Goodbye Summer! It's Been Fun!

Well, we gotta say goodbye to the summer!  It's been a busy few months and one of the reasons I haven't posted in a while!  I took a break from sewing but am now back and offering my fall and Halloween tucks.  I just listed 33 sets on Ebay, and I have a few listed on Etsy.  But if you see anything on Ebay you'd like me to list on Etsy, just let me know.  Also, I will be happy to make up any of my pattern items.  My Etsy pattern listings will show you the price for a set of the finished tucks.  These kitties above are new this year, and have been one of my best sellers!  Actually, ALL of my different cats have been selling well this year.  Must be the year of the CAT!  Stars have been big this year, too.  Here are a few you can find either on Ebay or Etsy.

 Beautiful coordinating fabrics with a spider web print.

 

I love the colors on these fall stars!

 

These are so unique, made from a coverlet type fabric.

Make sure to drop by Ebay or my Etsy shop to check out ALL the fall and Halloween tucks I have to offer.

It was such a wonderful summer and I almost hate to see it end!  We've had the most beautiful weather the last couple of months.  Hubby and I took a couple of long weekend trips. Back in July, we went to Lopez Island, which is up in the San Juan Islands.  We stayed in the nicest little cabin.  Here are a few photos from that trip.

 

I could LIVE here!  The cabin was so secluded and had its own Jacuzzi.  No phone or internet service and no television.  I LOVED IT!

 It had a little kitchenette and a nice little fireplace.  That night during dinner we had a storm roll in.  When we got back to the cabin the power was off.  We laid there watching and listening to one of the most powerful thunderstorms I've ever been in.  By far nothing I've ever heard or seen up here in the Pacific Northwest.  We don't usually get them here, and I've really missed them since moving from back east.  Despite being a little nervous, I truly enjoyed it!

 

The next morning we got up and took in the sights of the island.  This was a nice little flea market.

 

 The island is so pretty.  Not very big and we took our bikes with us.

 A little quirkiness scattered about on the island, as well.

 On our second night there we got some beautiful pictures of the sun setting.

 On the ferry ride back, I couldn't help but notice some of the remote islands.  These islands have no ferry service to them, so if you have a house on one of these islands, your only way there is by boat.  Many of the islands don't have electricity, so houses use generators.  And some of the smaller islands are own by individuals, some celebrities.  Such an interesting area of our state.

Our trip back to the mainland.  Two ferries passing in the night...

In August, we drove up to Bellingham and attended my daughter's boyfriend's graduation.  He graduated from Western Washington University, majoring in sports journalism.

 That's him picking up his "fake" degree.

 

Katie and TJ.

And in August we took another long weekend trip over to eastern Washington.  We stayed in Pullman, which is home of Washington State University.  We also visited Paloose State Park.  Our main objective, though, was to pick up some produce to bring back to can and freeze, which we did.

 

One of the downfalls to a beautiful, rain free summer are the forest fires that often come with it.  This was the Taylor Bridge fire near Cle Elum.  It was so destructive.  They are still battling wild fires all throughout this area.  We're even seeing the effects over on this side of the mountains with all the smoke and haze.

On our way to Pullman, we decided to take a "shortcut" through some back roads.  My son and I had visited here a few years ago and I learned of several then.  The roads are gravel, but very well maintained.  They take you through wheat fields and wind turbine farms.  And through absolutely NOTHING, like in the photo above.  My GPS sure came in handy while traveling these roads since none of these roads were on our map.  We NEVER met up with another car for about 25 miles!

After our stay at Pullman, we headed back home, traveling the backroads of nothing but farm land.  Eastern Washington is known for all the fruits and vegetables grown over there.  It was a beautiful drive.  We stopped at Paloose State Park, a place my son and I had stopped at a few years back.  I wanted hubby to see this beautiful place!  The day wasn't as pretty as when I was there before, but still a gorgeous place.  The photo below was from a few years ago.  Looks like there was more water going over the falls that year, too.

Blue skies on this trip!

 I loved this rock formation and had not even noticed it my first time there!

 

One of our last stops was to get some dinner in this little town.  I love these small town murals!

 

 These little fellows were scattered all throughout the town.  There were so cute!

AND FINALLY....if you are friends with me on Facebook, or if you follow my OAP Facebook Page, then you've already heard this news!  Last Monday a week ago, my daughter's boyfriend took her up to the Sky City Restaurant at the top of Seattle's Space Needle.  They have a roaming photographer up there and they sent us this photo.  After dinner they went up to the observation tower.  TJ got down on his knee, recited a poem he'd written and asked Katie to marry him.  I knew it was coming.  TJ had dropped by about a week earlier while Katie was at work.  He asked us for our blessings to marry our daughter.  Of course we said YES.  They are hoping for a June, 2013, wedding.  This Sunday she and I attend our first "bridal event".  

So, it's been a wonderful, busy and exciting summer!  I'm not really ready for it to end, although I DO love the fall so much!  The days are already feeling like fall and the mornings are quite chilly!  It's definitely in the air!

 Hope you've enjoyed reliving a bit of my summer with me.  And now it's time to move on...for the seasons, they are a changing!  Thanks for dropping by today!  ~~Annie