A little bit of THIS!

Doesn’t THIS make you smile?

I know it does me…I got home from Germany and the trees that were still in “winter sleep” when I had left first for Texas, and then for Stuttgart….were just about ready to pop just a few days ago!

I know this season passes so quickly, this budding into blossoms, and then into leaves….I wish I could slow it down! I’ve watched the trees in the parking lot here at the Convention Center where the classes are in Pigeon Forge--every day, watching their progress! I won’t be home until the 20th, and I had to be told by phone that our trees were covered in pink at home! I know the pink will probably be gone by the time I get back there to see it.

I just love SPRING! Bring on the longer days…let it get dark later at night! I feel like I get more done in a day when it doesn’t get dark at 5pm! I know I’m not the only one.

Bring on GRILL weather! Bring on mornings….waking to the sounds of birds chirping happily in the yard. Frogs and peepers making their own sounds down by the creek…Nights of crickets, spring rains, blooming bushes and gentle breezes.

I’m ready for this winter to be LONG past! But let’s just slow down the spring part so we can enjoy more of it before it’s time to turn on the A/C and complain about the humidity crawling up beyond unbearable. It all goes to fast…every bit of it!

On Monday, when dad and I drove up through Smoky Mountain National Park….we went up and up and up…and before we knew it we were at the frost line! We had to stop and get some pics….the temp changes were THAT obvious. Below this level..things were just damp..above it..everything was completely white! It was almost eerie, in an awesome way!

Here is dad, playing Japanese tourist! LOL No..actually, we were the only non-asians there at this turn out…all these “BIG” cameras, and we were trying to catch the views on our little cams.

Here’s a pic dad caught of me…can you see where the frost line starts behind me…all of a sudden the mountains are completely white!

Here we go..same view…minus me

We drove farther up the mountain and IN to that white area, and you should have seen the trees overhead..everything was laden with frost…the sun was starting to shine through it, and the whole countryside took on an ethereal feel..

Can you see that the trees are all frosted, but the ground is NOT? Is this cool or what?

More Frosting. Of course, the air was colder up here….and the silence was amazing, only being broken now and then by passing cars….

We continued our way up the mountain, finally stopping at a rest area that had a lookout….

can you see the mountain range in the distance..? It was a gorgeous day!

I love this kind of frost….and knowing that it was this cold up at the top, with trees blooming in spring back at the bottom was so interesting! It won’t be long until all of this snow/frost is gone for good in the smokies, but it is still cold enough at night up in those higher elevations to keep things frozen for a while longer.

This pic was across the road in the OTHER direction…I just love being in these mountains!

Isn’t this cool? It was like a magical fantasy wonderland up there……((Even though I am really really tired of cold and snow and ice and longing for warmth…))

One more of Dad in between taking photos! I have no idea whose pick up truck that is! It’s been a great week so far, and I’m glad that I have a couple more days with Dad before he heads back to AZ on Friday!

Time is short!

My schedule is pretty tight here in Pigeon Forge, but I am having such an amazing time already!

Yesterday dad and I drove over the mountains from Pigeon Forge over to Gatlinburg, and on through to Cherokee, NC where we had lunch at the casino buffet ((which is really good!)) Click HERE for a map!

Monday was our only day to really spend together and run around, and we filled it full. I have some more pictures to edit down….we hit the frost line, and then drove up into the snow and it was SO SO SO Picturesque! Just trust me…the Smokies are everything you have heard about, and then some!

And then of course, I had to pop John Denver into the CD player….just because. It was too perfect NOT to!

This morning dawned bright and early…..classes started at 8:30am and classrooms still had to be set up….but guess who I had breakfast with? Some of my favorite quilters! Darlene Zimmerman, Cindy Blackburg, and Charlotte Warr Anderson! It’s fun for me because I’ve taught with Charlotte at two venues already this past year..once last June for the NC Symposium, and then again in January for the Road to Calif quilt show! Darlene was also there in January as was Elsie Campbell…..who I also had lunch with.

And you can pinch me now because…..guess who sat next to me at lunch? Jo Morton I left the onions off my burger at that point..LOL!

Today’s class was Cathedral stars and I am headed out the door for the meet and greet tonight at the quilt show…hope to get more time later, but even if I don’t, just let it suffice that I am having a great time surrounded by like minded quilters who also have to fondle fabric and slice it up and sew it back together on a daily basis. It’s great being amidst others who “GET ME”.

Here is a link to the trunkshow from the Schoenaich quilt guild last week! Will this tie you over a bit until I can post again? Hope so!

Toodles!

Another Free Kindle Book! (And a Taste of Tennessee!))

I came across this one last night and it looks good…I downloaded it right away. I just checked and it’s still showing as free so hurry over and get it while you can!

It’s called Immigrants by Howard Fast.

Description:

In this sweeping journey of love and fortune, master storyteller Howard Fast recounts the rise and fall of a family of roughneck immigrants determined to make their way in America at the turn of the century. Quick to ascend from the tragic depths of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, Dan Lavette becomes the head of a powerful shipping empire and establishes himself among the city's cultural elite. But when he finds himself caught in a loveless marriage to the daughter of San Francisco's richest family, a scandalous love affair threatens to destroy the empire Dan has built for himself.

The first of a compelling family saga, The Immigrants is a fast-paced, emotional novel that captures the wide range of relationships among immigrant families during the tumultuous events that defined the early twentieth century in America.

Yes, I’m not opposed to a little bit of romance tucked into the drama, I just prefer not to have anything really blatant..leave SOMETHING to my imagination please! I haven’t read this author before, but I’m going to give it a try :c) I do like historical novels that teach me something about the past as well as pull me into the story.

I awoke early on Saturday morning in Jackson TN…I’ve had a hard time getting my body sleep routine back to normal…it seems as it is edging in the right direction…for a while I was up at 3am…then the next day it moved to 4am…..Saturday morning I was obliged to “sleep in” til 4:40am! What’s a girl to do at this hour in a hotel by herself? I got up and sewed in my room!

At 6am I headed down to the fitness room and did 3 miles on the treadmill. It was raining outside, and a bit chilly so there was no way I was going to go do that outside….but I am aching to be pounding some pavement, even for long power walks…OUTSIDE!

A quick shower, and I was down stairs to set up for my lecture at 8am….because it started at 9. I was amazed at how they had arranged the ballroom to accommodate so many chairs…and members had brought quilts to display all along the back and the side of the room! Tables were draped with quilts, it was a gorgeous display of quilty color! It really touched my heart to see so many familiar quilts made in other people’s fabric and color choices. It felt like a welcome hug!

Karen sent me some “in action” shots she took while I was setting up:

It was so great to meet ladies ((and Gentlemen!)) who had driven hours through the rain to come spend a Saturday with us!

Karen also sent me pics of the quilts from around the room…..they are fabulous! What a bunch of talented quilters!

		Piece By Piece Quilters, Jackson TN 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

It is always fun to speak to so many and to watch them nod their heads at things I say or to raise their hands to ask a question. It also tickles me when people sit so seriously taking notes as if there will be an exam after! We all have so much fabric that we want to put to the best use possible…how to manage it all! One look at all these quilts above and you can tell that these ladies Love their scrap quilts and are doing a great job of it!

Don’t we just look SO dapper?! I’m talking about what things to look for when recycling fabric from clothing for quilting….I’m not sure this hospital gown is quite my style, but the print on it is darling….remember! Once you cut it up, it’s JUST FABRIC!! Thanks to the gals who so willingly participated in my fashion show! ((to the left is Micheline, and to the right is BoBo!))

By the end of the lecture, I was getting worried that this table was going to fall FLAT under the weight of the quilts!

After a delicious lunch at Coyote Blue, we went back for an Afternoon Pineapple Blossom Workshop! 41 crazy women in one room with machines going! The room was large enough that we had ample room for everyone to spread out and use the surrounding floor and stage areas for laying out blocks. I just get so INSPIRED to see what people are putting together! I think this is why I love teaching classes that do not involve kits. If everyone made the same thing….what would the surprise be? We’d have 41 identical quilts? This is much more fun, and I love hearing the stories about how long they have had this fabric, or that one, and what other quilts it went in….Scraps tell stories!

Here are the pics from the workshop! If you peek close you will also see a few other things sneak in, like Dixie’s Roll Roll Cotton Boll blocks that she brought to show me

		Pineapple Blossom, Jackson TN 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I drove to Knoxville yesterday and picked my Dad up at the airport! The weather is a bit chilly, but today it is supposed to “ALMOST” reach 60…I think it’s a good day for a drive to some scenic overlook areas. We found the best place for BBQ last night, and then did a father-daughter movie night and went and saw “The Adjustment Bureau” and found it very entertaining!

Tomorrow QuiltFest activities start happening! It’s going to be a fun week!