Why I Quilt (A First Person Case Study)

Last week I finished the revision of my introductory textbook, "Kraus' Recreation & Leisure in Modern Society" and got it off to the publisher on Monday morning. As part of the book, in the last edition we (my coauthor and I) added case studies. In chapter 1, where we introduce the textbook I initially asked Allison to tell, "Why I write?" as a leisure activity. I needed to change the case study so Allison's case study goes into the faculty/student resource pages the publisher provides and I asked my beautiful wife to write a "Why I quilt?" I can't give you what I put in the book, since it is copyrighted and I don't own the copyright, but I thought what JoAnn had to say was so appropriate. I did an interview with her, then wrote up what she said into case study format. Below is her response to my questions:


Questions:

1. When did you start quilting? Why?

    I started quilting just before my second daughter was born. I was 26 and I didn't do a lot of quilting then. For me it was just putting 2 pieces of fabric together (top and bottom) with a middle thicker material called batting. I didn't just jump into quilting. I was raising a family of 7 children and that took a lot of time. By the time my oldest daughter was nearing graduation from high school I decided to quilt a bed covering for her, which expanded to each of my children.

2. How do you feel while you are quilting?
    When I quilt I fell happy. It's like a release from other things going on. It allows me to bring order from groups of fabrics to a structured and planned piece. I enjoy finding of fabrics that speak to me about colors, patterns, prints and how they blend together. I like to find patterns, prints, and colors that match the person I'm making the quilt for. One granddaughter likes purple and and grandson likes green and frogs. A big part of quilting is finding the right fabric. It's like a treasure hunt and the big surprise is when you find 2 colors that harmonize together, that you didn't think would. One special experience occurred when my 5 daughters and 2 daughters-in-law made quilt blocks for each other (8 quilt blocks per person, including mine) and then we sewed them individually, each with their own touch of creativity.

3. Do you lose yourself in your quilting? 
    When I'm engaged in all of the steps of quilting - the measuring, the cutting, the sewing, organizing the quilt blocks - I find a release from the day to day pressures. I'm allowed to do work on something that is important and fun for me.

4. How do you feel when you are done with a quilt?
    Most of the time I'm very happy with the quilt. I have a real sense of accomplishment. I made something that someone else may also enjoy. It gives me a wonderful feeling when you are stitching the binding at the end of the quilting process and suddenly, it's all done!

5. How has quilting helped you emotionally?
    Quilting gives me good feelings about myself. It gives me a feeling of accomplishment. I have a real sense of creativity. I'm not an artist with a brush and pallet, but when I'm quilting I feel like an artist in fabric and colors making designs and patterns. I can't wait for the next project. In my mind I have multiple projects in the planning stages.

6. What activities associated with quilting are important to you?
    hopping for material; reading a new quilting magazine;

7. What do you do with your quilts?

    My quilts have many purposes. First and most important it is to bring joy to others, to celebrate events, to comfort. When my oldest grandson was killed in an accident my 2nd daughter and I made a special quilt for each of his 2 brothers. When a granddaughter broke her arm she asked for a quilt to give her comfort. When a new baby is born the mother needs a quilt to wrap them in. Quilting is a way for me to share my self and my love with others.

Chasing the Sunrise

It has been a particularly busy fall semester. I’m teaching a new class in an area I only have a minimal background. I haven’t felt this far out of my depth since I taught an introduction to natural resources class my first semester at Kansas State University in 1974. I was younger, more full of myself, and at the same time unsure. I have few of those feelings now. At age 66 I find teaching a new course invigorating, challenging, and just a little daunting. But it has been far more rewarding than I anticipated and just as challenging. I’ve put other projects on the back burner to try to stay what I call “15 minutes ahead of my class!” And I think I’ve been successful.

That all leads up to Veteran’s Day Weekend when I got to Friday I sensed I had a full Saturday where I didn’t have anything to do. Saturday morning came and I was still thinking teaching and writing. In fact, as I have found so often this semester, I was up early and today was no exception. At 4 AM my mind was whirling and so I was up and anticipating several hours of quiet with just me and the cat writing. Whisper, the cat, really enjoys laying across the top of my desk in front of the computer either relaxing or watching the cursor on the computer with great interest. I’m anticipating some day she will attack that poor cursor.

By 6:30 am I was busy writing and I knew we were having some cool (cold for Las Vegas) weather so I turned to my iPad and checked the weather. Of course the kids think my favorite TV channel is the weather channel - but not so much since we moved to Las Vegas. Anyway, I noted on my weather app that it had snowed out at Red Rock Conservation Area overnight. There is nothing more beautiful than watching the sunrise at Red Rock as the sun marches down the western Spring Mountains. And to have the potential for snow in the peaks was a bonus! I was a smidgen late getting out of the house and could see the sun rising over the east side of the Las Vegas valley and knew I had probably missed the march, but not the intensity of the new sun on the western mountains. Off I drove out towards Red Rock and was greatly rewarded for my efforts.

Watching the new sunrise, or in this case, the full effect of the early morning sun on the mountains is like watching a rebirth of beauty and brings great joy to my soul. If I watched it every day I might tire of it, but I only go out a few times a year - which always makes it spectacular. I’ve shared a few of my photos below. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

This is a beautiful home out in Calico Basin and I love its colors and especially the Red Rocks directly behind it.

The Red Rocks along with the desert brush and more traditionally colored hills in the background are a favorite

I really thought the sun reflections and the break up with the texture of the rocks made this an interesting shot.
And then I played with it and added a little grunge.

Images From Nevada's Past

Welcome to Walking Box Ranch - The Home looking at the front entrance from the north side. The master bedroom is located on the 2nd floor and has the porch.

A few weeks ago on our way to Albuquerque, NM JoAnn and I stopped by an historical site called "Walking Box Ranch." I am helping on a project with the Public Lands Institute at the UNLV to work on a business plan. It is a historic ranch near Searchlight, Nevada built in 1931 and made famous by its owners, Hollywood silent movie legends Clara Bow and Rex Bell. Rex Bell was a cowboy who went to Hollywood and became famous. Today the ranch land has been restored to its natural state with some outstanding Joshua Trees up to 30 feet plus in height.

Back gate at Walking Box Ranch. If you look closely at the center and upper part of the gate you can see the walking box brand which looks like an old movie camera on a tripod. Pretty clever thinking. If you click on the photo it will open a window and show a larger view of this photo, or any other photo in my blogs.

Since we are relatively new to the desert the beauty of the Joshua trees was outstanding. The following description of the original property states, "The ranch is divided into two distinct sections: the 40-acre headquarters parcel, which comprises the historic ranch house and other ancillary facilities; and an undeveloped 120-acre parcel, which contains critical habitat for the federally-listed desert tortoise and more than 300 native species of plants and animals. The Nature Conservancy, a non-profit conservation organization, has conservation easements on both parcels for maintenance of the ecological and cultural integrity of the ranch." We didn't see any desert tortoise, but we saw a couple of might big jack rabbits.

The courtyard. I did not show the pool at the front of the photo. It is not in use. At the other end of the courtyard is the great room - dining area.

As part of the visit we had an opportunity to view the ranch site and especially the house. According to UNLV's public affairs office, "The ranch house is significant for being an uncommon local example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, a sharp contrast to other Southern Nevada ranch houses." It is a beautiful ranch house and has been kept up by different owners. JoAnn and I both enjoy visiting such places and when we can get a back door tour it is even more fun. Most of my photos from the ranch on are my flickr account and I have shared a few here.

The Great Room - Dining Area.

In the not to distant future Walking Box Ranch will be open for public viewing. It will be a lesser viewed site since it is off the beaten path, but when it is open it will be well worth the tour, especially if the house is open. If the house isn't open the desert environment will be a great visit. There will be plenty of interpretation on the site.

The Library. Originally it was the children's play room.

JoAnn and I really enjoyed it.

Out on the property there are a few good shots also. The wagon adds to the beauty of the site. It's hard to realize this was a working ranch with irrigation, hay, and cattle.

A Day at the Park

We had a busy morning getting Ellen off to school and Dean off to Mexico, then Alexis, Danny, Deano & I were off for donuts and back for a little relaxation. By 11:30 am we'd had enough relaxation and we decided we were hungry. So it was off to the Bradley's to pick up the family, some food, and hit the park. We did just that. A dad, grandpa, and 5 children under 8. More appropriately an 8 year old and 4 under 4. We are brave or stupid and I haen't decided which just yet.

Nothing like lunch in the park.

I just picked out a few of the cuter photos for here and put most of the photos on my flickr account.

Come on, does it get any cuter than this?

The kids had a great time. About 2:30 pm we noted they were moving awfully slowly. At that point Jay and I figured it was time to take them home. Sure enough Deano slept all the way home and Danny is asleep now. These are the experiences memories are built of. I'm sure glad I have this time in Idaho while the daughters converge in Las Vegas.

Bonnie moving from the end of the slide to her next adventure.

Alexis showing off!

Cousins having great fun! Lookout world!

The OCD Connection

Tuesday I flew in to Utah to attend a dinner at Brigham Young University that evening. As part of the trip I scheduled an afternoon with my oldest daughter. We had lunch and enjoyed ourselves talking about all kinds of things, including "Baby" (I use her blog name for the youngest). It appears he loves to buy Legos and especially Star Wars legos. The evening before I arrived they went out on a quest for a specific Lego set and found it at only the 2nd Wal-Mart. Better yet it was purchased with Baby's own money. Donna said the bags were all numbered and all Baby had to do was open one bag at a time and get what he needed to build the space vehicle. It was late and the boys were supposed to be in bed, but when Donna checked on him he had all of the Legos out of the bags and on the floor of his bedroom. Donna was a little upset, but got over it.

When I got to their home I realized all of the Legos had been moved to the kitchen table, more or less in a large and scattered pile. Donna went off to get the boys from school and I took it upon myself to "organize" the Legos by color and shape. See where I'm going. We all accuse Donna, and some others, of OCD. One look at the table clearly showed I have some OCD tendencies. Go figure! I do lists and lists of lists. I have a form that sets long term and weekly goals at work along with daily tasks. I guess I'm guilty. I know it drives JoAnn crazy sometimes (maybe all of athe time).


Sorry kids, I guess it is inherited - and not just from me. It's a Merriam trait which has become a McLean trait. Thank goodness not everyone is infected or it would be crazy when we all get together.


Bottom line - Baby and I had a great time working on his Legos. He put it together and I helped him find the pieces. I had to leave for the banquet and when I got home it was all done, and looked great. I have provided a couple of photos below of Baby's hard work. I would have more, but he wouldn't sit still long enough for me to get a photo. He is always moving. Just ask his mom.

We've Seen Snow...Again

We have had such a beautiful winter (sorry kids), it seemed almost bitter-sweet when the temperature dropped into the 30's for lows over the last 10 days. Even more so we have experienced quite a few rain days (which of course we need). We even had a real midwestern rain day, as noted in a previous blog.


A week ago today, however, we knew rain had just passed and weather was still southern Nevada cold. We had no snow, but as I drove off to the dentist for a 7 am appointment I noticed a little snow on the front mountains, but it wasn't until 90 minutes later when I drove out of the parking lot looking west and I saw the full impact. No, it is not a Wasatch snow and it's not much good for snow caves or cross-country skiing, but it is a Red Rock snow and it is beautiful.

Go to my flickr account to see this panorama as well as other photos, or click on the photo and it will give you a full-screen (width) representation.

We feel fortunate to live so close to the Red Rock Conservation Area and to be able to go out and visit it on a regular basis. We have photos from multiple seasons, but I didn't really have any good snow photos. I was tugged to go work, but also tugged to take some photos. I rationalized, since I did have writing to do, and drove home, picked up my camera and was out the door. The photos in this blog are of Red Rock shortly after the storm and before the sun got too much hold on them. I think they are gorgeous. By the way, I did get some writing done, so no guilt.

Sunrise at Red Rock Canyon

This morning I slept in, which means I was not up at 4:30 am, however, I was still up by a little after 6 am and once I got going I though, why not go out to Red Rock Canyon and shoot some sunrise photos. I've been wanting to do that for some time and since we just finished 2 days of rain, now seemed perfect.

I peeked out the back window and sure enough there were clouds, although I didn't look towards Red Rock. That waited until I got into the car. The clouds on the mountains behind our house presaged my anticipation for mountains bathed in clouds. I knew that Red Rock wouldn't disappoint me. However, it was getting late and I was afraid I might engage in a race with the sun. You cannot win a race with the sun. It can climb higher faster than you can drive horizontally.

It's only 5 miles to Red Rock Canyon from our house, but another 6 miles to where I planned to shoot. As I went by the BLM entrance to Red Rock Conservation Area I was really glad I hadn't planned to go into the area. The gate doesn't open until 7 am. All the climbers and hikers were anxiously waiting outside for the gate to open.

Of course, the pickup in front of me was a 50 mph model, or at least the driver was, and as soon as I could see the canyon I knew I had missed those first precious moments of sunrise. I still knew I would enjoy the sunrise, even if at 50 mph. I thought about passing, but that would distract from the beauty I was enjoying.

Finally we both got to where I planned to shoot and while the pickup drank coffee and watched the sun march down those beautiful mountains, I started shooting, resolving the whole time to leave just 10 minutes earlier next time.

The pickup left, somewhat slower than 50 mph, and I continued to enjoy the gorgeous view. Having such beautiful scenery just 10 minutes from home is one of the great benefits of living in Las Vegas. We could have just about picked a home anywhere in the valley and not have the opportunity to enjoy Red Rock so close.

I got home, loaded the photos on to my computer and shared them with JoAnn. I was blown away by how well they came out. It was worth the drive. I put 23 of them on my flickr site. Actually they are being uploaded as I write this post.

At 3 pm I finally had time to load the photos into Aperture and do some adjusting. One more time I relived the glory of the sunrise. It was a beautiful 50 degree morning with low hanging clouds some dark, some misty, some billowing. The bright sunshine cascading down the slopes fo the canyon or dancing off the clouds just stirred me.

What a great start to a great day.

Some of my favorite quilts

One thing about being married to a quilter is that it seems there is never enough time to get all of the quilts done and never enough material. Okay, there may be enough material, but I've yet to meet a quilter who believed that. The nice thing about being married to a quilter is that I get to see all of her work. And in truth, all of her quilts are my favorite, but I have some that carry a little more weight. We missed taking photos of some of JoAnn's early quilts. As we have gone to visit family we take photos of the missed quilts when we realize we don't have a photo. It goes in our flickr collection. In fact, as I was searching through our photos I realized one of our favorite quilts - at least one of was not present. Thank goodness it's one of the few we kept. We have had it hanging up for years.

I can't possible, in a single post, share all of the quilts that carry a little more meaning, so I will spread these posts out over the next several weeks/months. We shall see.

The variety of quilts is almost daunting. The above right quilt was made for our oldest daughter and is a departure from what JoAnn usually does. It took a long time and a lot of debate over colors, layout and the like. I'm amazed at how much learning goes each and every quilt.


The quilt shown above was the one I alluded to earlier. It is one of her first and remains one of my favorite quilts. I love the colors, the bees, the flowers, and the little quilting pin on the lower right hand corner. The quilt below is my personal favorite because she did it for me. It hangs right above my corner desk in our bedroom where I can look up at it frequently.


Finally, at least with this post I finish with another piece that JoAnn just completed for our youngest daughter, now living in New Mexico. When we went to visit this summer we took time to do a little quilt material shopping. That means I dropped JoAnn off and went looking for a Dairy Queen. No luck with the Dairy Queen, but you can see from the quilt below she found some great material. I love the way the colors go together.


Please note that there are no grandchildren quilts in this selection. That will be in a later "Quilting Grandma" blog.

Been there - Saw that or "We beat you Donna"

Okay, what can I say. We are sitting at lunch with our daughter and her husband today when I suggest, "Let's go see the new James Bond movie." Everyone was up for it. I checked my iPhone and found out we had 10 minutes. We drove across Charleston to the Red Rock, got our tickets and watched Quantum of Solace. If you've watched Donna's blog you know she has been touting it for weeks now - but we beat her. Of course as soon as we got in the theater we SMSd her with a "At Quantum of Solace. Eat your heart out!" After the movie we called and she said, "Don't tell me anything!" At 7:10 pm we got a text message saying "I'm third in line for seats." and the part she didn't tell was, it doesn't start of another 90 minutes. No, we are not giving any of it away.