Wild Blooms of Summer!

This was our yesterday morning - doing our best to beat the rain!

Isn't it amazing how you can walk the same road, time and time again - and yet every time you go there is something new to see?

And of course - seeing it through the eyes of those who are experiencing it for the first time always fills my heart!

The bee balm is blooming!

Tall and brilliantly burgundy -

Up at the top of the bank - this is the roof of the "round house."

Oh, this COLOR!  Isn't it just beautiful?

This is the spot -

The spot where the mouth of Wilson Creek enters the New River.  The spot that gave Mouth of Wilson, Virginia its very strange name.  Does it make sense now?

Daylilies blooming by the little waterfall section of this brook.

We were enchanted by the little blooms everywhere -

No one tells the flowers how to do it - they just do it.  They just bloom, wherever they find themselves planted.

These sweet babies - never too much yellow!

Yellow with Periwinkle??  Yes please!

This color - magnificent! 

How about we throw in some brilliant orange for contrast?

Gorgeous!

And you can't ever go wrong with some summer Queen Anne's Lace in lacy white!

A variety of pinks against that verdant green of summer -

I think this is why I like green so much -

I'm happiest when my world is green - with pops of color!

As close as I could get - it was across a ditch -

But the scent of pink wild roses blooming - heavenly!

More pink - 

Isn't this an interesting one?

There were so many shapes and textures - some low to the ground, some standing tall.  

And the thought that teased through my mind was "Weeds are just wildflowers - misunderstood!"

Straddling the state line!

One foot in VA and the other in NC!

And what is this I see?

Tree leaves turning already?  But it's not quite mid-July!

Topiary sign needs a haircut! LOL!

I like to think that if everything stopped - the world would still bloom with beauty.  All of this would take over everything we've done to this planet - The flowers would still find a way to bloom.

It was a busy day for the quilters - at least half the group headed out to Wytheville for some quilt shop wandering and lunch out.  I love it when they take the time to explore this area after coming so far to get here.

The other half stayed and sewed and had a great time.

As for me - I was next door working on the upcoming things from behind-the-scenes.

And I've found a new program perfect to sew along with -

The Duchess of Duke Street!

"The Duchess of Duke Street is a BBC television drama series set in London between 1900 and 1925. It was created by John Hawkesworth, previously the producer of the ITV period drama Upstairs, Downstairs. It starred Gemma Jones as Louisa Leyton Trotter, the eponymous "Duchess" who works her way up from servant to renowned cook to proprietrix of the upper-class Bentinck Hotel in Duke Street, St. James's, in London.

The story is loosely based on the real-life career of Rosa Lewis (née Ovenden), the "Duchess of Jermyn Street", who ran the Cavendish Hotel in London, which still stands, at the corner of Duke St, St. James’s'. When the show first aired, there were many people who still remembered her, as she lived until 1952. According to census returns, she was born in Leyton, Essex, to a watchmaker. In the series, Louisa's family name is Leyton, and her father is a clockmaker.

The programme lasted for two series totalling 31 episodes, shown in 1976 and 1977. Shown later on PBS in the United States, it was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series in 1980." [source]

I am up for anything "Downton-esque" and it is so fun to see Gemma Jones in this early role.  BTW - I was only 14 when this series started in 1976. It's no wonder that I missed it!

Lola, rolling her eyes!

Today we are hiking up to see the ponies along the Appalachian Trail at Grayson Highlands. While intermittently rainy, it really has been comfortable temperature-wise, and when the rain falls, there is always quilting!

What do you have instore for your weekend ahead?

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Vintage orphan block quilt found in North Carolina.

Don't be afraid to start!

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It's okay to start small.

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It's okay to move slowly.

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Just begin!