Hello Neighborhood RR

Here's the start to my Neighborhood of "Heaven and Earth...and Beyond," for our RR starting June 1st. This is the angel from "Heavens Above," design. I'm stitching her 1 over 1 on 36 ct. Her little outfit is so tiny!!! I love it! :))


I think I mentioned to you that I'm asking that the Morbid Pithies and Proverbs from the Workbasket designers be used...and tombies from the different designers. It should be fun to see when it all comes back around! Especially the tombies!


Other than stitching on this, I was able to mail out my HAED RR last week, so that was great to finally get on its way. I simply stitched the "HAED" initials at the top in a Waterlilies color mixed with blending filament in an Old English alphabet. And, it's off!! That was the one I had spent 15 plus hours on just kitting up the threads!



On another more humiliating topic:

Naples is feeling quite sunny and happy as the "snowbirds" aka "winter hawks" have flown back to their summer homes! This leaves our roads once again free of too much traffic, our restaurants open for seating without reservations, and our stores quiet with happily unstressed staff!! Oh, the joys of Summer!! So.....



We went boating today...it was a 4 hours plus trip on water to an island with a "2000 yr. old Native American settlement" grounds to explore. Or so I was led to believe by my sweet DH. We went with one of DH's men's groups who also brought their wives. I went to do my wifely duty...you know, like sex...sometimes you just have to close your eyes and fend!!



Well, I did, fend, that is...windswept, deaf from the motor of the pontoon boat, a little sun-burned, hungry and tired...some 4 hours later...we had seen a narrow shell path through mangrove trees (these are the swampy low hanging trees that snakes and alligators love to hang out on and by), and dense vegetation to several "mounds."



I soon find out on this trek that all it really amounted to was seeing these "mounds," which were actually 2000 yr old "trash heaps." Imagine how glorious it was. DH happily took my picture by a mound. And I took his. Everybody was happy as a lark...


Before we left, I called to tell my daughter where I was going with DH, and she burst into peals of laughter. I'm a very girly girl, love to stay home and stitch and truly am not your trek through the swamp type.

Plus, she knows my DH's record in dragging me off to things like this, and she thinks it's hilarious before I even get started! Does this give you a foreshadowing?? Her husband, a Coastie, and specialist in "search and rescue" and homeland security for this coastal area said, "Sorry, mom, I'm not sure what island you're talking about, and I've never heard of such a Settlement." :)) But, we'll certainly span the hundreds of inlets and islands should you go missing. Such comfort and assurance I get! :p



Here's just a delightful picture of me, wearing my worst clothes, full of enthusiasm and joy at the prospect of hopping off the boat into swamp water to take a trek with DH through those swampy woods that other guides you pay on the Everglades tell you not to go in without an experienced guide!

Plus pics add 10 lbs., so this also just thrills me. Note the smart ladies behind me in the boat who never left the boat and are sipping beer together! But, I'm back in one piece. And, DH is happy for another few months!! Yea!!!

Until we talk again, your swamp-mound educated exploring friend, Deb

PS: Just so you get the full picture of all of this: My hat says, "High Maintenance" in rhinestones. And, my DH gave it to me.