A Full Weekend

I went to a quilt retreat this weekend. It was very hot, and that squelched my interest in doing a lot of sewing. Another factor: it took place at a camp in my home town. When I felt too hot I went into town to visit my mom and my sister. So ... I didn't get a lot of sewing done, but I still had a good time. When I did sew, I got some good things accomplished. And I took time to swim and to enjoy the beautiful surroundings. I have always loved waves and the lapping sound against the shore. At night we enjoyed cool breezes off the lake, so sleeping was very comfortable.

This is one of my completed tasks. I made the top a few years ago, and finally got the borders on this weekend. (Does anyone else hate borders? It's my least favorite part.) I finally can get it quilted! It's a pattern whose name I have forgotten, but I found it on-line at quiltindex dot com. It's a lap size quilt that I plan to keep.

Here is the lodge where we did our sewing (with lake around it on three sides).

Here's the beautiful lake. It's a clear, clean lake - great for swimming - cold but refreshing.

Part of the excitement of going into town from the campground was to visit my sister's new bookstore! It opened on Saturday, and I was too excited to NOT be there. My sister did a fantastic job setting up this new business. The store is attractive, comfortable, and the book selection is excellent. It's very exciting to have a bookstore in the family!

If you click on this picture (above) it'll get larger, and you'll see my ABC sampler quilt in the background. It looks nicer there than it did at my house! I have a 2nd quilt hanging in the store just out of view, to the right of that doorway in the back. By the way, I have no idea why some pictures get larger when you click on them, and some don't. Can anyone explain that to me?

That's my mom in the pink shirt. If you ever visit Alexandria, Minnesota, please stop in at Cherry Street Books (503 Broadway). Have a cup of coffee and go home with a wonderful treasure to enjoy reading.

After the retreat was done, and the bookstore was closed for the weekend, we got to watch a band festival parade! I no longer have children or nieces marching in this fun parade, but I still enjoy watching it and cheering for the wonderful bands. They work so hard and do fantastic shows, in all kinds of weather! This year's was HOT and WINDY. Aren't these flags pretty?

This band in red and yellow is from the school my kids attended. Both of them marched with this band in previous years. That guy in the shorts is a judge. He's speaking critique comments into a hand-held recorder.