My walk today included a discovery of this fun public art project: the Bayard Box.
From the website, I see that this is the ninth edition.
Despite the usual setup where you need to put money in to open the box, this one is set to open whether or not you put in money.
It includes a QR code so you can read more about the box.
Walks are that much more fun when there are finds like this.
Sara says this postcard came from a coffee shop she and Shawn visited while in Portland. She reports that she attended a welcoming gathering for two new faculty members and that the weather was perfection.
Friend S. North sent me this 3D panoply from London. It didn’t photograph well, but it is very 3D in real life.
She reports that all the English dogs seem to be very well behaved and that she’s eaten a lot of sausage rolls. Sounds like a great trip!
I have completed my second Dropcloth sampler. This builds on the original Dropcloth Sampler that I completed in 2021. I bought a three-pack, so there is one more sampler to go.
I love a lot of things about this sampler. Let’s dive in.
Battlement filling! So amazing! I want to start making my own designs so that I can use a ton of battlement filling! You can also see a bit of cloud filling on the right. Cloud filling looks complex, but it’s really just seed stitches arranged in a grid and then weaving through those stitches.
Plaid filling! Also a not-complex stitch that pops. Buttonhole filling was also fun, and I like those two colors.
More filling stitches that are not complex. The hardest part of brick and cross would be getting the columns straight. Backstitch trellis is also in that category, but looks great when done. I also love how couched filling turned out. This is not surprising, given my love for couching.
Here’s what I’m quite proud of. Aside from the fun of filling the hoop with figure eight knots, I also took the time to stitch the screw at the top of the hoop. Sometimes, I’m in the mood to do those small details and sometimes I just want to get ‘er done.
Here’s the back, for those who like to see what’s up.
On the back side, Sara includes a punny sticker “feline good” to round out this fun card. She hopes I’m “feline good” and reports that she’s back in Arcata and easing back into things.
This postcard has a bunch of fun things: map, landscape picture, state symbols, including the syringa. It even lists all the symbols on the back. The list includes the state dance, but I see no picture of square dancing on the front.
This would be a good postcard for Postcrossing.
Sara reports that she’s writing from the lake where the wind is gusting and that isn’t good for fire season.
This excellent history of the Bermuda short was bought in Bermuda and (I think) posted there on July 26. It’s got a US postmark, which I think was a weird thing Sara and I discussed.
Sara reports that she and Shawn poked around in shops, took a long walk, and rode the ferry to the Dock District. There was also rain.
This is gorgeous and defiant. A really nice addition to the landscape.
School Trip
Jerry Craft
RFLBG
The gang we were introduced to in the earlier books heads to Paris. A (frankly unbelievable) prank shuffles the teacher chaperones resulting in the students’ planned chaperones not being their chaperones. This book has good conversations about race and privilege that grow organically from the situations.
When Impossible Happens
Jane De Suza
RFLBG
Set smack dab in the COVID lockdown, Swara has to adjust to staying in her home all the time and eventually to her grandmother’s death. But something weird is happening across the street.
Imogen, Obviously
Becky Albertalli
Imogen’s visit to college opens her eyes to her future life. Includes frustrating friend dynamics artfully rendered.
One Great Lie
Deb Caletti
Summer travel (Italy!) overlain with the normal problems of a young woman moving through the world. Woven through the book are chapter headings that spotlight Italian women writers of long ago, when it was even harder for women to move through the world.
Stateless
Elizabeth Wein
RFLBG
Wein balances a ton of characters for what turns out to be a flight-contest-related murder mystery. This is packed with the usual details of Wein’s excellent historical fiction.
A Long Stretch of Bad Days
Mindy McGinnis
As always, McGinnis’s small town tale packs a punch. Is there any YA author out there better a depicting small towns while ramping up the tension? I think not. This has solid good girl/wrong side of the tracks friendship and mystery.
My Flawless Life
Yvonne Woo
A bit of a Veronica Mars flavor, but less detective and more of a person who solves people’s problems. Mix in a fall from grace, a DC setting, and a mystery to solve and you’ve got a good read with sometimes clunky transitions. Plus, the brother of the main character didn’t speak until page 175, which was weird.
The Idea of You
Robinne Lee
A May-December romance, with the woman taking the role of May! Plus a boy band! Halfway through the novel, I got tired of the expressed worry about the daughter finding out. (It’s so inconvenient when your mother starts dating your celebrity crush.) And the ending was rather abrupt. But overall, a good escapist read, albeit one that talks a lot about designer clothing.
I really enjoyed this sampler, which was a showcase of chain stitches. Chain stitch is the best! I also used my new pink and purple color palette, which was quite pleasing.
From outside to inside: chain, figure eight knots, laced chain, and my new favorite, whipped double chain stitch. For the whipped double, you put two rows of chain next to each other and them whip the inside chains together. Whipping isn’t just for backstitch!
Here is the back side, for those who like backs.
Some time ago, Matt brought home two escape room games. Exit has created at-home escape rooms, which are brilliant. For less than the cost of one person attending an escape room, one to four players can “escape” from the scenario. There’s also no having to work in teams with people you’ve never met before, a thing I don’t love about real escape rooms.
We worked through the various rooms and escaped from the museum.
At the end, you can fill out your certificate.
If you use the app, it keeps time for you, and then you can enter your information and get a star rating. We got 8 out of 10.
While card game “rooms” don’t provide some of the surprises we’ve found in physical escape rooms, this was a fun experience I would like to repeat.
