Fall Colors, Fall Fun and a few Fall Glass Projects

On October 20, 2022October 12, 2023 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn Fall Colors, Fused glass, Life, Travel1 Comment

Last year, I took a trip to Colorado to see the fall colors in the Rocky Mountains with one of my sons. Unfortunately, we were about a week too late – while the scenery was still beautiful, we dealt with snow and cold.

This year we decided to do our fall color drive about ten days earlier. The fall colors were lovely, as was the weather. The day that I arrived in CO was cold and rainy, so after having a tasty dinner at Sauce on the Blue in Silverthorne, we drove to our villa in Vail. The next day, after waiting for the weather to clear, we left around noon and drove Buffalo Pass through the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests. On day two, we drove the Top of the Rockies National Scenic Byway. This drive took us from Leadville, over Independence Pass to Aspen for a late lunch. On our third day, we drove the Grand Mesa Scenic Byway and continued south to Ouray, CO. Here we found the Box Canon Park, a mineral hot springs that is tapped and piped to the city pool. On our last day, leaving the mountains, we drove Guanella Pass before I needed to head to the airport and return home to MN. It was a lovely trip enjoying time with my son and God’s wonderful creation.

Last Friday, October 14th, we awoke to snow falling in MN. While it was lovely to see, I was not quite ready for “winter” weather.

Later that day, I left for a weekend getaway to Gull Lake with a few friends. What a wonderful time of conversation (and CE) we had.

Since I am writing about fall, I am including a couple glass projects that I completed this year.

Napkin Holder – made with twisted copper wire, sheet glass and leaf shaped murrini.

Dessert Plates – made with copper Mica, iridized glass cut into shapes of leaves and glass frit.

Tree Votive Holder – made with glass strips / coarse frit slumped over a metal votive form

Wishing everyone a Happy Fall!

A White Winter – Sand is better than Snow

On February 8, 2022October 12, 2023 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn Travel3 Comments

Being retired, I decided to leave the snow behind and took a road trip to South Carolina. On the way there, I visited with family and did some sight seeing.

Warning – this is a photo intensive post!

Madison, WI – a visit with my son, his girlfriend and their cats.

Watertown, WI – on the way to my next stop, I visited the town I grew up in. I have not been back there in about 40 years.

Mequon, WI – a visit with my mother-in-law.

Creation Museum – very informative descriptions of how science supports creation.

Ark Encounter – truly amazing!

Hilton Head Island, SC – a bike friendly place to visit.

Marriott SurfWatch – my home away from home for four weeks.

Tidal Creek – between the villas and the beach.

Savannah, GA – and a visit by a couple friends. We did a self guided walking of the Savannah Squares. Savannah has 22 historic squares. Each square has its own name and look, with most of them having a unique statue, sculpture, or structure as the focal point in the center.

HarbourTown, Stoney Baynard Ruins.

South Beach

Coligny Beach

Pinckney Island Refuge

Charleston, SC

Bluffton, SC

Cleveland, OH – on my way back to MN, I stopped for a visit with my sister-in-law, her daughter and new grand daughter.

Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts – my last stop was with my mother-in-law and a visit to the quilt museum in Cedarburg, WI. The current exhibition was about hooked rugs. They were all very beautiful. I was intrigued by the technique, but decided that I really don’t need another hobby.

I enjoyed the time away from the cold and snow, but its good to be back home!

Holiday Spectacular

On December 22, 2021October 12, 2023 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn Family, Holidays, TravelLeave a comment

My husband and I returned last evening from a few days in New York City visiting our third son and his girl friend. While there, we enjoyed seeing some of the iconic holiday sights and events.

The time spent with these two was great!

Central Park. With the temperature near 60 on our first day, we took a really long walk through Central Park.

5th Avenue

Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Gardens. Model trains move through displays of New York landmarks that are made out of natural materials like wood bark, pine cones, leaves, etc. It was truly amazing.

The Russian Tea Room – a great place for dinner.

A Sherlock Carol – an off Broadway play that incorporates the characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Charles Dickens.

The Nutcracker by the New York Ballet

Handel’s Messiah at Carnegie Hall

We were very fortunate that none of our plans were impacted by the Covid-related cancellations sweeping through New York City.

Rocky Mountain High, Colorado

On August 25, 2021October 14, 2023 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn Family, Quilting, Travel, VacationLeave a comment

Retirement has given me more time this summer to take a couple trips, two of them to Colorado.

In July, I took a road trip to Denver. The purpose of this trip was to bring several boxes that my eldest son was storing at our house. While a long drive, it passed quickly thanks to a good book to listen to on Audible.

Besides helping him settle in to his new apartment, we also took a drive to Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo intense!

My second trip to Colorado was to serve as crew for my husband as he participated in the Leadville 100 mountain bike race.

A few weeks prior, Keith had participated in the Leadville Stages race, but I did not accompany him for that trip. The weather for this race was comfortable, but the race was still intense.

While there, he stayed with a family from Minnesota that have a second home in Leadville.

To thank them for their hospitality, I mailed them a bike quilt that I had made in 2020 when my office was closed.

For the MBT100 race, I really didn’t do much, just cheered him on when I was able to see him and help him switch out his water and food supplies mid-race.

It was, however, an intense day for him. The race started at 6:30 am with the morning temperature around 40 degrees. Unfortunately for the riders, the temperature rose higher than anticipated. By 2pm the temperature was 87 degrees with a fairly strong wind blowing.

He did finish, albeit slower that he had hoped.

However, given the conditions, I am very proud of him. This is something that I personally would never ever consider doing.

While in the area and after some time for Keith to recover, we took a ride on the Leadville Colorado and Southern railroad. An enjoyable and scenic ride. Also, photo intense.

Storms, Sunshine and Smiles

On February 24, 2020 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn Fused glass, TravelLeave a comment

I recently returned from a trip to Tampa, Florida. This trip was the annual retreat for a dental study club I belong to.

For the second year in a row that my travels to Tampa were impacted by the weather.

Last year a snow storm caused a six hour delay in leaving Minnesota. To make the most of my time, I walked around the airport. Fun fact – if you walk to every gate of each concourse of Terminal One at MSP airport, it’s 11,266 steps and 4.6 miles.

This year, the weather in Minnesota was not a problem. Unfortunately the weather in Florida was not so nice. Due to strong storms and a tornado, our flight was diverted from Tampa to Melbourne, Florida (on the Atlantic side of the state) landing after 11pm. The airport was closed, the crew was over their allowed flying time, and there was no other crew available. After several hours, the airline eventually announced that we would be bused to Tampa but they were unable to tell us when that would happen. So, at 1 am, with no rental cars available, we took a Lyft ride across the state. Three and a half hours later, we finally arrived in Clearwater Beach!

Once there, we had a delightful weekend discussing all things dental, enjoying good food and walks on the beach.

On Saturday, we took a glass blowing class. Great fun!

George, the owner of Glass Crafters, taught us how to blow bulbs. Using propane torches, glass frits and stringer and some “hot air”, we each had an opportunity to blow ten items. These could then be used as watering bulbs, ornaments, or just decorations. Some of our group had more hot air than I did. Exploding bulbs make for some beautiful art!

Being very fragile, I was glad my bulbs survived the flight back to Minnesota intact.

To show them off, I cut the stems off, added bulb hangers, fused some white glass to make a mobile support, strung them with fishline and hung them in my sewing room.

We had a great weekend, made many memories and a few crafts!

Vail – A Winter Wonderland

On February 3, 2020 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn Food, Life, TravelLeave a comment

Okay, so I really prefer warm weather vacations. However, having just returned from a week in Vail, Colorado, I will have to admit that the area was breathtakingly beautiful. I hope to someday return in the summer to see what the mountain landscape looks like without all the snow.

Vail Village is a charming place, with cobblestone roads and picturesque ski lodges. Throughout the town are dozens of sculptures, wall murals and lighted decorations. My first day I spent about two hours walking around Vail Village, Lionshead Village, Cascade Village and Golden Peak.

This was our first week-long vacation in almost ten years where we were not staying someplace with a kitchen. This meant no grocery shopping, no cooking and no dishes to wash! With restaurants abounding, each evening we selected a different place to eat.

Lancelot Restaurant – great weinerschnitzel
Almresi – here we had Austrian Hutessen – beef cooked on a flat-iron at the table, kind of a cross between grilling and sauteing
Up the Creek – awesome Arugula salad and Tortilla soup
Fall Line – the tastiest filet I have ever had!
Alpenrose – great German restaurant (forgot to take photos of the food here).

Not being a skier, I took my snowshoes along and went on several long walks.

My first trek was a guided walk through the Ford Botanical Gardens. This walk was only about 2 miles total but was very educational. The naturalist gave some insights into the trees and plants that grow in the area. Even though the average annual snowfall in Vail is 169 inches, the area is considered a high desert. Due to the dry air, the snow sublimates rather than melts. So, the amount of water available to plants is limited. Even so, there are many lovely evergreens making the winter scenery prettier than in Minnesota with our deciduous trees. 110

On my subsequent snowshoeing walks, I headed each direction out of Vail Village. The Gore Creek runs through Vail, so I followed the creek west one day and east the next day. Each day, I walked for just under two miles and then headed back to the village.

For my final walk (without snowshoes), I rode Gondola One up the hill and then followed Gitalong Road and Vail Village Catwalk back down. This path, with a few treks to get closer to some wildlife, was just under six miles in length. Luckily it was downhill. Unexpectedly, the downward movement made some of my muscles rather sore.

On my excursions I saw lots of wildlife as well.

We stayed at the Gasthof Gramshammer, which featured classic European ski lodge architecture. Between a 2am fire alarm going off, the room thermostat stuck on high (we slept with the patio door open), and a constant humming noise, it was an interesting place to stay.

Sunshine in St. Kitts

On March 16, 2019 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn Batik, Flowers, Travel, VacationLeave a comment

Spring Break has been a great escape from the snow of Minnesota.

Day One: MSP – MIA – SKB

We left behind the snow in our front yard…

Good Bye USA (leaving Miami)

Sunset over the Atlantic Ocean

Flying over Puerto Rico

Flying over US Virgin Islands

Day Two:

…and after settling into our villa, we awoke to sun, sand and beautiful landscape.

Day Three: Tour of the Island

Overlooking the Southeast Peninsula of St. Kitts

Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Ocean, Frigate’s Bay and Basseterre.

Atlantic Ociean

Caribbean Ocean

Frigate’s Bay

Basseterre

Basseterre’s sites and Wingfield Estate.

Romney Manor and Caribelle Batiks

Brimstone Hill Fortress

Convent Bay

Lots of Sheep

Day Four:

My Birthday – Time to relax in the sun

Sunset Dinner in Frigate’s Bay

Day Five: More relaxation in the sun

And some really cute cats to play with.

Day Six:

Ferry to Nevis

First Hotel in the Caribbean and Bathhouse (the water was really, really hot!)

Montpelier Estate – really quaint hotel!

Hermitage Plantation Inn – another really nice hotel.

Lots of old churches – all still active.

Back in St. Kitt’s

We have one more day of sunshine before heading to back to Minnesota.

Hopefully Spring will arrive soon.

Two weeks in three trips = four scarves

On February 25, 2018February 25, 2018 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn Crochet, Knitting, Scarf, Travel1 Comment

Living in Minnesota, the thought of hopping a plane on the weekend to go someplace warm is very inviting. This year, I planned two trips to get away to warmer weather. These trips, one to Clearwater Beach, Florida and one the San Francisco, were on two consecutive weekends. Then a few days after the planned second trip, I had to make an unexpected trip to Houston. So, that meant that in fifteen days I had three trips, including seven flights (totaling almost 2,000 miles) and numerous hours in airplanes and airports.

For me, this was a bit more travel than I would prefer. To pass the time, I brought along some knitting and crocheting. As a result, I was able to completed four scarves to donate.

Scarf One – Queen Anne’s Lace Crochet Scarf

Trip One – Clearwater Beach, Florida

Scarf Two – Eyelash Yarn Knit Scarf

Trip Two – San Francisco

Scarf Three – Cashmere Knit Scarf

Trip Three – Houston

Houston

Scarf Four – Varigated Yarn Knit Scarf

I am looking forward to a few weeks with no need to travel!

“Throwing a girl fit”

On February 17, 2018 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn TravelLeave a comment

Being a mom of four boys, I have flown with my children at various ages. The youngest age was when my second son was only two weeks old and I needed to attend a meeting at the CDC (Center for Disease Control) in Atlanta. But, other trips included a four week old to attend a national pediatric dental meeting, and various trips with the boys at ages younger than one year old.

So, I understand the anxiety of a mom having to fly with a young child and the worry about the unpredictable behavior that that children may exhibit when flying.

Yesterday, I was returning from a stressful unexpected trip out of town and experienced a very sweet gesture by a new mom traveling with her daughter. Before the flight took off, this mother came through the entire cabin of the plane and handed out baggies to every passenger (yep – everyone). In the baggies were some gum, candies, ear plugs and a note. The note read:

“Hello,
My name is Alice Rose. I turned 4 months old on February 5, 2018.
I am flying with my mother and grandmother to Minnesota to surprise my great grandmother who turns 92 years old this coming week; and whom I have never met and who has never met me.
I promise that I will try and be good. But my mother is afraid that I will find the plane ride uncomfortable – and that I will be unpleasant – (as she says…”throwing a girl fit”). I will try my best not to “throw a girl fit”. But, if I do, please forgive me.
Thank you so much
Alice Rose”

This was a very kind gesture by a mom, and a very smart way to preempt any complaints about her child. Everyone on the plane was very kind back to her and some sitting near her even offered to hold her daughter if the flight proved to be difficult.

Happily, little Alice Rose slept for the entire flight and we arrived in Minneapolis without even one complaint.

History 101, Summer 2017

On July 7, 2017July 9, 2017 By Erickson's HeirloomsIn Travel1 Comment

Summer vacation is over, but it sure was fun. This past week was spent with my youngest sons visiting some of the historical places important in our countries independence. Along the way, we took in several museums and walk around a few prestigious college campuses.

New Haven Connecticut

Points of Interest: Yale University, Yale Art Gallery, Felice Varini Perspectives Mural Beinecke Rare Books and Manuscripts Library, and Yale Center for British Art.

Providence, Rhode Island

Points of Interest: First Baptist Church of America, Rhode Island School of Design, RISD Museum, Brown University, State House, and numerous historical buildings.

Boston, Massachusetts

Points of Interest: Freedom Trail, Harvard, MIT, Mass General Museum of Medical History and Innovation, and fireworks from the Esplanade.

New York City

Points of Interest: Storm viewed from our hotel Rooftop Patio, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, including the Modern Native Fashion exhibit.