Memorial Day - local celebration

                                                  Keep Memorial Day in your heart always.  

Touring Carol's Garden

I'm still having trouble moving photos so I'll just leave them.







Are you all ready for this?   I was stunned!   Believe me, I will be back every once and awhile to visit what's blooming.  

Enjoy your Memorial Day Weekend!  I know I will.  And thanks to all the soldiers for allowing us all this Freedom. 

Thanks Carol for the tour.  You have worked hard!

Besides being a wonderful quilter and friend, you are an awesome Gardener!

Guild Shop Hop and meeting project

Last Saturday, I had the pleasure to join our Piecemaker's Guild on a Shop Hop to the North.

Our first stop was Quilt Basket N Creations in Viroqua. Very nice shop! Then we headed off toward Cashton which is Amish country. We stopped at and area Gift shop of Amish wares and then off to a gift shop on an Amish farm that had stacks and stacks of hand quilted quilts. ! Then we went to Quilt Corner in Sparta - another great shop. Lunch was at Ginny's Cupboard. I would drive all the way there just to eat again. Loved it. Maybe cuz someone else was cooking. Now I get it! Then off to Quilting Plus Quilt shop in Warrens. Another nice shop! Wish I had gotten more pictures but I thought I'd take a break from that too.

This month's Quilt Guild Project was taught by Judi R. She showed us how to make a shoulder bag from one standard pillow case. What fun. I sewed my wrong so mine has pockets on the outside of the bag - turned out to be a plus, however. Thanks Judi!!

Mother's Day spent "Up North"

Aahhhhh, the Lake Superior beckons me......

I know lots of you consider the Homestead Cabin Retreat as coming 'Up North' but when you live where we live, we have to go a bit further for our "Up North". For me, it happens at about 125 miles from here due north on Hwy 13, which almost divides the state in half vertically. I love traveling this desolate two lane road which passes through many villages on my way to my Up North.

It all starts when the tall pine trees become pointy at the tops. It is here when I can exhale and leave the cares of my world behind. Then for the next 113 miles, I relax and take in the scenery. I visited my northern grown son and daughter over this Mother's Day. Luckily they both live in the same town so I can do this. We went out for the traditional Mom's Day cuisine at the Chinese restaurant :) Then we went out to the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center just outside of Ashland, Wisconsin. Here is where I fell in love with their wood floor many years ago upon seeing it for the first time. Take a look.

Ain't it grand? I know I will do this somewhere along the way someday. It is tucked in my mind's "to do list".

These goslings were appropriately swimming outside the Visitor's Center greeting all us Mothers today.
This visitor's center has a fantastic gift shop with wonderful books of anything Wisconsin. Lumberjacks, ship wrecks in the great lakes, mining, birds, nature, etc. I could spend hours in here. Fortunately we came to see the featured photos of the month. And this month I got lucky. The historical society put on a wonderful display of the Great Northern Lodges of Wisconsin. It goes on to tell about the gangsters hideouts who came up from Chicago. There are only two remaining family owned lodges in the Hayward area today. I plan to visit these soon. I am fascinated with this era and of course lodging houses. (the retreat is a lodging house) Sometimes, I think I lived another lifetime years ago. Perhaps I did.

This cabin was the typical 'cabins' many years ago that folks came to stay at. This one looked inhabited yet. Ooops might have been trespassing.

Another road trip I took was past this post office.
Sorry, I cannot rearrange the photos like I want. Blogger not cooperating today.

Hands All Around

Your future's looking BRIGHT !!

Their bee's name is Hands all Around. And look at Shirley's bag. How appropriate?

This was made with actual scraps from her scrap pile. Nice huh?
I'll just stand back and let you enjoy the Show n Tell and projects they worked on this past weekend.

and more...............................................

Pin Cushions of the week..........