Road to Paducah:

 I have been thinking and talking about a trip to Paducah Kentucky for a few years now.  After Tokyo, Houston, and Lincoln, this trip was designed to pretty much finish up my "bucket list" for quilt shows and museums, though (don't tell Roger) I am sure there will be more added on in the future.  We had talked about flying to Nashville and renting a car from there, but when all was said and done, we thought a road trip was the best way to accomplish this "quest". We headed east through the Rocky Mountains, above, and spent our first night in Denver Colorado.

Dyeing Fabric Indian Style.

Shahpur Jat in Delhi is known for its Indian fashion designers and businesses associated with fashion, such as bead and sequin shops.  The lanes of Shahpur Jat are also home to a number of men dyeing fabric to order.  Sitting in little open front shops, surrounded by buckets of water, a gas ring and a tray loaded with pots of dye, the men wait for customers from one of the fashion houses.

When I dye to get an exact shade, I first look up the dye quantities in my dyers dictionary.  I mix initial solutions and then from those take amounts that sometimes are little more than three drops of one colour mixed to a tablespoon of another, to achieve the requisite colour.  Oh yes, I also wear an apron, gloves and a mask whilst the measuring and mixing of chemicals goes on.  By contrast the men worked intuitively and I looked on in amazement at the open lidded pots of dye that the dyer was constantly spooning dye from.   The men didn't wear gloves or masks, so what on earth are they breathing all day every day?  Yes, this was dyeing Indian style!  

Visit to a camp in Delhi

The highlight of my stay in India was meeting Sarah's English classes, and in particular, her conversation class.  

Hole In the Rock Road:

 The wonderful thing about living in the West is that you can plan a "trip of a lifetime" around a long
weekend.  I had never been to Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument before which is located in the southwest corner of Utah.  Roger had last been there 25 years ago on a camping trip with the kids and was excited to show me what was available in our own backyard.  Our destination was the 62 mile "Hole In the Rock" road which begins just outside of Escalante.

TURNING 60

Alan turned 60 this month!  

Of course I made him the man he is now.  You don't believe me?  Take a peek...

The Road Trip to Yellowstone:

 I love our Road Trips!  Last time Kim and Mary were here, he headed down to Moab and the National Parks in that part of Utah.  This time, sadly minus Mary, we headed north to Jackson Hole,
the Tetons and Yellowstone.  Above, is one of the four arches leading into the center square of the city.  Each is made entirely of elk antlers.  Jackson boasts probably the largest reserve area for wintering Elk in the nation.  Come Spring, the Boy Scouts are allowed onto the reserve to collect the antlers dropped during the winter.  They are then auctioned off one weekend each summer with the Scouts getting a portion of the proceeds.

Finish the Trip:

This blog is starting at the end and jumping forward.  Such is my life in the world of blogging.  Above is a photo of the Stitchin Post, a "bucket list" entry that I have now checked off.  Sisters is the home of a fantastic city-wide outdoor quilt show put on  the second Saturday of July every year. This has been going on for the past 39 years and started by Jean Wells, owner of Stitchin Post as well as a well known artist and author.  July couldn't happen for us, so as we were putting together our trip to the great Northwest, this was put on the "to do" list.  It didn't disappoint.  I discovered a great fabric designer by the name of Marsha Derse and bought a few pieces from her line.  As nobody in Utah carries it, I just may have to make a return visit one of these days.

Trip to the Coast:

This summer has been a fast one and while we have done a lot of things, it has been awhile since we took more than a weekend away.  The kids are now in school so the roads are less congested and hotels have vacant signs and with perfect weather we decided to head to the coastline of Northern California.  As we were leaving SL we spotted double and triple full rainbows.  Twenty minutes from home and I am already making Roger pull over for a photo shoot.  Worth it!!! 

Annual Lunag Prabang Festival

Our trip to Luang Prabang coincided with the annual large market and boat race.  People from all over the area attended the market.  I spotted these lovely sunshades which I thought would provide marvellous cover for those of our party who were feeling the heat.

Indian Spice Tour

Sarah & I spent a happy time meandering around parts of the spice district in New Delhi.  This is the largest spice market in Asia.

Outside the train station is a little market area with a temple.  Men queued to get food (possibly a free handout).  The man behind the counter wielded a big stick (which I believe is called a lathi) as a scuffle broke out in the queue.

Christmas in Delhi

For the second year running, we spent Christmas in India, with our friends the Chalmers.

Home Leave to the UK & France

So, this is our new house, shown from the lake.   

Celebrating the 4th of July in Jackson Hole, Wyoming:

 Allison and family invited us to celebrate the 4th of July in Jackson, Wyoming this year and as it is one of our favorite places to visit we circled the dates on the calendar, rented our room and without too much additional planning were on our way.  Jackson is situated at the base of Grand Teton National Park and just about an hours drive south of Yellowstone National Park.  Roger and I have both visited the area as children, honeymooned there, sent our children (Evan and Allison) off to work there, and over the years claimed it as our own to hike, canoe, camp and yes, shop, in.  We love Jackson and the national parks close by.

Siem Reap

We were greeted in our hotel room by this message written in leaves on our bed, which was further decorated with flowers.  I don't know why they put that strange man on the bed, I was hoping for Brad Pitt!

Bridge at Navajo Indian Reservation

Is this the same bridge do you think?  Okay, it is from the other end of the bridge from yours Janice, but I am sure it is, as my river photos also look similar to yours.

While I'm At It:

 It was a year ago that Roger and I went to Istanbul Turkey for a working (Roger) vacation (me).  We loved everything about it and I would go again in a heartbeat.  While there I fell in love with the bright tiles found everywhere.  I picked up these eight before we left, knowing they would add a bit of weight to our bags but not wanting to loose the chance to get them.

I tried to think of ways I could display them and not just hide them away in a drawer.  Trays seemed to be the way to do it and with a talented husband around, I explained what I wanted.  Within a week, the trays were finished, painted and stained, tiles placed and out on display.



Thanks again.

Taking Care of The Chickens

Daniel, Grace and the grandkids (Ethan, Ingrid and Poky) have just returned from a fantastic vacation and family reunion in the Philippines.  Grace had not been back for a number of years and so obviously this was the grandkids first exposure to where their mother was born and raised for the first eight years of her life.  They loved seeing new things and playing with new found cousins.  While they were gone, Roger was asked to tend to the "farm" needs back home.

AKHA CEREMONY - APPEASING THE SPIRITS

The day before we visited this village, a bamboo had fallen onto the spirit gate, which is a bad omen to the Akha.  They believe that this signifies a spirit's displeasure with them and that bad luck is about to befall them.

THE ARCHES OF JAIPUR

One of my outstanding memories of Jaipur and the surrounding area, is the beauty of all the different arches.  

You can see from the picture below, that the gates around the city centre were quite elaborately decorated.

UDAIPUR

A few photos from Udaipur, where Alan and I stayed right on the bank of Lake Pichola.  This is a view from the lake of the City Palace museum, just along from our hotel.

We took a boat ride around part of the lake at sunset, which was beautiful.