For the Halibut

Ray went to Alaska to visit his friend Brian who now lives in Homer. Jerry went up too and the guys spent some of their time together fishing. Ray brought home a huge box of halibut!! Yeah!!

Here are some of the pictures that Ray took while there. I let him take my older camera and then wondered if I shouldn't have given him the newer one so his pictures would be better, but as you can see he got some great shots.

 

Eagles

Halibut fishing capital of the world!

Moose in the woods

More than one moose in the meadow

Love the reflection here

Ray and Jerry

Brian and Ray

The catch for one of the days

The view where Brian lives

 

They had a great time and I have a freezer full of halibut, so I'm a happy girl!

 

 

Other News:

While Oscar improves every day, Marcy is back to work today. Here's hoping her first day back to what was a very new position goes well.

And right now Julie and family are hoping that Tropical Storm Isaac doesn't head their way. They've cancelled school for tomorrow so right now it's just a waiting game.

I've been spending quite a bit of time in the sewing room these days working on those UFOs. I've sorted through those that I no longer want and have found homes for them. And I have been planning the next projects too.

Ireland June 2013

It's offical - I'm escorting a group to Ireland and the International Quilt Festival! Anyone interested in going just let me know and I'll keep you posted. Jim West has been working hard to get great speakers and teachers, plus lots of fun things to do while there.

Here's a copy of my flyer. I don't have them yet (they're being printed.)

I have the schedule and info about extra excursions. I'm waiting to get information on the flight cost. This is a new thing for me so have patience. Plus next year will only be the second International Quilt Festival of Ireland so they're still finishing up with this years last details.

I'm so excited about this and I hope others will want to join the fun!
You can contact me at wheresbluebird@gmail.com

Catching Up

Well it's been almost two months, but they've been full.

First we had two family reunions.
Ray's family met in the Sacramento Delta area on June 23, so we were off for another road trip. This time Julie and the girls joined us. We had a great time meeting with the family and getting caught up on what's happening.
Then my family reunion was on June 30, not far from where we live, so it was back home again.

Our 4th of July was small because Marcy's husband Oscar was still feeling sick and Marcy was working (her third day at a new position). By this time we were all getting very worried about what was wrong with Oscar because he had been sick for so long. It wasn't until July 6th that they finally found out that he had a blood infection and it had been there long enough that it had caused heart damage. Even though they started out talking about surgery there was some hope that antibotics would clear the blood and hopefully repair the damage.

So Ray and I decided to go ahead with our trip to Washington.
Julie came to stay with Marcy, but I have to say that it was one of the toughest things I've ever been through to be so far away as the results kept coming back that Oscar's blood infection probably got in through where his widom teeth were coming in and that he was not only going to have to have the heart surgery, but he was having his wisdom teeth out too before the heart surgery. We flew home and were there for heart surgery day.

Everything about his surgery has been as good as it gets. They said the surgery would last 3-6 hours - it was only 3. He didn't need a blood transfusion. They said he would go home in 10 days; he went home on the 6th day after surgery. Everyday he gets better and better; always forward never back. Yes, he's lost some weight, but he looks really good. And Marcy and Cesar (his twin brother) are taking very good care of him.

Surgery Day

The other day we were visiting him and listening to his heart; it sounds different with the new valves. We were remembering the crocodille in Peter Pan who swallowed a clock: Tick-Tock Croc. Then we were calling him Tio (uncle) Tick-Tock.

The good thing is that he was home from the hospital before Marcy's birthday (he was concerned about that) and with Cesar's help they planned a small surprise party for her of their closest friends. Nice.

Julie and the girls are here for their last summer visit and we're having fun!

Other news: we have a new washer and dryer! I love it!

I'm going to leave you with some pictures I took in Washington when Kathy and I took a walk in Dagualla Bay and Wetlands area. The one above was taken during a storm, I stood on their porch until I could catch the lightening.

Path along the bay.

The tide was up so we couldn't walk by the water.

This little guy followed along with us.

Then his friend came up on the other side.

The bay; the sun decided to come out.



 The wetlands on the other side of the road.

Lots of birds here.

Eagle #1 on a rock in the bay.

Eagle #2 on a telephone pole.

Eagle #3 on another pole.

They were all talking to each other.

Other birds

We're hoping to get back up there for more of a visit in the next couple of month. Meanwhile, we're glad Oscar is doing so well and are looking for a full recovery.