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.

Renewal

How much fun can one girl have in one weekend?

Thursday - picked up Nane and headed for retreat at Montreat.  Somehow we missed all the storms and pulled in just in time - set up and started sewing!

I worked on chicken blocks all weekend.  These Buggy Barn blocks are going to become a king sized quilt for a friend in California.  I'm loving them myself!


Thursday night was dinner at Black Mountain Bistro with Quiltteacher and Quiltkeemosabe.  I think we laughed more than we ate.

 
Friday - I had planned on sewing all day but Theresa informed me that Carolina Foam and Fabric had flannels and I need a flannel for the t-shirt quilt back.  So, Quiltteacher and Quiltkeemosabe and I head into Black Mountain again.  I found an orange flannel that will work perfect.  Then, they "made" me drive to Asheville Cotton Company.  I found camping fabric that I thought I could use to bribe my brother into doing some home improvements for me.

It worked.  He's coming over in a couple of weeks.  How much he gets done will influence how big his camping quilt becomes.

Saturday - We hiked.  I hadn't really planned on it because I haven't done much of anything other than walk around the neighborhood since my bike wreck last year and I figured I wouldn't make it to the top because I am out.of.shape...big time.

But we hiked and I made it to the top.  Boy, that made me feel good.  (Of course, now, I can barely walk - my leg muscles have staged a mutiny.)

We got back to the lodge, ran through the shower and six of us piled into Mrs. Goodneedle's land yacht and headed back to Asheville - first for lunch at Neo Cantina then back to Asheville Cotton Company.  The riding arrangement was a little rough on Nane but, hey, gas is $4 so it was worth it.  (Easy for me to say...)

Sunday - Nane and I left early and met the husbands at Merlefest.  I had never been and David hadn't been in 18 years.  It was too much fun - hanging out with friends, watching people, looking at vendor stuff, listening to incredible music.  I sat in my lawnchair and heard Scythian, Marty Stuart, Dougie MacLean, Red June, Sierra Hull & Highway 111, and best of all Alison Krauss & Union Station.

The downside - no shade, no hat = fried me.  Really.  Fried.  Even with gobs of sunscreen.

I'll live.

It was beyond worth it.

Monday, Monday

I used to hate Mondays.

Last Monday as I heard that big diesel truck pulling out of the driveway with my smiling husband behind the wheel off on an adventure for the week, I smiled.

Then I laughed because I was hearing this from my quilt studio where I was busy getting ready for my next adventure.

I thought: "It's Monday.....I'm smiling....bwahhhahhaahaaahaaaa!"

Fast forward to today.

It's Monday again.

I don't hear my husband leave because I am still fast asleep.

I get up, put my hair back in a bandanna, skip the make-up (as usual now), get the coffee and meet Bonnie to head for Pilot Mountain...which is closed for repaving. So off to Hanging Rock we go.

It's Monday. Everyone else is at work. We have the trail to ourselves...and the rock to ourselves.

(Scott Murkin inspired us to walk in the moss. "If you haven't walked barefoot in the moss, you need to re-prioritize.")

Then it's lunch at Duke's in Walnut Cove then home to get cleaned up for the staff meeting.


Then chocolate martinis with Holly and Muriel.


It's Monday.


bwahhhahhhaaahaahaa!

Playing Hooky

Instead of staying home and cleaning house on Saturday, I went with friends to Woods Mountain to look for wildflowers.

I had to go. It had been too long since I'd been in the woods. I needed that more than I needed a clean house.

Six of us piled in Nane's Explorer. Why is it the more people you pile into a car for a road trip, the more fun it is?

I left the house without my rain gear or my walking stick. At least I remembered to put my boots on and I did have my pack complete with peanut butter & jelly sandwich. Just envision me skipping out the door to the car like a kid going to Disney World.

Giddy.

That's what I'm blaming my forgetfulness on. Sheer giddiness.

And, of course, it rained on us.

Actually, it hailed on us too but that just added to the adventure.

Luckily my friends are more prepared than I am. Pat had an extra pole and she found a rain poncho in her pack. A blue one. I looked like a blue M&M...but I was dry.

We ended up cutting the hike short because the rain set in...along with the thunder and lightening so we headed back.

We did manage to see a few wildflowers...

but mostly we enjoyed the company...

and the laughter...

and the BBQ in Morganton.

That's what matters, right (not the BBQ - everything else).

Adventures from the Road

Last Wednesday, Laura and I were in Portsmouth, Virginia to judge the Tidewater Quilters Quilt Show. They were a wonderful group of ladies and we got to see some gorgeous quilts. At the end of the day, I had a stack of quilts in my Judge's Choice "pile". I finally settled on this one, a gift for a caver. I loved that the quilter added stalagmites and stalactites in the outer border.

On Friday, we headed to Camp Caraway for the North Carolina Symposium Board annual retreat. Laura and I are new board members this year so this was our first chance to meet everyone and take part of a board meeting. Friday night we gathered to make ribbons for the upcoming Symposium, then Saturday all day was a business meeting. Saturday night was show and tell and unfortunately, we had to leave after that so I could be back in town for a meeting the next morning. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting everyone. These are women on a mission and I like that A LOT.

Sunday afternoon, I just couldn't stand it anymore. Shelby and I got in the car and headed to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We went for a hike at the Linn Cove viaduct. Not far up the trail you can sit on a rock and get a picture like this one. Really. I took that picture yesterday.

I'm not sure how far we went after that but it was far enough to not see another soul for a while and not be able to hear the cars on the parkway. Miss Girl is quite the little hiker. She climbs up these rocks like she's part mountain lion.

When we got back to the visitor's center, we met Luke, the Biker Dog and his dad. Luke rides everywhere on the back of this Harley...everywhere...he's been across the country a few times on that bike. He was something else.

There were lots of folks out enjoying the Parkway. Could it have been anymore beautiful? I don't know how.

After a little more driving on the Parkway, we stopped in Boone to 1. plug my phone in so I could let my dad know I was out of the woods and not to send the park rangers looking for me and 2. get a cool drink. This was Shelby all the way home....think she was pooped.

Me too...but happy...very, very happy.

Thin Places

This past weekend was our annual All-Church Retreat. It's always a wonderful time of worship, fellowship, and craziness. This year's theme was Thin Places...which I'll talk about later. For now, here are the highlights:


Where we always stay - Assembly Inn. It's old. It's cranky. I love every inch of it.




On of the things I tend to have assigned to me on the planning committee is to come up with some kind of group activity or craft. Last year, we did the quilt. This year, I needed to come up with something a bit easier on me. So, to go along with our Celtic theme and Thin Places, I (we, actually because I think it was a group brilliant moment between me and our minister) decided that everyone should make their own Cairn. I just happen to have a box of rocks. Ad a few glue guns, some tiles and a handful of Sharpies, and voila...



On Saturday afternoon, we had free time and this year, we took full advantage of it by driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway a bit to Craggy Gardens. In the parking lot, I saw this little guy making his way across the asphalt. I couldn't stand the thought of him getting smushed so I picked him up (with a couple of leaves...these things can sting you) and moved him over the rock wall to the trees. I looked him up when I got home. He's a Hickory Tussock Moth Caterpillar. Cute, huh?




So, after the bug rescue, we headed to the trail head. It's a short hike and not too steep. It's a bit rocky and with all the rain we had this week, a lot muddy...worth it though.





See why it's called "craggy" gardens? Everything is gnarled. The trees grow every which way and remind me of the cranky trees in The Wizard of Oz...just friendlier.




Short hike...big views.

I'm giddy over the leaves changing. I know it happens every year but it's very exciting.

So, after our little adventure, we returned to Montreat for the evening festivities which included a Variety Show. There was lots of variety and even some talent. Here's Mr. P working his violin. He's been taking lessons since August and did pretty darn good...better than I could for sure. Later, he and his two brothers ended the show with an old Irish song. Mr. P was the bagpipes...whining one note for the whole song. It was so funny, everyone was rolling on the ground.

Here we have The Mad Professor (who really is a physics and astronomy professor at Wake Forest University) singing Monty Python's planet song. He's accompanied by one of the sweetest little dancers ever.

And of course, we have an all girl rap group. I have no idea what the song was but they made it up and it was hysterical.

There were lots of other acts but if I shared all the hilarity, we'd be here for a while.

That same physics & astronomy professor brought a great big telescope and set it up on the porch of the inn for a little stargazing Friday night and Sunday morning. On Friday night, we could see Jupiter and its four moons. He didn't have the telescope connected to track with the rotation of the earth so he kept having to adjust it to get Jupiter back in sight. Let me tell you, when you're looking at Jupiter and can see it whiz right out of the sight, it gives you a weird feeling. We're really moving pretty fast. Incredible, really.

On Sunday morning, he had it trained on the moon...which is, of course a lot closer than Jupiter. It took my breath away. On nights when the moon is big in the sky and you can make out craters and such is nothing like the dimension and depth I could see through that telescope.

What a wonderful world.

Hawksbill

Saturday, a group of us headed up to Hawsbill for a short (but a bit steep) hike to the top of Hawksbill.

It's amazing how many wonderful places there are right here in NC that I never knew existed and it didn't cost a thing except a little gas money and a peanut butter & jelly sandwich.

Nane - on top of the world.

Go Postal taking a photo of me and Nane. We were laughing at his hat flying back like that and he said he must look like the guy from "F Troop"...to which we said..."who?" (Actually, I remember F Troop - just barely.)

Linville Gorge - with very little water in the base.

Table Rock - a hike for another day.

Sassafras - making me smile because it's showing off it's new color - which means fall is coming...finally.

Where Have I Been?

Taking in the local nightlife at Holden Beach on Labor Day weekend while hanging out with my parents.





Cutting fabric for kits at Sew Original while Shelby patiently waits.



Making samples for Sew Original. Here's my monsters. I'm finalizing the pattern now for sale at the shop.

Attending church planning meetings. (Here's my wall quilt - finally finished and hanging in the hall at the church.)

Slumming it with Gina making pears for the Brenner Tree project.

The Ginabean sweat shop in the most picturesque setting you could ever imagine.

Celebrating the youngest nephew's birthday last Friday night.

This photo pretty much sums up the tone of the evening.

Celebrating the 75th birthday of the Blue Ridge Parkway on Saturday...



taking in the flora...

enjoying the music...

taking in the knowledge and peace of the woods...

Then an evening with friends at Sander's Ridge Winery...

And then back to work for new adventures.

Tired yet?