Sometimes all you have to do is.....

The Rancher and his toy, but runs like a champ!

Here is just three out of seven or eight machines. Th second from the right was built in 1884.

Here L. to R. Me, Karen and Betty Jo

Hello there!

Sometimes all you have to do is walk out your door and look around and see if somethings out there that you missed seeing or maybe it could be a small ride in the car to discover something new and beautiful. Yesterday was a day like that, so unexpected and surprising. Yesterday was Saturday October 27, and all I was expecting was for Katie to come pick me up for a trip over the mountain to go to the spinning and weaving guild meeting, that you often hear me mention.

So around ten A. M. Katie arrives, we load up and head out, we had a brief stop in Omak, for Katie to pick up some field seed, then we headed for Conconully. The weather was OK, kind of overcast, but comfortable, but the ride up the conconully hwy is always no matter what time of the year is just so pretty. We arrived a little early, so we decided to drive around town, which only takes two seconds, but they do have the oldest post office in the state of Wash. now that's pretty cool, the spinning day was to be spent at MJ's house. M. J. had her home so cute with Halloween decorations, but most of all when everybody showed up there were fifteen of us, now we are all from all over the area, but most the time those of us who come from the Methow come the farthest, but it's so worth it. We did do a lot of dicusstion about future projects and some things were decided, so next year things will be interesting and educational. Around two thirty Katie and I got ready to head to our next stop, Katie had arranged for us to go to this Alpaca farm in Oroville. The adventure begins, Katie knows a way to go on some back roads to avoid having to travel back down to the main hwy. So off we go, and what a feast for the eye's, we still have some fall colors here and that was a treat, but there were all these little lakes and cute cabins, forest ands ranches, the scenery was beautiful, Katie and I were like saying look at this and look at that, unbelievable. We started up at around two thousand foot level and as we were coming down we could see Mt's. and hills sides, then it started to get to be more ranches and farms a little closer together , we knew we had to be closer to the hwy. Suddenly on the side of the road Katie spots these old tractors all lined up, and there was a man out there messing around with one of them, so we asked him if we could take pictures and of course he said yes. So we took some pictures and then the guy says would you like for me to start this one up and we said yes, well this tractor was a 1912 what ever, but boy it started up first crank, yes I said crank. Well we had to go, so very soon we were to the hwy just south of Tonasket, we headed north to Oroville. Soon we came to our turn and found Alpaca Cloud Ranch, right on a lake called Soyoos, and part of this lake is in Canada, so we were very close to the Canadian Boarder. Katie knew she was at the right place, because here were all these adorable Alpacas milling around in the corrals. Karen is the owner, but we also had a surprise, there also was Betty Jo Roberts there to greet us, we were in her neck of the woods too. We went in and had some one on one with these gorgeous animals, and getting up close with the babies, so fun. Then was the real fun, and that was getting to see all the lovely fiber that these prize winning animals produced. Of course we had to go home with some and one of us more than the other. It's getting late, so we had better head home, not even thinking that there would be another surprise, but oh my stars, the sunset heading back up the mountain was spectacular. What a surpise of a day! I hope my dear ole friends and my dear new friends that you may have a day were you walk out your door and find something totaly unexpected. Diana

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Fall is a time to share and make soup

Even though it was grey and wet near Levenworth, the colors were so beautiful!

I always love the fall season, as do many people I know. I was thinking just this weekend about my dear friend Dorothy, and how beautiful it is to drive up her quarter mile drive way when the leaves are falling and the colors are to die for. Saturday the thirteenth of October was a beautiful fall day, and that was the day the Omak spinners guild was meeting at Ingrid's house. Luck would have that my friend Vicki just happen to be at her cabin at Mazama, the north end of the beautiful Methow Valley, and she was available to go with me ,and my friend Diana too. So we piled into my car and off we went up and over the Loup Loup Pass to Omak. I love going to Ingrid's house , it's so interesting and she has her weaving room right by the kitchen so a person can go in there and be inspired and just enjoy. There were I think about twelve of us there and as usual we are all fine cooks and love to eat and share soup, salads and desserts. We really do finally sit and spin, talk and share. I love my time with all these people. Then during the week I got to take care of Katie's kitties, and she has a very shy one that hides and won't come out, so there have been times I wasn't even sure she was there, but after a year of taking care of them off and on, I was there one after noon talking to the other cat Pushkin, and getting their food and water something caught my eye and there standing right by me was Teasel. Well I told her how honored I was and how beautiful she is, she made my day. Katie came home on Wednesday, then on Thursday Lonny and I left for the coast, then Katie will take care of Jr. for us, I'm so grateful that katie loves cats and it makes me feel good knowing that he's well cared for. I went to the coast, because I had a Dr's appt. and this Dr. is retiring, so it was the last one ever after twelve years, and then he tells me that the Dr. I was thinking of going to in Wenatchee is retiring too. After the appointment we went to Lonny's Mom's house and she took us out to dinner. The next day Vicki picked me up and we went shopping, I have been needing shoes for ever, we have shoes around here but for some reason they think their shoes are worth the price of gold. We ended up at the outlet center in Marysville, I have never been there, and we found all kinds of things we would have bought if we had an endless amount of money, but we don;t and I bought two pairs of shoes and called it good. We had lunch and then we went to Joann Fabrics and drop off some cash there. I loved my time with Vicki but soon she had to take me back. That evening Lonny and I went to Ely's and picked him up for dinner out. We went to the Olive Garden and had a great dinner and visit. It was raining so hard and of course it was the weekend of that terrible storm, but after dinner we went to Top Foods, because I forgot my tooth brush, and then we went to Micheal's crafts, that was fun walking around there and looking at all the fun things they have, we are easily amused. We went to Ely's Starbucks store he works at and got to meet his co workers and the beautiful new store, it was truly nice. Well we had to take Ely home an say our goodbyes, it's not easy, we love you so much. The next day we got up and headed home, but first we went to Jen's home to drop off a coffee table and to visit him and Samantha. It's always so good to see them, and even though it was a short visit, it was a good one and then again it's hard to say good bye. Love you Jens and Sam! When we left it was grey and rainy, Yuk! and it continued to be that way all the way to Leavenworth, but by the time we got to Wenatchee the sky cleared and the sun was out, we knew we were close to home. That's a great feeling. I hope you are enjoying the fall and cooking your favorite soups too. Diana

This one is for you Holly

The first weekend in September is the Okanagan County Fair. I was there all weekend demonstrating drum carding, I couldn't sit so I stood the whole time. I entered four things, and got blues on them all, but on this skein of your I also got a Reserve Champion. So now it's October and the temps are dropping. We've had twenty degree mornings already, which made my Dad decide it was time to go home for the winter. The fall colors have been really awesome this fall and we even had a little rain, it's only rain maybe a total of two days this whole year. So thanks to Holly for calling me and wondering if I had fallen off the face of this earth, I will be back to writing in my blog!

The garden was beyond our expectations! The Kids, Jens and Sam came back in August and we ate allot of things from the garden. Here's Sam with one of our mouth watering water melons, this was a volunteer from last year, we got three big ones. Lots of corn, beans and potatoes. Also in August Something went awfully wrong in my lower back, but it's coming around now just in time for knitting retreat, I can't hardly wait!

Got four of these monster towels off my loom! My friend Jackie from Lake Stevens came for a visit, and we got her started on weaving and had a great visit, and then early in August she came back for a weaving lesson with our esteemed leader Kay. I enjoyed our visit so much!

Jens and Sam came to visit the last week of July, Sam turned 11. We always have a good time. Love you Jens and Sam!

Hello to all my friends and family! It's been since the third of July since I've posted. So I'll just briefly with pictures do a run down of what I can remember about my summer. Well here's some fire works we watched at Brewster, they have this fab show right out in the Columbia River, we went with our friends Ray and Jenine, oh yeah, we also had a great meal at a Mexican restaurant there too.