Shopping in Michigan

We have recently returned from a 4-day drive through northeast Ohio, northwest Indiana and both lower and upper Michigan. This was our gift to ourselves after working so hard all July to re-do the bedroom and get ready for the family reunion. When we take off like this, we seek out the roads less traveled so we can see farms and barns and villages and all manner of true America that one doesn’t see from interstate highways.

Our ultimate goal was seeing the scenic areas around the Upper Peninsula. We never have too much of an itinerary; no reservations for any particular attraction; we never know where we'll be sleeping at the end of the day. We've gotten pretty good at flying by the seat of our pants, you might say.

We find some mighty interesting places this way, too. For example, in the photo below, this appealingly moody room is a restaurant/bar/speakeasy we had dinner in one evening. Look at the ambiance here! So inviting with its tin ceiling and ornately carved bar wall. We had friendly service, and an icy cold beverage along with a delicious meal. All we have to do is ask the folks at the hotel desk what local spot they recommend and we regularly come away with a fabulous experience. This place is called Tap 21 located in downtown Manistique, Michigan, in case you're interested. It's a real gem!

Traveling this way is very much a team effort. DH loves to drive; in fact, I rarely ever take the wheel. While he drives, I look out the window. I like to study the countrysides; I research stuff on the phone when we are curious about any particular thing; and I book a hotel in some town up the road when we feel ourselves growing road-weary. We've successfully traveled this way for several years now, and it suits us just fine.

 

I just had to take this picture as we exited Tap21. Straight across the street was this blast from the past. First, I rarely see Ben Franklin stores anymore. Oh, how I loved the one we had inside our grocery here in town. Second, I can't help but admire the vintage graphics still adorning the storefront. What a nostalgic slice of days gone by.  Then I looked next door, and saw the equally vintage signage on the bank front. I had to remind myself that it was 2024 and not 1965!

I made one shopping stop in the next town up the road - Munising, MI. Situated on the banks of Lake Superior, it's very much a town capitalizing on its lake proximity - fishing, boating, hiking and biking. However, the one shop that I found most appealing was the quilt shop - Miss Good Stitch.

I needed just one thing - a special piece of fabric for a special person (who shall remain nameless for the time being). I was greeted by the shop owner, Ginger, who was all smiles and very curious to know if I were there for the shop hop. Well, no, actually, I told her, I'm just a quilter who is traveling and happened upon the shop. The store had quite a few customers who were shop hoppers, and all told, it was a wonderful shop to visit. I am happy to say that I did find the perfect fabric, and I snapped these pics for your enjoyment.

Of course, I felt right at home here and only wish I could have spent more time checking things out.

That's all for today, peeps. Sharon is coming in a bit, and I need to figure out what I will be working on today, as I have several options.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Jayne

Traveling Again

The husband and I are off again on a quickie trip to see fall color. For all of the 40+ years that I taught, I had the "someday" dream of traveling to New England in the fall. We tried to make that happen last year, but we went at the end of September and were too early for optimum leaf color.

We decided to try again this fall. I am very hopeful that we will be rewarded for our persistence. We've been on the road for 2 days already, and we have been agog at the sights we've seen.

Good color in Ohio as we left; the photo above was taken in Holmes County.

Better color in Pennsylvania entering the Allegheny Mountains. We endured quite a cloudy day which sure made my photos dull. In person, these colors were spectacular.

Today we have been in New York mostly in the Finger Lakes region. Lots more sunshine, and since we always take the slow roads, we see gorgeous farmland, quaint little towns, and all manner of local color.

A surprise along our road less traveled was this waterfall, the Taughannock Falls near Cayuga Lake. What a sight! I love just happening up on places like this; the element of surprise and wonder appeals to us.

The photos offered here seem to feature yellow leaf color. Let me assure you that we have seen some stunning reds and oranges, too. As we drive into and through the Adirondacks tomorrow, I sure hope we have opportunities to make stops for pictures featuring a wide variety of fall color.

And I hope the sun is shining!

This morning I was able to visit a quilt shop and this afternoon, we drove past a winery with some sort of celebration going on, including a quilt show! This is just another fun example of accidentally happening upon something fun and stopping to see what it's all about. I will write about both in a future post when I have the time and focus necessary to devote to it.

Hope you are finding something fun to do this fall! I highly recommend a trip to New England! And do take that road less traveled if you can; it really does make all the difference.

I hope that well-loved Frost poem is readable. I grabbed the image from a google search; if it looks too bad, I will try re-running it in the next day or two.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

 

We're Home!

What a vacation! So many amazing sights. If anyone doubts America's beauty, they simply need to drive - off the interstates! - 6000 miles to have a look around. Our travels took us through 13 states and 6 National Park sites, 5 of which were new to us. My phone's camera roll reached capacity at one point, and I backed off my rampant photo-snapping late in the trip; my memories will have to suffice.

 

 

While we have driven out west twice before, the country is so expansive it would take dozens of trips to see all the sights. I am awestruck by the incredible beauty of snow-topped mountains, vast forests, sparkling rivers and frequent glimpses of waterfalls, wide open prairies, grazing buffalo, elk, and antelope, and the most amazingly blue skies you can imagine. 

We  had hoped  to see more of the west - especially all the National Parks in Utah, but the Pacific Northwest took so much of our time, we decided Utah will wait. A future trip will include Utah's many landmarks. We were not interested in rushing through places; we tried to linger and enjoy the beauty.

 

We arrived back here at home late afternoon yesterday, and before the day was done, I had sewing room time! I sure missed by sewing room! And yesterday was National Sewing Machine Day, so it was necessary to sew in honor of such a day.

 

Is it ever NOT the time to make 9-patch blocks? I think not. These are made chain-piecing style with 2-inch strips. 

My goal is to make a happy, cheerful quilt for DD Erin, our expectant momma! Won't this be a happy quilt for a new mother? Can't go wrong with Kaffe!

So far, 25 are done, and many, many more to come. I need to check my book and the instructions to see how big this will finish and and how many 9-patches are needed.

I will get all those necessary details for a future post; you know you'll be seeing more on this quilt before it is finished.

Hope you are having a great week! 

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Sights We've Seen So Far

Our car trip through the western US has been amazing. And we still have more to come. Here are a few highlights of the past few days. It never fails but that I imagine the impressions these great  spaces presented to the earliest settlers and pioneers making their way west.

This little shell of a covered wagon captured my fancy, as it is so very small compared to the image I had in my mind of these wagons. To think of a family loading all their worldly goods along with their entire family onto such a wagon is unimaginable. I have profound admiration for all the pioneer women who endeavored to make the westward journey.

Not only were the families leaving the familiarity of homes back east, they encountered some very foreign landscapes as they entered the high plains, the deserts, and the mountains. This surely would have demoralized me to think of eking out a living in conditions such as this. They simply had to forge ahead and trust that better, more fertile lands were yet to come.

And, then when they did see something different from the arid great plains, they faced a most imposing mountain range in the Rockies. This view of Mt. Rainier surely was as daunting as it was beautiful to them. In the comfort of our safe and secure automobile, I was awestruck by its domineering size. We were able to go up only so far; for those familiar with Rainier, we were stopped at the Paradise point. I'd really hoped to go on a bit because we'd read that there's a pretty waterfall nearby.

The reason we could go no further was because of snow cover. Crews were working to remove snow, and from the looks of what covered the ground at Paradise, there's still lots to remove. 

Lower down Mt. Rainier, the forest is so thick that it puts me in mind of a primeval wilderness. Moss literally drips from branches and tree trunks. Enormous ferns grow everywhere. Fallen logs and branches lay haphazardly across all surfaces. It is otherworldly.

We have stopped along the way a few times to take pictures of wildlife (yes, we are those people). Since we are off the interstate highways most of the time, we aren't holding up traffic, and we are safe about stopping. The three elk (can you see three?) in this picture were in a group of about 10 just grazing as naturally as could be near a campground. They are darker brown/black than the deer we know in Ohio, and much larger.

It hadn't occurred to us that we would get to enjoy spring again, yet here in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana the spring flowers abound. Rhododendrons, dogwoods, lilacs, azaleas, and a myriad of wildflowers along the roadsides are just as lush and gorgeous as can be. These rhododendrons bordered the parking lot of a restaurant we stopped at for lunch - I believe we were in Oregon.

In northwestern Oregon, in the town of Astoria, we finally saw the Pacific Ocean. I dipped my toes in (c-c-cold) and the experience was a thrill for this little ol' farm gal from Ohio. You can see that we had the beach to ourselves; the day was quite breezy; much too cold for anyone to be swimming or sunbathing. 

And look at that sky! Just as bright blue as can be! We really lucked out. For the most part, we have had good weather. We had a few showery days over the weekend in southern Oregon, but mostly we have had very agreeable weather.

So have I done any stitching? Remember, I brought only one project with me.

The answer is YES! Not a lot, but in the evenings when we are in our hotel for the night, I put an audio book in my ear, and applique berries onto my Lake Effect panels. I get one or two done in an evening. Sometimes the lighting is poor; sometimes I am just too tired to do more; sometimes I do none! But a few are finished, and that is progress.

Some berries have been basted.

Some berries have been stitched; some are wonky.

Some berries have been traced.

 Yes, a bit of progress is a good thing.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Traveling the USA

We left our home in southern Ohio on Tuesday, and as of last evening we have logged over 3400 miles. The further we get from Ohio the more I am astounded at the beauty and vastness of this great country. Distances in Ohio do not compare to the distances we have seen in Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and Oregon. Here are a couple of pictures that attempt to show the enormity of wide-open spaces out west.

We traveled west on I-80 and after leaving Salt Lake City, had a straight-line stretch of highway exiting Utah. This photo shows the long, lonely road to Nevada through the Dessert Salt Flats. Cell phone cameras just don't adequately capture the vastness of the distance one can see. The views are a sight to behold, let me tell you.

The picture below shows a long, stretch of highway in Oregon, leading away from Crater Lake. It was a chilly morning going up and coming back off the mountain to see the lake. We had rain and possibly sleet; you can see that at 7000 ft. elevation, there's still plenty of snow, too.

Crater Lake

This post won't be entirely about travel, for I have a bit of quilting-related content to offer. *smile* In the town where we at last turned off I-80, I found a quilt shop!

When we reached the significant point at which we finally left the highway, we found ourselves in Winnemucca, NV. We needed two things: a break from the road and a full tank of gas.

I  explored a quilt shop while DH did the dirty work. The Mad Hatter Quilt Shoppe was just what this quilter needed!

It's a small shop, but I was welcomed in a big way by the owner (co-owner, she corrected) who made my visit so very pleasant. Natalie and her mother have had the shop for 20 years, I believe she told me. Mom has since retired, but still has an active role in the shop. They do a heavy business with embroidery - as in the kind that goes on tee shirts, letter jackets, banners, and other personalized items. 

There's still plenty for the quilter to ogle, and I had no trouble finding some yardage that will be making the trek back to Ohio with me. The shop carries quite a few kits, precuts, panels, and notions, as well.

Here's what I bought. I have no business buying more fabric, but a gal can't sew from her stash on everything, can she?? Well, she could (she should), but what's the fun in that?  This is mostly AGF fabric and I have no definite quilt in mind - yet - for this gorgeous stack. It most certainly will become something beautiful!

We had a funny exchange with Natalie. When DH returned after getting gas, I was telling Natalie about my blog and told her that I frequently refer to him as DH. She laughed heartily, saying that she was glad I clarified what it stood for. She said she's heard of 'DH' before and the meaning was something quite different, and just a touch ornery! So maybe I need to qualify here: On this blog, DH stands for Dear Husband, not dick head. (did I just type that?!?!) 

Better get back on the road, Jayne.

While I gaze out our car windows, tooling through this vast, majestic country, I also plan quilts in my head. What this grouping of fabrics will become has yet to be determined, but I can see something wonderful on the horizon - just like in this magnificent U S of A.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Vacation Complete

Yes, we are home from our near-month vacation to Florida. It was a wonderfully successful experiment for us as we'd never traveled for such a length of time. Twenty-four days mostly cooped up in the car with DH has the potential for disaster. Fortunately for him, I am a very easy person to live with - why, doggone near perfect! *heheh*

My best vacation picture; taken on Tsala Apopka Lake.

I took a bunch of projects for stitching while in the car, but you know what? I barely did any. I had so much clutter around me - atlas (yes, we are old-school), phone, brochures, trash bag, purse, food or snacks, plus multiple drinks - coffee, iced tea, water - there just wasn't room for one more thing. More than once, I thought about sitting in the back seat to sew! But that wouldn't be a very good co-pilot, so I refrained.

Gulf waters going down the Florida Keys.

 

And, honestly, I enjoyed seeing all the sights. Had I been stitching, I would have missed some wonderful sight-seeing. While I have been to Florida several times, those were mostly single-destination visits. We hadn't been out to actually see the state. This trip afforded us the opportunity to really tour around. 

Mexico Beach, on the Panhandle; shoes off!

We entered Florida at the very western tip of the panhandle, and over the course of the month drove all the way to Key West. We circumnavigated Lake Okeechobee, made two trips across Alligator Alley (going to KW and returning), and saw lots of the area along the northern gulf coast. We had pontoon rides, cabin cruiser rides, ferry rides, trolley rides, and recumbent bike rides. We visited with family and friends all across the state - some live there full time, while others winter there every year.

Cabin Cruiser; owned by friend of friends we visited.

 

The first morning we were home, we had 3" of snow. Welcome back to Ohio, right? 

 

Now that we're back - got here late afternoon Thursday - I have been getting back into some sort of routine, and dreaming about stitching. Finally, yesterday afternoon, I'd had enough dreaming. I laid out blocks for my Temecula Baskets quilt. Since I am not using a pattern, I had a couple of ideas for how I could possibly arrange these blocks. Here are my current favorites. I labeled them "A" and "B" - feel free to chime in with your opinion. I need to make more blocks, so I won't be deciding just yet. 

Because I just couldn't begin to make my brain think hard enough to cut out more baskets, I began sifting through a bag of 2.5-inch squares; these were scraps acquired in the exchange we Frankfort girls did a few months ago. By gosh, it was kid-in-a-candy-store goodness, I tell you! I will share pics in tomorrow's post.

To sign off today, let me share a few more Florida pictures. I estimate taking over 700 pictures; so sifting through has been time consuming, to say the least.

Manatee momma and baby.

Fertile, dark soil for growing caladiums.

Flock of flamingos.

Grove of Bismarck Palm trees.

Marshy waters & waterfowl at Lake Okeechobee.

Bougainvillea.

Happy Quilting, Friends!