U.S. Coast Guard in Mexico

 Good morning,

A USCG boat was tied up in Cabo San Lucas when Catherine and Erica were there.

A beautiful sight.

All the best,

Lois

Port of Call - Cobo San Lucas

 Good morning,

There are shops at the port of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, so all you have to do is step ashore to spend some money and take home a souvenir.  ;)

Most of the ports in the region are like this now.  I remember the days when we had to take a walk or get a cab into town to see the ports.  If you want to sight see, you still have to do that in most ports.

More to come....

 Lois

Tendering - Navigator of the Seas

 Good morning,

Catherine leaned over the rail of her balcony suite to capture this image of tender boats loading passengers to go to the port of Cobo San Lucas from Navigator of the Seas.

The tendering process is generally very smooth and provides an excellent opportunity to take a picture of the "mother ship" as the tender pulls away.

Fun!

Enjoy,

Lois

Izumi Restaurant - Navigator of the Seas

 Good morning,

One of the favorite restaurants on board RCCL ships is Izumi.

Catherine sent me this image of their meal aboard Navigator of the Seas.  

Oh, this looks good!

Enjoy!

Lois

Captain's Corner

 Good morning,

During their cruise aboard Navigator of the Seas, Catherine and Erica attended the Captain's Corner question and answer session.

On some of the other ships in the fleet, the entire executive team is present:  Captain, Chief Engineer, Staff Captain, and Hotel Director.   

This is a great way to ask questions about the cruise and operation of the ship. 

 It's a worthwhile event on board.

All the best,

Lois

Breakfast On Board

 Good morning,

Yogurt and cereal just looks so much more elegant when served like this on board a ship, doesn't it!

Enjoy!

Lois

Patriot Day - USA - Never Forget

Patriot Day - United States of America 
We Will Never Forget

Loyal to Royal Gift

 Good morning,

Our daughter Catherine has accumulated enough cruise points with Royal Caribbean that she has been given a beautiful crystal block.  

As a family, we have several of these, but not yet one from Navigator.  So nice, Catherine!

All the best,

Lois

Cheese Plate

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica are aboard Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas, once again enjoying all the great food and service.

Above is one of my favorites, the Cheese Plate.  That's a whole meal for me.

There will be Mexican Ports this time.  Images to come....

Lois

Here They Go Again - Port of Los Angeles

 Good morning,

I do believe I see a ship beyond that door!

Catherine and Erica enjoyed another Royal Caribbean cruise, this time in the Pacific Ocean aboard Navigator of the Seas.

Images to come!  Stay tuned!

:),

Lois

Car Wash Colors

 Good morning,

I love color and design.  This week we took the car through the car wash and I snapped pictures every few seconds as we went through the tunnel. 

 I used no flash and just let the camera capture what it saw.

 It's actually much prettier when I see the images I captured now,  

than when I was taking them.  I love these colors.  I wonder how they would look as flowers on a crocheted afghan....  Hmmm.  Ideas everywhere!

Finally, the rinse cycle...

...and all the patterns in the bubbles appeared.

Then the giant sponge monster!

Ah, there's a light at the end of the tunnel and a pick up truck in it!

Finally, the dry cycle, then we were free to go.

We didn't have any of the dogs with us this time.  I remember taking Erik through this car wash and he barked all the way through.  The girls were always calmer.  Baby Lily has never had the experience.

Next time.  :)

All the best,

Lois

Dinner With Family at P.F. Chang

 Good morning,

I managed to snap a few images inside P.F. Chang restaurant where our eldest son and twin granddaughters took us for dinner recently. 

 The food was OK, but the company was even better!

It had been years since we had eaten here.  I found the food a bit too spicy compared to the descriptions. 

 Number one son had a salad with salmon...

...and each of the rest of us ordered the same thing:  Sweet and Sour Chicken.  

It certainly was filling!

Thanks, Les, Sarah, and Sophie.  Grandpa and I enjoyed seeing you all! 

All the best,

Lois

Work in Process This Week - Navy Blue Scarf

 Good morning,

My current Work in Process is a Navy Blue scarf crocheted in a textured stitch.  The yarn is soft, washable, and extra warm.  I'll be making at least one hat with the same yarn, too.  When finished, the items will be available in the shop where there are already more than 300 items ready to ship.  Come take a look! 

What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the best,

Lois

Waiting

 Good morning,

I wonder how much time we spend waiting.  We wait in traffic, in line at the grocery, at the doctor's office....

I took today's picture while we were waiting for our car to be serviced.  It wasn't a terribly long wait for an oil change and safety check.  I guess it was about an hour.

But, I still wonder how much of our lives are spent waiting.  If the wait is going to be long, I usually bring something to knit or crochet, but this time I just caught up on email on my phone.

I hope you don't have to wait too long for anything this week.  :)

All the best,

Lois

Close Up of a Real Stinger

 Good morning,

Yesterday I got an alarm from the gate across our driveway.  When I looked at the video, at first it appeared to be a false alarm....

But, suddenly, the culprit appeared!

For some reason, wasps like to hang out in our gate.  Not a good spot!  

I'm looking forward to the end of the season when they will be gone!

Happy Summer,

Lois

Last Call

 Good morning,

Of course, we take the pups out for Last Call Potty Time each evening before we head to bed.

That very sleepy Elsa is telling me, "I'm finished, Mom.  Let's go inside."

Having Yellow Labs at night works very well.  As much as we loved our Black Lab Erik, he was impossible to see at night.  We'd let him outside and he would disappear into the night in the back yard, even with all of the outdoor lighting we have.  Fortunately, he had excellent recall and came when we called him.  We miss our sweet Erik who crossed the Rainbow Bridge last March.  It's just not the same here without him, but we are so grateful for the wonderful memories of a sweet boy.

Sleep tight, sweet Elsa.

Love you,

Mom

Labor Day - USA

 

 Good morning and Happy Labor Day!

Today we celebrate all who work as well as the unofficial end of Summer.  

We hope you had a great Summer and enjoy the day with family and friends. 

All the very best,

Lois

Printer Test Guy

 Good morning,

He looks surprised!  ;)

This is Kjell's first test with his new four color 3D printer.  I like the little red-faced guy.  I think he should be mounted on or near the printer and become the project mascot.

Any name ideas?

Let me know!

Lois

Symphony of the Seas Artwork

 Good morning,

This is just some of the artwork aboard Symphony of the Seas.  As you can see, it's quite large and is viewed from the deck below.

Each Royal Caribbean ship has  unique artwork.  

Just beautiful!

All the best,

Lois

Symphony of the Seas - Shops

 Good morning,

Catherine did a good job of getting an image of the shops area on board Symphony of the Seas without crowds of people.  If you have forgotten to pack something for your cruise, you can probably find it here on board.

I just love the designs on the floors, walls, and ceilings around RCCL ships.  They are truly beautiful!

 All the best,

Lois

Symphony of the Seas - Aft

 Good morning,m

Catherine took this image of the aft of Symphony of the Seas. 

Not only does it have the outside feel all the way into the ship, but there are cabins overlooking this area.  

Fantastic!

All the best,

Lois

Symphony of the Seas - Junior Suite

 Good morning,

I have a few more images from Catherine and Erica's cruise aboard Symphony of the Seas.

The ladies had a lovely Junior Suite with a balcony, of course.

Stay tuned for a few more images of this gorgeous ship.

All the best,

Lois 

 

 

 

 

Chicken for the Pups

 Good morning,

Our pups enjoy a raw diet that we prepare for them from people food.  

Kjell has cut up chicken breasts in preparation of grinding them  

Notice the supervisor in the top left corner of the image. 

 Catherine has purchased several packages of chicken.  Kjell will grind it and we'll freeze it in containers that hold about three days worth of food for the three pups.

 At feeding time ground chicken will be mixed with chopped fresh veggies and oatmeal. It will be served with a raw chicken neck or back.  Sometimes the raw chicken is replaced by ground beef.

Before someone expresses concern about the dogs eating raw chicken, they do not have issues with salmonella as do humans.  Of course, we are very careful to sanitize counter tops, equipment, and utensils as well as our hands!

We switched to this diet from kibble for the dogs more than 20 years ago.  Our dogs' life spans have increased by 50% since the change.  

Yum! 

All the best,

Lois

Kjell's New Toy

 Good morning,

Kjell has a new toy!  This is a four color three dimensional printer.  

I'm looking forward to seeing what he makes with it!

Stand by,

Lois  

Elsa and Lap Dog

 Good morning,

Elsa is so very polite that she asks if she can get on my lap.  Of course, I invited her for a cuddle.

 She does a good job of blocking the TV screen, too.

I love this dog.

Lois

Catherine's Meat Balls Dinner

 Good morning,

Catherine prepared meatballs and noodles for dinner and it was so very good!

It beats the heck out of IKEA!

Thanks, Catherine.

 Love you,

Mom

Work in Process This Week - RWB Lap Blanket

 Good morning,

My current project is a red, white, and blue lap blanket.  

The size is great for a baby blanket, chair or wheelchair blanket, car blanket....  There are so many uses for a blanket this size.  When finished, it'll be available in the shop here:  https://evensensproductions.etsy.com 

 What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the very best,

Lois

Fresh Out of the Oven

 Good morning,

The house smells wonderful today.

:),

Lois

More Marigolds in the Sun

 Good morning,

The marigolds I'm growing from seed in the pots on the front porch are lovely this year! 

 Here are even more blooming in the afternoon sun.

Gorgeous!

Happy Summer!

Lois

Needlework and Wood Working Update - August, 2025

 Good morning,

It's time for another Needlework and Wood Working Update where we gather images of all items completed since the last update.

Above is a gorgeous Afghan Blanket in shades of turquoise, black, and white.  The stunning design pattern creates a warm fabric that can be used as a blanket, or folded corner to corner to create a super warm shawl.  What a lovely gift for yourself or someone special.  $170. Only one available. More information and images here. 

 This generous size lap blanket in red, white, and green is a gift that will be used by all ages year round. What a lovely gift for the Christmas baby or someone in hospice care. $55. More images and information here.

 This is a large afghan blanket in shades of turquoise.  So pretty!  This one fits on your couch, bed, recliner.  $185.  Only one available.  More information and images here.

This one is something new!  These are gemstone color flowers on creamy white, bordered with an amethyst scalloped border.  Just gorgeous!  $185.  More close up images and information here. 

This full size afghan blanket was a custom order that has been delivered.  This stitch produces a medium weight fabric that is comfortable in all seasons.

And, finally, two cloche hats in medium and...

 

 

...large sizes.  We have several dozen similar hats from $8 available here. 

 

Check out out shop to see the more than 300 items we have available to ship now:  https://evensensproductions.etsy.com.  We sincerely appreciate your encouragement, likes, shares, favorites, pins, and purchases, too! 

 

Kjell has been busy with several projects, including setting up new equipment to make items you'll be seeing soon.  He's also been busy working on photography and strumming his guitar.  Check back next time to see what he makes next!

 

 All the very best,

 Lois

Sister Lily?

 Good morning,

No, she hasn't entered a convent.  

Our two year old Lily likes to sit next to Daddy's chair.  

Recently she popped up with the drapery over her head so Daddy snapped a picture.

She looks sweet and innocent here, but don't be fooled!

;),

Lois