Vintage Sewing Machines

 I start this post with a picture of a lion that daily crosses through my son`s property. Beautiful ! This is near Prescott.

South Cove, Lake Mead Arizona

Hello to my Followers and new visitors.

I`ve returned after a very long time away. My home is still the Mohave Desert in Northwest Arizona. A beautiful setting with hawks, eagles, bobcat, wild horses, antelope, lizards, perfectly nice snakes and rattlesnakes. This is a post about Lake Mead and our National Park Service Recreation Area.

The picture below is the boat launch ramp at  South Cove near the town of Meadview.

 The scenery is beautiful. The lake was calm.  A friend and I wanted a little peace and beauty. This was the perfect spot!

Lots of catfish and trout.

A neighbor`s cactus garden just starting to bloom.

Beavertail Cactus in my yard.

The plant is called Beavertail because of the shape of the pads.
Rabbits love to eat the flowers. Glad they haven`t found this yet.

That`s all for today.

Thank you for stopping by.
Cate

Welcome To Spring In Arizona!

Spring is wonderful in the Mohave Desert. Wildflowers abound and the Joshua Trees blossom. This year the blooms are magnificent!

These pictures were taken in my yard.  The cactus have buds but so far they haven`t opened.  On a recent visit to the Lake Mead overlook nearby a friend and I found this lovely barrel cactus. It`s about 3 feet tall sitting between a creosote bush and Joshua tree.

I`ll have more pictures after the wildflowers bloom. Thanks for visiting!

Happy New Year

Sunrise January 2015

Sunrise 30 Dec 2016

Happy New Year Everyone!

Cathy

Sunrise

Looking west to the gold fields of Lost Basin just after sunrise. The Joshua`s glow in the morning sun. Most prospecting and gold producing was done during the depression era into the 1940`s. The majority of today`s prospectors use metal detectors

 

Brilliant red skies just before complete sunrise.  Looking towards Diamond Bar Road. The Skywalk is about a  20 + mile drive via Diamond Bar.

The Grand Wash Cliffs peek through the Joshua trees in the distance.

It`s almost Fall. Nice and cool. In the yard today were a few dozen cottontails, jackrabbits and fuzzy new quail hatches. Beautiful way to start my day.

Thank you for visiting. Our deserts have lots to offer. Solitude, fresh air, peace and beauty. I hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Cathy

Good Morning From Arizona!

It`s not summer till next week. Yeah right! Phoenix will be 120 this weekend.  In this part of Northwestern Arizona it should be somewhere around 110.  I`m watering trees and plants more often this past month. What hasn`t turned brown the rabbits have eaten. The baby quail have arrived. They look like peanuts now.  No pictures because I don`t want to frighten them. I killed my first rattlesnake this season two months ago.  There are lots of snakes this year..  

The picture above is beautiful Indian Paintbrush.

My eye surgeries are complete.  Long distance vision is great. I need glasses for close up work, but that may change in the next month.  It`s nice to blog again, drive and sew.

The picture below is my friend from Iowa setting up his trommel so he can run the dirt he brought home from the  desert. The gold and small gravels drop thru the mesh into the sluice underneath. The  water running through the sluice washes the lighter gravels into a tub you can`t see and the gold being heavier than the dirt stays in the sluice box. This is a simplistic explanation.

My husband and I recirculated water in our clean up systems.  If there`s clay in the soil your water gets slick and slimy real fast and the clay dries your hands. After your clean-up (the equipment), you need a really good hand moisturizer so your fingers don`t crack.  Corn Huskers Lotion works  real well.  Make sure your hands are free of potions and lotions before you pan or whatever method you chose to use to clean up. Oils, as on greasy hands will float the gold out of your pan. We  dredged in Colorado, metal detected in Utah and here in Arizona. No matter how you find your gold it is hard work. I loved it!  I got used to scorpions dropping into my lap while sitting in holes. Sitting was more comfortable than standing. I was never stung. 

This wide bush is Mormon Tea or Ephedra. The small bush to the left is Sticky Buckwheat .

Last but not least. I `ve had 20 star blocks sitting in my room for two years. My favorite is the butterfly block below. All the blocks are sewn with different scrap fabrics.  Hopefully this is a quilt I will finish this summer!

 A few more blocks.

Thank you for visiting!  Sam the dog, Mr Cat (the cat of course) and I are happy. I wake up everyday to fresh air,  a sleepy cat on my pillow, beautiful views and the sounds of cactus wrens and quail.  

Cathy

Pictures and Chat

Hello Everyone!  My blogging and sewing posts have been rare because I`m waiting for cataract surgery.  The first eye will be done the first week of May , the second surgery the end of May.  It will be wonderful being able to see again. So,  I take pictures with the cell phone hoping for the best! My sight is so  blurry, I see one and a half of most things and till I download the pics I can`t really see what I have. Sometimes I get lucky!

Lake Mead Arizona Side.

Desert farming dust on the way home. There is much concern about our water tables. These are out of state commercial operations. The dust travels miles. 

More of the same. 

 Lake Mead AZ, South Cove Launch Area.  Beautiful calm water. Fishing is great!

Launch area again.  There`s a seagull, tiny white dot, at the edge of the concrete. Like I said, I can`t see so I point and shoot and hope for the best!

I can`t wait to sew again and I`ve wanted to crochet as well. It`s been very windy so I haven`t walked the past few days. I have allergic asthma. One more picture.

This is what happens when I sit on the ground to take flower pictures. Meet Sam, my buddy,  my Lab/Dane. This is a great breed. Calm, gentle, smart, playful.

. I was raised with Great Danes. He was bouncing around so I was lucky to get a picture.

Thank you for visiting. I sure do appreciate it!

Cathy