A treasure trove of batiks!

I am home! Except for a couple of errands by car, I don't have to budge (unless something comes up) until September 21, which then involves another two silly weeks of travel, packing, and unpacking. But I have not quite four weeks to "lounge" around!

The drive was pretty decent yesterday, although one minute it was raining and the next it wasn't. It was like that on the way there and the way back. But that's OK. 

I did require a wee nap on the way home -- just too much going on. Please do not compare your life to mine - it is not glamorous by any means. Packing and unpacking, loading the car or lugging stuff into an airport. Thankfully, this is not an everyday occurrence. I would die! 

I'm getting old for this, but yet I'm not. I love being in front of people and telling my stories, and I'm still young enough to handle that! 

The more I listen to myself with my stories about machine embroidery and the new PFAFF creative icon 3, the more I love it. I unpacked everything last night, and it's on the right floor of the house. Now I just have to deal with it, and I don't want to take too long because I'll need it for my Facebook Live in two weeks. 

The big question will be, "how to condense three hours into one!"

I'll figure it out. 

I had never been to Heather Bell's Sewing Studio before, and it was quite the surprise. She does a lot of machine embroidery and so has loads of patterns, BUT if you are looking for batiks, this is the place to go. This is just a small portion of the batiks. 

Batiks galore at Heather Bell's Sewing Studio

I am thinking of pulling out one of my Jacqueline de Jonge patterns that requires lots of rainbow colors in batik. You typically don't want the batiks with the patterns, and Heather has a HUGE range of "solids." They have texture, but no print. Oh my --- I already have some set aside for one of the quilts, but I'm missing a lot of values in various colors. I think this is going to be the place to go. 

I could make it a day trip, since there are a couple of other shops along the way that I would like to stop at. 

When I got home, I spotted this box on the kitchen table. OH -- my box of puzzles arrived from the Puzzle Master store in Saskatoon. 

Another box of puzzles

DH doesn't usually comment on my purchases, but he asked why I needed more, and he is right! I don't need more. Good thing he doesn't know the half of it downstairs. I'd better puzzle faster!

We had been talking about setting a budget, and he mentioned that now I was home, I need to work on the budget (for both of us). We have some serious financial goals, and to meet them, we need a budget. 

I know my Excel gurus would be dying to give me a lesson, and perhaps they can, or I'm just going to wing some numbers in and hope it all turns out. I'm sure there is an app that could help, but I'm happy to just play. 

It would help if I could pull numbers from my bank statement. I think that is possible and I'll have a look later today. 

What am I going to work on today? I have no idea - there is so much, and while Studio B isn't in too bad of shape, there's still a lot of stuff in various places where it's not supposed to be. I also need to get that long arm back in business. 

And there are a few techniques I want to experiment with further on the creative icon 3, so there will be no end to what can keep me amused today. It will just be nice to eat what I want, when I want, and to have a nap when I want if I need one!

But I have more events for the PFAFF creative icon 3, and I'll keep making up new samples or finish some of the ones I have been working on. I have two things in mind that I can't wait to remake with the new tools on this embroidery machine. Hopefully, I can make them by September 9. 

The cleaning service is coming this morning, so I had to get things squared away, which took about 10 minutes, if that, and that included making the bed. It really does help when everything has a home, and you keep it looking tip-top throughout the week. 

I'm a little strapped for time this morning because I was exhausted last night and I slept in. Murphy seems to be settling in as well, and she asks to come upstairs at night. She will NOT sleep on the main floor by herself, even though Lexi is there. I have no idea why, but at least she is in the house. 

I found this word of wisdom, which is so true. Although I question the brick wall inside the ear. What am I missing? 

I'm going to have to sit down this morning and go through some email - I have some email to answer, several phone calls to address, expense reports to fill out, and tidy up where I can. 

And I have a couple of things to return from the electrical escapade. I'd better do those today if I can drag myself to the car and drive there. It's not that far away. 

By the way, the Facebook Live for the PFAFF creative icon 3 is on September 9. I see it's not advertised on the post yet, but this is the page. I believe it's at 3 PM EST, or maybe it's 2. 

There is a Virtual Retreat this weekend, and I'm super excited about that. It will be Saturday evening from 6 PM - 9 PM, and on Sunday from 3 PM to 9 PM. I'll post the links on Friday. 

And it's the week for the final call to sign up for my classes. If you or anyone you know might be interested (anywhere in the world works), you can sign up for these classes. Remember - the scrap class is full. 

And that's a wrap for today. I must get at least one girl out for their walk by themselves before the cleaning crew comes. It's been tight for time, so they have gone together, which no one likes, but at least they are getting a walk in. And so am I! I'm feeling like a slug! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!

A mystery is solved in the middle of the night

The other day I wrote about leaving my wallet at the store and thinking I didn't have access to any money, so I wouldn't be able to buy any food except what was in the hotel snack bar that I could charge to my room. I considered setting up a digital wallet on my phone so I could have access to my credit card and perhaps even my debit card. I really don't understand the wallet, so I have never investigated it. 

Then I realized I have a digital wallet with my Tim's app. When I pay for something at that restaurant, I use my phone, not a credit card. Hmm  - I would not have starved! 

I am HOME! But not for long, as I'll be leaving in less than a couple of hours for West Lorne, and I have two presentations on the PFAFF creative icon 3 at Heather Bell's Sewing Studio. That's exciting, as I love showing the new features and benefits. As I say to everyone, you don't necessarily have to be in the market for a new machine, but it's fascinating to come out and discover what is changing in the world of sewing and embroidery. 

I do that with competitive brands - not that I want to buy their brand, but I want to see what is happening in the sewing and embroidery world. 

It was an early-morning flight, and the first gas station I went to wasn't open, but it did solve a mystery. 

The night before, when I had walked to Michaels, I was mystified by this. 

The parking lot is a mess.

The parking lot was covered in bird poo and feathers. It looked like a massive explosion had occurred with a flock of birds. 

Well, imagine my surprise when I circled through the gas station to find myself facing this. 

AHA - the source of the mess

The parking lot for that entire plaza was covered with birds. I'm not sure if they were pigeons or some other bird, but they were everywhere!! They were not in the gas station parking lot, so I didn't disturb them when I drove through. I have never seen that before, but then I'm not usually in a parking lot at 3:45 AM either! 

I filled the car with gas, then headed to the airport, and everything went smoothly. I didn't have to use the automatic bag drop, so scanning wasn't an issue. 

The car rental place was open late when I needed to pick up the car, but it wasn't open for drop-off, which I knew, but it's not a big deal. There is a drop box for the keys and a small piece of paper you are supposed to fill out with the mileage and something else. Of course, I forgot to get the mileage, and I couldn't find a pen anyway, so I simply dropped the keys. I got my receipt later in the day, so someone got the mileage from the car. 

And while I attempted to clean the bugs off the windshield, someone will have a bit of scrubbing to do! Thank goodness for unlimited mileage - I didn't have to pay extra for that trip to the Battlefords! Just gas. 

My suitcase was a wee bit over the 50 lbs limit, but I didn't care! My status allows me to carry suitcases as heavy as 70 lbs, but who in their right mind wants to manhandle a 70 lb suitcase? Not me - 50 is bad enough. By the way, I made my 35K status on this flight, so I'm good for next year. If I make the next status level, great - if I don't, it's no big deal. That status allows me access to the lounge, which I would rarely have time for, so I won't miss that perk. And I'm certainly NOT going to the airport early just for the lounge. 

This plane was interesting. After I book my flights, I then have the opportunity to apply for an upgrade. I hadn't purchased the same level of ticket I typically do, and I thought that was why there was no chance to request an upgrade. BUT when we got on the plane, I saw what the "issue" was. This plane had NO premium economy or business class. All rows were economy! I've never seen that in a plane before. It was like getting on a giant bus! The plane was new as well, so that must be something they are implementing on some of the routes. The seat looked very uncomfortable, but it wasn't bad. 

I purchased a couple of things, which made my suitcase heavier on the way out than on the way home. There are two Halloween fabrics. Yes—I do not need Halloween fabrics, but they were darn cute, and one was on sale at the quilt store, and one came from Michaels. 

Left from the quilt store, right from Michaels

I also bought this panel which was on sale at the quilt shop. It's darn cute and would make a great quilt for a child with an up-and-coming green thumb!!

A cute panel from the quilt store

I knew it was raining before we landed as DH had let me know. But it was raining quite hard, and of course my luggage got wet. I have to laugh because as part of my status, my bags are supposed to go priority. That means they're among the first to come off the plane. The ticket agent even flagged them with the red stickers. But alas, they weren't anywhere near the front of the bags that came off the plane. But they didn't take too long to arrive at the carousel, so all was good. 

BUT they were wet, and that was concerning since one was filled with my samples. I don't bother putting them in plastic as that would be a hassle. I've only had issues with wet bags once before, and that was in Montreal, when one of my samples with a red binding bled slightly. 

So the minute I got home, I unpacked, and sure enough, water had penetrated the sample suitcase, but not much got wet and nothing was damaged. I am in the market for a new suitcase because one of the wheels on this one doesn't work as well as it should, and it's a hassle to push it anywhere. 

Everything got removed, sorted into what I need to take with me and what stays home. Then I sorted them into the groups I need for the new features. I have one small thing to add this morning and then throw the suitcase into the car. 

But my oh my --- there were two happy girls to greet me! Lexi now has selective hearing and didn't hear me come home, but when she realized, she was happy. Murphy? She was beside herself. Which, typically, I don't mind. However, she was WET from the rain, and she got sprayed by a skunk - again! Thankfully, it wasn't much, but she still stinks! 

And she wants to rub against my leg? I was instantly wet! 

MOM's home!

Yes, our crazy dog in her demented state seems to think it's fun to lie outside in the pouring rain. Then she comes in and shakes, and well, it was a disaster zone. But it has stopped raining, and the house is dry. She slept upstairs last night, and all was good. She doesn't seem to want to be alone by herself on the main floor, and even with the crazy storms we had, she is not interested in hiding in the stash room like she used to. Oh well—life changes for us, and it does for our girls. 

Currently she is curled up in her tiny dog bed in the office, which is something she hasn't done in a long time - since the beginning of the summer- so that is a positive sign. 

We are learning to cope, and that is all that counts. 

I wasn't ready to jump into sewing, and what else could I do? I started a new ebook and worked through a third of it, but I also opened up the next jigsaw puzzle, found all but one of the border pieces, and started on the sky. 

Progress on the next jigsaw puzzle

I was a bit hesitant to start on the sky, but as you can see, there wasn't a lot of it, so it was perfect. I don't think all puzzles put a date on them, but this one did, and it's dated 2008! Almost 20 years old. Let's hope that all the pieces are there - it's only 750 pieces, so it shouldn't take too long to put together. This will be a quicky to get me to the end of the month, although that is a week away, and then I can work on the theme puzzle for September. It's actually not a theme, but a brand - Eurographics! 

I'm not going to set a quota, but it would be nice to do one a week! I need to do one a week to work through my stash. I am not alone—I see pictures of people's puzzle stashes online and OH MY!!!! Puzzlers are hoarders, just like quilters!

The good news is there is a Virtual Retreat this coming weekend! Yeah!!! It feels like we haven't had a proper Virtual Retreat all summer, and I miss chatting with my "virtual" friends. It will be good to catch up. I'll post the links on Friday to try to keep Zoom off my back. They do not like posting links online. 

Once I'm back from today, I need to get myself working on the distribution lists for the upcoming classes, so be sure to watch for that. And if you are still on the fence about signing up, this is the last call. After this week, I should have everything set. If you or a friend are interested, then check out the list. Send me an email—the scrap class, by the way, is FULL. Don't even bother going to Thimbles and Things to sign up. That filled up FAST. 

I want to warn you that I may need to switch a date or two from what I published because of work, but you'll get that information shortly. I'm super excited to get started on our new projects!!!

I'll let you know when the emails go out, and if you don't get it, you can get in touch with me and see what happened. Everything will be in good time, but it all needs to be done by the end of this week. 

I will be hosting a Facebook Live on the new PFAFF creative icon 3 on September 9. I'll share more details later this week. It is only 1 hour, and my in-person presentations are 3. Hmmm—how am I going to condense that information into one hour? At least I don't have to make any samples—that is done! 

And on that note, I have to get the fabrics for my demos into the suitcase, then walk the girls, and I'm off. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

A trip to Micheals

 AHA—I never thought about using the Snipping Tool—I have it installed. I'll try that next time I want to crop a photo. It's not the right way to do it, but it's one way to make it happen.  

I have a very early morning flight, so I'm writing the blog the night before. However, I will say that with 45 minutes left on my audiobook, I'm torn - write the blog or finish the book. My brain won't let me do both at the same time!

So the blog it is! 

Oh my - this picture didn't turn out as expected. I ws taking a picture of the freight train that I got stuck at this morning on the way to the store.. BUT - look at all the bugs smashed on the windshield! Oh shoot—I was supposed to fill the car with gas tonight and totally forgot. Oh well -- I'll do it in the morning. 

Yes -- if you can see through the bugs on the windshield, there is a long freight train! 

That 800 KM trip on the highway took care of a few bugs, to say the least!! 

When I got to the store today, I took my waist pouch off, but attached it to my backpack so I wouldn't leave it behind. I double-checked when I left the store, and hopefully I didn't leave anything behind. 

Attach my belongings together.

I did find a few things at the store that interested me, and they found a home in my suitcase. Wait until you see the one fabric I purchased. I don't have a picture of it, and it's in the car, so I'll show you when I get home. It's so nice to travel with no weight restriction. Otherwise, I would have to be careful to balance the two bags! 

I love doing the presentation on the new PFAFF creative icon 3. It's a beautiful machine, and all the new tools and features are amazing. They are amazing, and I have so many things I want to try when I get home! So much to stitch and so little time! 

I ventured out for dinner tonight, and there's a big-box store area across the road, so I walked over. After dinner, I spotted a Michaels and decided to check it out. 

On the way there, I spotted some rabbits. OK—these are NOT rabbits, but we used to call them jack rabbits, or they are also known as hares. 

City hares

Look at the length of their ears, and their hind legs are long!!! I wasn't a threat, so they didn't move far. 

I went to Michaels to see if this store had fabric, and yes, it did. This is the cute little cutting station they have. 

The cut bar at Michaels

They use electric scissors to cut the fabric, which is super fast. The table is slick and small, so it doesn't take up much space in the store. They have one aisle of fabric. Much of it is licensed, but there are also some solids and fancy fabrics. And of course, they have interfacings and some batting. 

The fabric aisle at Michaels

The bolts are Everyday Value, so they don't qualify for extra discounts, including coupons. 

Fabric is an Everyday Value item.

When I walked around the corner, I spotted a rolling cart with more fabric and a huge pile of empty shelves. Apparently they have had fabric in the store for 6 months, and it's been so successful that they are about to get inundated with lots more! I spotted batiks - nice ones and many other cool fabrics including a lot of seasonal stuff. 

Shelves ready to receive more fabric.

It all seems to be reasonably priced. The person cutting uses a small device to record the purchase, then puts it on a card with a barcode. That gets scanned at the checkout counter, and you pay. 

My fabric purchase and ticket

It's all quite civilized. Would it be the place for me to go and color-match fabric to make a quilt? Probably not, since they don't have the selection to do that, BUT if I want to make crafty items, this is the place to go, and Michaels is much easier for most people to get to than a quilt store. 

Did I mention that they sell Singer sewing machines? Yep—quite a variety of them, and for the beginner sewist, this is a great place to go and get yourself stocked up! 

I won't spill the details yet, but I have an event at a Michaels store in the near future. I don't know many details yet, so you will have to wait. 

Yep -- the first part of the year was pretty dead, and the fall? It's becoming pretty full with talk of more events, and I already have another 8 full days on the schedule! So much for slowing down and being semi-retired! I love this and will keep doing it for as long as I can!

Remember, my next event is Monday at Heather Bell's Sewing Studio in West Lorne, Ontario. Two sessions on the PFAFF creative icon 3. Each time I present, it gets a little bit better! Smoother! 

I got a notice from Air Canada that, due to thunderstorms in Toronto, I can change my ticket free of charge. I didn't change my ticket, and so far the flight is on time. 

Poor Murphy did NOT fare well in the thunderstorms today. DH sent pictures, and she was so freaked out. The poor thing. 

Fingers crossed that there are no issues in Toronto, and if everything goes according to plan, I should be home by noon! If there are issues, well, who knows when I will get home. 

And on that note, I'm out of here. I still have 45 minutes of audiobook, and I hope to finish that book tonight! I can always sleep on the plane!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!

An almost disaster!

I don't have a lot to say this morning. WHAT??? How can that be? Well, it was an interesting day, but it was a work day! So I was working, not snapping photos and creating interesting tales! 

The end of the day was hilarious - NOT!!! Just wait for that. 

One of our retreat houses has decided to close, but only at the end of June 2028, so they have given us loads of warning. They opened up their calendar for the final six months, and we could sign up yesterday. Thankfully, I had a note in my calendar (got to do that for that bone density pill as well), and as I was looking at my calendar, I spotted it. 

I wasn't sure how big the rush would be for those final dates, so I went over to the website, added my preferred dates, waited until it was time, and then pressed SEND. I wonder how many other people did that as well? Later that day, I got a confirmation email for my first choice of dates, so all that is left is to pay the deposit, which I will do right after I finish the blog. 

I almost hate booking things that far out because it's a challenge to then work around those firmly booked dates. Because of rising costs and a new system for booking dates at that house, I have only booked four nights, so it won't be so bad to work around it. 

I just had a peek at their calendar and almost the entire six months got booked yesterday!!! There are only a few openings!! That's crazy. Thankfully, I was on the ball and put in my dates. 

If you are on my retreat list, I will send a note when I get home to update you on those dates. I won't be taking names at this point, but I might. So much can change in two years, so I hate to take money or have a firm booking. 

We had some great events yesterday at Northgate Sewing Center - too bad you missed them. I see a few people had signed up and then didn't attend - their loss! Let's face it—yes—these events are there to educate people and entice them to buy, but they are also filled with loads of inspiration and excitement to get home and work on things!!! 

I even had a chance to wander around the store at the end of the day, but not for long. I did spot one pattern that I want, and of course, they didn't have it in stock. But I asked and left my name at the counter, and the lady was going to find out if they could order it in for me. Thank goodness I did that! 

Then I got to the hotel and realized I had left my travel pouch at the store, and it was about to close. I wasn't going to call them because I really didn't want to be a bother and have someone wait. But just then, they called me! About the pattern. I explained my story about leaving my wallet at the store and asked if they could wait - they said yes, and I was back there in 10 minutes!

How silly. I usually never take that off when I'm anywhere, but I did for whatever reason, which is why I didn't even think to put it back on. It would have been very slim pickings for dinner and breakfast this morning! There is a snack bar in the hotel, and I could have eaten there - I would not have been stuck, but still!! A disaster averted. I am definitely going to order that pattern, and I might just buy one other one in the series. They are super cute. 

I looked at farm fabrics to see if any would work on my Down on the Farm quilt. I spotted one, but it's directional and realistic, so I'm not sure it would be appropriate. I don't think I'll get any fabric. 

Now that I had money, I was able to go to a restaurant for dinner. It's been a challenge to eat well on this trip because of all the driving and such. I'm very set in my ways, and my eating habits don't translate well when traveling. But I'll manage!

I typically stop at Tim's for breakfast to get my tea, and I spotted this at the local Tim's. 

Drive-up bays at Tim's

Not sure if you can actually read that - but these are drive-up bays with a roof for curbside pickup! I guess that is for Uber Eats and whatever other services they have in the area. 

I am not a fan of those services—it's bad enough that we don't seem to want to cook any longer, but there are so many healthier choices even if you don't cook. All that fast food right to your door - it just seems wrong. 

DRAT -- I need to find a program on my computer that lets me crop photos. I hate posting the screenshots like this. 

In addition to how we eat, we need to seriously consider this. I think the group of photos from thought.minds was called sucking the soul out of society or something like that. The top half of the photo shows what the world was like in the past. The bottom half is what the world is like today - everyone is ON THEIR PHONE!!!

We used to go to the movies together and be surrounded by people. Now we watch a movie at home by ourselves. And we wonder why people are lonely? 

Don't get me wrong - I like my phone. DH says he's watching that little report he gets weekly and trying to eliminate his screen time. Seriously? He uses his phone for work - I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon. I think the screen time report is for scrolling!!!!

But anyway—when we give these "smart" devices to our kids, especially at very young ages, we are in trouble. They start to look inward, not outward, and it's just not good. 

I scroll more than I would like, but it's not excessive. I have a few people I follow, and I like to stay "in touch" with total strangers!!!! But I also use my phone to read books. That is my biggest use of my phone!! Although last night at the restaurant you would have called me a liar. I spent the entire time catching up on texts and having conversations with several people while I ate. What I really wanted to do was listen to a chapter or two in this book. 

I managed to listen to a couple of chapters last night and this morning, and I'm now down to four hours. I won't finish the book until I'm home, but I might listen to the book on the plane. Although I find planes noisy with jet engines, unless I wear noise-canceling headphones, it's hard for me to hear the details. But I have some time tonight, and before the flight. 

How the heck is the lawyer going to get out of this bind? 

And tomorrow is the final leg in this trip. I am already checked in. The flight is VERY early in the morning, which is great because I'll get home just before lunch. But for some reason, I booked this flight slightly differently than the others. It's not a big deal, but it happened. I will make my 35 K status for the airline tomorrow. 

But for some reason that flight was in my head last night and I had a dream that my seat on the plane was a plastic stool with a cushion! Yep—that will meet the safety guidelines just fine. And then, for whatever reason, my brain was really muddled over this. I was at a fairly small event with a certain president. WHAT? And it was bizarre. OK  - my brain was in overtime last night! 

But all is good - I'll get in a chapter or two before I need to head out to work. And I'll go for a walk when the day is done. 

On that note - I'm out of here!!!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

Interesting travel days!

I kind of goofed up on time management! Hence, there was no blog yesterday. I planned to write the blog while I was at the airport on Wednesday evening, but it wasn't until I got on the plane that my brain went BING—you forgot to write the blog. Sigh.......

For those that think travel is glamorous (I did when I was younger), it is NOT!! It's a lot of hard work. Packing and repacking and making sure you haven't forgotten anything. Trying to eat healthy is just not going to happen. 

I'm not talking about going to a hotel and spending my time by a pool - that is not the kind of travel I do; it's go somewhere,  do your thing, pack up and move on! I enjoy it, but I'm also happy when I get home. 

Here's what happened. I went for a walk on Wednesday morning before I had to go to work. I had stayed in that hotel before, and they don't have a breakfast place, and I remember not liking the food at the restaurant next door. So I wandered down to Tim's, where I had breakfast and took my tea with me. It was still too early to go back, and a brisk walk would be good to start the day. 

Shoot—I thought I transferred the picture of the hill. I spotted a hill down the road, and why not tackle that first thing? This hill reminded me of another hill in Langley, BC from a bike trip back in 2012 or thereabouts. We started our trip by staying in a campground in Langley, and when we got up the next morning, it seemed like we had barely left the campground, and we had this short but STEEP hill to climb. 

That hill had a 22% pitch - it was steep, but I remember this one fellow who rode up it, no problem. Then he came back down and, using his arm on his girlfriend's back, he pushed her up the hill, while he was on his bike!!!! OK -- so I walked up that hill, and that trip wasn't off to a good start. I believe that is the only hill I have ever had to walk up. Thankfully, it was short. 

On my walk, I saw the sign on the way down. It was 13%, which is a bit steep, but doable. Certainly doable when walking. My knees seem to be doing just fine on the downhill these days, and I had no issues with my sciatic nerve despite being in the car for much of the next day (that story is later on). 

13% pitch

There was a bit of a walking trail at the top of the hill, and it went from a wide paved path to this narrow walk through some bushes. 

Part of the walking trail in Langley

I spotted some wild raspberries and blackberries. 

Berry bushes along the way

I got back to the hotel, got ready for work, and headed out. I had a great day at Castle Sewing Center showcasing the new PFAFF creative icon 3. It's a beautiful sewing and embroidery machine, and there were a lot of people in the morning and afternoon sessions. 

The only thing I forgot to bring was the NEW large magnetic hoop. I considered putting it in my suitcase, but I didn't. That was a mistake, but that's OK—I have a picture now. 

Once I was finished at 4:30 PM, it was time to head to the airport to catch a flight. Remember me mentioning putting the bag tags on the luggage and loading it on the automatic bag drop? I rarely have trouble, but this machine didn't like my bags. Well, it didn't like where the bag tag was located. 

The automated bag drop

Here's the thing—your suitcase has a top handle, which is typically where the check-in agents put your tag. You also have a handle on the side, and you can put it there as well, but the check-in agents never seem to use that. Anyway, my tags were on top, and the machine wouldn't scan them. 

I tried several different ways of positioning my suitcase, and some kindly person even stopped and said, you need to put the bag in the orientation shown. Yes -- I had already tried that. 

I called over the agent, and she grabbed my suitcase and turned it completely around so the wheels were first. And of course, the darn bagtag was scanned in that orientation. So I learned something new—there are six sides to the suitcase, and forwards and back—if one orientation doesn't work, just turn it backward, and it should work. Learning that little tip should help a lot in the future. I hope to teach that little tip to people I see struggling as well. 

But in the pictures you see the green lights. When you press the assist button, those lights go yellow and orange! A call for help! 

For whatever reason, the airline bumped me into business class several days ago. I have no idea why, but I wasn't going to complain. So I got to access the lounge, and this was my view as I ate dinner. This is where I was supposed to be writing the blog! 

Viewing the Vancouver airport from the lounge

I was now on my way to Regina, Saskatchewan, and the flight didn't leave until 9:40 PM. A late flight - way past my bedtime considering the time changes. We arrived in Regina at 1 AM the next day. Thankfully, the car rental was still open (I knew that) and I hustled over to collect my keys. And then off to the hotel. It was almost 2 AM by this point - we waited a long time for the luggage to arrive. I asked the desk person if I could get a half price on the room since I was only going to use it for half the night! The answer was NO. 

Thursday was technically my travel day to get from BC to Saskatchewan, but I wanted to use the day to visit with my parents, so that's why I traveled at night. I was a little leery, as those late flights sometimes get canceled, and if I had traveled in the morning, I wouldn't have been able to visit. It also depended on when I could pick up the car, and since the rental company was open late, everything fell into place. 

I had thought of flying to Saskatoon and then visiting, then driving to Regina, but the cost of dropping the car in another city was huge, so I decided to drive there and back. 

Is it far? It's 400 KM one way, so I made it there and back in one day - a total of 800 KM. 

Let's say that I slept through my two alarms on my phone - didn't even hear them, but I was awake after several hours of sleep, and I was on my way around 7:30. 

I do not know what happens to me, but when I get in the car, my bags seem to explode! There is stuff all over the front seat! 

The explosion in the car

I had an audiobook that I'm listening to, and it is 14 hours long, and I was a couple of hours into it. It's a John Grisham, but it's slow. Well, not necessarily slow, but there's very little action. It's an intriguing story (The Widow), and you are left wondering how the lawyer got himself into so much trouble. But then you wonder how smart the widow was before she died. Hmmmm............ And now I'm wondering how he gets himself out of trouble! 

Anyway, I listened to the book there and back, and I still have 5 hours to go!!! It gave me focus, and I didn't need to stop for a nap once, which was shocking, but I was getting antsy for the final hour on the way back to Regina. I stopped for about five minutes to walk around, and that was all I needed. 

Look at that wide open sky!!!! There was also some construction going on, and so I had to slow down for that. 

The wide open prairie sky

The car I've rented is weird. The adaptive cruise control (it's not adaptive, but another name which escapes me at the moment) took FOREVER to figure out how to make it work. And then periodically, it would shut itself off. Do you know how hard it is to maintain a constant speed with just your foot? I think there are so many dead bugs on the windshield that it knocks the cruise control off! 

And the night before, I was using the GPS to get to the hotel; I could barely see the screen. As it got later last night, the car switched from day to night modes, and the screen went so dark that I could barely see it. Then I found some knobs on the left-hand side, and that changed the brightness so I could see! I think I arrived back at the hotel at 8:30 PM. 

It was a short visit, but it was very much worth it. I'm not going into details -- too much raw emotion from that visit, and I'm not ready to talk about it. It's just the facts of life and aging parents. 

Like all of you, I love to surf the net, and I do my share of scrolling on social media, which I try to curb, but I have a few favorites. Well, it's sad to say that jigsaw puzzling comes up in my feeds way more than quilting does! It's not that I'm no longer a quilter, but I have other interests, and I like to do something other than sew all day. 

I found this place through some of those pop-up videos. 

PuzzleMaster!!!!!

OH MY GOD --- this is in Saskatoon, and it opens at 8 AM, so when I arrived at 9:45, I walked right in. This place is located about .5 KM away from the gas station that I use to fill up my rental car before returning it when I fly to Saskatoon!!! As I drove away, I forgot to ask how long they had been there. 

PuzzleMaster sells ALL Kinds of puzzles—escape room puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, 3-D puzzles—if it's a puzzle, they sell it. 

I walked in and got a quick tour - it's very much a warehouse-type of place, not nearly as large as the one near me back home, but they had different puzzles, and well, it was so tempting. 

Walls and walls of puzzles

They carry Dowdle, which started off as my favorite brand. It was crazy. I also chuckled when I saw this puzzle. 

A puzzle with doors

This is the same puzzle (same company) as the one I just finished, but it's 1500 pieces, not 1000, and there are a lot more doors. 

Hmmm—you are going to have to take my word for finishing this one—I don't seem to have a picture of it completed. I bought this at the thrift store, and one piece was missing. 

My partially completed puzzle

If you were eagle-eyed, you would have spotted this puzzle on the front seat of the car along with all the other stuff. I brought it to give to the fellow in my parents' building who is always working on a puzzle. 

Sadly (for my pocketbook), when I was at the puzzle shop, I was informed that if I bought more than $99, the order qualified for free shipping. How could I let that deal get away, and I wouldn't have to carry anything home with me!!! Do I need an intervention? I need to completely retire so I can puzzle faster!!!! I'm OK with having a puzzle stash, as I am actively working my way through those puzzles and giving them away. I am good with that! 

They also have the 40,320-piece puzzle (Ravensburger Disney), which weighs a ton and costs a lot. I'm not ready to tackle that, so it stayed in the store. 

A giant jigsaw puzzle

When I say I use GPS to get around, I mean Google Maps, because I connect my phone to the car using Android Auto. What I love about that is it's super fast to connect - takes mere seconds. And when you go somewhere, it remembers the places you searched in the past. Yep —when I was in Saskatoon, it asked me if I wanted to go to The Sewing Machine store. 

Previous locations on Google Maps

I usually stop to say HI, but I didn't have time. I was on a mission, so I bypassed it and continued on to Battleford. 

I stopped by the Museum to see what Dad was working on, and here he is with one of their latest engines that they got working. The thing is well over 100 years old and has a very funky radiator. That's the big metal box on the front. The stationary engine used to belong to my younger brother's father-in-law, and the radiator came from a farm near our old farm that my other brother found while helping a buddy clean up the yard that no one lives in anymore.  

Dad with a restored engine

He came back to the apartment, and the three of us had a good visit. Then it was 4 PM, and I needed to get back on the road for the 400 KM trip back to Regina. 

There is a lot of artwork and sculptures along the way, but I've driven that route multiple times and stopped to see the art, so I didn't need to stop again. There was one sculpture (Chamberlain) where I stopped for a five-minute break. I will confess that I was very worried about this long drive - I'm not good with long drives, where falling asleep is an issue, as is the sciatic nerve. I had issues with neither of those!! That made the trip so much more enjoyable! 

Metal roadside sculpture in Sask

This is the sign that accompanies the artwork. It's all done in metal! 

I was going to stop for ice cream, but they wanted cash. Although they had an ATM beside the ice cream store, I wasn't going to get cash, so I nixed the ice cream. 

Although I spotted many of the Words of Wisdom from thought.minds, I'm only posting this one. 

I've lived by this philosophy for a long time. I don't need or want to do the same thing as everyone else. And look how long that line is - there is no line on the left! It has sometimes caused me anxiety and sometimes embarrassment or failure to take the path on the left, but it's been a lot more exciting, and I have learned a lot by taking the path to the left. You never know who or what you will spot. 

I am off to work today at Northage Sewing and then one more day tomorrow before heading home on Sunday. Remember, if you are in Regina - I'm doing a session on Creativate this morning, Momento (24" digital cutter) this afternoon, and PFAFF creative icon 3 tomorrow!!!! 

And if you are in Ontario and close to West Lorne, I'll be at Heather Bell's Sewing studio for the PFAFF creative icon 3 on Monday. Then I get to unpack for a few days! 

And wouldn't you know it, my pilot nephew is in Mississauga this weekend, and I'm not there. So he better fly back another time! He's definitely getting his hours in to become a commercial pilot. And how cool to be able to fly on your own schedule!!! Just such a shame that the very weekend he decides to come, I'm not home. Although if the weather is bad in Toronto on Sunday, he will have to delay his flight until Monday. I doubt that happens - we might get clouds, but we don't get fog! 

On that happy note, I'm out of here!! 

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

No post today

 All is well..short on time..in the car. 

Tell all later

Have a great day

Ciao

A smooth travel day!

OH MY ---- what is old? That's a great question. Remember when we were kids, and our parents were OLD! When I thought that, they were way younger than I am today. Being old is no longer the same as it was before! Thank goodness, and I have no intention of ever being old—my body will start to fail me (OK—so it has a wee bit), and my mind will start to go (maybe), but I will never consider myself old. 

It's only when you put a number to things that you start to realize - wow - 45 years married or a 50-year reunion - well, that just stops and makes you think! 

I don't tell people my age, although some of them try hard to guess. What does it matter if I'm 60, or 65, or 70 or 75? It doesn't matter to my friendships. I'm just me! 

OK - on a scale of 1 to ten with ten being chaotic, my travel day was a minus 5. Nothing happened - it was so smooth that it was almost unheard of! And that's a good thing. WAIT -- that's not true -- there were a couple of tiny glitches, but I had to dig deep to find them. 

I was a bit hesitant to leave Miss Murphy because of her anxiety, but she seems to be holding her own, so that is good. I had time to give them a walk together in the early morning before I left for the airport. 

Murphy, in her typical self to be FIRST, was pulling on that leash like she was in a race to get a juicy steak at the end. Why? Why can't she just walk normally when I walk them together? I could feel all the good being undone in my body because she hasn't been pulling lately. But they were happy to go for a walk. They won't be so happy this morning. 

MOM - hurry up - it's a race, and I need to be first! 

But I had to laugh because I typically wear a waistbelt to put my important documents in. I hate carrying a purse when I travel. OK - so I hate carrying a purse ever! So into that small pouch goes my passport and NEXUS card (never travel without either), and then I go through my small card holder and pull out only the cards I may need when traveling - health card, driver's license, debit and credit, and my Aeroplan card, although that information is in my app. You would think by now that I could remember the darn nine-digit number! OK -- I must check where the number is in the app and then leave that card at home. 

When I was putting stuff in my travel pouch, I found the last boarding pass. Hmmm -- I seem to favor seat 17D on planes! 

17D - my favorite seat

I have another small pouch that I use to walk the dogs. I can easily put my phone in it (I can put my phone in the other one as well, but it's tight), and I have poop bags for the girls. I put that one on too and reminded myself not to forget to take that pouch off when I got back to the house. 

Yep—you guessed it—I forgot to do that (saying goodbye to the girls, hustling the bags out the door because the Uber is close by, and I ended up at the airport with both pouches on). No worries - I used both. I don't care if anyone thought differently about me. It's no big deal, and I had my shirt tied around my waist because it was HOT at the airport and hot on the plane. I rarely ride on a plane in only a T-shirt. Above the waist - you get that! 

We had a lady pilot, and she was efficient. OK -- that's probably just the way things happened. The plane was loaded quickly (not one of the big ones), and we actually pulled away from the gate one minute before we were supposed to. I saw the notification that my bags were being loaded on the plane. OH -- wait - I forgot that small detail. 

When I went to print my bag tags at the kiosk, I got a boarding pass, but no bag tags. So I went to another kiosk. The lady beside me said she didn't get bag tags either, and she was watching me to see if I did something different. Neither of us told an Air Canada agent, so it will be a while before that machine got flagged as "ran out of paper!" Shame on us!!!!!

There seems to be an issue with the automatic bag drop. It sometimes has trouble reading the tags. I got lucky (again), and it only took two tries to scan my large bag and once for the small one. And then I was through security in a flash. All told, it took about ten minutes to get from the Uber drop-off at the front to beyond security. 

I watched the sixth Harry Potter movie. Oh boy -- they are getting dark! I have a hard time hearing with my tiny earbuds, but it was enough to keep me entertained, and I also slept well because I didn't sleep well the night before. Well, it wasn't that I didn't sleep well; I couldn't get to sleep. Too excited to see Bear, I suppose!!! 

Just for old times' sake, there is the tile in the Vancouver Airport washrooms. I think it's the best tile around. I checked the tile in the Toronto Airport, and it's boring. So boring, I forgot to take a picture of it!

Vancouver washroom tile

OH—I forgot to tell you what happened before I left my house. I went downstairs to have a quick peek to see if I left anything. No, but I picked up a few things and put them on the cutting table because those will be a priority to deal with. I put the two pet mats on the cutting table so I can fix the ends on the serged seam. Hmmm - I heard a clunk, and because they are filled with fabric scraps, there shouldn't be any noise. 

Then I started feeling one of them and OH MY --- I seem to have thrown my Chaco-liner in one of them and serged it up! I'll have to fix that when I'm home. 

OH—my Chaco liner got stitched into my pet mat.

Then I retrieved my bags at the airport, which didn't take that long, and off to the car rental. Let's just say that cars are expensive here, and I was told that's because it's summer. Well, it's summer in other places, and the prices are not that high! 

BUT, the agent at the car rental called someone to find my car for me. Yep—they had a car, but no idea where it was parked, and it took the guy a few minutes to find it and drive it to the pickup area. 

And then I drove to M's house so I could spend the afternoon with Bear. 

HEY -- Grandma came to see me!!!!!

He was freaking out when he heard me come in, but then he freaked out when Dillon came home from work. It took him quite a few minutes to settle down. I decided to sit on their gorgeous back deck and continue figuring out the error in that pattern. I wanted that off my plate. 

The view from the back deck

And I did!!!! I figured it out and sent off one last email to the designer. I have now put that pattern to bed, and when I'm home, I need to get the twelve blocks together, find a border, and put it in the "to be quilted pile!"

Once that was out of the way, it was time to do some exploring. Bear and I headed out to find some lunch. I chuckled because they live in an older neighborhood where the houses are being torn down and rebuilt. And they still have door-to-door mail delivery!

You've got mail!!!

Can you imagine how much exercise the mail person gets? All those hills on the streets and then to face this kind of walkway to all the houses? Down the steps from the street into the yard and then up the steps at the house, then back down and repeat at the next house. This location is not for the faint of heart or those afraid of steps! When you look down from the back deck, which is on the second floor of the house, it's a long way down!!! 

The walkway at the front of the house

We have to go down a relatively steep hill to get to Marine Drive, the main drag close to the water. There are several cute (not cheap) restaurants along that strip, and I found one. 

Going for a walk with Grandma!!!!

While they have dog-friendly patios, I'm not so sure about dog-friendly in the restaurant. I just grabbed him, took him inside, and ordered my food. Since they offered to bring it out to me, I'm assuming they don't like dogs in the restaurant. 

I've been here with M before and OH MY -- look at the desserts. They had small tarts that were $14 for ONE TART. I didn't buy that, but I did buy something as a treat. 

Yummy treats

I had avocado toast with salmon, and it was to die for. It wasn't super big, but oh my --- very yummy. 

Lunch - avocado toast!

And that little guy is a chick magnet. He gets comments everywhere he goes, and I think he knows it, and that just makes him even cuter!!!! 

We walked down to the beach and walked along until we got to the leash-free part. Some of the bigger dogs were having a grand old time in the water. I wonder what my girls would do? Lexi would probably take a wide berth, but Murphy might venture in. A couple of retrievers were having a heyday!

And then Bear and I sat on the rocks, and I ate my pain au chocolat! Yep -- that probably threw my body into a sugar tailspin! But it was a treat, and that's the first and last treat of the trip! 

Eating my pain au chocolat by the water

I mean - look at how cute he was sitting. This was when I was eating my treat. I didn't have treats for him, but he was a trooper. 

Grandma - I'm a good boy and deserve a treat!

Then we walked back to the house. I carried him up the hill because he was getting tired by then, but he did amazing! We sat on the back deck and snoozed - they have the same type of chair as I have in my gazebo. I took a call with my colleagues, read a bit, and just messed with my phone. The weather was glorious, and it was so nice to just relax and not have anything to do. Well, I suppose I could have done a bit of prep work (just exploring) some of the stuff I'll pass along today, but I think I got all that down. 

If you think gas is expensive back home, think again! 

Price of gas - over $2 a liter!

And in the neighborhood where M lives (on a hill), there are some houses I would never consider buying because of the driveways. I mean they are STEEP. This picture doesn't do justice to the pitch, and of course, the streets are narrow with no sidewalks and lots of trees - hedges, so visibility is crazy. 

Steep, narrow, and winding driveway

I wonder why giant hedges are a thing here? That is one thing I remember from coming out here as a kid -- why all those giant hedges? 

Giant hedges for privacy

While there are highways here, they are few and far between. To get to M's house from the airport, you have to drive right through downtown Vancouver. I spotted this building on the way to her house, and managed to get a picture on the way back. Can you imagine living in that cantilevered space? No thank you. It was dizzying just to take a picture. OH GOD -- when I was here last fall, I also took a picture of this building! 

Would you live in this apartment?

Dillon and I went out for dinner last night. M wasn't around yesterday because of work, so we had a quick visit and then I was off for a long drive through the traffic to get to my hotel. It wasn't that bad, but an hour drive through traffic? Not fun! When I arrived at the hotel, I brought in my bags and went to bed - I was exhausted with the time change! Bridges are bottlenecks!!! 

Every time I drive over the Lion's Gate Bridge (and I probably mention it in the blog), I'll never forget the time when I was riding my bike to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories, in 2010. We started in Vancouver, and I remember riding through Stanley Park and seeing that bridge in the distance, knowing we had some steep climbing to get to it, and then we had to ride over it!! I need to go back to my old blog pages and remove them, because I fear they might disappear one day. 

I noticed that breakfast is no longer included in these hotels - Holiday Inn. Well, I'm not sure what price breakfast is, but I'll stop at Tim's. 

Oh shoot—I need to find a photo editor on my laptop that will crop photos. So I can't do that. In that case, I'll just share ONE word of wisdom today, which I think applies to many of us. 

What do you think? This is perfect!!!  OK—I Googled how to crop the photo, but that didn't work! Hmmm—as for the hobbies, I have one for keeping me in shape, and the other two? They just blend together. Do I make money? I do, but it never seems like much, and I'm OK with that. It's just fun!

Thank goodness Dillon and I were chatting throughout the day as he alerted me to buying movie tickets. Can you believe that I bought the tickets for our Christmas Day movie yesterday? Yep—tickets for Dune 3 in 70mm IMAX were released yesterday, and I managed to get decent tickets for Christmas Day. That's insane!!!!

August 17th was National Thrift Shop Day, and I found this video. It's very interesting and short, so be sure to take a peek. It's interesting how fast fashion has changed the world. It's not just fast fashion; it's all the stuff at the dollar store that has mostly become one-time use. That is very sad and so bad for our environment. 

I had no room in my sample suitcase and I mentioend that it weighted in at just under 50 lbs. I had to put the three puzzles in the my clothes suitcase and I dropped off two of those yesterday. I now have a lot of room and the suitcase is much lighter! 

And on that note, I need to get moving. I have to get ready for today, find breakfast somewhere, and then check in for the next flight later today. Yes—this trip is a whirlwind. 

If you are in the Langley, BC area today, be sure to pop out to Castle Sewing Center and say hi, check out the New PFAFF creative icon 3. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!