HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Birthdays come once a year, if you are lucky! For our expatchers quilt group, we celebrate on a quarterly system now. It was Fall birthday celebration party. Judy M played hostess with the mostest and Annette provided this delicious chocolate cake.

We were celebrating Linda Y's and mine.  Linda gave me the honor of blowing out the candles, but we both made our wish.

Just four at the table, from left to right:  Annette, Sandy, Karen and Judy C.  The rest of the gals were in the kitchen:  Judy M, Camilla, Linda, Debby and myself.  Gifts are given in the form of our choice of fat quarter.  I chose purple!  I know hard to believe, but I received some wonderful purple fabrics.

Sandy, right, (hardly recognized her with her new haircut and color) showed the quilt top her sisters had made.

Now Sandy has the honor of adding the finishing touches with her quilting skills.  She also added the prairie points along one border.  This quilt will be a gift for their mother.

Judy M was finishing up the binding on this plaid quilt as a commission.  Pleasing colors!

There is the feel of the holidays in Judy's studio--isn't this one remarkable?!!

"Joy To the World" !  I have this pattern and some day--some day, I'll get it made.

And Mr Snowman is happy to be keeping 'cool' on the refrigerator door.

Happy reindeer is enjoying his outing!

This is the back!!  Yes, the back of quilt--all quilts should look this good on the back.

and there was talk about grandkid gifts--a snuggly flannel blankie for Judy M's granddaughter.

Snowmen reign!

And for the grandson, this smashing flannel plaid log cabin or courthouse steps top to wrap around his little body.

Now, came the discussion about plaids and to match or not to match.  Get Over It! 

 

Annette was working on English paper piecing.  This is a great take along project.

Annette had received this colors for her birthday fat quarter selection--great choice!

Not late!  Just early for next Halloween on this colorful panel quilt that Camilla was working on.

The back was fun fabric as well.

Debby had this fabric panel for her adopted son's baby--she wanted suggestion on how to finish the borders.  We can dish out good advice and suggestions along with delicious food! 

Spinners Gathering

Talk about fibers, spinning techniques and throw in talk about weaving and you have a fine day, especially if you are a fiberists!

We are meeting at Rosemary's (she has recently returned from summer in Michigan and also recovered from a broken leg)  Rosemary showed this lovely alpaca/silk blend roving.  Rosemary, Pat and Connie had bought some fiber for a challenge project and there is still ongoing discussion about which fiber they bought and what they should make for each other.  Is this the challenge fiber?  Time will only tell!

Rosemary was winding off this singles yarn--maybe, this is the challenge fiber?

Rosemary showed off her prize winning skein from Contemporary Handweavers of Texas Conference.  Is this the challenge fiber?
 

Connie had spent the previous weekend demonstrating at Liendo Plantation during a Civil War Re-enactment.  She had her loom set for orange peel overshot from Margaret Salisbury Shepherd's Miniature pattern book. 

The warp was navy blue and Connie used various colored wefts to cross for the pattern.

She was weaving on student day so she let the students choose the color she wove.  This one was picked by the girls.

Knowing the pattern well, she was able to treadle for different patterns

Here she wove just the cross.

Penny from Skyloom Weavers was spinning this funky yarn from silk waste.

Here she has the plying thread at the ready.



Talk about bright and brillant==here we have Butterfly Girl colorful batts.  This will make some very wonderful 'art' yarn

The plying thread will add depth to this fun yarn.

Okay, we also talked a little about knitting too.  Susan was 'tying' up loose ends on this wool/silk shawl that she knitted for her friend.  The yarn came from Discontinued Brand Name Yarn.  Her friend is definitely going to receive a wonderful gift from this talented lady's hands.

The Cowboy Way!

Once a year the Saturday before Thanksgiving a big ranch hand breakfast is served to the community.   This was the 22nd year for King Ranch to host this family day. 

Posters are in all the Kingsville, Texas shop windows.  This one was spotted at the King Ranch Saddle Shop

Other activities are 'happening' in the town as well as on the ranch grounds.

We arrived bright and early, just as the sun was rising over the landscape.  It was a beautiful day, a little on the cool side but perfect weather for this outing.

We have our ticket--what a great price for a full ranch hand breakfast!

Tents are up and volunteers are waiting to serve a delicious breakfast to the waiting.

Hubby and grandson chow down on fresh made tortillas, scrambled eggs, refried beans, sausage, biscuits, gravy and OJ.  There was lots of coffee too!

Grandson Josh wasn't too eager to get out bed early but he was enjoying this feast on a cool morning.  In the background, you can see the arena for roping competition.

Our first stop was to visit with cowboy as he branded the King Ranch ranch hand aprons.

The brand was the running "W" with an added date of 2012.  This guy was quite a character and gave us a good cowboy poems.

Moving on, we stopped at this chuck wagon and talked to the cowhands as they prepared their breakfast over the open fire.

Yummy!  nopales (cactus pads) with scrambled eggs with little chili powder for seasoning

And to fold into your fresh flour tortilla--calf fries! and refried beans!

Their dutch ovens are hot now and being greased ready for the baking of bread--we'll come back later for that taste.

Hay bales supply seating arrangement for the music tent.

Sorry to say I didn't catch the name of this band, but did hear that they had won a Grammy for one of their recordings.  The far musician is playing a washtub!

We visit the arena for team roping but first there is a tribute to our country and state with the posting of the flags, a prayer and National anthem.  Team roping consisted of three riders--header, heeler and then one rider who, after the calf is roped, jumps off his horse to hog tie the calf.  They have three minutes to complete this process.  All the competitors were ranch hands and the stands were filled with family members cheering them on!  We sat with three generations, all who had been born and raised on King Ranch.

A display of eating utensils and books about Western life and King Ranch life

And what ranch would be complete without guns? 

Another chuck wagon group, Come and Get It, proudly displayed their wagon and flag

Fresh hot coffee perking on the fire.  It is pride for these chuck wagon competitors to have the best display

On the front of the wagon yoke rests the bridles and harnesses for the horse team that pulled the wagon

Their wagon was nicely decked out with all necessary supplies needed for the meals to be prepared.

Even a coffee grind

Parts of the wagon use feed sacks for their cabinet closures

And when we see a weaver we must stop and visit.

 This is Robert with Robert's Handwoven Art.  Robert who lives in Kingsville makes custom saddle blankets. 

His father and grandfather were weavers in Mexico and all of his designs are his own.  He said his father's designs are his father's designs

His saddle blankets feature the running W brand symbolizing King Ranch.

This is the original barn for the ranch, built in 1835.  The owner loved the Alamo and brought some of the art to the property when they built this barn.

King Ranch is over 835,000 acres and good quality horses are needed to ride this range.  There are close to 2,000 champion quarter horses on the ranch

King Ranch is known for their long horn cattle plus two other breeds that were developed on the ranch.
If you ever make it south of San Antonio, drop into the King Ranch for a tour of the property--you'll learn about old and new cowboy life.