Quilting

I grew up with a mother who sewed.  Out of necessity, no doubt.  There was no way to clothe her three girls in store-bought outfits.  Not enough money for that.  I remember being proud of the clothes she made for me -- at least most of the time.  But she didn't teach me how to sew.

I took home ec in high school, like most young ladies of my generation.  And so I had one semester of instruction in sewing.  I made an apron and a very simple dress.  I don't think I ever wore the dress though.

As a young teacher, I enrolled in a sewing class and actually made a few things that I would wear.  But I was never really very good at it.  I would stitch in a sleeve, then see my mistake and have to undo everything and re-stitch.  Over and over.  I decided sewing was not my thing and was okay with that.

When I was planning for retirement, though, I decided to learn how to make quilt tops.  My good friend Shirley took me under her wing and got me started.  I did not realize how much it would cost to make a quilt.  I did not realize how much time it would take.  I did not realize that I would really enjoy it either!  It's a kind of sewing that I can do.  I'm slow, but I'm not bothered by that.  I have completed a few quilts and am quite proud of them.  Only on the baby quilt did I do the actual quilting.  For the others, I pay a lady at a quilt shop to do the machine quilting.  Then I handsew the binding. 

It's fun!  

Tornado!

About 5:35 p.m., January 21, 2010, the sirens were blaring their warning. I called my mom to make sure she was in her hallway closet -- she was. Keeping up with the weather news being broadcast on Channel 48, my husband and I knew that we were not in the path of the storm. But others that we care about were. Fortunately there were no major injuries reported in the area, and none of our friends were among those. The newspaper reports that about 100 homes were hit, 10 of them with significant roof damage. The National Weather Service estimated that the winds peaked at 115 miles per hour and the tornado traveled a path of 4.4 miles with a maximum width of 150 yards. The photos of trees down and tangled power poles and utililty lines show the strength of the storm. The weirdest photo is of a twig that was projected into the facade of a building on Ward Avenue. Our best wishes go to those who are having to go through the trials and tribulations of cleanup and repair!!

Follow this link for photos and videos of the tornado.

http://blog.al.com/breaking/2010/01/huntsville_tornado_photos_vide.html

ILEP

It's a new year and I have a new responsibility!

Sixteen teachers from eleven different countries have arrived in Huntsville to participate in the International Leadership in Education Program. They are receiving training in teaching methodologies, curriculum development, and the use of technology for education at UAHuntsville. The program is designed to build teacher leadership skills and to provide experience that can be shaped for their home teaching environments.

I am teaching the technology training course which will include Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint as well as Web 2.0 technology, including blogs, social networking, and posting to YouTube.

The countries represented are Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, the Philippines, Senegal, and South Africa. Wow!

This area of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, is known as Two Lights. As early as 1828 two stone towers were in operation, roughly 300 yards apart. In 1874 the two stone towers were replaced with 65 foot cast iron towers, fitted with second-order fresnel lenses. In 1924 the government decided to convert all twin-light stations two single towers, so Two Lights western tower was decommissioned.Cape Elizabeth's tower shines a 4 million candlepower flashing white light visible for 27 miles. Located in Two Lights State Park, the keeper's house is now a private residence in an excusive neighborhood. The remains of the western tower are down the street in someone else's front yard.

The views along the Marginal Way in Ogunquit, Maine, are beautiful and every turn brought a different view of the rocky coastline and waves. There were some lovely sea roses in bloom and purple thistles, adding to the beauty. Going after Labor Day when most of the tourists were gone was an added plus; the walkway was rather empty of foot-traffic.

Monhegan Island is an island about ten miles off the coastline of Maine. We traveled by boat from Boothbay Harbor. There are no cars or paved roads on an island, but it is home to a number of people who appreciate its isolation, the beauty of its wilderness areas, its quiet relaxed atmosphere, and its unhurried pace. Hiking around the island was one of our most enjoyable activities on the trip.

The boats at Boothbay Harbor.

One of my hobbies is crocheting baby blankets. I was taught how to crochet many years ago --- 1971 --- by a friend who lived in the apartment next door. She doesn't know how much she has added to my life. It is a relaxing hobby for me. Though I did not crochet much while my kids were growing up (!), I now almost always have a project underway. Thanks, Regina, for teaching me how!!

Botanical Gardens

If you haven't seen the scarecrows at Huntsville Botanical Gardens, you have missed a treat! Here are just a few photos.

TEA Program

I am ready to begin teaching the IT classes for the UAHuntsville TEA program. Meeting the participants at Friday night's barbeque supper was great. Everyone seems enthusiastic and ready to learn. I'm sure the designated teachers will learn as much or more than the visiting group.

I've developed my skills in creating spreadsheets and presentations, and look forward to sharing what I have learned.

I know it will be a lot different from teaching sixth grade science and math!