Better with a View

Greetings friends! I am back in my office today and trying to get a handle on all the work that needs to be done after taking a vacation - the list is long...but I wanted to quickly stop in and share a few photos from our yearly Jeep trip to Colorado and Utah. We met up with good friends in Denver...then made our way to Ouray, CO via Pearl Pass where we spent a couple days enjoying the trails in the Durango, Ouray, Silverton, Telluride area. This is always my favorite part of the trip - I love being high in the mountains, even though the boys raced through all the trails. We stayed in a remote cabin in the quiet wilderness and I welcomed this change of pace. After a quick couple days in Colorado, we made our way to the rock formations of Moab, UT where we spent a week conquering all the advanced trails (we have a heavily modified Jeep, made to handle these obstacles) - including Pritchett Canyon, Behind the Rocks, Kane Creek, Steel Bender and the Trifecta (Poison Spider, Golden Spike and Gold Bar Rim). While this was far from my favorite Jeep trip, I did thoroughly enjoy the outdoors and some time away. Here is a sampling of my favorite photos...

I received a lot of questions about this photo - this is the hydroelectric power plant at Bridal Veil Falls (the tallest free-falling falls in Colorado) just outside of Telluride, CO - I took the photo coming down Black Bear Pass. You can read more about it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smuggler-Union_Hydroelectric_Power_Plant

Top of Black Bear Pass - Elevation 12,840

View of Telluride, CO from Black Bear Pass.

Jeep hair, don't care. 😀

Another photo with questions - this is our Jeep at full flex over the Golden Crack on the Golden Spike Trail in Moab, UT - our Jeep is not "broken" - this is a sought after photo (a money shot) for Jeeps.

This is the "High Dive" obstacle on the Behind the Rocks Trail in Moab Utah - considered by many to be the most dangerous obstacle in Moab.

I hoped you enjoyed these photos...just a quick glimpse into our yearly Jeep trip. As always, the outdoor beauty has me refreshed and inspired...and ready to get back to work...

As some of you may know, I will be traveling to New Zealand at the end of October for a few weeks and I have a zillion things to accomplish beforehand, so it may be more quiet here than usual. I will do my best to stop in and visit with you a couple times before heading down under...

Today, I will be tackling a few project bags and the next needlework finishing order - I will also do my best to respond to all the correspondence I received while I was gone - all orders are ready to ship and my shop is back in business. I also have some cross stitch and quilting models I will be finishing up over the next week or so - new patterns will be coming soon...

Enjoy your week!

Much Needed Break

I  am headed off to Colorado/Utah for our yearly trip ...a little rest and relaxation and time with friends...well, actually, a little Jeepin', hiking and mountain air...yep, I'll be off the grid for the next week...so this is my short public service/housekeeping announcement....

While I am out of my office/studio, I will have very limited access to correspondence, so please be patient if you send me a message/comment/inquiry that requires a response. All shippable items will be deactivated in my Etsy Shop. Shippable items (paper patterns/charts, project bags, Stitch Starter Rulers, etc.) will return on Monday, September 19th. All digital items will continue to be available. I will respond to all messages, comments and emails in the order received on September 19th. Thank you for your patience!

I'm sure I'll be back to blog soon, when (I'm guessing) I will have TONS of fun and creative things to share with you! Have a wonderful weekend/week/weekend....

A Grand Adventure

Hello friends! I have been a bit remiss about posting photos from our recent trip. Every time we take a vacation, I find it hard to catch-up with everything upon my return. This time it was made even more difficult from a bout of whooping cough...yep, remember when I mentioned I was feeling a bit under the weather? - well, sure enough, I somehow contracted whooping cough - go figure. I am starting to feel much better, but that dreaded cough lingers. Anyway, back to our trip. We went a few weeks later in the year than usual...and boy did that make a difference. We always drive to Denver and meet up with our friends...then drive to Ouray, CO, where we spend a few days in the mountains. We all have heavily modified Jeeps and explore the toughest off-road trails. This year, the mountain summits were covered with snow and ice, which made for some interesting off-roading - the boys definitely got to utilize their skills and specialty equipment. The day after we left Colorado, there was a big snow storm that closed all the trails we had been driving on for the season. After a few days in Colorado, we headed to Moab, Utah where we had sleet and snow on the trails the very first day. The rest of the week the weather cooperated, but it was crazy to be in a desert setting with snow-covered mountains in the near distance. We were able to complete all our favorite trails in Moab...and spent the last day rescuing a side-by-side that rolled over directly in front of us at the top of a scenic trail (we were able to get the passengers and their vehicle down the mountain safely - it took over five hours). I am going to post some of my favorite photos from the trip (side bar: the girl who was trying to clean up the photos on her iPhone, just downloaded almost 2,000 photos from this trip alone - sigh). I take a lot of photos/videos of the Jeeps in action for the boys, but I also like to take a lot of nature and scenery shots just for me...so here are a few. All in all, it was a grand adventure...

Better Late Than Never

Greetings friends! I apologize for the break in my posts...it's been a little hectic here. After our vacation in September, my husband had a major back surgery...needless to say, my schedule has been a bit tight. He is healing quite well and things are starting to get back to normal around the household...now I get to start playing catch-up with work. I had a big deadline moved up a month, so that has been my focus for the last week. It has been tough to find balance the last few weeks and I have been struggling with small increments of work time - which, for me, is super stressful this time of year! I have piles of holiday finishing calling my name, so that will be my focus as I try to "dig out of the hole." 

I have quite a bit of creative goodness to share with you, but today I thought I would catch-up with some photos from our vacation (or what I call a "trip" - in my opinion, driving all day - every day - and cooking your own meals, is not a vacation...although I do love the outdoor aspect and the mountains). We headed out to Colorado and Utah in September to meet up with friends and get the Jeeps (and one Toyota) out on the trails. We got to spend time in the snowy mountains of Colorado and the hot red rocks of Utah. Fresh mountain air was just what I needed to help with stay-at-home-itis. We spent a few days in Colorado (Ouray and Telluride) and then headed to Moab, UT for a week. We were able to drive a handful of new trails this year, along with a plethora of favorites...and we added a new couple to the group this year, as well. We stayed in two lovely homes - both booked on VRBO - with plenty of space for our group and room for the guys to work on their vehicles each night. A highlight of the trip was watching the couple we Jeep with each year get engaged on "Top of the World" (a moderate Jeep trail just outside of Moab, UT with a spectacular overlook of Fisher Valley, Onion Creek, and the La Sal Mountains). Another favorite moment was in Colorado (Animas Forks) watching herds of sheep (hundreds and hundreds of them) moving down the mountain (video below or on my YouTube channel)....it was an incredible sight - sheep as far as the eye could see on both sides of the trail! It was a great trip and the time outdoors did me well...

Our Jeep on "Top of the World"...

She said YES!

I hope you enjoyed these snapshots and video from our trip. I'll be back in the near future with photos of my latest needlework finishing and custom sewing projects...plus photos of my latest quilting designs and another fabulous piece I just finished for the Poppie Cotton Blog Tour featuring the Woodland Songbirds collection (my post will be on October 28th!). Wishing you a wonderful week...