Movie star quilt

My co-worker Peggy showed me the coolest quilt today: She made it using retro and reproduction fabric, much of it Depression-era. She mailed it off this afternoon to be used in the independent film "The Only Good Indian". You may have read about it in The Eagle recently -- producers were filming the docudrama about the American Indian boarding school experience at Cowtown earlier this month. Peggy said production has moved to Lawrence now.

Peggy is always up to something good with her quilting, including making lots of charity quilts and others to be given as gifts to people she loves. But having your quilt in a movie? Talk about a cool way for your work to be featured! Congrats, Peggy!

Back-to-school bash

Brian and I are sponsors for our church's high school youth group, and tonight was the back-to-school party to welcome everyone back from summer break and kick off the year. (We have members from several local high schools: Maize, Goddard, Northwest, East, North, Andale and others.)

Things started out pretty tame, with conversations, snacks and a presentation on scheduled events, fundraisers, etc.

But then it was time for the silly fun stuff. And I soon understood why the invitations instructed us to come dressed to get wet and messy.

First was the slip-and-slide, which created a big muddy puddle.

Brian got really dirty. I managed to stay pretty clean until several of the girls decided to ambush me with a group "hug". I sought revenge during the water balloon fight.

Next up: the 24-foot-long ice cream sundaes.

Brian got really dirty. Again. Hands off, ladies: He's mine!

Bye, pups!

Our friends, Tony and Nicole, returned home from their Colorado vacation today, and our furry houseguests, Nanook and Roxy, are back at home with them this evening.

Here's the spirited pair on the car ride back to their house. It was a joyful reunion, and they swear Nanook has grown since they dropped him off at our place Monday morning.

Now our house seems eerily calm. Dakota and Lilly are napping, no doubt exhausted from all of the excitement. And Meow Meow, who has been in self-imposed solitude all week, has come back out to play.

OTB

Among the many perks of Aldersgate is its proximity to NewMarket Square and plenty of restaurants. That opens the door to many impromptu meals with friends, including lunch today at On The Border. Our little group quickly grew to include 13.

Bourne again (and again)

Brian and I saw "The Bourne Ultimatum" this weekend and give it two thumbs up. It's definitely more violent than the first two, but I love the plot twists and the ending. On Friday, after we couldn't find "Identity" and "Supremacy" at nearby video rental stores, we bought them and watched one Friday night and another Saturday.

As is the case with many trilogies, I like the original best. Maybe it's because I love the ending to the first one, when Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) and Marie (Franka Potente) are huggy and sweet (sans sniper CIA agents, Russian police and the like) in her cool beach-front scooter shop.

If you love reading about your favorite movies (old or new) online, you've got to check out The Internet Movie Database, which has all kids of great facts on the actors, movie awards, etc. I looked up "Identity" to see what plot keywords (like romance, chase, etc.) the site assigned to the movie. There are some of funny ones: road movie, no opening credits, landlady, haircut, concierge and character name in title. It's comforting, isn't it, that there's a resource out there to help us find all kind of blockbusters that include concierges?

Another great movie-related Web site is Movie Mistakes, which points out filming flubs. It's fun for favorite movies that you watch over and over. I looked up "Identity" there, too. Among the errors it points out: Matt's watch mysteriously moves from his right wrist to his left during a hotel kissing scene.

Circle the wagons

When Connect, the young adult group at my church, got together months ago to plan out our different social activities for the summer, we picked today as the day to go to Wild West World together. I guess we should've chosen a June date instead ...

In lieu of the amusement park rides, Brian and I hit the lap lanes. Early Saturday afternoons are a perfect time to go. For the first 30 minutes of our workout, we had eight lanes and a lifeguard to ourselves! Then we checked out the Codex Atlanticus exhibit at Exploration Place. The exhibit features digital copies of Leonardo da Vinci's sketches, artwork and inventions. My personal favorite is his flying machine. They had computers, models and more to explore. Here's Brian building a model bridge that da Vinci designed. (I really wanted to post a photo of Brian trying on a Harry Potter Sorting Hat at EP's Explore Store, but he wasn't very cooperative.) In the store, a couple of little boys were making toy snakes "strike" at Brian's feet. Brian was a good sport and played along. ("Oh no! Snakes! Ahhh!")

How's this for doggy door?

It's been lots of fun having two extra dogs at our house this week (for the comedy relief, if not the company). In the morning, we usher them all outside, where they stay for about an hour in the cool weather. This is pretty much my view while I'm eating breakfast and reading the paper at the kitchen table: