A Bit of Travel

I was lucky to join some friends for a short quilting expedition in Bayfield, Wisconsin. What a pretty little town, right on the south shore of Lake Superior. I got a lot of sewing done, and one day a few of us went for a swim in Lake Superior. If you don't know already, Lake Superior is huge and very deep, and is known for being too cold for swimming. However, this little beach was at a small bay, so the water had the opportunity to warm up a bit more than the huge lake does. "A bit" is the operative phrase here. It was still QUITE COLD and hard to get in, but once in - Wow! - it was so refreshing! It was truly a highlight of my summer!

After about 24 hours at home, I turned around and left again, this time headed to my sister's lake home for a time there with the three sisters. I took along some sewing and got a whole quilt top made. We had fun relaxing and shopping in the little nearby town and swimming once, because it warmed up to 70 deg. F, so we decided it was warm enough to swim. That was another fun and refreshing swim.

I can feel that my summer is complete, because I have now gone swimming in three different bodies of water: a lovely big lake in my old home town (haven't lived there since 1970); Lake Superior; the lake where my sister's lake home is. We all grew up there, the cabin having been established by our parents in 1964. So it is the lake of my heart.

Anyway, I love to swim in lakes, much preferable to pools in my opinion, because of how I grew up around lakes. This is why I say my summer is not complete unless I get a chance to swim in some lakes.

Here is the top I made while visiting with my sisters. I took a zillion pictures of it, just to test out different places and see how it looked. I'm only sharing a few of them with you (feel lucky; I have lots more - LOL).

Mini Vacay, One Quilt

Husband and I went on a 4-day vacation to southern Wisconsin. We picked that area because my friend from Georgia would be there visiting her parents; it was a good time to see each other.

We stayed at a resort. These pictures show the area. It was quite pretty.

I enjoyed the quilt theme on some of the doors.

Weather was perfect! Sitting on the balcony was restful and pleasant. We read, napped, and also took walks along the lakeshore.

My friend from Georgia is on the left. The friend on the right lives nearby, so we got to increase the fun and see her, too.

We are back home now, so I was able to finish this quilt. Some of these string blocks are at least 15 years old! I made more last week to finish this and quilt it. Then after vacation, today, I finished it off. I will donate this quilt locally.

My Solo Vacation

My family owned a lake lot and then a shack and then a "cabin" which is really a house. Now my sister owns it. Her family is large and still growing, so it's hard for me to find time to squeeze in and visit the place. Last week I had the place all to myself for eight glorious days! What a treat! Husband was supposed to join me mid-week, but he decided he had too much work to do and the quiet at home was beneficial for him. The quiet for me at the cabin was heavenly.

I did a lot of sewing, reading, relaxing, swimming, and eating when I wanted to. My cousin came over and sewed with me which was nice; I didn't get lonely. And when she returned to her own cabin, I had the lovely solitude to enjoy again.

I put together these four quilt tops:

I made this bag:

I made over a dozen 12.5-inch blocks and 62 crumb blocks (scraps sewn together into 6.5-inch blocks). I read three books which have been reviewed in posts just before this one. Finished the 4th book upon my return home.

The lake shared with me its many moods; I rode on cousin's pontoon for a July 4th picnic.

That week was a perfect vacation and a highlight of my summer. I only missed having hubby with me, but alone time has its grand benefits as well. Ahhh..blood pressure was way down, I think.

Rocky Mountains, Part Two of Two

Rocky Mountain National Park was established the year my dad was born.. they're both 102 years old now (Dad celebrates in Heaven).

I liked how these trees show the survival technique of trees up at the timber line where icy winds prevail. The icy winds come in from the windward side, making it too cold for growth on that side, so it grows only on the lee side. How clever of the trees, don't you think?

Most of the above pictures were taken at Bear Lake. It's a very popular destination. The parking lot fills up, and then one must ride a shuttle to the lake as there is no more room for more cars. We decided to wait until after 6:00 PM. We were so glad we did; there were very few people there, which was definitely a benefit that made our visit there enjoyable. I would have hated having wall-to-wall people there! It's a gorgeous little lake with a nice hike that goes all the way around.

My very nice husband agreed to drive us to Golden, CO so I could see the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum. I loved their current exhibit which was quilts from the Caohagan Islands (part of the Philippines).

The last quilt photo is a detail of a larger one.. I loved the bird's-eye perspective of these kids.

It was another beautiful drive over to Lyons where I wanted to visit a quilt shop. I'm so glad we went; it's a fabulous shop. I could have spent hours there. It's in a building that used to be the Black Bear Inn, which is why it has that black bear on their sign. It has a huge parking lot fit for an inn, so go there with all your friends! There's plenty of parking space!

Our last evening in Colorado gifted us with a beautiful sunset.

Coming back home, we drove through the Sandhills in Nebraska. They are beautiful, but.. oh, my. They go on forever and ever. Be sure you have a full tank of gas!

I loved Colorado. Under the right circumstances you could convince me to live there.