This and That--Quilt, Bird, Theater, AireGirl

I'm up to my elbows in green.  I think I'm slow because this quilt seems to go on and on with more and more and more sewing.  And interruptions slow my the progress, too.  Maybe by the end of the month I'll have it sewn into a top.  Maybe....

I've had these blocks laid out on the floor in the living room and see them when I pass by.  I'm generally delighted with what I see.  The whole is red and green but there are bits of white in some of the red circles.  I'm glad I added those fabrics.

One day last week when I went into the breezeway on my way to the car to run an errand, there on the sidewalk was this little tyke.  Oh my goodness, how cute!

I could just see the beginning of his crest and a touch of blue on the tips of his wing feathers.  I hesitated to open the door because I didn't want to frighten him.  I was surprised that he stayed even after he saw me.  Then I saw the shadow of one of his parents flying around just above him.  After a few minutes he flew, just above the ground, to a pine tree in our neighbor's back yard.  I breathed a sigh of relief that he was able to fly and made it to the tree.

Later in the afternoon I heard a ruckus from the adult blue jays and wondered what was going on.  They were at the pine tree, squawking and flapping their wings.  I walked over to see what the commotion was about.  It took me a few minutes to spot the cat in the weeds and branches under the tree.  We made eye contact and the cat ran off.  The jays calmed down after that.  I hope the little fellow in the photo was not harmed.

On July 1st, my daughter and I took a tour of the Ohio Theater, the State Theater of Ohio.  These first two photos are the foyer.

The theater was built in 1928 and was set to be demolished in 1969.  A group of people raised funds and saved it.  My photos hardly do justice to its beauty.  The idea when it was built was for people to be able to leave their troubles behind and spend the day at the theater.  Almost everything is original, including the curtains. 

In the theater proper there is a chandelier hanging from the center of a star on the ceiling.  We were surprised to learn that it is 20' tall and weights several tons.  One of the people giving the tour had photos of it lowered and people cleaning it.  For me, the bigger the building, the more I underestimate the size of something.

And this is the Mighty Morton organ.  It is original to the theater and sits on a platform that raises and lowers, low enough that it completely disappears.  The organist gave us a "tour" of the organ's capabilities, including many sounds that would have been used during the silent film era.  Its pipes are at the front and side of the stage, hidden behind structural details.

The tour did not include the stage or back stage.  A video here has better photos and shows backstage.  This Saturday we're planning to tour the Palace Theater.

The best part of the last two weeks is this Airegirl who came to live with us at the end of June.  (She's not keen on being photographed--at least not yet--something I hope to change with exposure.)

She was owned by a breeder and is a retired mama.   She's very sweet and gentle, walks well on a lead, and is respectful of humans and cats.  She is somewhat un-Airedale-like with her calm demeanor and is a little hesitant and uncertain--ears to the side and tail down.  I'm waiting for her sense of humor to appear and to see her smile.  I suspect her freedom was fairly restricted.  I think we can give her a happy life.  I would tell you her name but we haven't chosen it yet.  (You know, new home and life, new name.)

Our weather has been mostly hot and humid with high dew points, but yesterday was only in the mid-80s with a wonderful breeze.  I sat outside with AireGirl for a bit and read while she sniffed around and investigated the yard.

I hope things are good for you!
--Nancy.