For the last few days it sounded like we were living in a war zone as people were popping off fireworks all over the place at every hour of the day and night. There is a nice neighborhood across from Elkhart Campground that backs up to Simonton Lake and I think every man, woman and child who lives there must have been buying fireworks since sometime around Valentines Day. But that’s okay, I’d rather have them shooting off fireworks than guns. What goes up must come down and a bullet on its way down can be just as deadly as it plummets back to earth.
For quite a few years I had a hard time when Independence Day rolled around and there were so many fireworks going off, but over time I’ve gotten to where it doesn’t usually bother me anymore. Or maybe I’m just getting old and losing my hearing! But I’ll be glad when folks have expended the last of their ordnance.
We have used a folding aluminum platform step for years and we really like it, but over time the rubber feet had gotten torn up. So I contacted the manufacturer, Stromberg Carlson, up in Traverse City, Michigan and ordered a set of replacement feet. They arrived the other day, and yesterday I put them on. Now our step is good for a few more years.
Soon after I finished that chore, Al Hesselbart showed up for a visit and we talked about everything from RV travel to fishing, to our plan to change our legal domicile to Florida. We probably won’t see Al again until we get down south this winter.
In yesterday’s blog, I told you that Terry was finishing up her latest weaving project, and here it is, a beautiful set of tea towels. The original plan was for four dark colored towels with the diamond pattern, but she had some weft left over on her loom after she ran out of the darker thread and finished it off all in pink. This was Terry’s most complicated pattern yet. I’m just amazed that she can take what is basically thread or string and create things like this.
I spent most of the afternoon writing, getting about 2,500 more words done on my new Big Lake book, knocking off when Terry called me to the table for a delicious dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, and asparagus spears.
Have you entered this week’s Free Drawing for an audiobook of Longnecks & Twisted Hearts, the third book in George Weir’s excellent Bill Travis mystery series, yet? I’m a big fan of everything George writes and I think you will be too, once you have a taste of his Texas tales. All you have to do is click on the Free Drawing link and enter your name in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.
In honor of Independence day, my pal Randy Morris has one of his best books, Traveling the U.S.: East Coast History, on sale for just 99¢ today only on Amazon, which is a big savings over the regular price of $3.99. This photo-based tour includes over 125 pictures from historical locations on the east coast of the United States, with short background histories. Featured locations include the Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, Arlington National Cemetery, Mount Vernon, Monticello, Jamestown (with excavation photos), Gettysburg, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, the 9/11 Memorial, and more.
And if you haven’t taken advantage of it yet, here’s a deal you can’t afford to miss, 9 More Killer Thrillers
Thought For The Day – If God wanted me to touch my toes, he’d have put them on my knees.
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Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
I was just thinking (don’t say it!) Miss Terry built all the cabinets in the bus conversion,
cooks all kinds of fantastic food and wrote a book about it , drives the rig when you’re sniveling about a bridge and now is weaving like a pro. Is there anything she can’t do? You’re a lucky guy to have her around Nick !
Terry is so talented. I love the extra steps and especially like the fact that it is adjustable for unlevel ground.
In addition to seeing the fabric on your loom a few weeks back, we got to feel the texture. They are gorgeous Terry.
One correction to your blog. Terry had warp left on her loom, not weft.
The towels are lovely and I really like the pink….because of solid color. The darker ones are great too. I really like the pattern.
beautiful tea towels
Thanks for the information on the steps. We also need new rubber feet.
Rick R. – There’s nothing Terry can’t do. I’m constantly in awe of her.
I needed to replace the rubber feet on our platform step as well. I found replacement rubber tips at the local Ace Hardware store for about $4.
I do not understand. who wrote todays blog? Nick raving over peas and asparagus is just out of nature. the beef and potatoes I do understand but green things don’t fit his character. LOL Al
Also had a problem with fireworks for the first 3 years after getting home from Viet Nam,…..had to leave town and go up into the woods for a day or two.
Terry’s tea towels must be the prettiest tea towels around!! Very intricate…I can see how a person would need to keep concentration!!
Those towells came out very nice. i recently learned more about looms and weaving at the Henry Ford/Greenfield Village museum. Weaving is much like computer programming from what can see.
I also enjoy a well planned display of Fireworks but random blasts for three or four days can be unnerving. They are however, as you said much healthier than gun shots into the sky!
Terry, your towels are exquisite! Nick, thanks for your wonderful blog!
Hey! leave my toes out of it. Touching them is the only physical thing I can still do. And that only because I have long arms. Now bringing my feet up to where I can put socks on them is another matter altogether. Maybe I should try doing that standing up?
Those towels are too pretty to use.
Up here in Alaska for a few months I noticed the town we were in yesterday (Glennallen) did not have fireworks. Then it occurred to me. To see fireworks it’s got to get dark. No darkness here this time of year. Even those couple of hours in the middle of the night look like twilight.