Nothing Could Be Finer...

Nothing restores my soul like the mountains of North Carolina in the fall. A few years ago I started a quilt retreat and it is always a treat to spend time with old friends and new ones up on a hill, sewing, shopping, talking and laughing. This past weekend was one of the best. The weather was incredible and I do believe we lucked out and witnessed the peak leaf weekend. The colors were astounding.

I generally drive wherever I go. I prefer to drive than ride. There are different theories: I do not trust the driving skills of others; I have issues about being stranded without transportation; I fear being left behind; I am only confortable physically in my own car; but the one that is most likely the most correct is that I tend to be a bit of a control freak. Of course, when it gets right down to it...all of those reasons are signs of a control freak. We'll analyze my psychological disorders later. Right now...back to my point...

I generally drive wherever I go. However, this particular weekend I had so much stuff that I was bringing to this retreat (the normal staples of a quilting retreat plus 27 baby quilts for Nane and 3 tall kitchen trash bags of scraps for Mrs. Goodneedle), I had no room for my best friend and all her quilt retreat staples. So, we ended up taking her larger SUV, a blue Ford Expidition, fondly named Elvis. (That's the Jelly Donut Elvis.) She drove. I rode. I have driven to Asheville, NC a million times, but do I rarely ride to Asheville...especially peak leaf weekend. I could not sit still. I could not look around enough. The sites were so beautiful and you get to see so much more of it when you're not concentrating on the pathway right in front of you.

There is a life lesson here I think.