Homeward Bound

We're wrapping things up here at the Traveling Three Cats Ranch. We'll be heading for home right after lunch. It's been a good trip with 50-50 weather...two days of rain, two dry days. You'll notice I didn't say "sunny" days because it's been plenty cloudy, but still warm enough we could have the windows open and we didn't need jackets.

It's been an excellent vacation for slow-stitching. I finished nearly everything I brought along. Yesterday morning, I finished off the third of the three snowmen. And I haven't acquired an iron this trip, so this one is still wrinkly. I'll get a better picture of the three (and of the quilt) when we get home.

Fortunately, I had an emergency back-up slow-stitching project. It's a gift for a friend, and so I'm only showing peeks of it for the time being. Here's where I started.

This project has a new-to-me knot in it, called a Colonial Knot. It's a little like a French knot, but easier to do. It makes a knot that looks a little like a three-petaled flower. My camera couldn't take a detailed enough close-up for you to see the "petals" of the flower, but you can see the knot right here.

If, like me, you've never heard of a Colonial Knot, you can see a demonstration from this video. If you can't see the video, then click right here.

When I was finished with my morning's slow stitching, we were able to get Smitty out for a short walk. He's been rubbing around our legs all week, wanting to go out. As soon as the leash comes out of the cabinet, he hides under the table. We take that as an "ix-nay on the alking-way." (If you can speak Pig Latin, you too can communicate with cats.) Later though...he allowed us to put his harness on, and we got out for a very brief walk.

He was really on the hunt for some grass to nibble. Once he found it and had a few bites, he wanted back in the camper.

It's important to eat your greens.

We waited until after lunch to go out on the boat. It was warm enough, but not particularly sunny. When we got back to the campground, we took a little walk around. Here's something interesting: This tree is growing over the cut-off stump of another tree. We've seen trees growing from nurse logs before, and that's basically what this is. It's just unusual (for us) to see one growing over a still-standing-upright stump.

Also, we noticed this bush covered in hibiscus blossoms. Pretty, huh?

And just one more picture of this incredible clematis.

Mike and I have been discussing planting one of these...I've done most of the talking. He wisely nods his head up and down. It will be mine. Oh yes. It will be mine.

Okay, so that's about it for the news from Lake Wobegon. I'm going to do some more slow-stitching, and then we'll be packing to head for home. Fingers crossed our new method for transporting the kitties without kennels will work. And "Kitties without Kennels" sounds like the feline version of Doctors Without Borders, doesn't it?