Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Trip to North Carolina

In retrospect, I wish I had gotten some photos of the back woods where we stayed.

Oh, I digress... My spouse and I went to a destination wedding. This time near Silva, North Carolina in the very westernmost part of the state. And near is a relative word for any of you who live in the Appalachian Mountains. It takes 20 minutes to go a mere couple of miles.

 I have NEVER driven on such curvy, steep and precarious roads. I am not complaining, just sharing the difference between where this Midwesterner lives and is used to. It is absolutely beautiful, breathtakingly beautiful. But you could look down 5 stories of wooded steep hills to a valley and then go up and not see the road either up and over or even around a corner. I don't think I ever got to a peak or even the depth of a valley and look up.  I would love to see it from up high and get a feel for the topography.   The images in my mind are indescribable and something I will never forget. Next time, it might be easier to arrive during the day.

Crossing the Appalachians for the pioneers is unthinkable in historical retrospect. I don't even know how they got from one mountain to the next and that is with the ease of perspective from interstate highways.

And don't laugh. But now I really understand the meaning of "Smoky Mountains". There were still patches of fog or low lying clouds at 10:00 in the morning on a sunny day.



So our niece on my husband's side was married in a barn/ outdoor service. Small family wedding with no more than 30ish people in attendance. She was beautiful and he was in awe. And they really are a great couple together. Other family members were pregnant or had a 3 month old little one. And I got to have fun with the 3 and a half year old. So special: the whole weekend.







We so enjoy being with family as these are spread over many states.  Just hanging out at a brewery or chilling by a pool is a great time. We had a fantastic home made brunch the next morning.

We had weather from the high 80s and hot and sticky in town to cool and damp in the evening or early morning.

We flew from Milwaukee to Atlanta to Knoxville and then drove 2 hours to the "resort" where our houses were. Wifi was spotty at best. In fact, we couldn't message/call each other in the house next door. And it was straight up/down the steepest hill to get there. I had to stop twice during the walk there to catch my breath.

But on the way back I had mapped out a quilt store in Schererville, Tennessee called the Cherry Pit.  It is somewhat near Knoxville. Very worth the trip! I highly recommend it. The staff was fantastic and the inspiration and quilts were wonderful. Such bright combinations and a good sense of color. Lots of fabrics spread out over 2 store spaces joined together. I forgot to take more pictures.



  I found some fabulous prints for the baby quilt to back and binding for my grandson and a trucks one.



2 comments:

  1. I love your bottom row, and I think it helps to unify a sampler when blocks are variations of similar designs. Glad you had fun in the Smoky Mountains and I laughed when I read that you mapped your way out to a quilt shop and braved the winding roads to get there!! I always want to hunt down the quilt shops when we go anywhere, too. This week we're headed to a B&B adventure at a new-to-me NC beach that is on an island. My husband just casually mentioned to me that there are NO CARS on this island and we have to reserve our FERRY ahead of time for when we get there and when we leave. Which means no sneaking off to discover new quilt shops for me... I better make sure I have plenty of hand stitching and reading packed for this trip!!

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  2. Such beautiful wedding photos. Time with family is the best. Finding new quilt shops is always fun, too.

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