You can walk, but can you hike?

What happened to the box of stuff? I had other things going on in the day, but I did gravitate back to the box from time to time. However, I had done my gardening (more on that tomorrow), and it was getting late, and I was NOT done with the box of crap for the day. I DID NOT go to bed. Instead I got out the box, and I emptied it. YES, I DID, and I'm pretty proud of that fact. 

A few more things went into the box to be reviewed in more detail later. This is a good thing because it allows me to quickly go through the box. Again, I'm not trying to put much in that box because - how much do I want to go through in further detail? It'll all work out. 

And the next box is prepped. 

Today's box of crap!

I need to have a before and after picture, so I can see my accomplishments. This is the table from yesterday morning. 

The table yesterday

And now there's an actual spot where you can see the surface. I am a master at rearranging, plus I refilled the box. 

You can actually see part of the surface

The danger for me is to NOT add anything to that blank spot. I want the table top completely clear, and only then am I allowed to put more stuff on it. But wouldn't it be great to have this surface clear before I leave next week? That's my goal, and I'm not sure I can do it, but I'm going to give it an honest try. 

As I mentioned, I MUSTN'T fritter this free time away. I need to make good use of it.

So I decided to go hiking yesterday. I walk every day, but that's not really hiking. I mean -- honest to goodness hiking in the backwoods. I dug out my hiking poles, and found this backpack in the closet where my other small backpack was stored. Hmm -- I've no idea where this came from, but I suspect that we got it at some fundraiser or other function, and when I was cleaning ut the closet of suitcases and packs last year or whenever that was, this got put in the hall closet with the other walking/hiking packs. 

A small day pack

I found a hydration system in it and decided it was a good time to try that. 

A hydration system

I packed a small bag of snacks, items for nature calls, AfterBite, sunscreen, and I was off. I also wore my trusty running shoes, not hiking boots. I would hit The Bruce Trail again and start from a very secluded spot. 

I wasn't far into the hike when I realized I had left a very important thing at home. See all this stagnant water? 

Lots of stagnant water

And all that brush? What do you get with that combination? 

Narrow hiking path

Mosquitos!!!  Thank goodness I had my sweatshirt with me as I wore it the entire time. I thought I was going to get eaten alive, and instead of having a snack at the end, I was going to need a blood transfusion. They particularly loved my wrists as they poked out of my sleeves. 

Let's say that even if I needed to do a washroom break, I was NOT going to expose myself to those hungry devils. 

I thought about turning back, but then I thought, NO -- you can deal with this. I walked for an hour, until I hit the next trailhead and then hiked back. I'm not sure the entire distance; I forgot to check before I left, but I did close to 15KM for my daily total. 

I spotted these stones, which I suspect at one time were a foundation for something -- it wasn't too far from the road. 

A foundation?

Here's the trailhead that I bumped into at the end. Lots of dedication plaques to people who had supported The Bruce Trail. 

A Bruce Trail trailhead

And thank goodness for the signs to tell you what trail you are on.  

Sign for a side trail

Even more critical are the blazes on the trees. The blue ones are for side trails of The Bruce Trail, and the white ones are when you are on The Bruce TrTrailpecifically. Once I hit the actual Bruce Trail, not the side tail, the mosquitos abated considerably, so I continued. 

Trail blazes

At one point, one of the traiTrails closed. When I first spotted the trees across the path, I thought no Trailenance had yet been done, but the maintenance on this trail is pretty darn good. NO -- there was a TRAIL CLOSED sign, but it was hard to see as it was very high up. Why? Because another sign was there telling people NOT to remove the Trail Closed sign -- it was closed for a real reason. Blasting close to the trail from the nearby quarry. 

Trail CLOSED

So was I a successful hiker? Absolutely NOT. For that kind of terrain, my running shoes were pretty useless. There were tons of rocks and very uneven surfaces, and the running shoes did NOT provide good support. No insect repellant, which could have been very bad, but after slathering myself with Afterbite when I got back in the car, I was totally fine -- zero itching. No one knew which trail head I had hit, although DH knew the area I was in -- just not the specific trail head I started at. Let me say that this one is very isolated, and I had visions of wandering those woods trying to find my way out. But common sense prevailed. 

The worst thing was my hydration system. I couldn't get it to work, and I couldn't really stop to investigate it because of the mosquitos. I swear the minute I stopped, they swarmed. For the most part, when I walked fast, which was a challenge because of the very rough terrain in parts, they left me alone. At first, I had not removed the cap on the end. Then I sucked HARD, and nothing happened. When I was in the car on the way home, I realized there is a small valve that you pull and that opens it up. 

DUH   --- well, I think I'm all set for the next hike. It was fun but I wouldn't do it everyday. I had to drive a half hour to get there and took longer on the way home as there was an accident on the highway. But for a change of pace -- it was great. And now that I know how my equipement works -- I'm all set!

And I'll also pack some paper and a pen because I wanted to leave a note for the two idiots (older men) who got on their bikes as I was leaving the parking lot and proceeded to cycle on the trail, even though it explicitly says NO CYCLING on that trail. I wanted to report them and I wanted to let them know I had reported them. No paper and no pen. 

Well, I just got back from spin class and I'm late so that's it for today. There's so much more to say and so many pictures waiting to be posted. It's going to be a busy week!!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

A sewing retreat FIRST

I will say that this retreat is a first. A first in what you say? While I did throw stuff in a bag without much thought, I didn't pack much. And after this morning, I'll be able to say that I worked on EVERY project that I brought! Now how did that happen? 

Saying that I worked on every project is a bit of a lie. There were two I brought that I couldn't work on anyway because I needed special presser feet. However, I went through the projects and highlighted what I needed. When I'm home and getting ready for the next retreat (yes -- there are more retreats this year), I'll know what to pack so I can actually work on the project. Or I may decide to work on it at the Virtual Retreat, which is on Saturday and Sunday. 

Here is one of the projects - all the pieces are cut to size, all the embellishments are in this one, and the thread, but NOT the right presser feet. So that's easy to fix for the next retreat or sewing at home. 

Project one is inventoried for missing stuff

This project also has all the pieces and embellishments cut; although the zipper is missing, there is no thread, and some embroidery needs to be done BEFORE I can start to sew. So that is also on the list of things to get done, and I may just work on those things while I'm at home, so I don't have to bring extra presser feet with me. 

The second project

But isn't that super silly to pack a project without checking to see if everything is there? Thankfully, those projects aren't large. But bringing them to the retreat and having a few extra minutes last night to check through them ensures that I'll be able to work on them the next time. DUH!!! Why the heck do we do things like that? 

So I got this much of the flannel quilt done. YES -- there is a half-square triangle that is off-kilter, and I need to change one other square as it bumps up to the same color in the section right beside it. What's hilarious is that I had initially forgotten to put that middle star in the quilt, so I had to rip that out, and then when I put the half-square triangle in, I twisted it. 

The flannel quilt with an oops

I decided to take inventory of how many squares I had and what I needed to make the entire quilt. Hmmm -- I need to cut a couple hundred more squares. So I decided to put this project on hold until I had all the cut pieces. Then I could mix those new fabrics with the old ones. I hope I have enough fabric at home. If not, plan B will be to rejig the size and use only what is cut. Again -- I would like for this one to be done! And there's another quilt in the bag that just needs borders, but do I have fabric? I have to check the stash and STOP bringing it to the retreat if I can't work on it! Pack smarter!!

I'm definitely getting better, and this time, my packing was almost perfect!! Thanks to Tish for the lessons on that! 

I have some classes on the weekend, and I have homework that needs to be done. So I got one block done, and I have to say that I'm not happy with the fabrics I chose, so I will remake it, but I have a block to show for the homework. Of course -- you do NOT get to see it before the class. 

Part of the homework blocks 

I have another homework block to make this morning, but it shouldn't take long, even though I still have to cut it. 

I brought a couple of bags of half-square triangles. This group needed to be pressed and trimmed, and I got everything pressed last night. And I might just trim them at the Virtual Retreat. 

Half-square triangles pressed

Then I could bring it back to the next retreat, ready to sew them together! Now that my schedule is a bit more open, I will try and get some of these little jobs done that have been hanging around for years!

I have another bag of enders and leaders that I didn't touch, but I don't really count that as a project. I am working on another bag of enders and leaders, and I may just get through that one this morning. 

So that leaves me with two small projects to work on this morning and that block. So YES -- I will touch everything I brought, which makes me very happy. 

In addition, I walked at least 12 KM every day, and that took a couple of hours, and we did that project which took the better part of an afternoon. I love that our sewing retreats are MORE than just sewing, and I'm past the point of needing to sew every minute I'm here! 

So what was the secret project we made? Have a look. I"m sorry these pictures are on their side. I did NOT edit them, and I can't rotate them in this software. We made five doormats, and each one turned out amazing!!!! Thanks to Susan for the suggestion and for bringing all the supplies. We had a blast cutting out the stencils on the digital cutter and then painting the stencil onto the mat. 

Our doormats

For those that know us, you would know who made what! But you may not even know who is all here, and that's OK! 

I have better pictures and will show them tomorrow when I'm home. 

When I walked, I started at the house, but I decided to drive to one of The Bruce Trail parking lots. What a dummy that I didn't do that for each of the days we were here. It's FABULOUS, and I had such a fantastic walk. Here are some pictures from the walk. 

A Bruce Trail sign

The map of this part of the trail

The terrain was varied, and I walked from the line (road) on the lefthand side to the "you are here" marker on the other. Of course, I took the long road and then took the shortcut back. What a beautiful walk! I took a picture of the map before I started on the trail, which was handy for knowing where I was and how far I could go. 

The Bruce Trail

There were a few bugs in one of the open sections, but it was just me and nature for the most part. I LOVE IT! 

And there was lots of forest bathing! 

A walk in the woods

You did have to be very careful as there were a lot of rocks and tree roots, but I was in my glory. OK -- compared to walking on the road or getting in the car and driving about 5 KM?? I'll walk The Bruce Trail in the future. I'm not sure I'll go for a walk this morning as I want to get these last projects done. I'll see how it goes. 

Let's just say that my heart got a bit of a workout. Not only am I a brisk walker, even with the tree roots, but there were a few hills. Steep steps, and what goes up has to come down. By the time I got my camera to focus on my watch, my heartbeat had dropped considerably, but it was an excellent walk, and I'd love to do it in person from end to end. 

On my way home

I had to walk to the grocery store in the morning, and I stopped at Tim's. I spotted this front yard. It's a bit hard to see in the picture, but it looked like a patchwork design with how the grass had been cut. OH -- and I did a geocache that was near the grocery store. 

Patchwork on the lawn

Check out QUILTsocial today as I make more blocks for the fidget quilts. There's a tutorial for using the Texture Hoop, and the blocks turned out AMAZING. 

And here are the links for the Virtual Retreat. 

Saturday - May 28 - starting at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

Sunday - May 29 -- Starting at 10 AM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81693717518?pwd=STNoVVQzbDd4ZnROQndNNlpvcC90QT09 Meeting ID: 816 9371 7518 Passcode: 579285

And on that note, I'm out of here! I've got to touch THREE more small projects before I leave! And I WILL do it.

Have a great day!

Ciao!!!