Lake House View - Branson Gathering

Above you will find two views from the lake house where the Baker/ Bower family gathering will commence in just two weeks' time. From what we know, there will be various family members coming and going during the time we're at the lake house, e.g., the KC and Michigan Bowers are arriving on Friday and leaving on Sunday.

Here are some important things you might want to know.

1) Due to record breaking rains in the Ozarks region this past spring, the lake is 14 feet above its normal level. This means that the beach that once was below the house is no longer there. The good news is that a public area is nearby. It should be noted that many Ozarks lakes have rocky bottoms, so appropriate footwear is in order.

2) Bring insect repellant. The mosquito population, while normally pretty low, is now likely to be higher due to all the rain.

Other important news:

• Family / group meals are planned for evenings. Each family group can provide a contribution or two to the meal. A complete kitchen and large gas grill are available at the house.
• Every group should make their own plans for breakfast and lunch, but a refrigerator/ stove/ microwave, etc. will be available at the lake house for those choosing to use them.
• The lake house has two large decks and a hot tub overlooking Tablerock Lake -- very nice for visiting, eating, dining, card playing, singing, etc.
• Bring games.
• Brochures, information and maps of area attractions will be available. (Paul is collecting information on golf courses; Jennifer is planning shopping trips.)

Stay tuned to your email and this web site for more information.

He Promised Me a Rose Garden

When we moved to this house Paul promised me a rose garden like the one I had at our former house. This meant sifting an inordinate amount of soil and removing 20 wheelbarrow loads of dirt to the area behind our house, but I now have a beautiful rose garden. Note the beautiful blossoms in the photos. It's a real treat to be able to pick them and have fresh roses on the table every day.

Quilt in Progress

Recently I've been immersed in David Allen's book, Getting Things Done. With that in mind, I've decided to try to get move forward on getting some unfinished quilt projects done. This one is a group quilt in the sense that my friends, Mary Magnus and Sue Heinz will both be contributing some blocks. I made some for them, but have taken nearly a two year hiatus in asking them to do any for me. I'm proud to say that all fabric has been delivered or mailed and the piecing has begun. It's pretty exciting.

Finally a Nice Weekend!

No, this isn't our pool, but you can see it from our deck. Given the miserable, cold rainy spring we've had, it's a welcome sight to see the Hancock girls enjoying their pool.

As might be imagined, the warm, sunny weather with temperatures in the upper 70s got us thinking about planting. Here are a few of our pots--not quite finished yet, but we've made a start. Paul insisted on an angel leaf begonia. He loves begonias; I'm not so much a fan.

And here is the man with his watering can. We visited three garden centers before settling on our choices today.

This is the usual assortment of wave petunias and impatiens, but we hope to post more of our rose garden in full bloom very soon.

Quilting Friends in Iowa

For 15 years now the quilting group that I started while we lived in Belvidere has traveled to Kalona, Iowa for their annual quilt show and sale. Once we moved I haven't always been able to go, but this year Mary Magnus made the trip up with me and we had a fabulous time at our "Girls Weekend."

Here we are gathered in front of one of our favorite haunts--the Amish grocery store. This place has amazing bargains, as well as some items it would be difficult to find anywhere else. Here it appears that Sandy is consulting our itinerary for the day. We had quite a schedule to keep.

Even though we had a lot to fit into three days, the Amish were as unperturbed as ever as evidenced by the horse and buggy going by on the road next to the store. Kalona is the largest Amish community west of the Mississippi, so horses and buggies are common fare.

This wall quilt was a favorite with Mary. I like it too. There's no shortage of inspiration in Kalona.



Jan B. and Marie enjoy the sunroom, a favorite place for cold and windy, but sunny days. As you can see, the quilters knit as well as stitch.

Jan F. was our hostess for the weekend. We stayed in her wonderful new home in Kalona. Not much furniture yet, but we certainly managed to be comfortable with blow-up beds and our own linens.

Here's a photo of a beautiful pastel bear claw quilt.

Babette smiles from her sunroom perch. She and Jungah made a fabulous soup for on Saturday evening. Nothing like taking your own caterer with you. This group has it all.

And finally, here's a churn dash quilt -- a favorite, yet simple design made more interesting with the choice of colors.

Mowing in the Snow

Although you can't really see the snow flakes and sleet in this photo, trust me, they were there. After a gorgeous weather in Texas last weekend, this was a little hard to take. As you can see, Paul required a wooly hat, fleece gloves and a warm coat to do the mowing this weekend. It has been dreary and gray with intermitant snow, sleet and rain most of the weekend. Additionally, we've had a brisk breeze creating an uncomfortable wind chill, making it a good time to stay inside and drink hot tea. We're only hoping and praying the predicted freeze does not come tonight damaging all the trees and bushes that are currently flowering.

Sawyer Solving the World's Problems

Here's one of our new favorite photos of Sawyer. As you can, he seems pretty much at ease about the world in general, confident that the adults in his life will handle things so he can concentrate on the truly important things. What a life!

Did we mention that he appears to be a really good baby?