Side Trips

Friday I went to Greenville, South Carolina to show fabrics to Mary at Bernina Sewing Center.  I first met Mary at a Bernina Tech training almost two years ago right after my bike accident.  We bonded as she tried for three days to make me go to the hospital. (I should have listened to her, by the way.)  She is a most wonderful person and I've been looking forward to seeing her and her shop.  She's one of these people that make you laugh so much your cheeks hurt.

We had a great time visiting and her shop is full of temptations.  If you're anywhere near Greenville, make the stop and say hi.

On the way home, I had planned on stopping at the Charlotte Quilt Guild Quilt Show but in coming up I-85 southwest of Charlotte, I made an impulse swerve off the highway and became a tourist for  the rest of the afternoon.

I've lived in North Carolina all my life but like most people, I've driven by most of the really cool things are in my own backyard.  I've decided that when I'm on the road and see something interesting, I should stop and check it out if I have a moment...which is how I ended up at the Kings Mountain National Park.  There's a visitor's center where you can watch a short film about the battle and there's a very cool museum where you stand in the trees and hear about what happened from both sides and see artifacts from the battle.

Then you can walk the mountain on a 1.5 mile trail.  I didn't have my walking shoes so I just walked the quarter mile to the monument.  (Note to self...put the hiking boots back in the car...and some pants.)

I vaguely knew something important happened here in some war sometime in American history.  But now I know that here on this little mountain, the course of the American Revolution turned...right here in my own backyard.