Big Knife Camping

Jacki, Bugg, Lucy & I went camping this past long weekend to Big Knife Provincial Park (east of Stettler).

A first time for Bugg & Lucy, we had a few challenges but all in all it was fun. Lucy was able to sleep in a tent AND sleep in a tent during a thunder and lightening storm. She was able to go for a hike during a thunderstorm and not go crazy. 

Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Lucy!

Peanuts Find

So a bunch of folks from the Peanuts Collectors Club have been posting comments about a new Peanuts Gang shoe being put out by Vans. Everyone is excited and a lot of them have been ordering them online from various stores.

Luckily the shoes have a set price but they are going fast. I went to several websites and couldn't find a pair in my size. I tried ordering some online but the form never worked and some orders wouldn't go through.

Wanting to give it one more try, I searched and found a company here in Calgary who sold the shoes. I emailed the company as it was late Friday night. I was glad to see a response Saturday and that they did in fact have them in stock.

So I rushed out and got my pair. They fit perfectly, even for my feet (I have problems finding any footwear that fits and/or doesn't give me blisters/rubs).

Here are my pictures. I'm soooo happy to finally be able to own a pair of shoes that I've only seen in Asia AND to be able to purchase them locally.

Peanuts Quilts - first batch

So a fellow Peanuts Collectors Club member had a whole bunch of peanuts material he wanted quilts made out of. After a few emails back and forth I agreed to make some quilts for him. He sent me the material in February 2014. It was a LOT of material.

At first I thought I'd use my own creativity to make the quilts. This worked well for my "Peanuts Baseball" quilt.

And was easy to put the panels together to make 2 pillowcases.

But I needed a pattern or something for the next batch of material I picked out. I finally found something and took the material home to cut up. It took me quite a while to cut all the pieces and then sew them together. Working only on this at night, time seemed to drag on.

Then life happened. I didn't have an opportunity to work on the quilts for a while.

Finally getting the tops put together at home, I had to go to mom's to make the backing. She has the bigger table which makes working so much easier.

I was going to quilt the two projects on mom's machine but she got sick and it just didn't happen. I took them into My Sewing Room at the beginning of June and had them quilted. It was coming up July and I hadn't heard anything so I stopped by. I was able to convince them to quilt them right away.

Getting them home, it took another week to sew on the binding and finish them off.

Peanuts Popsicle Stick

Peanuts Baseball

The Peanuts Baseball is an original design.

Mom helped teach me how to create pillowcases for the quilts to be stored in...or used. Thanks Mom!

Finally a shout out & thank you goes to my lovely assistant - Jacki - who held up my creations for me to take pictures of.

Laelia tenebrosa

My second orchid, nicknamed Laelia. Here is the information on it:

Native to: Brazil. Laelia tenebrosa is found growing in the coastal state of Esprito Santo in forests on tree trunks and branches. It is rare and near extinction in its native habitat.

Plant Size: Medium to Large. The slightly compressed pseudobulbs of Laelia tenebrosa reach about 12 inches in height and have a single leathery leaf that reaches about one foot long. 
Here is what it is supposed to look like:

Flower Size: Large. 6 1/2 inches (16 cm).

Flower Description: Fragrant. Except for the color, it is similar to Laelia purpurata. The petals range from a dull olive-green to a dull yellow. In the best cultivated specimens, the color approaches copper or bronze. One source describes the flower as the color of raw silk. The lip is tubular and purple in color. The throat is darker than the wavy front part of the lip. Flowers emerge from a green sheath and there are usually three or four at a time. Unfortunately, the flowers are short-lived.

Bloom Season: Spring, Summer (June to August).

Growing Temperature: Intermediate to Warm

Additional Information: Laelia tenebrosa is quite showy with striking flowers and is closely related to Laelia purpurata and Laelia xanthina. The plant and flowers show a close affinity to several of the unifoliate Cattleya species.

There are several awarded clones available for purchase. This species has been extensively used to create yellow and art shade Cattleya hybrids.

This is what it is supposed to look like:

Here are my plants (2 actually!) after being potted:

Porroglossum Nutibara

This is my attempt at growing an orchid from a seedling I bought at the Orchid Show on June 7th, 2014.

Here are the details on this one:

Name: Porroglossum Nutibara Luer & Escobar (Named for the local Indian chief Nutibara)

My nickname for it: Nutibara

Information: Plant is found in the montane cloud forest above Nutibara in the Western Cordillera of Antioquia Colombia at elevations around 2050 meters.

Here is a picture of what it should look like:

And here is what my Nutibara currently looks like, freshly potted:

Orchid Show

Went with Mom, Jacki & Bugg to the local Orchid show. Wow some of these are truly amazing. Here are just a sample.

Odontocidium Wildcat 'Purple Fairy'

Paph ('Avalon' x Ilemianum)

P. Virgo 'Zebra' x Bella Lucia 'Super'