Well... (lack of) Status Update

Sigh... I don't know about the rest of you, but in Michigan we've been experiencing 50-60 degree days in Winter!  Having the HARDEST time staying in and stitching!  Too much to do! Too much to see!

I took this picture at the West Bloomfield Parks & Rec.  Not sure if the sign refers to the turtle or my quilt progress lately!

Instead of stitching, I've been.....

Geocaching.  We have several amazing nature trails nearby and the wildlife & birds have been out to play! This little fellow (and two more of her friends) decided to keep me company on one trip.

Reading.  I've been selected to distribute books as part of the World Book Night (April 23rd) near my home town.  Thousands of ambassadors all over the world will be handing out free books to light- or non- readers to promote literacy.  My book is a toughee - Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.  Not an easy read to promote to non-readers so I'm re-reading it right now.

Adopting.  Nope, not as it sounds.  As some of you may remember, I'm part of an International stitching group working on a project called Some Kind of Wonderful (SKoW).  This group consists of a 100+ women around the globe working on the same project - we post our status monthly.  Hanne is a quilter from Denmark who wished to join but the blog site only allows 100 "users" at a time. So, I adopted her!  She'll send her posts to me and I'll post them for her.  Check out her newest post here. 

Journaling.  Ok, I know this new project is 10 days old, but I think I lead a boring life.  Each night I sign my daily square and wonder if anyone is going to be interested in this.  Take, for an example, today.  Unless I leave right now and do something amazing, the highlight for today's square will be a 9-year old's birthday party! LOL.

I have made a personal decision not to stress over my penmanship - it is what it is!  I've also decided, for the rest of the rows, to gear towards more solid fabrics - my journal entries seem to get lost in the background sometimes.

Family.  We have three birthdays in two weeks, plus my sister and I have been doing a lot of exploring and charity work.  Last month we worked at Gleaner's Food bank.  This month we're planting trees at 7 Mile and Outer Drive in Detroit.  Next month is the Belle Isle Cleanup and, I think, the Belle Isle Aquarium "moving of the Koi". 

Other people's quilts.  Oh, yes.  Did I mention I've agreed to make 4 commission quilts this season? 

So, knowing all this and knowing the lack of progress on my own quilts.  What do you think I'm going to do on this very bright, very warm March day?  Yep.  Go out and explore.

Happy Sunday everyone!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Waymarking Edition

Thought you'd enjoy some of the local sites from my trip to Maine.



Eartha - World's Largest Globe - at DeLorme Map Store, Freeport



L.L.Bean and a XXXXXXXL Boot!

 

View from Fort Halifax Park

Portland Headlight - taken with my Hipstamatic App

Waterville, ME - view from the training room

Hanging out with the locals.  We were geocaching, of course!

Portland Headlight - 9 degrees and a wind coming off the ocean

Everyone wants to see a moose in Maine - here's 320 lbs of chocolate!

View from Portland Eastern Promenade

Finished at Bug Light - South Portland

I lived in Maine for 3 years - I miss it and my friends.  The trip really revived me... and it wasn't just the brisk breeze off the ocean!

Hugs, Elisa



(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Waymarking Edition

First real snow of the year hit, and I made it to Belle Isle on Saturday.  Thought I'd share some beauties from the Isle and the Detroit skyline.

Windsor, Ontario (left) - Detroit Skyline (right)

Some very cold ducks

It is as cold as it looks.

Conservatory and Peacock Sundial

Ice Tree

Hope everyone has a warm and sunny week!
Elisa

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Waymarking Edition

Friday was my annual "Sister Shopping Day" day with WikidKriket.  This year we poked around Ann Arbor, and one of our stops was at Peaceable Kingdom. 

Notice anything unusual about this picture?

Peaceable Kingdom is one of nine establishments in Ann Arbor that has a "Fairy Door" installed!

And let's not forget the local artist who had to add his two cents on the front sidewalk!

You just never know what you will see if you keep your eyes open!

Happy Holiday Shopping!

Elisa

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Spent some time this weekend on beautiful Belle Isle (historic island in the middle of the Detroit River).

Took this picture of the newsboy statue with the Detroit skyline in the background.

"Partners" is a statue of a newsboy and his dog. The original statue was dedicated on this spot in 1897 in the presence of over 5,000 Michigan newsboys.

Elisa

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Waymarking Edition

Marshall M. Fredericks, sculptor and philanthropist, is a native of nearby Birmingham, MI.  

"One of the most prolific sculptors of the twentieth century, Marshall M. Fredericks is known in America and abroad for his monumental figurative sculpture, public memorials and fountains, portraits, and animal figures.  His sculptures can be found in more than 150 public and corporate locations in Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, DC, Wisconsin, Denmark, England, Freeport Grand Bahama Island, Finland, Japan, Norway and Sweden.  Fredericks' works are located in parks and gardens, government embassies and royal palaces, museums and zoos, universities, hospitals, and libraries.

 Imagine my surprise in tripping over 3 of his Leaping Gazelle statues on my home turf during my recent adventures:

Detroit Zoological Gardens - Royal Oak, MI

Whitcomb Conservatory - Belle Isle, MI

Graves of Marshall and Rosalind Fredericks
Down the street from the Fredericks' former studio
Greenwood Cemetery - Birmingham, MI

Pretty cool, eh?

Elisa

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - Waymarking Edition

Museums Without Walls

My family has simple pleasures: history, travel, art and photography.  You can understand our love of waymarking. 

Waymarking is an activity where people locate and log interesting locations around the world, usually with a GPS receiver and a digital camera. ~ Wikipedia

One of our favorite categories is cemeteries.  Now, we aren't morbid.  Instead, we appreciate the original purpose of the cemetery: a peaceful park, away from the bustle of the city, to perambulate, to visit with family, and honor the deceased. 

Cemeteries were once considered "museums without walls" with some of the most beautiful monuments and parks created during America's Golden Age.   Cemeteries were also the foundation for our National Park System.

As a former military wife, we have explored Civil War battle & burial grounds, New England parks filled with patriots and poets, and Old West burial grounds with their fabulous epitaphs.

In celebration of Halloween, I thought I'd share some of my favorite local cemeteries and headstones from Southeastern Michigan.

Mausoleum door ornamentation

Mausoleum Door

More doors

Dodge Brothers Mausoleums

Tree headstones are VERY popular in SE Michigan

Joyous Duck in Oakwood Cemetery, Farmington

Zinc headstones (also called "white bronze") were mass produced for about 40 years (1870-1910ish).  They glow light blue, have raised lettering, and the side panels could be installed at will.  They were produced in Detroit and Chicago.

Must visit the fallen heroes.

Another zinc stone

Someone added an ad to this zinc headstone!

Protected grave of Henry Ford.  The grill is called a "mortsafe".  His wife  (not pictured) is buried next to him in an identical grave).

You can see an additional mausoleum and monument, in the background, across Willow Lake.

Willow Lake in Woodlawn Cemetery

If you peek in the mausoleums in Woodlawn Cemetery, you can see some amazing stainglass.

Can't have Ford and Dodge without adding Buick, in the Motor City!

A tree stump normally signifies the person died young (or "in their prime").

Hope you found this interesting.  Happy Halloween!

Elisa