Happy Father’s Day!

I’m wishing all the Dads out there…be they sons, brothers, fathers, grandfathers, uncles, cousins, friends, and/or neighbors a wonderful day! Our lives wouldn’t be the same without you! You deserve a special day surrounded by loved ones and family…It’s YOUR day! Enjoy It!

I spoke to my dad quite a bit yesterday on my drive home from Orlando. We don’t get to see each other that often. He lives in Arizona, and I’m clear in the other Corner in North Carolina…but thanks to the wonders of the internet and cell phone..in some ways I feel that we communicate more often and better than we ever have.

Still…It didn’t hit me until THURSDAY that it was Father’s Day today --- and that meant running around Lakeland trying to find a place where I could buy a couple of Fathers Day cards, AND some stamps..AND…find a mail box or post office to get them out fast!

Let’s face it…cyber cards just don’t cut it for some holidays. It doesn’t work for Anniversaries, Valentines, Mothers Day or Fathers Day. I am a card giver. And I was off in search of the perfect card!

Of course, my choosing of this plaza to purchase my cards WAS largely due to the fact that there was a Twistee Treat in the parking lot! :cD A girl has to have priorities you know! And, the sugar-free-fat-free coconut frozen yogurt was pretty dang good for it being 98 degrees out there! Cards purchased, stamps purchased, and I wrote the cards in the cool A/C of my car while enjoying my frozen treat. Mail box in the same plaza? BONUS! Father’s Day was officially covered!

I think I’ve posted this pic before. This is my dad and me, circa 1963…I always thought I had the most handsome dad on the block! This is a Minneapolis Summer pic…which means it is at least June/July/August of 1963. I was born in January of 62, so this puts me about 18 months old. :c) And, it’s my favorite pic of us, so will likely be a re-blog for future father’s day and father’s birthday posts!

I stopped HERE on my way home from Florida yesterday!

This was right off the highway I was on, and I had to go flip a U-turn to go back to it..it was too inviting to pass up! Would there be quilts in here? Only a wander through would tell…in fact..I only found ONE!

Big Chunky Blocks…thick batting and wild fabrics from the 1940’s with some 30’s thrown in…I loved the fan quilting of course! The one main theme was to keep the blues in the 4 patches pointed toward the center of the block, and many of the block sashings seemed to be red, or had red in them…but that was about it! A true scrap-bag quilt with a wild variety of fun fabrics!

aren’t these fun!? I love the polka dots, plaids and stripes! And do you see that block on the left? The upper left-most square is a smaller scale of polka dot than the rest, but it works okay. We MAKE IT DO!

We’ve got extra large black dots…we’ve got white dots on a blue background, and red dots on a white background, and the red ones are even “frugal-pieced” to get a sashing that is big enough! Isn’t this great?! I love how fun the block on the left is…those stripes go every direction, and look at that plaid…and the dots make my eyes funny…WHEEEEE!

No, I didn’t buy it…again, over priced for how worn it was, it’s badly shredded and fabrics have really bled in places. It’s a Utility quilt they were trying to get museum quality prices for! But..a Picture is worth 1000 words….and great for the inspiration!

I also had to browse the machines! This Wilcox & Gibbs is Very old, and completely frozen up. I wonder about the lady who sewed on this one…what was her life like? What did she sew? Did she quilt? We’ll never know!

As a Minnesota Girl, I’d LOVE to have one of these…..this one had a really beautiful cabinet front, but parts were missing, and it didn’t move very readily either. Besides, I think Diane told me that these use a special needle, and I’m wanting things with easy-to-replace parts. Still….it’s a Minnesota! ((Can you hear the pull!??))

This baby had beautiful decal work, but they want nearly as much for her as they would a Featherweight! I think the fame of the featherweight has put up all the prices on vintage machines as well, and it’s getting ridiculous. Still…isn’t she a beauty?! I have too many machines to really want to bring another one home, but I still have to pet them and love them, give their wheels a turn and hope they find their way to a good home somewhere with someone who will clean them, oil them, fix them and USE THEM!

Behind the Antique Mall was a farmer’s market/flea market! You know you are in the south when Hot Boiled Peanuts are the in thing! I’ve never become very fond of the texture. It’s like biting into little mushy peanut butter balls, but some people love them! Just gotta get past the slimy! LOL! Me? I prefer my peanuts salted..in the shell!

And you gotta know it is SUMMER when the melons are for sale everywhere. I passed lots of people just parked on the side of the road, selling melons out of the back of their trucks! At this point in the farmer’s market I was too far from my car to want to carry melons around. And being the bargain hunter I am, I would have had to go for the 3 for $5, you know? :cD

I don’t know if you can tell up the road in front of me how SMOKY it is….this picture doesn’t do it justice at all. I started smelling the smoke and SEEING the smoke again just outside of Jacksonville. It goes up all the way past Brunswick, GA…and the smell is sickening. I put the A/C on recirculate so I wasn’t constantly having smoke sucked inside the car, but it was still really bad.

The fires in and near the Okefenokee Swamp have burned about a quarter of a million acres with no signs that the weather will provide much help with much needed rain. Read more at Jacksonville.com It’s just really sad. They need rain, and lots of it!

Well, today is the big day. It’s the day that I start looking for a minivan to replace my Saturn Vue. I just can’t haul enough in it! Cases of books and 50lb duffels of quilts…Not to mention my luggage, my sewing machine, project bins, etc. I need something with doors that slide open wide for easy access, and seats that tuck under to give me more room. It’s just time! Thinking about a Honda or a Toyota. And Yes. MINIVAN – I already have an SUV, so a Honda CRV is a step toward LESS space, rather than more. My Saturn already has more room than a CRV, so…here we go! Mama needs some NEW WHEELS!

I’ll keep ya posted!