Another Hot One!

​

This looked like the cool photo for today!  I felt like we needed another snowy photo to counteract the heat of today!  This was taken by either Melany or Wade with me in the shadows attempting to capture the snowy landscape from the train.  

I had my Zoom Cottey College Alum Bookclub today.  We had a pretty good group plus the author of the book and his wife.  We had a lively discussion and enjoyed spending the time together sharing and picking each other’s brains!  I always look forward to this Saturday in the month.

I haven't stitched much today…instead tried to do a little organizing of my stitching projects.  They had gotten a bit spread out here in the family room.  I still have more to do, but the chaos has been settled just a little.  

I’m not sure how much stitching I will get done this evening as I am pretty sleepy…may end up dozing with needle in hand.  While choosing tonight's photo, I kept seemingly doze and my finger would land on the photos I was choosing from and multiples would be chosen…then I would have to shut down the photos and start trying to chose…again.  That happened several times before I finally got to the one I had decided I wanted to use tonight.  Obviously I didn't take tonight’s photo since I’m in it…guess it is Melany's! I haven't heard from the Alaska travelers today.  They had a busy day planned.  They were docked at Icy Strait Point/ Hoonah.  They were planning to learn how to cook salmon this morning and then this afternoon were going whale watching. I hope the excursions were good ones for them!

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Recognized in Skagway

​

Imagine being more than 2000 miles away from home and hear your name called out from a truck that is passing by!  Nathan and Kathy were walking down the Main Street in Skagway, Alaska this morning and Nathan was recognized and someone called out, "Hey, Nathan!" I mentioned that Melany, Wade and I had tried to see one of the shipowners in Skagway…a young man from Tullahoma…someone who Melany and Nathan had both babysat for years ago.  He hadn't gotten into his shop when we were there.  But this morning, Nathan and Kathy's timing was perfect…he was driving by on his way to work.  He told them he would park around back and open the shop for them.  I’m sure they had a good visit!  Barrett is the proprietor of Bearhead Studio in Skagway.  He is a renowned nature photographer…been published in National Geographic…I believe that he has also done one of their covers.  

Here's a photo Melany took inside his studio so you can sort of see some of his wonderful photos. I would have loved to pick his brain about photo techniques!  If I were younger, I would love to go on some of his group photography trips off into the Alaskan and Canadian wild…but for that I will admit to being too old and decrepit! But I can still wish and enjoy his photos!  

Today has been another hot day here in TN.  It was 91 when I went to and from the grocery store with a heat index close to 100.  The heat zapped my energy for some time after I got home.  I’m glad that I didn’t  have to stay outside for very long and that it only took two trips to get my groceries into the house.  A good day to stay in and stitch and read.  I have done a little of both of those and a little picking up around the house and emptying the dishwasher!  I’ve done more sitting than anything else!  I did manage to fit a nap into all that sitting!  It has definitely been a lazy day of summer!

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Heat Advisory Still in Effect

​

Very important to share another Alaska photo to remind us that it can be cold.  This day when we were in Glacier Bay National Park was very cold.  The temperature dropped noticeably when we entered the icy waters.  I know that the temperatures in Alaska are high right now.  Nathan was wishing yesterday that he had taken more short sleeved shirts.  They are in Juneau, AK today.  We did not go to Juneau so I can't post one of my photos.  Nathan was looking forward to visiting the only United States capital city that you can't drive into.  You have to fly or take a boat to get to Juneau.

This hasn't been a day of being too active…even in the house.  I have stayed in rooms that have fans blowing to make it seem cooler!  I napped in my upstairs recliner with the ceiling fan going.  Right now I am in my downstairs with a little oscillating fan blowing.  

I did venture out one time today.  I headed to the church to work in the library for a little while.  I needed to pick up the book that we will be discussing on Saturday with the Cottey Bookclub.  This time it is sort of my job to lead it since I suggested the book.  But I am taking an easy out…not having to worry about what we will say as the author and his wife will be joining us so I’m giving them the lead!  We've just been sent out the link to the Zoom meeting…I have received it, as have the authors…so we should be good to go Saturday morning.  Also the Alum Association posted another "advertisement" for it that showed up in Facebook this afternoon. Now to just sit back and let Saturday Zoom time get here.

The other reason that I went to the library was to do a little maintenance.  Both Donna and I have been out of pocket the last couple of Tuesdays so there were a few books to check in and out and shelve.  So I did that while picking up the trilogy of books.  We discussed the first in the trilogy last year and this time will be discussing the 2nd…perhaps next year the concluding book?  The three books are Paperboy, Copyboy, and Manboy by Vince Vawter.  Paperboy was an honor book in the Newberry Awards some years back.  They are very good books about how stuttering affects a child, really throughout his life…but there are MANY other themes and topics addressed…it is semi biographical…growing up in Memphis, TN in the 50s and 60s. Good reads for any age.

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Happy 26th Anniversary, Nathan and Kathy

​

Several who read the blog were there for Nathan and Kathy's wedding in Statesboro, GA, 26 years ago.  Many moons and suns have risen since that momentous day!  

Here they are today:

Can you tell they are on a special trip? Can you tell where they are? Next photo is a hint…I took the next photo on June 3, when I was standing almost the same spot…at least near…the same shoreline at least.

They are off on a special trip for their anniversary…Alaska!  Today was their first port of call in Ketchikan, Alaska.  They had a great time exploring.  They even FaceTimed me when they were watching a stream with lots of salmon in it and there was a bear attempting to catch one.  Later in the day they sent me a video of a bear actually catching one.  This trip is doubly special to them, as they had an Alaska cruise planned last year for their 25th anniversary, but due to Joy getting a bad concussion they had to cancel it.  So the fact that they can go this year is doubly good since they were able to plan the trip since Joy is well enough for them to leave her in charge of kitchen duties while they are gone.  Sounds like they are having a great time…no rain today and it is quite warm…Nathan was bemoaning the fact that he didn't bring very many short sleeved t-shirts…never know in Alaska what the weather will be.  They will continue in a northerly direction…perhaps it will get cooler for them.  Another reason that Nathan was really looking forward to this trip is that it is a return trip for him to Alaska. 

His sophomore year in college he spent the summer in Alaska as a BSU (Baptist Student Union) missionary.  BSU is now known as BCM (Baptist Collegiate Ministries).  He is the director of this ministry at Motlow State Community College. So it has been many years since he went and at that time he spent time more in the interior of Alaska.  So their present trip is taking them to a different area of Alaska…mainly the panhandle of Alaska.  Their trip is also different than Melany, Wade's and mine as they are what is known as a one-way (ours was a loop…started and ended in Seattle).  Nathan and Kathy started from Vancouver, Canada and will end in Whittier, Alaska. And, they will fly home from Anchorage, Alaska. They have some of the same ports of calls that we had, but also have some different ones. They are traveling on the same cruise line as we did, but a different ship.  So sort of the same as my cruise…but different!!!

My day has gone well to this point.  I mainly stitched today and ended up finishing another ornament.  So the count is rising of finished ornaments! I have been to Bible study this evening.  We are back on a schedule of things at the church since school has started back up.  

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!   

Whew!!

​

I'm going for ice and snow in Alaska for tonight's photo to make me think cool, at least…and remember how chilly and at times cold it was back in the first week of June…in Alaska.  We are under a hear advisory until Friday evening.  I waited till this evening to go out to take my garbage can to the road…but it was still in the low 90s feeling like upper 90s.  All I can say is, "Too hot!" 

This heat makes for lazy days.  I read more in the book I am reading.  I did get the Christmas ornament finished that I made my goal to have finished by the time I blogged tonight.  I stitched for quite a while off and on today and didn’t actually put the last stitch in until around 6pm.  

I did manage to get my last load of wash done today and it is "mostly" put away.  It will take at least one more trip upstairs to get it all put away.  But at the moment my trip outside has zapped my energy from another trip upstairs for at least a little while. I did work a little on getting organized to do some sewing.  But the only sewing I did was to serge the edges of some cross stitch fabric so I can use it for an ornament. My count for ornaments is 13 finished stitching…I think that puts me over the half-way point.  One of the things that I need to do soon is make a list of people I am giving ornaments to and put next to the name which ornament…and see where that gets me.  I feel like I should have more than 13 made for all the time that I have been stitching them this year.  It just shows me how long it takes even for what I thought were more simple than I have stitched in the past. Onward and upward! 😁

I don't have any more ornaments started so that means a decision has to be made as to what to stitch next.  Maybe I will set stitching aside for a while this evening and either stitch on something else that is started or read or…

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Monday…A Hot One!

​

Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

Today has almost come and gone.  I just got home from prayer meeting a little while ago.  I have mainly worked on stitching a cross stitch ornament…I feel almost like a broken record…it seems like I say that all the time…but with the days and months flashing by in front of our eyes, I had better spend more time on them.  I have gotten quite a few stitched…but I am still a ways away from my goal of 24 or 25.  I am almost finished with the one that I have been working on today.  I am hoping to finish stitching it this evening.  BUT…I am pretty tired tonight.  I woke up too early and haven't taken a nap so my eyes may shut before I can get all the way finished with it.  I guess I will say that my goal is to have it finished before I blog tomorrow night!  

I have a serendipitous story to share!  I have had a pair of dress maker shears for some years that are helpful for old/arthritic hands.  The handle holes are attached together with a stiff vinyl band that assists my hand when cutting…I put pressure to make them close, but as soon as I let up on the pressure they open…thus my hand doesn't have to do the work of opening the scissors…and when cutting out patterns to make garments removing that one motion from the job of cutting makes a BIG difference to hurting hands.  Well, the vinyl band broke some time back and I had been using them as regular scissors since…my hand doing all the work of opening and closing the scissors while I cut out pattern pieces.  I had been trying to see if I could buy the piece that broke, but had found no where to do that.  Plus I had been told that the company had gone out of business.  So I didn't try super hard once I learned that.  Well, the other day when I was looking at something about sewing on my iPad, I got an advertisement showing several different pairs of this brand of scissors.  So I clicked and started searching through their pages of scissors.  And, I found my pair or what looked similar to my pair.  And, I decided that I would purchase them, as they weren’t very expensive and shipping was free.  Well, they came in the mail today…but much to my surprise they were not ones like my scissors or the ones that I thought I had ordered.  They are a different style…BUT…they do have the vinyl piece that attaches to the handles to make them ergonomic.  So now I have a new pair of another style scissors that open on their own when I let up on cutting pressure…AND…I can use the old scissors with the same vinyl piece…so now I have two different style scissors that will help me when I am sewing.  I did make myself a promise that if I bought those scissors that I WOULD get back to my sewing.  So more things to do to fill up my time!

To be continued! Be safe! Be well! Be cautious!

Sunday Favorite Alaskan Photo

​