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Sunday, October 16, 2011

Quilt Camp at the Country Club Inn!

Our time at Quilt Camp is winding down! By noon time today, our machines will be still and silent, the projects packed up and put away, and the cars will fill back up with all the stuff that is mandatory to bring to a long retreat weekend away. Quilt Camp 2011 will be a thing of the past, and retreaters will start looking forward, plotting and planning for Quilt Camp 2012!

We checked my calendar to see when I could come back --- because I would LOVE to come back, and the soonest we can come up with is October 2015. FOUR YEARS?! I’ll have to come back in four years. Maybe by then the UFOs started this weekend will be finished quilted and bound….hahaha!

Actually, several ladies have finished their tops already if they settled on a lap size version. This has been a lot of fun to teach two classes at once, and have them both going at the same time and running for the whole of Quilt Camp. HUGE AMOUNTS OF PROGRESS can be seen at every work station! Picture of that to come….

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Country Club Inn was originally built as a private 9 hole golf club in the 1920s….and has been added to and changed hands over the years, but it has been in the family of the current owner and her husband for the past 37 years. They have treated us like royalty, and all of our meals have been top notch! Yep --- I’ll be back in 2015!

The weather has been pretty rainy, but in between the bursts of rain we were able to grab some leg stretching time and get out to experience a bit of nature. I keep hearing how I “Should have been here last weekend, it was glorious!” And that’s the story of my life. Every day has taken us one step farther into October and the temps are dropping and the wind is chilly. Last night it even thunderstormed us a wild one for most of the night…

The pretty colorful leaves that were here for my drive up on Wednesday are now mostly on the ground after this batch of storms, but let me take you on a little hike with us!

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A Gaggle of us went off down the road, headed to where the little nature hike wilderness area is…..golf course on the right….see most of the leaves on the ground?

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I was informed that when the trees are full of berries like this in the fall….it means we are going to have a long hard winter. That must explain the stocking up on fabric I’ve seen happening around here the past few days……Quilters getting ready to hunker down!

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Here’s our entrance to the hiking area! This was probably the best display of color I saw!

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Our pathway was carpeted with fallen leaves…….is there anything like the rich earthy scent of autumn leaves on the ground? I love it!

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Most of the oranges and reds were the first to fall, and what is left are the yellows….but they are still so beautiful! I love the sharp contrast of the black trunks of the maples compared to the papery whiteness of the birch trees.

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We walked and talked and laughed and breathed deep the wonderful fresh air.

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I’ve had the best time getting to know these ladies! Some of them have come to Quilt Camp since it’s beginning! Sue has made it 10 years out of the 11 years that Quilt Camp has been running. It’s a record!

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Isn’t this just so beautiful? We really enjoyed our nature hike…and made it back to the lodge in time for a wonderful lunch --- home made garden veggie soup, or my fave, creamy seafood chowder, all from scratch!

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Look at the color in this cluster of leaves…..isn’t this magnificent?!

9 comments:

  1. Looks beautiful! Our leaves are just starting to turn down here in Georgia if you need another autumn foliage fix....

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  2. Hopefully the leaves in NC will be in full color when you get home. Amazing that your calendar is so full that you cannot get back to the retreat for four years. I am so glad that you are so blessed and busy sharing the quilting that you love.Thanks for the walk in the woods.

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  3. Anonymous11:01 AM EDT

    Oh Bonnie, I so miss Rangeley right now. The Country Club and Golf Course has special memories for us too. A few Falls ago while driving down Mingo Springs Loop Rd we saw several deer grazing under the autumn trees. We happened to have a few apples which we gave to the deer. They looked at us longingly with those big brown eyes as if they were asking for more.Everytime we go back we look for those deer. Like we're gonna find them, right? When the kids were young and we'd go to Rangeley in the winter we'd go to the hardware store and buy plastic sleds. Then off to the hilly section of the golf course where we'd spend the day sliding down the snowy hills on those plastic sleds.Being from FL at the time, it was a special treat. It has forever been know as our "Frollicking Place"
    I sure miss Rangeley. Maybe I can make it to the next quilt camp in 2015.
    Sherry in Chattanooga
    smeyer002@centurytel.net

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  4. Spent a week in New England in October 3 years ago. This brings back such good memories!! Looks like you had a lovely time.

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  5. Looks like you had a great time. Our retreat is this coming week and I can't wait. We always have fun. As for your wet bags, you might look for some of the waterproof duffles that kyakers and rafters use. I'm not sure how big you can get them but you can probably google them or find them at outdoor type stores like REI etc.

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  6. Lodging and spirits..... it must be Hallowe'en, did the spirits keep you awake at night? tee hee

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  7. I'm glad you had such a great time at the retreat. Reading about it makes me want to have a quilting retreat with my group and maybe a few extras.

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  8. Anonymous6:34 PM EDT

    I do like to know what I'm doing next but don't think I'd like to be committed to doing things that far in advance. You are a brave woman! Don't forget to take care of Bonnie!

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  9. This is a beautiful walk Bonnie. Autumn gives so much colors!

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