Connections....

I have not spent nearly enough time in my sewing room this week.... with fighting a nasty cold, continuing my chauffeur obligations, and engaging in general household duties, so I don't have much crafty to show!

I did a little more work on this project (using some of my hand dyed fabrics) that I am hoping to finish up this week...



and don't forget that you might be a proud owner of a piece of my hand dyed fabric if you leave me a comment on my previous post by Tuesday, July 28th!

So... since I have no quilting/crafting to show, I will share some photos I took while on a trip to meet up with family in the Catskill Mountains.... I have come to realize how much inspiration I find around me... in the mountains, the trees, the plants..... the colors in nature...




It is truly amazing how Small the World has become, thanks to the internet, flickr, blogging and twitter for me! (I have avoided facebook/myspace in the interest of time LOL!)....



and I won't play the Small World music!! It just so happens that our local ice cream man, Mr. Ding-a-ling (need I say more?!) plays this music in his truck ad nauseum!



Just in the past month or so, I have come to meet so many wonderful people (to add to the many wonderful people I have all ready encountered!) through the world of cyberspace!

My blog name, Upstatelisa, seems to prompt interest in some... 'upstate' refers pretty much to any area north of New York City (although I really feel that we reside in the true upstate of NY!!).

I came up with that name many moons ago, when I registered for a yahoo account and found that my parents, along with millions of other parents, had chosen THE most popular girls' name in the 1960s, so I had to embellish.....

Debra checked out my blog when she saw the word, "upstate", recognized some of the photos I had posted of the old houses in Mr. U's nearby hometown (which just happens to be her town now)! She is scheduled to speak at our guild in the spring, 2010, but if I can remember my schedule correctly, I may not have to cancel (again!) on a chance for us to get together for coffee soon!

Deb found my blog the other day and through e-mails back and forth... we discovered that she lived in Mr. U's nearby hometown for a bit and visited our beautiful lake nearby! She originally hails from central NY (not to be confused with upstate NY :-) )



By the way, apparently, if you watch the Today show tomorrow, you will see Ann Curry and Meredith Viera, visiting our beautiful lake and nearby mountains (that I often photograph). They will be broadcasting from a posh resort but if they want to stop by for coffee at the 'lived in' U house, I won't turn them away!



Yesterday, I received a comment from Valerie . I always like to visit my commenter's blog (if they are new to me) and looking through.... it appeared that she might live near my hometown (north of upstate! north of the border!).



So, we e-mailed back and forth some....

......and lo and behold, I went to high school with her sister-in-law and brother-in-law! Small world, indeed!!




Of course, as I blogged last month, I was actually recognized ("Are you Upstatelisa?") at a quilt show in Vermont by Joanna. As soon as I looked around, I recognized her too (and of course, her accent is a giveaway... and I am not talking New England, Joanna!)



And that encounter happened while I was hanging out with my new-found flickr friend, Sarah, who also lives in my hometown, across the street from my nephew's high school!!



So.... who knows... we probably have a connection too!



I have been around the block once or twice....



I have lived in two countries... three cities in Canada, five cities in the US (including a stint my dad did with the Canadian Embassy in D.C. in the late 60s... I was pretty young then LOL)



and you know..... I love quilting, sewing, crafting, chatting, blogging, getting up early (okay,I don't really love it but I do it!)........



.... so, I am sure you and I are connected too!

Yikes! I forgot to mention that I met Ilena at our guild quilt show! Sorry, Ilena!!!! I don't know how our blogs crossed... but she lives in my neck of the woods, slightly north of me (even further upstate LOL)! She has told me recently about some batty issues she has had at home... I may need to consult with her as we have had some visitors of late (Ewww!)