We've been rescued.....

Hello from Beautiful British Columbia, my dear friends....

We have been on the road now since July 16th and everything has gone well....until this morning....

Our new RV has handled well, but our faithful truck has developed transmission problems. We are fortunate to encounter this situation right outside Fort St. John, BC which is a major hub for the variety of oilfield services. There are many things we love about Canada and Canadians...the beauty of each province and territory and the wonderful "can-do" and "how can we help" attitude. With a truck that needed immediate servicing, a competent flat bed driver towed it & Mr. Outback to the service center and another very nice driver towed our rv, the girls and myself to a campground and got us settled in. We will know more tomorrow as to what the problem is but at least we have a comfy home to relax in....

... and our own bedroom right up those steps...

The weather is cooperating and though we may have had a set back of a couple days, we are grateful for our surroundings and the kindness of strangers...

I will leave you with an image of our recent stop at Banff/Jasper Provincial Parks - 

Along a milky blue river....

BY THE COLUMBIA ICEFIELDS

That's all for now...just sitting tight and waiting for Plan B...
Back soon...

 

Preparations...smeparations...

This summer at Taylorsoutback has been filled with many busy hours...the usual maintenance, gardening and most fun of all...summer visitors. We have bid our guests farewell until next time and are now preparing for our own vacation. Do you sometimes feel that getting ready is so much more work than necessary? On a recent post at Susan Branch's blog, she described a visit to our beloved Jane Austen's home. I immediately became attached to a quote left by Jane -
"Why not seize the pleasure at once? How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation..."

Lists upon lists - what to pack in the RV, don't forget this or that...clean out the frig, clean the house, laundry, vet checks, doctor and dentist appointments out of the way, take care of the plants, the lawn, who will pick the beans...and on and on...A running joke at our house as we pull out of the driveway - "did you pack my underwear?" I have never lived that one down - Mr. Outback was not amused at a week away under those forgetful circumstances. Do you know how hard it is to find new underwear in the northwoods?? So, some preparation is obviously necessary...

I just couldn't go without deciding which little quilting projects will make the journey with me. After a day's driving, once we settle in at a campground for the night and take a muscle stretching walk, there is usually time for stitching. What shall it be? Hand quilting on the Cherry Tree project?

Some fun crayon coloring and embroidery with this...

Do you see the DOTS lunch box? I love DOTS candy - Barb over at Fun With Barb shared an extra one she had - now it is filled with flosses...what fun!

Perhaps a stitch or two on a Blackbird Design Home Sweet Home block (ok - I couldn't wait...just had to start another applique project)

or another little portable project...and a thank you to Janet over at Quiltsalott for sharing this new (to me) Australian designer...Brigitte Giblin. Isn't this purse just the sweetest thing ever?  Brigitte has the downloadable pattern available on her website...

1/2" hexies to make - and using the glue basting pen by Sewline, really speeds things up. My friend, Connie, told me about this after seeing a demo at Paducah. 

Well - I always take way more than could ever be accomplished, but having a tote packed with goodies gives me a sense of comfort and security. And this will be a vacation after all...time to enjoy days filled with endless possibilities....as long as I don't forget the underwear...

Will be posting along the way - WI-FI permitting...

Enjoy these quickly passing summer days...

Happy 4th of July America!

Wishing all my friends and family - near and far a Happy 4th of July!

UPDATE - JULY 5, 2012 - HAVE HAD A COUPLE OF INQUIRIES ABOUT THE PATTERN USED IN MY OLD GLORY PILLOW - IT IS FROM CRABAPPLE HILL & IS STILL AVAILABLE. 
I LOVE ALL YOUR COMMENTS & APPRECIATE YOUR VISITS - IF YOU ARE A NO-REPLY COMMENT I CANNOT RESPOND TO YOU DIRECTLY. WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU COULD PROVIDE AN EMAIL:o)

http://crabapplehillstudio.com