August 5 Happenings

Actually, I left off a very unique experience we had yesterday.  Our friends own Black Hills Ammunition and we had a full blown tour yesterday.  It is a very secure facility because of their products, but Jeff and Kristi gave us more than the nickel tour.  Love the cover of their brochure.Over the years we have watched them grow their small business into something much more substantial.  I loved hearing them talk about all that went into making a quality product and sharing how they modified an existing building to meet their own special needs.  I also loved the fact that when we entered head of security took to me like magic.  (He is not the most sophisticated security they have by a long shot, but he is certainly friendly.)

The basement repair work continues.  Last night we got the sheet rock off and talked long and hard about the next step.  You can see how rotten the bottom of the wall studs are - fortunately they are not load bearing so a plan was formed.  The dark areas on the sheet rock is not moisture but rather where the glue was used to help attach the bead board.  I have stayed out of this part since two heads are almost too much so three might have blown the process out of the water.  The second photo shows the progress as of 3:30 this afternoon.  Tonight they will have the last few pieces in place and then the sheet rock and bead board will go up in the morning.

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Just so you remember that this blog is about quilt and then other things, here is the book I purchased today.  I found it in the oddest of places and have already read it from cover to cover because I am going to use some of what is in here to use up all the leftovers that are boxed and traveling with us to Vermont this year.  Are you curious about where I found this book?  We were in Menards, to buy the sheet rock and other building supplies.  It was one of several trips there in recent days.  I got distracted when I saw books and let the guys go find what they needed.  As I came around the book racks I spotted several crafting books, so I took a closer look.  Kevin was quite surprised by what I wanted to purchase and this building supply store.

August 4 Addendum

Yesterday I wrote that we went to a quilt shop that I have loved visiting for years. As usual there were many, many, many things I would have loved to buy, but I am trying to stick to my own self-imposed rule of purchasing only one fat quarter of green/tan fabric at each shop (Yes, I know I have slipped, but I am back on the wagon again.)  I love all the Pearl Louise Designs and have several snowman kits that are begging to be finished, so it was a little easier to say no, but there were so many designs that called to me.  This shop is a little bit of heaven for quilters because it is so large but feels so cozy at the same time.

My fabric selection was easy.  I do not want anything that has a definite plant or animal design, but I love the idea of this one.

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This is a picture of the big problem in Dad's basement.  The water problem has been going on for a number of years, but after having the new drainage pipe added and the floor repaired, we took a closer look at Dad's walls and discovered that the lower 20 inches of one wall and a small section of another needed to be replaced along with the carpet.  We ripped up the carpet and toted it upstairs, then we started in on the wall.  (I will post a couple more shots as the work progresses today and tomorrow.) The project is not what we planned for our visit, but once it is done it will be much less for Dad to worry about when he gets ready to sell in a year or two.

August 4: WOW

Okay, I was whining a little that I needed structure or something specific to do, so maybe it is my fault.  Dad's water problem in the basement has been fixed, but now we have to take care of the water damage to the walls and carpet.  We sliced the carpet and backing out, and then Dad and I were pack mules and hauled out the chunks while Kevin did more cutting.  Next we removed about a 14 foot long strip of 2 feet tall sheet rock and discovered that we will have to replace the 2x2s that were used to hold it.  Fortunately they are not load bearing, so............  I took some photos, but I am just too tired to get the photos downloaded tonight.

We did go to one quilt shop, as well.  I will share comments and photos tomorrow. I promised myself that I would blog daily, though so I at least had to tell you that I went.  It is a quilt shop that I have loved to visit for years and is also the biggest of the shops that we have visited.

Time for bed.  So much for doing some hand piecing, today.

August 3: Two shops and a little more

Today was going to be an at home day, but dad decided that we should go to the mall and meet up with his walking friends.  Before we left, I did some email and straightening up, and the guys went out and trimmed branches from bushes and trees.  We left for the mall at 8:20 so you have probably guessed that we don't sleep in when we are here.

After visiting with the walkers, we went to the theaters that were close to the mall to see if the new Harry Potter movie was still showing.  Struck out at the first of the theaters, so we had to do a little more driving to check the other.  I read the first of the Harry Potter books long before anyone was even considering them for movies.  (We are going tonight!!!!!) Since were were going by 2 shops located in Rapid City, we stopped in.

 

Fabric City was our first stop. I found my green fat quarter with ease, but this shop is also connected to the Sewing Center where my FIL purchased his Bernina embroidery machine, so we had to stop and visit them as well.  I was doing my part by not purchasing anything but a fat quarter at each place, but Kevin saw a quilt kit in Edgemont and I had talked him out of it.  Guess what was hanging in this shop.  Guess what came home with us?  The last border is tan not yellow.  It will look great in our home.  It will be his own "QOV" for 30 years of service in the Navy.

Just down the road there is another quilt shop.  We stopped there, too.  Dad and I have been in there a number of times looking at embroidery designs, etc.  Although it is a nice shop, I am more of a traditionalist in my fabric selections, so it took me a little while to find my green quarter.  Of course by then I had found the purse pattern and just could not resist.  I am going to blame Kevin for it since he bought the first item that was not on my list.  lol  (Sharon, I know you will love having the fruit lady clutch that I am making for you when I get to Vermont, but maybe you need a purse as well?

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My two new purchases are on the lower left side.

August 2: The Saga Continues

When we arrived in Edgemont I found myself being very impressed that such a small town so far from anywhere had such a marvelous quilt shop.  I broke my own rule by buying two fat quarters instead of one just to offer a little more to the pot and keep things running.  The lady I spoke in the shop said that they do a great deal of mail and phone orders.  The resident longarmer is a pleasant gentleman that seem to be focused and efficient.

As we drove to Hot Springs we started to notice the trees and hills coming back into the scenery.  The sky was cloudy for a short time, but no rain came our way.

Our last quilt shop was located in Hot Springs it had lots of interesting fabrics and quilts displayed.  It also carried quite an assortment of Australian prints.  The other unique feature of the town was that there as a small waterfall right near the shop.  It is a quaint town.

 As I said the sky was cloudy for a short time but as we drove back to Rapid it returned to the glorious blue of earlier in the day.  What a great outing for me, and fortunately the guys were willing and good sports.  Maybe the ice cream helped placate them, as well.

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Now for the fabric purchased:  I only have a tiny bit of space for my treasures as we travel so I kept it to a fat quarter/shop with the one exception.  All the pieces are going to be green or tan and will be part of one quilt in memory of this year of travel and Vermont.

August 2 - Driving in the Black Hills

 Today we had several goals.  The first one was to visit the Black Hills National Cemetery where my mother-in-law is buried.  It is such a beautiful, restful setting.  The blue sky and nice weather just added to the sense of calm.

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 Next we headed to Sturgis and our first quilt store.  The first thing we spotted was this sign.  If you are not familiar with the Sturgis Bike Rally, you probably can't appreciate this one.  The store actually has special fabric made for each year's bike rally (motorcycles for the uninformed).

 Our second quilt shop was found in Spearfish.  It was by far everyone's favorite.  It was so bright, cheerful, well organized, not crowded and had a very friendly shop assistant.  We even got a peek at the mystery quilt they will be doing at their retreat.

*Don't misunderstand - all the shops had pluses but this one just stood out for all of us.

In a surprise move, my husband decided that we could cover the other 4 quilt shops that we had listed to see outside Rapid City, proper.  The blue sky and nice weather made this a journey in color.  It is what actually inspired me to collect green/tan fat quarters to make into a quilt at the end of this year's travels.  

The Quilt Corral in Hill City has long been a favorite stopping place.  It also has a fabulous Christmas shop.  Next door is another favorite spot where they sell my favorite wine: Red Ass Rhubarb.

We followed up this shop with lunch in Hill City at the Alpine Inn.  It serves wonderful German foods, but for some reason we chose a house salad, a French dip, and a reuben.  What were we thinking???  We all agreed that what we did have was very tasty and we enjoyed all the savory smells around us.

From Hill City we traveled to Custer and enjoyed more beautiful scenery along the way.

In Custer we found our 4th shop.  It came with an added bonus.  There was a Dairy Queen next door so Kevin and his dad indulged in blizzards while I finished my shopping.





 Additional photos and info in next post.  Having trouble making this one any larger. 

 

August 1st - Rapid City, SD

If we are moving to Vermont, how did we end up going the wrong direction?  We are going to do some visiting before we move so far from family for the next year.  Expect to hit  a number of quilt shops as we travel from here to the east.  I have my travel companion to help me locate shops.

I had a glorious photo of our last sunset in Minnesota, but our wireless laptops are of no use here, and Dad's computer is so old it is hard to even type, so downloading is not going to happen.  Might have to make a collage when I am able to post from my own computer.  Figured out how to get this one downloaded, so here it is.  We were driving across the southern part of the state on I-90 looking out onto fields.  May not be glorious to you but it spoke to me of ending one kind of life and resting before starting our new adventures.

The transition from Navy to almost civilian life has been harried and exhausting, but that was just because we were in the throes of packing, cleaning, and packing the truck as well as Dad's car.  (The Navy has been a glorious adventure for us, but we are ready for our new chapters!)  The truck and trailer are in Iowa waiting for us to show up on the 10th or 11th.  We left a couple of important items there but have been able to find some suitable substitutes for the next couple of weeks.  Last night after arriving in Rapid, we finally felt we could sleep in without having the alarm go off at 5:30.  Of course conditioning caused us to wake up, but I fought the good fight and went back to sleep until 7:00.

At 8:30 the plumbers showed up to jack hammer and repair the leak in Dad's basement floor, but these guys were great and finished the job in one day rather than in the 3 days they had allotted.  We had all suspected what the fix would be, and we were right.  This fix has been a long time coming so we are all  celebrating!!!!

Tomorrow we are going to Sturgis and Spearfish for several reasons.  The first is to visit the national cemetery where my mother-in-law is buried.  We try to do that every visit.  I will take some photos there, but they will have to wait for the collage, too.  It is a very peaceful, respectful place with some tremendous views. 

The rest of tomorrow's adventure will be to two quilt shops that I have never visited.  We are combining these adventures because we don't want to actually be in Sturgis when the Bike Rally starts on Monday.  Later in the week, Kevin and I are hoping to head south to take in 3 or 4 other shops, and at some point we will also go to the 2 shops here in Rapid.  I am not on a buying spree - JUST  WANT TO SEE WHAT IS OUT THERE.