Four days of enjoying the beauty of God's creation (with a few quilt shops visited along the way).
The drive from our home to Door County is about six hours if you take the fastest, non-scenic highways. The weather Monday was so pretty even the interstate was scenic. We stopped At Primitive Gatherings Quilt Shop in Menasha, WI. Dave napped in the car while I enjoyed seeing the original models of many of the patterns published by Primitive Gatherings.
The condo we rented for the three nights had wonderful views of the bay. Dave enjoyed sitting on the balcony with his morning coffee just staring over the tops of the multi-colored trees to the water. I found it a little cool on the balcony so sat inside but the large windows still offered a great view.
According to the weatherman Tuesday was to be the best weather during our visit so we drove all over the peninsula just drinking in the colors. We stopped at Quilter's Quest in Sister Bay which is the only quilt store in Northern Door County. The owner said the store stays open all winter but cuts the hours November to May. Only the hardy stay in Door County through the winter. Store had a nice collection of bright's, batiks and quick graphic quilt samples.
The weatherman was wrong! Wednesday was bright and sunny although only in the 50's. We were blessed with a second day to explore. This time we left the more traveled roads and drove through the state forest. The bright oranges and yellows against the dark green pine trees made me dream of a fall quilt pattern. One surprising thing was the oak trees were more orange than at home where oak trees usually turn a rusty red. We stopped at two antique markets. Since "the season" ends in two weeks many vendors had close-out prices. I found the regular prices on the Fostoria glassware much more reasonable then in Chicago area plus everything was 20% to 50% off. I spent more on glassware than on fabric this trip.
Thursday morning we had to say good-bye to the comfortable condo and head home. The drive south took eleven hours rather than the six hours driving north. Dave took every road marked scenic he could find on the map. Some of the roads were very narrow country roads with the trees arching over our heads. Our lunch stop was in Plymouth, WI. After great sandwiches at a local eatery Dave again napped in the car while I visited Sewing Basket. Wish this store was 100 miles closer!
We arrived home about 9:30 p.m. and found Mom happy and healthy. My friend, Mary Jane, who came to take care of Mom stayed until Saturday. This gave us time to view the local quilt guild show Friday and enjoy extra visiting before she flew back to her new home in Florida.
As usual I packed several handwork projects for the trip but didn't even get them out of the bag. Now with memories of all the lovely fall colors I am anxious to start a fall quilt. Maybe I will just look through the UFO's and find the maple leaf quilt which is half finished.
Susan