MOTHER OF ALL MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDES

I had seen a post on the bike club newsletter of an invitation to a mountain bike ride and barbeque in Pomeroy from an old friend of mine who I used to ride with when I worked over there. Mark owns the town grocery and several other related businesses. Every Wednesday after work four of us would alternate taking either road bike or mountain bike rides. Chris, a club member from Moscow, would come over and Steve, a banker who worked in Pomeroy on Wednesdays, would also join us. We had some great times. Seemed like a wonderful opportunity to relive some old memories. Mark advertised the ride as 35 miles with 3700 feet of climbing.

As it turned out the only ones to show besides me was Chris from Moscow (Steve is now in Boise) and the local physical therapist who works at the hospital/nursing home (my old employer). Mark and Steve are 20 years my junior and the PT is just 34.

I had forgotten how long and steep those Garfield County back roads are. Our first stop was about 14 ½ miles out at a little convenience store/campground in the Blues called The Last Resort. We would always stop here on our mountain bike rides for refreshments. We had already climbed two major grades with one nice descent to get there.

From there we had about 10 miles of gradual descent on pavement. After that the fun began. The Meringo grade is a killer – long, steep, gravel deeply wash boarded. At times I was going only 4 mph. There are several easier routes back to Mark’s and by the time I reached the top of the Meringo I had decided I was going to take one of them. And Chris who is a superb rider who has already logged well over 4,000 miles this year is the only one who was beating me up the hills. I expressed my intention when we eventually gathered at the top and invited the PT who was having to walk up parts of the hills to join me in an easier route back. He insisted he was ok so on we went. I decided I’d try one more grade, long but not so steep, and just skip the last major grade.

My shoulder was hurting, my back was hurting and my legs felt dead. Chris soon went ahead and Mark and I were plodding on with the PT out of sight behind. Eventually Mark stopped to wait on the PT and I went on to join Chris at the end of the road. From there I turned down hill for highway 12 and back into town to Mark’s. Eventually the PT called his wife to come get him and Mark and Chris each took different routes back, shorter but more difficult than the one I took. My odometer showed over 44 miles with over 4 hours in the saddle which I believe is the longest mountain bike ride I have ever ridden and I’m quite certain the toughest. I was even hurting going down hill. I can tell you, the shower and barbeque at Mark’s was like heaven. I was ok the next day but I took a day off from riding.

THE OLD BEATER

We keep an old beater pick-up – a powerful old Dodge that hauls wood, refuse, and oversized items, and big loads. If you have room to keep it out of sight, it's great to have such a vehicle.

The old beater has been in town since Mike and Ken went to get wood, but now we need to haul wood from the farm to town. So we decided to take advantage of the trip from town to the farm by loading the back end with lots of stuff. I have long wanted heavy-duty shelving in the mechanical room to better organize our stuff. Now was the time to buy the shelving unit and carry it to the farm. Ken had raspberry plants for us – a great time to haul those to the farm. Oh, and by the way, Ken asked, do you want these wire cages? Onto the truck go the wire cages. We're going to pick pears off the old pear tree, so the ladder is tied on top. Of course, there was lots of the usual stuff – food, sewing machine, laptop, and more than the usual project stuff because we had the room. By the time we arrived at the farm, we had also tied on logging cables borrowed from a neighbor. Nellie rode in the cab with us, starting out at my feet and ending up in my lap (of all places!)

When we drove into the farmyard, Mike said, "Made it!" with a heavy sigh. Yes, this old beater is nearly exhausted. About time for a "new" old beater.

I think we put in two days work today, but that's another blog. Mike is watching "Monday Night Football."

BERNINA CLASS

If you like fabric, be sure to read Hallie's guest blog below.

Several weeks ago Mike and I went to the local Bernina shop and bought a new sewing machine. Yesterday I took the Machine Mastering 1 & 2 classes at the store. It was a great day. The instructor (Marjean) was good and the other participants were mostly of my generation and saying much the same thing: "I used to sew. I made doll clothes and my own clothes and clothes for my kids, but then life happened, I quit sewing, and now I want to make quilts and other pretty things." One woman said, "I wake up in the middle of the night thinking -- I'm 61 years old and I have a roomful of fabric. I've got to get going!" Each participant had a different model of machine, and I didn't envy the instructor her task of having to individualize instruction for each one of us. Fortunately, there were only five participants.

At the class we were introduced to some of the basic features of our machines. It also served to show us that we will need to invest in more feet (or is it "foots" in this case) for our machines in order to take advantage of some of these features. These computerized machines are wonderful. Tell it the stitch number you want to use and the foot number corresponding to that stitch appears on screen. Of course, if you're making a buttonhole, for instance, you know you need a buttonhole foot, but other stitch choices are less obvious. Of all the things I learned, I was especially impressed by the machine's ability to go through heavy denim (jeans) seams and also with the mending function. We were provided a CD ROM that includes the sewing applications we are being taught. A good idea, we all agreed, since repetition is important to the learning process.

I signed up for Machine Mastering 3 & 4 on September 27. At that class we'll learn some quilting applications, so I have to take a "quilting sandwich." I believe that's two 12" x 12" (specified size) fabric samples with batting between for the purpose of quilting practice. Since I didn't buy the embroidery module for this machine, the instructor said she would show me free motion quilting. Perhaps I should take several "sandwiches."

Bernina has developed pattern-making software, "My Line," that will be demonstrated at the store on Sunday, October 5. Cost: $499.00. You punch in your specific measurements and then the machine congers up a computer image of your form in bra and panties. We all laughed. It seems an expensive program, but the instructor said you can enter more than one person. One of the participants added that if you do sew for yourself, the program might be cost effective when you consider the cost of pattern alteration and making trial garments.

So, I look forward to getting back to my farmhouse sewing room and experimenting with the machine. What will I do first? I'm going to experiment with mending and hemming some of Mike's old jeans, and -- we'll just see. KW

Guest Blog: Fat Quarters

Today I went to Pacific Fabrics Outlet in the Sodo area of Seattle (this is just the other side of the West Seattle bridge). I thought that I might have access to a wider variety of fabrics and patterns than one might find in the LC Valley. I talked to Mom yesterday and she mentioned that she is in search of reproduction vintage prints from the '30s and '40s. To prepare for my trip to the store, I viewed a reproduction fabrics website so that I would have a good idea of what I was seeking (http://www.reproductionfabrics.com/). Aren't those old designs neat? I also enjoy vintage prints, so this trip was extra fun!

I've taken a photo of my selection of 13 fat quarters. It was easy to find floral prints that looked vintage. Mom wanted some prints with critters (dragon flies, frogs, turtles), but I was unsuccessful at finding prints that met that objective and and also fit with the vintage theme. I found some frogs but they were on flannel and I just wasn't wild about them so I passed.

I'm not sure which fat quarters are my favorites. I like the pick-up-sticks (bottom left) because they are so different from the floral patterns and I wanted variety. I was happy to find birds (bottom right) and at the top left, a sketch pattern that is probably more in the 50's - 60's era because it depicts a lady wearing pants, heels, and a scarf around her neck. Still, I thought it was a neat design even if you were to cut out the sketch flowers and exclude the lady. When it comes right down to it, I am fond of each selection for a different reason. They might not all work for Mom's projects, but I wanted to contribute to her inventory of fabrics. I think just having a variety of fabrics in your inventory helps stimulate ideas.

BACK IN THE LAND OF PLENTY . . .

Here we are in the land of milk, eggs, and sewing notions. We packed up and drove back to town this morning. We had errands in Orofino. We stopped at the pump shop to return an unneeded part; problems with the pump were due to bugs in the circuit box. We delivered our garbage to the dump. And we stopped by Yamaha to discuss repairs to the Wolverine. Mike wistfully looked at a newer used Wolverine and commented that maybe he should sell ours and buy that one. At Peck we stopped for a geocache on Big Canyon Creek. The elderberries there were fully ripe but no, I didn't pick any. Blackberry bushes were plentiful but becoming "past." And I identified deadly nightshade in the area which should not be ingested.

So we have shopping and errands here in town that will keep us busy the next couple of days. Saturday I will be involved in an all-day "mastering" class at the Bernina shop to learn about my new machine. I'm so proud of myself for having learned to use the needle threader on my own. While I take the class, Mike is going to go mountain biking out of Pomeroy with friends.

We had been at the homestead for nearly two weeks. A friend picked up our mail for us here in town. You should have seen it – and most of it junk. Mike received an Idaho District Court summons for jury duty in Coeur d'Alene. He completed the questionnaire but hopes that our Washington residency will disqualify him. You'd think so, but it was addressed to him here at the Clarkston address. While he completed his questionnaire, I completed the one I received from The Vermont Country Store. They want to know why I don't order more often. Actually, I love their catalog and their philosophy, but the prices they want for stuff we used to buy at the five & dime! Still, they'll get me with a nostalgic color book.

REMEMBERING ROSE & ART

Rose and Art Flint were friends of my Portfors grandparents. I think they met in Troy where both couples lived early in their marriages (1906 – 1910). Eventually they moved apart, but they remained good friends and visited in one another's homes.

Rose and Art had three children -- a daughter, Mary Catherine, and two sons. Mother had stories from her youth about the Flint family. My favorite was that Rose saved teacups with broken handles to throw at Art when she was mad at him. I've always marveled at that because I have no teacups with broken handles; do you? How far we have come!

I thought of Rose and Art the other day as I squared quilt blocks. One day when I was probably in junior high, Rose and Art came to see my mother. A broken-hearted Rose had with her several vintage quilts and quilt tops in various stages of completion. Now in her 80s, she knew she could not finish the quilts and her daughter and daughters-in-law had refused them – all of them. My sympathetic mother took them, of course, and she and Nina toyed with the idea of finishing them for years. Nina was particularly interested in the yo-yo quilt and would occasionally make yo-yos of the vintage fabric.

There was one – a postage stamp quilt – that just needed to be quilted. Mother said she would have to find a quilting bee to quilt it. "Why don't we just do it on the machine?" I asked. I was summarily advised that machine quilting was a no-no – that to be done properly, a quilt must be hand quilted on a frame by means of fine stitches and not just anyone could do it. It took special skill to be a hand quilter.

Eventually Mother found a quilting group that quilted the quilt for her – for a "pretty penny" even in that time – and Mother put it on the bed in my old room. I didn't like it. It was predominantly shades of orange and green and my room was white and pink. So, when Mother's collection of vintage quilts was divided, I chose the one with appliquéd cats in baskets. I think it came from the Flint collection as well. "No telling some people's tastes," muttered Joni as she happily went off with the orange and green quilt.

And as we cleaned out Mother's house, we found that box of unfinished quilt tops. Now examining them closely, we saw how askew they were, and let them go. Oh the things you regret!

[The top photo shows the quilt top I am struggling to make. The good news is that as I worked to square the blocks the creative juices began to flow and I understood what I had to do. The second photo is the vintage "cats" quilt spread out on the bed in "Hallie's" room. The photo on the wall is Mike's Aunt Dola.] KW

LABOR DAY: THE OFFICIAL OPENING . . .

No doubt about the change of season that is upon us, at least no doubt in this particular spot. We arose this morning at 5:15 to a temperature of 46 with wind chill of 40. Mike and Nellie left before 6:00 for a dove hunting spot Mike had scouted out several days ago. "They'll be back soon," I thought to myself. Sure enough – they were back soon. Not enough birds to make it worth the wait in the cold. If the weather turns cool before the season opens, the doves get the message and leave. We just haven't seen many birds this year anyway.

Now, to you Labor Day may signal the end of summer, the beginning of fall, back to school, the sequence of hunting seasons, football, etc. But to me, Labor Day is KW's Official Opening of the Holiday Season. This chilly day did not disappoint. To put some heat in the house, I turned on the oven and made gingersnaps from a boxed mix. (That's what you do when you're out of eggs and Crisco.) While I baked cookies, I browned round steak which is now simmering as Swiss steak in the crockpot. The apple pie and dinner rolls I made yesterday will round out tonight's supper which will happen effortlessly at 6:30.

I'm now on my second pot of holiday herb tea. And this morning I ordered a book – Holly Jolly Christmas Quilting – through Amazon. And if I so chose, I could listen to Christmas music, though I might opt for Handel's Messiah, other classical Christmas music, or something like tunes from the Charlie Brown specials rather than snow songs and carols. Fall has its own particular brand of warmth and comfort. KW