi's I bought a book on Knitting Socks from the toe up- hmmm, I wasn't too sure about this- the cast on looked weird, but I'm willing to learn & I did like the look of some of those socks!

I refrained from buying fabric (I felt I had bought enough-well, maybe not,but I did show some constraint while I was there!). I read the instructions a few times & thought maybe when I'm not so knackered I'll give this a go.

We fell, exhausted into bed each night....the knitting could wait.

Next stop, Montana with Sammi & Mark.