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Friday, August 28, 2020

Opting for Outside!


I have posted photos of this fabulous barn before.

It’s one of my favorites.  Who can resist a big white barn in the middle of a green field highlighted by blue sky and puffy white clouds?

It’s not the straightest photo, taken out of a lowered car window as we were on our way up to hike Grayson Highlands yesterday morning.

It was just the kind of day that MUST be spent outdoors – as much as possible.  Before the rain comes this weekend.


Clouds were already gathering by the time we reached the park overlook.

And further up the road, by the time we reached the parking area for Rhododendron Trail the wind was a bit gusty and it looked like rain was blowing in from the distance.

Do we call it quits?  Or do we march forward knowing there is little shelter once we leave the parking area?


The blue sky is gone -

Low clouds are blowing through.

Oh this is going to be a crap shoot!


Nature, taking care of the fallen.


We didn’t have to hike far before we saw them.

This new foal is getting the hang of things!

So fun to watch it grow over the past few months – its mowhawk mane growing week by week.


Oh, it’s YOU again!


Those clouds are starting to look menacing!


How are you guys doing?

Good munching?


This one was a little wobbly brindled foal at the beginning of summer!

That mane is growing out nicely!


Other findings along the trail -

These blackberries are TART!


What the birds and critters don’t eat -

The people do!

(Love the texture of that old fence, don't you?)


Don’t bother me.

I’m napping!

All of that grazing is hard work -


Miracle of miracles -

It didn’t rain on us!

In fact the breezes made it a very cool and pleasant hike where if it had been sunny it would have been killer with our humidity hanging somewhere around 96%.

Fun random moment of the day – Coming upon another group of 4 hikers and having one of them say “Hey, aren’t you Bonnie Hunter?  I recognize Zoey!”

It turns out that Quilter Terri from Ohio is staying in nearby Lansing NC with her hubby (who also quilts!) and Terri’s brother and his wife (who sometimes quilts!) and are enjoying day hikes and exploring our corner of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

It was great to meet them – I mean, what are the chances?  That you’d meet another quilter who knows you while hiking the Appalachian Trail with your dog on a Thursday morning?  So much fun!


A bit of back porch applique in the afternoon!

As I said – it was a day to be spent OUTSIDE as much as possible, and that includes porch stitching!  There are only 2 hexie star blocks left to applique.  One needs a string base block made before it can be sewn down – i’m falling behind but loving it!


My special visitor has arrived!

There is nothing like sharing a coffee on the cabin porch with my eldest son.  He also arrived yesterday morning while Zoey and I were hiking – he was here when we got back!

There is much catching up to do after a year of not seeing each other.

We are making plans for the weekend ahead, but all are subject to change due to possible rain fall and the remnants of Hurricane Laura.

Because he is here – there may not be much quilty stuff to share over the next week, and that is okay with me.

I may be able to sneak in a little if Jason and his Dad go kayaking this evening – but we shall see.

I’m just happy to have him here for the next week.  He will head back after Labor day.

So HELLO FRIDAY!  What do you have in store for your day ahead?

Perhaps it will include REGISTERING for Free Motion Quilting Academy!


Meet Tricia!

Tricia is an FMQ Rockstar from the Fall 2019 cohort, and I love her words about her free motion quilting journey:

“HollyAnne is a fantastic teacher! The explanations and demonstrations of the motifs were easy to understand and broken down into bite-sized chunks so it wasn’t too overwhelming.

And having a ‘safe space’ to post and discuss my beginner-level work that I would not ordinarily show anyone was such an encouragement!”

Yay, Tricia!!

She created this whole cloth piece as her graduation project last fall, and I just love it!

Are you ready to start your FMQ journey, too?

FREE MOTION QUILTING ACADEMY (FMQA) IS THE FIRST COURSE OF ITS KIND THAT:

Allows you to learn Free Motion Quilting from the privacy and comfort of your own home.

Encourages you to start with what you have, keeping supplies minimal and affordable, rather than urging you to buy a fancier machine.

Is ready when you are, regardless of geography or time zone, with on-demand, pre-recorded video lessons.

Offers you ongoing access to the instructor so you never feel alone or stuck and you can get near-real-time help during live streamed Q&A sessions.

Connects you to other rockstars-in-training around the world so you can help and encourage each other.

It will be a fun, positive and confident learning experience for you. HollyAnne is your number one cheerleader in helping and encouraging you to succeed!

This is a 12 week course, AND you also will have lifetime access to the online course materials and Quilting Rockstars Facebook group.

Registration is open NOW but closes Saturday, August 29th – That’s TOMORROW NIGHT! So don’t wait!

New student orientation starts August 31, 2020. The course runs through December 3rd.



Quiltville Quote of the Day

There really is no place like home,

Happy 39th anniversary to the Hubster Dave. Being home for the entirety of 2020 has been a gift in so many ways.

Most of all - spending this time with people I love.

Our son Jason arrived from Portland Oregon yesterday and we are so happy he is here.

He took 5 days to drive solo and camp along the way

Family is EVERYTHING!

Off to spend some time with my son – have a wonderful Friday, everyone!



29 comments:

  1. Enjoy your time with your son because the quilt stuff will be there when he heads back. Thank you for sharing your days with us. 2020 has been troublesome for sure, yet also brought many gifts if we open our hearts to receive them.

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  2. Glad to hear you are making time with your son your priority! It will be awesome. Zoey has reached celebrity status-how fun is that.

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  3. Happy Anniversary! Enjoy the next week with your son!

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  4. Happy Anniversary to you both.

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  5. Welcome home Jason! He will love getting to know Zoey Jo and spending time in your Cabin home. Nothing better than family home after a long separation. Love that a Hiking Quilter recognized you and Zoey Jo, lol. Fun to see the ponies.Happy 39 years!

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  6. Happy Anniversary! Enjoy your son's time with you. and Zoey is now a celebrity!

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  7. My only wish is that you would have more than a weeks time with Jason, particularly since you haven't seen him in a year. Have a wonderful time making memories, looking forward to reading about your escapades with him, your quilting will be there waiting, as will I!! Happy Anniversary to you and Dave! Wishing you many more fun-filled happy years together!

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  8. I laughed at the comment,: "I recognized Zoey" she did not say she recognized you. Oh so fun!!! But you must be Bonnie because of Zoey!(my take). I spilled a little coffee when I read that. Good way to start my day. I just got a longarm it's an Innova M20 and I went ahead and got the robotics too. So happy I did. I quilted my first quilt in one day. Usually it takes up to 6 weeks to do so on my domestic machine. In one of your blogs you talked about how you where happy with your decision to have a longarm and the computer that went with it without feeling guilty. That stuck with me when I decided to get the robotics too. I have much to learn but so happy I can. And that's my plan today to spend time learning more with this wonderful invention and not feel guilty. Enjoy your time with your son, such a precious few days ahead for you.

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  9. Also Happy Anniversary!! And love your pictures.

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  10. the wild ponies are always so fun to see along with their acceptance of zoey jo. how fun to be recognized in an out-of-the-way place and to realize that zoey is so well known.
    enjoy your time with jason. it is not always easy for families to live so far apart (being a military brat makes it easier). happy anniversary to you and dave. quilty hugs, patti in florida

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  11. Happy Anniversary and a happy homecoming! This mother's heart swells with joy for your mother's heart! So glad he made the journey safely. Just a tad jealous though, as it has been far too long since I've been able to spend time with my son. Enjoy every precious moment!

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  12. Happy anniversary, so nice you are getting to spend some time with Jason. I’m sure Zoey is thrilled to have someone else to make a fuss of her she is such a sweet girl. So cute she’s now a celeb and is recognised lol.
    Have a wonderful weekend and lots of mum and son time.
    Stay safe
    Love and quilty hugs
    Anne xxx

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  13. Happy Anniversary to you and Dave! Take every moment to enjoy your week with Jason. It will go all too fast.

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  14. Happy Anniversary!! Enjoy those days with Jason and take many pictures as a keepsake. Oh to be recognized on the trails and Zoey as the recognizable celebrity also! Love seeing pictures of those ponies and the captions!!

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  15. Happy Anniversary!!

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  16. Happy anniversary! Enjoy your visit with your son. I'm glad he made it there safely.

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  17. Happy Anniversary. So glad you get to pend some time with your son....the year 2020 has given you a window on what it is like to be retired...staying close to home and getting to take care of local stuff. love seeing the Horses. How is Mona and her family doing? Have a wonderful weekend with family and be safe and stay dry...lol

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  18. Zoey Jo wants to know if she can herd the ponies! I think the brown and white foal is a filly (girl). I love the white barn with the barn quilt on it. I miss seeing occasional barn quilts through MD and PA. None in Yavapai County, AZ! It's not farm country here. Welcome home, Jason. Have a wonderful visit. Happy 39th anniversary to you and Dave! Stay well, stay safe.

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  19. So awesome that Zoey is now a 'quilting' rockstar right alongside her mom! Congrats on the anniversary and also having son-time. It has to be rough being so far apart in these days of unavoidable isolation.

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  20. Happy 39th Anniversary to both you and Dave!
    How joyous to have Jason home for a short time Have many memory making moments to restore and bless Dave and your heart and that of Jason.
    Many blessings for all!
    Helen S.

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  21. Enjoy your time with Jeff! I got to see my son for a few minutes today. We have been staying away from everyone most of the time. It was wonderful to see him. I got to pick my granddaughter up on Wednesday from high school. It was super wonderful to catch up with her and here her experiences with her freshman year and the covid 19 experience. They have divided classes by the alphabet, going every other week with virtual learning on the weeks she is home. Also happy anniversary to you and Dave. I even made two quilt blocks today, slowly getting back into a little bit of sewing after finishing packing up Mom's stuff and taking it to my brother. And we got her house sold, closing in a week. That will be a big relief not to have to deal with all that any more.

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  22. Happy Anniversary!💕

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  23. Is that a man bun I see, enjoy your time with him, quilters can wait. You are worth it. Be well always.

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  24. Happy 39th anniversary!
    Our son is with us for 2 weeks, sadly nearing the end as I take him home on Monday. From a lovely little kid to grumpy for too many years and we have seen the change back to lovely big and skinny man! It is wonderful to have my little boy back and having good times with us - the old fogeys!
    So it is lovely to see Jason arrive safely home with his mum and dad.
    As always I enjoy seeing your hikes and the ponies. We saw Exmoor wild ponies galloping around the moor yesterday and hiked some coastal path. Like you, we saw the inclement weather approaching - but last bit we had a bit of a shower and got home just in time before the worst arrived!
    Have a fabulous time with the family. All the best,

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  25. Houston dodged a bullet regarding Laura, hope it’s not a serious event for you! Always enjoy and look forward to your blog, you are awesome!

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  26. Happy Anniversary! So sweet, a loving son driving to see his Mom and Dad.
    Beautiful pictures!

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  27. Happy Anniversary and enjoy your your son’s visit!! Nothing beats time with loved ones 💕💕💕

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  28. I love when you post pictures of the horses! My favorite is watching how their tails start as this nub of fuzzy hair and evolves into this beautiful flowing tail. Enjoy your visit... my son just came for a visit. Nothing better.

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  29. Happy anniversary seems like a lot of people are celebrating 39 years this year that I know that’s wonderful and enjoy your time with Jason I’m sure you will have a great day I love being recognized because if your dog yeah my identity my whole life is oh Michael, Chrissy and Jenn’s mom.❤️

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