On the Columbia River
From Maryhill State Park--that is Mt. Hood in the far distance (in Oregon), the Biggs Bridge in the near distance. The Biggs Bridge crosses the Columbia between Washington and Oregon, but is currently closed for maintenance and upgrading necessitating a detour or altenate route for those traveling north and south in the central parts of both states.
That is Oregon on the other side--and that is a Great Blue Heron on the post in the river.
Visit Skywatch here.
The ABCs week by week! What fun!You've already seen the quilt my Grandmother made me here in G is for Grandmother. Here are some other older pieces.
Clues in the Calico is the title of a book about fabric history. Longtime quilters can give a pretty good estimate of the age of a quilt from the fabrics as well as the block pattern, the quilting style, and the kind of batting used.
The fabrics in this quilt top peg it as probably from the 1930s or maybe early in the 1940s. Of course, a quilter might have saved bits and pieces from a number of years--from the good parts of worn clothing or from feed and flour sacks. Yes, feed sacks were very important sources in depression times. When it was time to stock up on flour again, a good wife might be very selective about which sack to purchase. She would want to gather several of the same design to make a dress.
The hexagon shapes were also popular in those times. They are less so now because they are nearly impossible to construct by machine, though many modern quilt addicts like to have one in the process to have along to work on while waiting for appointments or watching the kids' soccer game. This quilt top I purchased in an E-bay auction a few years ago is not the traditional Grandmother's Flower Garden arrangement--one reason that I think it would have been made in the 40s.
This OLD quilt top may have been made by my grandmother or else one of my aunts. Why was it never finished? Good question. The block design is Shoo Fly--(A shoofly was a child's rocking chair.) but look how different it looks with a different contrast in that upper right hand block.
Shirtings were commonly used in the later part of the 19th century, but I don't think this top is that old.
Did Grandma make it? Or Aunt Betty? Or Aunt Bessy? This top was given to me by my cousin Patsy. As a child she had the privilege of watching Grandma at the quilting frame. She didn't know who had done this one--it probably was passed down to her from her parents.
There are other clues that can help to date old quilts. I thought this one was done by my Grandmother, but I found a clue in the picture that makes me think it was Aunt Betty's work. Grandma did one for each son's wedding and for each of the grandchildren. This one was shared with me by my cousin Ruth and Betty was her mother. 
This is the home of Odd Shots on Monday. Comment here to let others know you are in the game this week. I will add you to our blogroll. All the details can be found by clicking the Odd Shots Camera in my sidebar.
These were taken in 1928 as Dad and Ron explored the construction of St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Pasadena, California. This was later my grandmother's (mother's mother) local parish. Dad had not yet met Mother.
The second of these is the one I like best. The shadowed lines of the bricks and the very graphic look frame his gaze out into the world just right.
TnChick is where to find other PhotoHunters.
I don't know which is scarier--the economy? or the fact that you can watch it minute by minute on cable TV?
Now that the hops are harvested across the road we have at least some of our view back. The lines of the hop trellis make an interesting counterpoint to the streaks of colors in the sunset.
The con-trail looks like it is pointing directly at the evening star, but it passed it by.
Find other Sky Watchers around the world at the dedicated site here. 
Other Ns for ABC Wednesday can be found at the ABC Wednesday Anthology blog or by following the links at the ABC Mr. Linky.
Color and setting make a difference. These floral and off-white nine patch blocks--from another swap--are actually set in almost the same way as the black ones. Instead of the alternating applique flowers the nine patch blocks are side by side with sashings of a contrasting color.
Amazing how different they look!
This is the home of Odd Shots on Monday.
sunrise at Rimrock Lake in the autumn when the water is low.
Sunday congregation in the village of Krasny Pochara in Siberia
potlatch gifts, museum, Prince Rupert, B.C.
chief's dance, Prince Rupert, B.C.
sculpture along I-5 in southwestern Washington
Other Photo Hunters can be found at TnChick's place.
Here are some sites that will, much better than I can, highlight the math of poverty. Go on. Take a minute and look at the statistics.
You didn't click on them, did you?
Okay, here are a couple of bits of math you would have found if you had--one fact from each:
Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.
Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds. In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food. 
Because of seam allowances, there is a bit of math needed to put together a quilt and have it come out accurately.
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The math of seams: Quilters generally use a ¼ inch seam allowance. The most important thing about it is that the seam allowance is consistent. If it is varying, then no matter how much you measure, things won't fit.
The math of squares: A square will be cut ½ inch larger than the finished size to allow for the seam allowance.
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The math of rectangles: When cutting a rectangle, consider that there is at least one fewer seam.
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The math of triangles: Triangles are cut from squares that are larger than those cut for a square piece. For half square triangles, add 7/8 inch to the finished size of the square that they will end up in. For quarter square triangles, add 1 ¼ inch to the finished square size. Some quilters choose to add more and cut the square to size afterwards.
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Since this is a quilters' ABC each Wednesday, how about an M quilt block?
I will be putting the Maple Leaf blocks together into a quilt to donate to Habitat for Humanity, along another from these house blocks sent to me by Sally for this purpose.
