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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

A Day of Driving!


Yesterday went by without a post. Did you miss it? I know I did! I woke up late yesterday morning, needed to get my stuff packed and out of the hotel --- and there wasn’t time for editing down the photos I had taken at Sunday’s Nine Patch Split workshop!

And I was --- and still am --- MOVING. SLOW!! Yes, the tired muscles have totally kicked in and are complaining loudly…but other than that I feel good. Stairs are the hardest part >_< The hip flexors just feel a bit abused. Time may heal all, but I won’t be doing another 12.5 miles any time soon! But --- See this pic? I did get some of the deer in the park!!

The best part about sleeping late, and waking late? I had NO trouble finding a luggage cart! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone down to the lobby to get a cart to haul my stuff back to the car, only to find that no one returned them to their rightful place the night before. What is with people sleeping with the luggage carts in their rooms? In my book, that is #1 on the list of just PLAIN OLD RUDE!

But there was a cart, and I loaded up Shamu, and off we went. And because I was so tight and sore, I stopped every couple hours just to get out and walk around a bit. Sitting for long periods of time made me feel like my body was being permanently formed to the shape of my driver’s seat!

I stopped in Richmond, grabbed a sandwich, and enjoyed a picnic lunch in a park nearby. Lots of kids in the playground, fun watching families play now that school is out. And I felt right at home amongst 12 other minivans in the parking lot! LOL! ((Yes, I feel like I've joined a whole 'nuther club ;c) ))

I drove another couple hours, time to stop for gas, and across the street from the gas station?

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SONIC!! And this is how I know I love the camera on my phone…isn’t that a tempting picture?! I know I get teased about taking pictures of my food, but next to fabric, food is life’s “other” greatest pleasure! ;c) I enjoy food –—so the pictures of things I love aren’t likely to stop any time soon. Of course, I enjoyed this delicious caramel sundae by matching it with a route 44 diet cherry limeade….it cancels out the calories in the sundae that way, you know? :c)

While I am driving, I love watching other people and seeing what THEY are driving…look at this little bug I got stopped at a light with:

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Grocery store delivery car? How many groceries can they fit in this bug? LOL! And I love the caption above the license plate…Spread Peas on Earth….LOL!!

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I also love seeing vintage cars on the road! This one had FINS to die for! Little old couple in the front seats. I like thinking about where they might be going….how long they’ve had this car? Are they the original owners?

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We were moving very slow, and that is how I was able to get the pictures…Turns out this truck pulling a trailer had blown a tire and caught fire and we were down to one lane….UGH!! Burning rubber is NOT a nice smell! The fire was only on the one trailer tire…but it sure made a slow down on the road while everyone had to rubber neck and see what all the fuss was about.

As I got closer toward Raleigh/Durham yesterday, some really BAD storms blew through…rain was pounding like crazy, thunder and lightning to beat the band, and I just couldn’t hardly see the cars in front of me…so much water! The wind felt like it was pushing the minivan this way and that way...SCARY! So…I pulled over…at Cracker Barrel! I just thought I’d wait it out. Turns out that even after I ate dinner, and waited and waited, the rain was still not letting up….but by that time much of the traffic had cleared out, so I slowly made my way home. It’s the biggest storm I’d driven through in a long time, and if there is anything that scares me, it’s driving through a storm….

This morning? All gone! I’ve unpacked the van, the re-settling has begun, there will be laundry commencing, and things to catch up on ----

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And THIS girl hopped right into the van and seemed to say “You are not leaving WITHOUT me next time!” I think Sadie really misses having Jeff around. She’s become very clingy to anyone who is near…doesn’t seem to matter who, just as long as someone is here. She needs her nails trimmed, and I hate to do them, and because she loves to go for car rides, I might just take her up to Petsmart on my errands this morning and let THEM do her.

Oh, and I guess you are waiting for these! Here are the workshop pics…and because I have a penchant for taking pictures of food…don’t forget to check out our buffet tables! We had salads to DIE FOR! I absolutely love summer and all the opportunities for yummy salads. And WATERMELON!! Yep…it’s summer all right, it’s watermelon season!

15 comments:

  1. Good morning, Bonnie. Yes, I missed your post yesterday. I just love caramel. Sadie looks so cute in Shamu. Aren't minivans wonderful. Thanks for sharing pictures.
    Kay

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  2. You would be amazed what will fit in the back of a New Beetle. I had one and did grocery shopping easily. With the back seat folded down I used it for quilt retreat and brought 2 sewing machines and my own chair along with all the other paraphernalia one just can't live without at retreat!

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  3. Missed you yesterday. Glad you made it home safely.
    Your comment on taking pictures of your food - my daughter and I spent a weekend in New York City. Everything we ate, she took a picture of and sent it to her husband. I think she was trying to make him jealous of all the delicious food we were having.
    Question - are all the quilt patterns that you have workshops for in one of your books? Which one?

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  4. Shelley N10:14 AM EDT

    I love how you call your van Shamu! Years ago I drove a big white Suburban. One day I saw another white Suburban with the perfect personalized license plate - BBBLUGA - get it? Baby Beluga!! One of my favorite Raffi songs and totally perfect for a big white whale of a vehicle.

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  5. I hate driving in storms too, very scary. One time the lightening hit the road right in front of me. I had to pull over I was shaking so bad.
    The blocks all look so different are they all the same pattern?

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  6. Enjoying all your adventures and pictures.

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  7. Glad you made it through the storm....those are frightening! The class pics look great....love the braids, too. And all that food....yum!

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  8. Of course we missed your post! Have to have our daily "Bonnie" fix, don't we? So glad you are home safe & enjoying your morning. We had some really scary storms here in Nashville yesterday morning too.

    Poor Sadie!!! Pets are so devoted and they love us so much - it is heartbreaking for them when we go away, and they don't understand why. My heart goes out to her! She seems to like the new wheels, and a fresh pedicure & pampering may be just the ticket to perk up her spirits!

    Love the pictures from the workshop! Are the french braids part of the Split 9-patch quilt? A border perhaps? Or just something they were working on separately? Thanks for all the trouble you take to share these with us :^)

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  9. Yes, I missed your post yesterday - I hoped you weren't feeling so many aftereffects from that hike that you were unable to post! And those storms moved through my part of Virginia yesterday too - yucky. We have had worse storms this year than I have ever experienced elsewhere, although yesterday's didn't have big chunks of hail associated with it.

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  10. For the life of me, I don't understand how you can post/eat all those goodies and stay so slim and trim. I KNOW the exercise helps but ...

    You are too cruel. First you tempt us with all the patterns and fabric, then the books, and now we see all these FOOD goodies! Yikes - I am too week to resist ALL of them.

    BTW - when are you coming back to our neck of the woods (western Nebraska)!

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  11. Glad you got home safely! I put the last stitch on my crabapple quilt today! A finish...whoo hooo...

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  12. I used to be able to get a whole cart load of groceries into my bug...and it was a convertible!

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  13. Looks like everyone had a great time. Gotta say-I do like the one with the yellow in it. But they're all good looking.

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  14. I love, love, love Sonic. I first learned about Sonic when we lived in TN for 6 years. They had a fabulous chocolate covered cherry milkshake make with a cherry milkshake base and magic topping chocolate. The best part -- chocolate covered cherries mixed in. I start drooling just thinking about it :-). Now, my hubby thinks I'm crazy -- every time I travel and see one, I stop off. YUM!

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  15. Glad you got home safely storms and all. I don't like driving in the rain let alone a bad storm.

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