Monday Morning Walk

We met Matthew for breakfast yesterday morning, and then walked a loop around the Portland waterfront. We parked our cars at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and then made our way to Tilikum Crossing, a bicycle, pedestrian, and public transportation bridge.

I wrote at length about Tilikum Crossing last 4th of July. You can read that post right here if you're interested in learning more about the bridge. Our route yesterday took us across the bridge, along the west bank of the Willamette River, back across the Hawthorne Bridge, then along the east bank of the river and back to our cars.

Tilikum Crossing was decorated with stickers from the recent Pride Parade.

Looking north from the center of the bridge, you can see our fair city. That's the Interstate 5, Marquam Bridge in the foreground. We crossed back over on the Hawthorne Bridge, visible below the Marquam.

Along the way we passed by a marina,

and the stage being erected for next week's Waterfront Blues Festival.

Here's a view south from the Hawthorne Bridge as we crossed back over the river.

Mike and Matthew paused briefly to consider the distance to the water from the bridge.

As we approached the east bank, we noticed these men doing their morning calisthenics on the small dock there.

The Canada geese seem not the least bit concerned about them, nor are they interested in joining in with calisthenics of their own.

Of course, I took pictures of every blooming thing along the way.

This is blooming sage. We often receive sage blossoms in our CSA shares. They are edible and they look pretty in a mixed green salad.

Ever get the feeling you're being watched?

When we arrived home, I was determined to make good on that section of the scrub jay that was attempting to defeat me. I lined up all the little pieces of freezer paper and highlighted their adjacent edges so there would be no mistake about how they were oriented.

This time, they went together right, and they fit when I sewed them to the section above. Hmph. Do not mess with me, freezer paper templates. You cannot win.

Then I continued on with Section I to the left.

And then Section H below Section I. When I left it for the day, it looked like this.

There's a lot to do today. I absolutely must repot the tomatoes. Also, there's laundry and some housework, and it's a CSA pick-up day. I'm hoping I'll be able to get back to the scrub jay this afternoon, but there might not be enough hours left in my day. If so, I'll be able to get the tail section finished.

Yesterday's mail contained a treasure trove. First, a surprise from my friend Robin. Robin sent me four Artists Quilt Boards. Cool!

These are "No Sew" quilt wall hangings. Here's a picture of the instructions on the back explaining how they work.

They'll be great while we're traveling because I'll be able to "sew" without dragging out all my sewing crap. Fun! Also, these cute Kit 'N Kaboodle buttons.

Thank you, Robin.

Then, my friend Synthia sent me a link to Allie's in Stitches blog post about Stained Glass Flower Portraits. You might recall that I've made a few stained glass quilts myself. The method I've used in the past has caused me some problems, no matter how careful I am. Allie has a different way of doing it. I was so intrigued by her method, that I decided to purchase her book.

When it arrived yesterday, I took some time to peruse its pages. It contains some beautiful projects, including that quilt you see there on the cover. Wow. Gorgeous. So, thanks for the heads-up, Synthia. I've subscribed to Allie's blog now, and I'm going to enjoy spending more time with her book.

This morning I finished up the sixth block for the Wine Country quilt.

I'll spend the next couple of days big stitch hand quilting Mumm's the Word,

until Saturday, when I'll get started on Mildred, the next Bag Lady.

If you're stitching along with us, please do whichever bag lady you like. Also, the linky party will go live on Friday. Don't miss the party! Everyone who links up will be eligible to win this handy needle threader. In honor of the scrub jay, we'll be playing for the bird this month.

And if you don't know about the Bag Ladies of the Fat Quarter Club Stitch-Along, just click on the button below for all the info. It's never too late to join in.