Checking out the neighborhood ... Colorado, first full day

Our first day together was cloudy with off and on showers.

Son Jon and the kids took me for a short walk along the lake in front of their house.

Even with clouds, it is a lovely sight, quiet and peaceful.
On the weekend, a trip is planned to those Rocky Mountains in the distance.

The area, unlike the Tokyo suburbs,  is filled with nature and even a red-winged blackbird is easy to spot ... as it's voice announces it's presence.

The calls of birds heard from my home are mostly crows, but the cooing of doves is background music here.



Jon helped me setting up my new i-phone and I tried taking pictures on that. Now, I just have to figure out how to look at them or even move them to my computer.

When I see kids using their phones for taking quickie pictures, it looks so simple. I can't even do a good job with the camera I am relatively familiar with!

We saw swallows ... too fast...

and cormorants ... take out the phone and find the button, and all  that is left is a ring of water...

even this pair of pelicans were moving fast.


Maybe today without the haze I can get better shots.

We made a trip into town, and driving down the street to the market, I spotted a quilt store.
Well, that was a "must stop" on the way back.

I needed blue thread to mend a snag in my pants from the rose pruning activities of Boston. So...
Of course that was enough of an excuse to drop in for a look around. Jon posted some nice shots taken in the store but I was too busy looking around and drooling over the lovely fabrics.

I admit I did buy s tiny bit of cut pieces my grandson picked out for his big-boy quilt ... and one owl print seems to have flown into the pile. John James needles came along with the blue thread and two stencils for use in borders (neither fitting the table runner I am working on) ... go figure!

We also stopped off at REI where I bought a long-sleeved wool t-shirt for the coming weekend to the Rockies, and at another shop, some long pants that I hope will be warmer than what I brought along. It seems, after trying on stuff, that "skinny legs" are in, and the only choice that didn't cling like paint were found in the men's section. Well, that's what happens when I have my dad's legs. Of course, they will need to be turned up at the cuff but I think I will wait to shorten them until after they have been worn and washed.

I laid the runner out on the bed over the wedding quilt made 15 years ago. Today is the exact anniversary of it's presentation on the Big Island of Hawaii.

For some reason, the cat took it over.

She was rather irked when I removed it a few hours later and hung it over a chair, and left the room. A few times she has come to the room and glanced up at it, like ... "When are you going to put my blankie back?"


So ... off for another day and another adventure .... and maybe get a bit of practice on using my i-phone camera ....