My Iron

People have been showing their irons, so here are mine that I have here in Florida. The humidity here is hard on irons so I buy an inexpensive one and replace it as needed which is often every year. Actually this one is on its second year. I like one that is not too heavy. Those cordless ones are way too heavy for me. I wouldn't have one that doesn't have auto shut off. I like lots of steam holes. As you can see, the plate on this one is showing some use. I have cleaned it and it is smooth and still working okay. The little one is not a toy but one I bought on sale at the fabric store. It is nice for a carry along.

Another Redwork

I finished another redwork but found the flowers and leaves were not differentiated enough. I tried joining the petals and or centers and wasn't happy with either. So now I'm filling in the petals. Three more flowers and one more tea pot to do. I also found some red check material that I really like with the tea pots. It was here in my small FL stash. I have no idea what I' going to do with them. I considered making hot pads. Also thought about a wall hanging for here in FL.

My friend who was visiting has gone back to MI. Kipper and I fly back on the 26th. Oh me, that is less than a week away. I got my computer backed up. I usually do it before I migrate. I carry my lap top with me on the plane. No machine quilting for a while. I must go through my sewing things and pack what will go with me. One of my two suitcases always gets filled with sewing goodies. I have one set of clothes and most other things that stay in FL and other set that stay in MI but most sewing goodies migrate with me.

Another Post Script

Be sure to click on the pics the the following posts to really see the detail.

Katie

Sculpture (post script)
I have posted several pictures of this exhibit and the next one describes what it is about. I mentioned the woman who is running and forgot to include the pics so here they are. I also showed pics of the soldier coming home. Here is a distant pic of it. The sculpture used a real returning soldier for his modal. Enjoy.

Sculpture Exhibit

The following several posts are all pics about this art exhibit. I love it!

If you ever get a chance to see any of J. Seward Johnson's sculptures, don't miss it. A brouchure titled J. Seward Johnson Collection discribes them best. Each sculpture is entirely made of bronze. The realism of the textures and details is the hallmark of Johnson's art, and this detailing is achieved through hours and hours of intense labor....


Mr. Johnson has made more than 250 life-sized figures and his collections can be seen in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. They are sponsored by local people or groups as is designated on a plaque. The neatest thing is how they are placed in a park. They are where the people the sculpture depicts would actually be. The brochure has the names of some of the sculptures and these I have noted. The ones I did not give the names were not in the brochure.

More Scupltures

This one is titled A Little Right. Notice the detail in the close ups. The runner from the prior pic is just below them.

More Sculptures

Can you figure out who are the sculptures in the first two pictures? They are the two boys to the right and the lady in the hat to the right in the garden. The sculpture in the second pic is titled Best Spring. The last two pics are titled Caution Man Working.

More Sculptures

The top pic is titled Life at a Distance. The girl with braids is titled Yum Yum.

More Sculptures

The first one is titled Coming Home. The one with the girl playing with the hoola hoop is in an area for children to play.

More Sculptures

Look at the detail on the boy's overalls. Who's that dog sitting by the boy who is copying from a newspaper? They really should have a sculpture of a dog. The bottom pic is my favorite. It is actually in the water and sure looks like he is fishing there.

Manatee

These big gentle mammals are fun to observe here in Florida. When the Gulf gets cold, they come into the inland waterways that have warmer water. Homosassa Springs is one of those areas. You can pay to go on a boat to scuba dive in an specific area where they often come. The area is roped off so the manatee can remain secluded, if they desire. However, the animals are not afraid of people but are curious about them. Many of them also like to be touched and they come past the rope to where the people are to touch noses or get a belly rub.

You can also see manatee at Homosassa State Park. It is like a zoo and, expect for one, all the animals there are native of Florida. Most of them are rescued injured animals. Manatee are injured and die by boat motors and also by red tide. In the first picture at the park, they are gathering for a feeding of carrots. Volunteers, many of whom are senior citizens, give narrations about the animals. Manatees are vegetarians and in the wild eat all day. The park has a walk way out to a dock where you can observe the manatees by looking into the water or through windows. They have built a pipe out from the dock and one manatee is holding on while she naps. Another is just floating on her back. What animal do you think is the nearest relative to the manatee? The elephant, of course.

Kennedy Space Center

My friend Ann from MI is visiting me. No quilty things going on but some site-seeing is.

In the first pic, I am touching a moon rock. The pic is shot thu glass with light under it so not the best. I did turn off the flash which helped.

The other pics are of a Gemini module. You can walk very close and really see inside. They have a lot of memorabilia including personal items. I was most intrigued with the astronaut's notebook. I expected to see type written checklists. Oh, no. They were hand written. To remember how much of this was before computers really made me all the more impressed at what they did. I know so much of what we have today, especially in communications and medical technology, was developed by the space program. This is an example of government money very well spent. If you ever get a chance to visit Kennedy Space Center, don't miss it.



Thank you, thank you.

Spell checker is fixed!

Florida

Since some trees cannot get their roots deep into the ground, it is not unusual for them to spread out. There are so many plants with such pretty flowers. To make a path, they sometimes use shells rather than gravel. Interesting place, huh?