Storm Clouds Brewing

Hi, stitching friends!

I took this picture just a few minutes ago out the back patio of the condo. Beautiful evening. Those dark shapes on the left aren’t hills; they’re storm clouds rolling in. The waves are starting to crash high and hard against the rocks. It’s going to be a wild night!

Today was sunny and calm so we took a long walk on Beverly Beach. I love the Oregon Coast this time of year. We have the beaches almost to ourselves, and while others may think it’s too cold, we think temps in the 50s are perfect. I haven’t worn my coat since we’ve been here.

After Beverly Beach, we drove down to Newport and visited Bridie’s Irish Faire and met the owner, Susan. Earlier this year we signed up for a tour of Ireland and Scotland in 2020, organized by Susan, so it was fun to introduce ourselves. A lot of people going on the trip are from Oregon, so we are the Idaho contingent. (If you ever want a small-group tour of Ireland, click here to visit Bridie’s online. Next year will be Susan’s 17th tour!)

Lunch at Nana’s Irish Pub next door followed, and now we’re back at the condo, ready to.....you guessed it... watch Monday Night Football!

Wish you were here. There’s a lot to love!

Until next time, wishing you fun and lots of time to stitch!

A Good Day

Hi, stitching friends!

Photo from whalecoveinn.com

Today was a good day. Shawn and I slept in, watched some football in front of the fireplace, and had a nice breakfast (although we found out that our well-stocked vacation kitchen had no salt!).

We ventured out to Fogarty Creek Beach just up the road from our condo and walked on the beach. I took lots of pictures with my Nikon, so I’ll have to wait until we’re home to show you. (I don’t have a way of transferring them to my iPad.) I borrowed the above photo from whalecoveinn.com, and it shows one of the pretty bridges we walked on at Fogarty. It was a gorgeous day, temp in the mid 50s. We forgot our rubber boots back at the condo, so we’ll be back again with boots maybe tomorrow so we can get wet and check out the tide pools.

After Fogarty, we went to the Christmas store in Lincoln City and bought some pretty ornaments. This Jim Shore Celtic Santa is my favorite.

We stopped by Walmart to pick up a few necessities (salt!) and came “home” to have some salads and watch football. I love our week away and how we can take it easy every day. Lots of down time. The perfect vacation for us.

I brought several projects with me, but I’m currently stitching “Simply Winter” by The Drawn Thread. After this, I’ll just have the autumn one to go. I decided to stitch with two strands of thread rather than the called-for one strand because I wanted the colors to be a bit bolder.

The light in the condo isn’t good for stitching, so I’m happy I brought my portable stitching lamp from home. If you travel and have a hard time with finding good light, I highly recommend this lamp from Amazon; it disassembles and packs in a suitcase. Here is the link on Amazon.

Tomorrow we plan more beach combing and exploring if the weather continues to cooperate.

Mr. Wonderful is sleeping now, pretty typical when Sunday Night Football is on and the fire is warm and cozy. It’s been a good day.

Wishing you joy and lots of time to stitch!

Hello, Oregon Coast!

Hi, stitching friends!

We made it to the Oregon Coast this afternoon.

During our flight, I snapped a picture of the Snake River and the snowy mountains in the distance, the clouds blanketing everything. It was a smooth flight, but as we started to descend, my ears felt like someone was stabbing them with an ice pick. I hate getting my ears to pop, especially when I’m getting over a cold.

On our way to Depoe Bay, we stopped at Starlight Stitchery in Corvallis, a real life needlework shop! I was in heaven. Shawn waited patiently as I browsed. “I’m almost done,” I kept reassuring him. “Take your time,” he said. Is there a husband-of-the-year award? I mean, for real? He deserves it.

I picked out some new things to add to my stash:

I think our friends might appreciate “Cabin Sweet Cabin” as a thank you for hosting us at their cabin so often. I wanted “Winter Saltboxes” the moment it came out, and “Autumn ABCs” is just a must-have.

I picked up a few small-project charts as well, and I asked Shawn if he saw anything he liked. He showed me this:

I have so many Halloween stitches already, but I can’t resist when he picks something. I love the colors.

Shawn told me we can stop at the stitchery store on our way home, too, if I want. I don’t think we will, but he is so sweet. How did I get so lucky?

Our home-away-from-home in Depoe Bay, a rental condo, is gorgeous and cozy. The ocean is right out the back door.

I hope you all find time to be in your happy place. You deserve it! Looking forward to a week of exploring, relaxing, stitching, and being with my favorite person in the world.