Saturday wrap up

Another week in the books-
Boy that sounds so depressing!
So let me strike that thought.

Here's a quick snap of the iris garden I mentioned the other day, that I am putting in from my overgrown spread out plants. Not a very good photo, but you can see the composter on the left by the thick tree and then the curing line of my irises just before the woods.

Well maybe you can see that!

Yesterday I finished moving all the plants and then we got a bunch of rain, so it was good timing on my part.

My lawn this summer is HORRIBLE but it has been dry and we have a well so I am not trying to over water and run my well dry.

Anyhow, some more pages from my travel journal:

So I picked up this brochure (actually I got 2 of these so I can use some later on) with these cool old photos, that I then cut out and used to make some pages. 

This page I used another one of these old pictures, but this one was an old photo and I loved it. I made the background by overlapping washi tape and added a little fish sticker.

And then I used this little brown envelope some postcards I bought got packaged in.  I actually have a postcard in it. And I added the cut out Canadian Rockies Hot springs cut-out because this is how we spent one day.

Finally, I made one more page with another one of those cool old photos from the brochure-

Its the inside of the back page. I added the the giant octopus word bubble.

Oh yes, and one more thing
(mostly so come the end of the year and I can see all the books I read)
My latest read.

Thanks for stopping by!

10 Things Friday

Ok,I won't be showing you trip photos for too many more weeks (LOL), I promise.

(Unless you're like me and love to see photos of places far away)

Today, 10 favorite photos from my trip to the Rockies. Majestic mountains would be another name for this post.

These are not in any specific order. Just 10 favorite photos...and believe me, I have way more than 10 favorites. 

Also, I have yet to play with these particular photos. They are just raw snaps.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

As you can see, there were fantastic views constantly. It was hard to pick 10 photos. 

I definitely think this is one of the most grand and glorious places I ever visited-at least on the natural beauty.

So I can't believe it is Friday-again.

Yesterday Dave and I went kayaking and then spent some time at his Mom's on the lake, until the thunder and rain drove us inside. No work out of me yesterday, what a summer bum I am right now.

I have been making some cards though-need them to send to Katie when she goes back to college. Pretty soon I'll some photos of those for you to view.

Have a fabulous Friday!

Summer Projects

Yesterday I managed to get my husband to rota- til a strip of the woods right next to the yard so I could move some of irises from my garden. I think I had an iris nursery going on-I bet I had a 5  by 5 foot plot just thick with plants that had spread themselves out from one original iris plant. Got about half of them moved...but it is definitely one good thing about having an unemployed husband.  Besides for me, summer vacation is isn't going to last forever and I still have a long list of things to do.

Like I'll get them all done-ha-ha!

Some more of my travel journal.

You can see how I used these 7Gyspies tags to make a bunch of my pages. On the left of the binder rings are 2 pages, but the bottom one is one I did when I got home. I stamped the trees, the saying and the summer word on the page. Then I added a cut out from a brochure I picked up. The arrow is a die cut I made and I also stamped the you are here on paper, cut out half the image and then added it.

You can see on the right side I also put tickets into my travel journals. I really try to describe the trip and include details I may want to know when I go to make a scrap journal with my photos or if I need to share info with someone later one.

Another tag page. I used a highway die cut, added a sticker, a chipboard sticker, some journaling....

This page was started before the trip, added to during the trip and finished after the trip.

And finally for today, one more tag page. I stamped the sign post, the stamped words before I left.  I filled in the signpost and added the small cut out map from a hiking map that shows 2 hikes we did one day.  The eagle is a solid brown sticker and since we saw an eagle on one of our hikes, I used a white pen and colored it in to make my eagle.

Enjoy your day!

Summer Philosophy

Summer has really set in. I am in that lazy oh well, devil be damned kind of mood. I really want to be outside or on my screen porch reading a good book. This is what happens when you get a lot of weeks off from work. You start still in the go mode and then slowly, over the weeks, you get more and more out of that mode.

Then it is time to return to work and it is a SHOCK to the system.

Plus it is summer and all the heat and long beautiful days don't help you stay very motivated.

This summer it was a very distinct when it happened too. My trip. That's what did me in.

Let me show you a few more photos why it did me in.

Hiking through some peaceful woodlands-over hills, dales and streams.

Lounging in front of a gas fire in a cozy warm hot tub.

Driving through the splash of many little waterfalls that come right down onto the road.

Reaching great heights and passing over the Continental Divide.

Sleeping in a rustic little cabin.

And most importantly

Spending some quality time with my favorite guy.

Hope you like seeing my photos.

Enjoy your day!

Lots of Things

First of all, here's my latest read. 
It is an interesting read, but kind of bothering me too. If you haven't read it, it is 2 stories interwoven.  The story of modern day polygamists-those sects down in Northern Arizona-and a murder. Then it is also a story of  historical Mormons.  Specifically, the 19th wife of Brigham Young who left him and wrote a book about polygamy back in the late 1800's. I guess what bothers me is why any woman would submit to that life style. I do not get it.
But it is a good read, really holding my interest.

Secondly, here is a bit more of my trip journal.

Here's a page with a hiking map. And info about a hike we took.

I added the tab and the green edged blank sticker (I wrote in the Friday) which were on some sheets from October Afternoon. The fish stickers I also added, and I stamped the Montana word around the edges. Hero Arts/Studio Calico has out this set of state names rubber stamps which I love when doing a travel album.

Since I had no way to print out the photos I took, I bought a post card of our hike and put it in this little clear cover that fit right into the binder. I bought the binder and these folders at Staples. I added the little sticker on the bottom right.

Here's another folder for these little binders you can get at Staples. They're sold in packs of several folders. I used this one to put in some bear info since there are warnings every where in Glacier National Park. I added the black and white image to the outside-it came off a souvenir T shirt wrapper.

\

And here's another little page I did about the bears with some safety info on it. I had stamped the bear before we went away and then I added the words along the bottom.

OK, so let me show you my third thing-some pictures from this hike.

I haven't hardly started to go through all the 2000+ photos I took on this vacation. But here is one from the hike that my journal documents. I plan on fixing the darkness of it one of these days. But it goes with the bear pages in my journal.

Here's another untouched photo and some unidentified hiker who made it into the photo. This is Avalanche Lake, the same lake that I put the post card of into my journal.

It was a beautiful lake, You can see all the little waterfalls on the mountains at the far end of this little lake.

I like this photo better. First of all, no unknown person in it. That is the hubby Dave off on the rock. Plus you can see the color of the lake better. These glacial fed lakes all have this blue-green color to them because of the sediment that suspends in the water.

I'm glad you stopped by.

Have a great Tuesday.

Travel Journal-first views

Hey I finally took some photos of my travel journal, completed!

Here's a few views.

So this spread started with the back of the cover -I covered it in some compass paper- and a sheet of 7Gypsies paper that I stamped the planes (Impression Obsession) and the Wednesday (Hero Arts/Studio Calico). I added some tags off my suitcase. Some assorted stickers and metal stickers-the October Afternoon chipboard plane and the key envelope from the hotel we stayed at during out first night of travel in Spokane, Washington.

That night we just had a quick burger at 5Guys for dinner so I took the menu to cover the back of the page and then I had this postcard which I embossed the hello-(Stampotique) and added an October Afternoon rubber sticker of the car.

You can see it better here.

So we start another week- August 6th already. No month goes faster than July except August. I have 3 weeks left and then I go back to school. Only 3 weeks. But that is summer- a long vacation that flies right by.

And many of you might say that you don't even get 3 weeks off a year , so don't take this the wrong way. I am just saying that having 10 weeks away from the kiddies and 7 of those have flown right by.

So far this summer has been A++++++.

(except Dave losing his job)

And as usual, you do lots of things you want to do and then do lots of things you don't even suspect you'll do.

But enough philosophizing. 

Have a great Monday!

Ok, More trip photos

Due to my lack of any art to show you...here's a few more photos from our trip-not the one to Maine, the one to the Rockies.

This is Parky, the mascot for the Canadian National Parks. He was out wandering when we did a mini-trip into Waterton National Park in Canada (sister park to Glacier) as it was Canada's Park Day.

Here's a view from Waterton Lakes. The slogan is where the prairie meets the mountains. And that is true.

I find the prairie an interesting place...coming from New England with our rolling hills/mountains and heavily forested land, grasslands without all the trees is so foreign to me. Do people want a way to hide from the sun? Although the sense of sky is unbelievable. I can see why Montana is Big Sky Country.

And suddenly you come upon this beautiful mountain lake. The end we are facing is in the US, that's how close we are at this Canadian Park.

Prairies and mountains...and lakes.

A pretty place to visit.

Today I am not sure what is on the agenda.

What's on yours?

Luxury

This is what I title a post when I get to get the house all to myself as I did yesterday afternoon. Oh what to do? A nap? Watch the tv shows ( 3 recorded episodes of Project Runway) I don't get to watch when others are home? Play in my studio? Go internet shopping so no one will know what I am buying?

Wow.

It was tough to decide.

And since I was alone (except the cats and my dog who managed to have to be in my presence) I can keep it a BIG secret!

Today I get to sweat at the boat ramp all afternoon...no luxurious alone time...

But it IS money for some new craft supplies coming out.

Love that!

Here's a few photos from my trip to Northwestern Maine this past week.

A beautiful sunset!

And interesting placard.

Kayaking an interesting river on a beautiful summer day

Mountain and water view

And an evening campfire next to the water on a  summer night.

Enjoy your Saturday!

Home again

Home from my mini-trip- we had 2 wonderful days on Lake Mooselookmeguntic near Rangely, Maine. Took a bunch of photos but I have yet to put them on the computer. Had a great visit. My brother-in-law showed us the lake from his dad's boat...it was beautiful!!!-even when the rain clouds chased us across the lake. We had a campfire on the beach the first night there and also went kayaking down the Kennebago River. We took the boat out and had a picnic on this rural bit of land between Mooselookmegantic and Richardson Lake where the cabins didn't even have electricity and the remnants of the old steamboats (that served the old hotels-no longer on the lake but used to be there to for all the crowds that arrived by trains) could be found. We also checked out this 100 year old dam that will be undergoing some big changes soon. Got to walk behind on the spillway which was neat. We also saw 5 bald eagles. Did NOT see a moose though-granted, I have seen plenty of moose before including in my backyard and almost ran into a bull moose once not far from my house, but still, I wanted to see one. Oh well.

OK this is NOT a moose and it is NOT something we saw in Maine, since it is an elk and as far as I know there are not any wild elk in Maine. But while we were in Banff this guy walked up from the woods onto the road right in front of our car.

He is quite a magnificent guy I think. Here's another view.

Anyhow, I will be back with some photos from Maine, more from my big vacation to the Rockies and I did finish my travel journal from my big vacation which I will take some photos of and post also.

That is if I can get my camera to work.

I had to use my phone in Maine the camera was being fidgety.

Hopefully, buying a new camera is not in my budget right now.

Anyhow....

Not going to bore you with little trivial complaints.

Have a fabulous Friday!