Picket Pin Road in the Beartooth Mountains

 The weather is still mild enough for getting outdoors, so we took the Honda Pilot and headed for this backcountry road called Picket Pin.  It is up the Stillwater drainage.  At Nye, turn toward the Buffalo Jump and follow the dirt road back through a ranch before climbing up into the mountains.  The road is in pretty good shape (compared to some we have driven in the Beartooths).

After School Boating

 

Last week we had grandson Airus with us while his mom spent the week in Portland in a class.

The weather was super warm (86 on this day), so we headed for Cooney Reservoir after picking him up from school.  We enjoyed a few hours on the water before heading back home.

The view from the boat ramp.

Quilting Arts Surprise

The October / November 2014 issue of Quilting Arts Magazine arrived and in it - page 44 - my quilt
"Cottonwood Reflection"!

Red Randomly Pieced Scrap Quilt

It measures 53 x 90".  I think it will make a great adult sized nap quilt for someone tall.  I am not doing any quilting yet.  I still have more scraps to clear out.  On to the next color group!

Red Scraps Come Together

 By now, I have several very large sections that I am hoping I can fit together into one larger sized quilt.  Not sure how big this one will be, but maybe I can make it a twin or adult nap size quilt.

At this point, I have three large sections, and I still have some scraps.  I wonder if I can just add more to the two side panels and then sew the three together.

Big Blocks of Warm Colored Scraps

 Here are a couple of large blocks of scraps.  Once I get to this point, I start putting them up on the design wall so I can more easily see when I have pairs that fit together and can judge what shapes I need to make to fill in.....

Sewing Scraps Together

 My process with random scraps is to just begin sewing pieces together.  When one piece runs out, I just put another one on and in this way, will end up with a lot of different fabric pairs in a wide range of sizes.   I iron these strip sets open and then proceed to sew pairs together, often turning to sew a strip set across the end or another, but I change it up as often as possible so I end up with a lot of different configurations.  Below - I have a lot of  rectangular shaped parts spread out on the ironing table.  These, will now be matched up for size and when I find two that fit together somehow, I will stitch again.

The best thing about this process - why I like working this way is I never know what I will end up with - the element of surprise is very motivating!

Scraps of Red

Weather is starting to cool off quite a bit and we are home more.  This is the time of year that I find difficult - shifting from outdoor play to indoor studio time.  I am finding this time with scraps is productive and inspiring.  I sorted out all the warm colored fabric scraps and will see what happens with them.....

Gnophaela Vermiculata on Timberline Lake Trail

I had difficulty identifying this butterfly we have seen often in the Beartooth Mountains, so I submitted my picture for professional evaluation to www.butterfliesandmoths.org.  I received an answer that this is, in fact, a moth.  Here is the info below:

http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/species/Gnophaela-vermiculata

Down to the Timberline Trailhead.

 We paused for a quick photo, then on down the trail we went.

 Nobody got wet during any of the crossings.

Rainy Departure from Timberline Lake

 There was a little break in the drizzle and so we broke camp and packed up.  The clouds were hanging over Silver Run Peak as we crossed out of the Timberline Lake basin.

Morning at Timberline Lake

 We had some light rain (and voracious mosquitoes) that forced us to make an early night of it.  It was still showering in the morning (and the bugs were still out in force) when we got up.  Nevertheless, we tried a bit of pre-breakfast fishing (no success).

 Breakfast at camp.

Fishing at Timberline

 Fishing at Timberline was outstanding!  We caught a lot of nice sized fish right away.   This lake contains a self sustaining population of Brook trout (not a native species).  They were especially colorful because they were spawning.

Timberline Lake Backpacking

 We took our 8 year old grandson on his first backpacking trip this summer.  We went to Timberline Lake because the weather there was expected to be milder than some of our other options.  Above is a picture of Timberline Lake as we arrived.  We had sunshine all the way up the trail (hot), but the clouds had arrived at the same time we reached the lake, so it began to feel a bit cooler (almost too cool, really).  The first order of business was to find our campsite, but the second was to filter water.  The two pictures below show Airus and Joe filtering ice cold water from the lake.

First Backpacking Trip for Eight Year Old Grandson

 There was not a very big window of time for backpacking this summer.  We watch the weather and the bugs to determine when we can maximize the potential for success.  We did have one evening that appeared promising and we wanted to take our eight year old grandson, Airus on his first outing.  We wanted to be able to evaluate his stamina and enthusiasm before planning a much longer trip.  Here are pictures from the Timberline trailhead and another along the trail going up.  We had partly cloudy weather and warmish temperatures for the hike into Timberline Lake.  It is 5 miles to the lake.  The trailhead is along the West Fork Road, about 11 miles in.  The elevation of the trailhead is at about 7,500 feet and this area was burned in a wildfire in 2007 (I think).

T

The trail passes through the burn area for about 3 miles.  That means 3 miles without shade.... and it means looking at a lot of blackend tree trunks.  Airus could not resist playing with the charcoal found everywhere.  He drew on rocks and logs with pieces of charcoal, blackened his hands with charcoal dust and left charcoal handprints all around. 

Another Blue Scrap Quilt

 Did I mention that the whole reason got started putting together these randomly pieced scrap quilts was to clean out my scrap bin (a 30 gallon tub, that was overflowing)?  I was happy with the blue baby quilt, but I realize I have many more blue scraps.  This time - I expanded my color choices to include pale blues and blues ranging to turquoise.    This one measures 48" square.  It is also a baby quilt, apparently. 

Blue Baby Scrap Quilt

I showed this work in progress a few weeks back and here it is all sewn together.   I really like the energy, but also the calm deep color.   It measures 36 x 48" - a decent sized baby quilt. 

East Rosebud Wild Raspberries

 We took our two grandsons - Airus age 8 and Breckin age 5 to East Rosebud Lake to fish and hike.  We were fortunate to find a lot of wild berries in bloom and we enjoyed eating what we could pick.

Huckleberries in the Beartooths

 The huckleberry leaves are starting to turn color, but the berries are ripe.  We paused along the trail during a recent hike to enjoy these flavorful wild berries.

Elephant's Head Blooming in the Beartooth Wilderness

Arctic Gentian in the Beartooth Wilderness

Moose on the Trail

 Photos from a recent hike in the Beartooth Wilderness.  We encountered this beautiful bull moose on the Glacier Lake Trail.

Nap Quilt Sized Random Strips

This one ended up being 80 x 50", which I think is a good size for adult napping.  I am really happy with the way this one turned out and I look forward to doing the quilting myself and using it to cover up for Winter TV time. 

Colorful Scraps and Stripes

 While I have the scrap box out, I decide to work with a mix of colors and patterns to see if I can make a dent in my accumulation of scraps.  I decide to mix in several fabrics with stripes and a few with stars to create unity as I randomly pull fabrics. 

I thought this one might also be a crib quilt, but it is ending up larger than I anticipated.