The Next Adventure

I needed motivation to get back into shape and decided to sign up for a local 5K race that popped up on my Facebook feed. Despite its name, this race was not a trail run: it was a community run to celebrate National Trails Day which was on June 6 this year. It was easy to sign up; I drove over to McKinney to picked up the race packet a few days before so I could see where the place was. This turned out to be a nice/upscale community development with big single family homes and some townhouses. It had been pretty hot in Plano, so I trained on the indoor track of the local gym. Hoped the heat on race day would not be too bad, especially since the race was scheduled to begin at 9 am. It turned out to be rainy and cloudy, which was great! Debated driving my RV there so I could relax while waiting for the race to start, and change clothes after. Decided to take the RAV4 instead, since I was not sure about the parking situation. Arrived early, got a nice parking spot along the road acr...

Quilting and associated crafting is an on/off hobby for many years. I'm just an amateur, but combining colors and designs into useful objects made me happy. In the earlier years, I used to quilt bedspreads, but had a difficult time finishing them. Nowadays, I make smaller items that I could finish. Below is a selection of items I have made through the years, starting with the most recent. I just finished a cot-sized bedspread for my RV mattress, the colorful floral fabric was purchased during my trip to Japan a couple of years ago. It did not turn out the way I like, I found the colors/design too busy. But it will have to do until I make another I like better. Two mini quilts completed recently for the Quilters Guild of Plano's annual auction this summer (forgot to take a photo of the finished blue quilt) Table runners were easy to finish. I made these for friends, for special ocassions. I am using these mug rugs myself, quilted from 100% Japanese cotton. Made a l...

We had a full day in Ocean Cay, the MSC Marine Reserve in the Bahamas. We reserved some beach chairs (for a fee) but there was not much information nor signage on where to go. We had to stop staff members to ask as we meet them. Finally made it to the beach, snag the chairs closest to the water. I'm afraid it was not very exciting. There was not much to do, especially for me since I'm not a sit at the beach type of person. Where's the snorkeling and kayaking? I took a walk around the shores, found some common seashells but could not keep them since this was a marine reserve. Lunch was served on the island, food was OK, not great. All of us went back on the ship early. I went to the pool and jacuzzi, for once the area was not crowded. As we looked over the side of the ship, it appeared like they were creating another island nearby. We enjoyed a lovely sunset as we went for dinner. We had our second speciality dinner, in the Japanese restaurant. Again the food was o...