the twisty road

I was going to try to be more deliberate about being in this space.  That was before the road became more twisty.  Life is just chaotic.  Then add that my Dad is nearing the end of his life, and the road becomes more twisty.  I do try to walk every day.  I found a taste of autumn near my Dad's house this week.

I feel like I am not home much, which I am not really.  I try to see my Dad every two weeks.  This summer there were times that there were no doctors' appointments and we drove around Washington state.  We took one of his shotguns and one of his pistols to my mountain and shot.  Then, we drove through two different passes in the Cascades.  That was 450 miles of driving.  Two weeks later we drove 600 miles to and from The Palouse.  It is also an area of Washington.

He really seemed to enjoy it.  But he is not moving well.  He is very slowly and, more ,the balance is not there.  He is thinking about the next road trip.  Did I get any pictures?  No.  I did all the driving.  I would like to go back to The Palouse and take more time for pictures.  Down the road.

I took the boys with me one of the weeks I went to see my Dad.  We did a short road trip.  We went up to our mountain.  We took a tree out from across our road with hand saws.  We got it done.  Yes, there are chain saws there but I felt it would have taken me as long to get the chain saws out and working as it did for us to hand saw it.  The only casualty was my dress.  I put a hole in it with the last tooth of the hand saw.

My whole family went on a trip to Colorado.  We stayed first at Black Canyon in Gunnison National Park.  It was good but three days in we felt like we had done everything we wished to do.  The canyon is gorgeous but there are not a lot of hikes.  We like hiking.  

So we took a risk, broke down camp, and went to see if we could find another campground down the road.  If not, we would slowly head home, camping all the way.  We found a lovely National Forest campground outside Ouray, Colorado.  Angel Creek.  It was more us.  More trees.  More everything if that makes sense.  Ouray had a public mineral hot spring and the boys adored it.  

We also went on a hike to the Alpine Mine.  It is a defunct gold mine.  How do we always pick the hike that is challenging?  It was only about a 4 mile hike but it had 2000 feet of elevation change in that four miles.  It is listed as moderate but not after coming up from sea level less then a week before.  Or having COVID in the last three months.  But we made.  It was gorgeous.  The velociraptor had to be carried most of the way up but flew all the way down.  Always interesting.  We all felt that this is the campground we should have been at the whole time.  We also want to go back.  There is just a lot more to explore and hike in the region.  And we are hikers.  More like saunters but we get there!

We did not wish to leave.  The last day of the drive back, the velociraptor broke his right arm at a Safety Area playground.  The TxDOT personnel were wonderful.  We were near Quanah, Texas and the county hospital there was lovely.  We did have to go into Fort Worth and he had surgery on his arm to set it and Cook Children's Hospital.  Add excitement to a vacation!  We drove home the next day.  Blue was in a lot of pain.  He is now doing better but still in a cast with pins.  The x-rays show that bone was pretty shattered.  He is supposed to keep his feet on the ground.  I am just lucky if he is not running!  Another couple weeks and hopefully, cast and pins are gone.

I have changed my creating for all the travel.  Everything is by hand.  I have started to make my dresses by hand because it is so much  more portable.  It also slows the process down.  My making a dress on a sewing machine could be considered fast fashion.  I also had a handful of dresses shrink up.  Or I want a longer length.  I am not sure which currently.  I am sure I am enjoying longer.

But those dresses and the one that got eaten by the hand saw have all become linen slips.  I can always use more slips, especially since the one I have are on their last legs.  Some were even my Mom's.  Nylon and polyester does not work very well in the heat we have had this summer.

The twists in the road is this season of life.  An added twist this autumn will be the boys brick and mortar school.  The first week is gone and they seem to be enjoying it.  Logistics are everything!  Just managing the day to day has been a lot. 

I also find I do not like to write when the house is too loud.  It is always loud now.  I am trying to find quiet for myself.  When I travel, especially alone, I seek out libraries.  But traveling alone, other than to my Dad's, does not happen often.  Finding time to be creative is hard.  Finding time to be sane is hard.  Mostly, it is walking right now.  Even more, when I can walk alone.  Exhaustion is real.

long t-shirt skirt

I am a bit surprised that I am writing today.  My arthritic conditions have an element of fatigue to them.  With the allergies this week, I am tired.  Every time I walk out to my truck, the windshield and wipers are covered with pollen.  I am too tired to be using my sewing machine or working on anything that is to be sold.

The solution to that problem is hand sewing for msyelf and presents.  My old treadle sewing machine does not deal with stretch fabrics well.  But I can do them hand sewing.  I would actually only have to hand sew the curves and anything that stretches but I just do the whole thing.  Videos and audio books become my best friend.

This is an Alabama Chanin pattern for their long skirt.  It is also very similar to the Sense and Sensibility walking skirt.  After too many Murdoch Mysteries, I need more of this style in my life, whether it is t-shirt knits or woven fabric.

Alabama Chanin uses a lot of raw edges in their designs.  It is a trademark of theirs.  I like finished edges so I used a stretch embroidery stitch around the hem.  I also did not make the waist too tight, even though it has elastic in it.  I just do not like tight waists very much.  I would rather be appalled at the waist measurement and have something be loose then have a smaller waist and have something tight.

I embroidered a flower on the back.  It has texture so in the dark, in a tent, I can figure out where the back of my skirt is.  This is the true reason why I started adding tags to everything, easier dressing in a tent.

I have worn this skirt on errands this morning and I will have to say that it so comfortable.  My hands are a little tired.  And once I am off the computer I may end up taking a nap or in my sewing chair hand sewing more because I think my errands were a bit much this morning.  It will work well for both.  I would like a few more and I can see them as a great travel skirt, especially as after walking clothes.