Quilt of Valor

Quilt of Valor - made for Ron Ballog, Nancy Carr's father

Quilts of Valor Presentation

Here are a few of the quilts we presented yesterday at Quilting For Christ in Hurst.  I think this was the largest group of guests we've ever had for Quilts of Valor - someone counted 50 and there were 10 or 15 of us.  Lots of good food and the recipients of the quilts were so appreciative.  

Dale Reynolds and two of his sons - he's from FBCK

Sunflowers and Pumpkins

Fun day with Jennifer and Amy at the Wild Berry Farm in Sadler, Texas.  The resident grey cat escorted us through the fields.  A bit muddy and chilly (first real cold we've had this fall) but a beautiful sunny day with gorgeous blue skies!

Day 5 - Farmers Market in Gresham and then home

We visited the local farmers market that was a couple blocks from our Air B and B.  The rain has stopped and it's a beautiful day to walk around and take in the fall color.  

Roses at our Air B&B

Trillium Lake, Little ZigZag Falls - Day 4

Continuing on day 4 to Trillium Lake for a short hike and then on to Little ZigZag Falls.  It was a bit more of a hike but so worth it.  The falls really do zigzag for quite some distance.  It was raining, of course, but we didn't let that stop us.  Coffee & a cookie at Government Camp, a ski village, revived us and we were ready to head back toward Gresham.  Lunch at a Subway in Sandy and then I was ready for a nap!

We decided to go back to Boccelli's for dinner (we paid for this one).  We split a meal so we could have room for dessert.  Best carrot cake and cheesecake ever!  There was even a few bites to save for breakfast on Saturday.

Day 4 - Mt. Hood and Timberline Lodge

Another rainy day but we will not be stopped - off for whatever adventure we can find on our way to Mt. Hood.  First stop was Jonrud overlook - very cloudy.  This area was called the Devil's Backbone.

Moving on, we headed up to Mt. Hood to visit Timberline Lodge at 6000'.  There was snow but the roads weren't too bad so we kept going.   When we arrived at the lodge we decided to turn around and head back down.  The parking lots had not been scraped and I didn't want to risk going home in a cast.  Maybe next time!  It was so quiet and peaceful driving in the snow.

Cannon Beach and Tillamook - Day 3

After Astoria, we moved on to Cannon Beach in search of a restaurant I had eaten at in 2002 with Joyce Molder.  We were on the bus trip from Portland to the Sisters Quilt Show.  Found it and went in for cobbler and coffee.  

We drove on to Tillamook and toured the cheese factory.  Got there at 5:30 and they closed at 6:00.  Then we had a 2 hour drive back to Gresham.  No problems except a little detour because of a highway accident.  Home after a 12 hour day of activities - time to clean up some of our snacks for dinner.

Haystack Rock

Day 3 - Camp 18 and Astoria

A visitor center volunteer recommended Camp 18 for breakfast and it did not disappoint!  The rustic log cabin was so interesting and breakfast was delicious.  The cinnamon roll was the size of a dinner plate - I need a to-go box!  The lodge-style restaurant was built in the 70's with lumber cut and milled on the owner's property.  The ridge pole weighs approximately 25 tons.

The next stop was Flavel House in Astoria.  We had typical Northwest rain all day but all of our activities were indoors so it didn't slow us down.

After Flavel House we visited the maritime museum.  Interesting to read about the many shipwrecks where the Pacific Ocean & Columbia River meet.  Go to Graveyard of the Pacific for more information.

Carriage House

Original chandelier

Indoor plumbing, hot & cold running water and central heat

Bonneville Locks, Cascade Locks, Bridge of the Gods and apple orchards - more day 2.

Next stop was Bonneville Locks where we saw a fish ladder and talked with the volunteer about the locks closure during September.  All river traffic came to a standstill for about a month while the locks were drained and repaired.  Glad we weren't on the River Cruise during that time!  

Cascade Locks was a pretty town on the river.  We inquired about the Sternwheeler River Cruise but decided it wasn't a good idea for this trip.  We drove on to Hood River and turned south to drive through apple orchard country.  Stopped at a roadside stand and picked up a few apples for snacks.  Heading on south and then west, we encountered a bit of snow as we drove around Mt. Hood.  

Glad to have leftovers from Boccelli's for dinner at the end of a very long day!

Bridge of the Gods

Waterfall Alley - still Day 2

First stop was Latourell Falls - Ron hiked the path for a closer look while I waited in the parking lot.

Next was Bridal Veil Falls - I opted to take the path since that was the only way to see the falls.  Had to take advantage of all of the benches on the path but it was worth the hike.  Enjoyed visiting with a lady who was traveling alone from Wisconsin.  She was in her 70's and does this trip every year.  Brave woman!  Didn't appear to have a GPS since she talked about asking for directions in Portland.  Don't know how we ever found our way before cell phones and GPS!

Wahkeena Falls was another one for Ron to hike and photograph while I waited in the parking lot.

Next stop was Multnomah Falls - the most well-known of the Oregon falls.  It is 620 ft. tall and has a beautiful lodge built in 1925. We enjoyed lunch at the lodge before heading on to visit our last fall of the day - Horsetail Falls.  It was visible from the parking lot so I was able to see it.