A Real Mud Sale! Too Many Quilts

We finally made it to an Amish Mud Sale!  We started a couple of times, got sidetracked and went elsewhere in Elsewhere (our motorhome)!   We left Thursday morning - stopped at Cracker Barrel for a late breakfast - always good.

A beautiful drive until we got to somewhere on Interstate 81 in West Virginia - sat in traffic for two hours - hardly moving at all. Finally decided to stop in Martinsburg for the night and leave early Friday for Pennsylvania.  We spent the night at Cracker Barrel - nice quiet area.  Watched a movie - nice evening.  We did run the generator all night since it was hot and humid.  Very comfortable evening.

We were on the road at 5:15 AM - determined to make it to the sale this time.  We got to Bird in Hand (yes that is the name of the town) just as the sale was starting.  I have never seen so much mud in my life - it must have rained all day Thursday.  They were putting sawdust down by the truck loads.  A real Mud Sale!  There were several tents with auctions going on - selling horses, carts, buggies, tools, furniture, antiques, flowers, saddles and Quilts!  Lots of quilts - all kinds of quilts.  Big ones, Little ones, new ones, old ones. So much fun looking at all the quilts and talking to all the nice people.  

I think we may have to have some kind of intervention or something - we absolutely can NOT continue to go to these sales!  We don't seem to be able to resist the beautiful quilts.  I know - it is weird since I make quilts - why should we want more?  I think it's because I know how much time and hard work goes into a beautiful quilt.  And Ken bids more often than I do - he really should be helping me resist!  I really hate to put into writing how many quilts we bought - but maybe that will be the first step to our recovery!  We bought 5 quilts - large quilts - beautiful hand quilted quilts.  I don't have pictures yet - check back later.  

One of the quilts is a beautiful whole cloth quilt.  It really should have sold for three times what we paid for it.  After we bought it, an Amish lady sitting right in front of us turned to me and said, "That was my quilt".  She was so nice and so pleased that we loved her quilt so much.  She gave me her name and permission to put her name on the quilt label.  I told her that I realized how much work was in her quilt and how beautiful it is.  A very special quilt.  But where oh where will I put all the quilts?

We made a (probably very wise) decision not to go to the Mud Sale on Saturday.  It was in a town a few miles away - Refton.  We drove by on Friday afternoon and decided to keep driving so we wouldn't be tempted to bring home more quilts.  

We decided to drive through Lancaster - usually a nice town to visit.  Not this time.  They were having a street festival so the downtown streets were closed.  Took quite a while to get through town.  There are lots of "Rotaries" (we call them traffic circles). Thing is up there they use the Rotary very differently than we do.  It seems to be a free for all - jump in and hope for the best while they all keep going.  Not sure they understand what yield means.  I guess it helped that Elsewhere is a lot bigger than most of them!

We were exhausted by the time we survived the closed streets and Rotaries so we found the closest Walmart for the night.  We always ask permission - and they're always so nice.  Sometimes they cannot allow overnight stays because of city ordinance or not owning the lot.  When that happens they go out of their way to tell us where we can stay nearby.  

Saturday morning we drove to Gettysburg - took the two hour bus tour.  Very interesting.   The North Carolina Memorial on the battlefield is one of the most beautiful. It was created by Gutzon Borglum - who also created Mount Rushmore.  The views are spectacular.  This photo is the Eisenhower Farm - President and Mrs. Eisenhower donated their farm to the National Park Service.  This year is the 150th anniversary of The Battle of Gettysburg - lots of special events.  

We stopped by The Round Barn - only 8 miles west of Gettysburg.  Unusual and rare - huge round barn built around a silo.  They sell fruits and vegetables and all kinds of crafts and unusual foods.  We walked up to the second floor and took this photo.  Bet it was fun to watch this barn being built. Check it out at roundbarngettysburg.com.

Good to go - good to get home!  Elsewhere took good care of us.  Oh - I almost forgot!  I drove Elsewhere.  Decided it was about time.  I kept it between the lines!  Fun.

Elsewhere is Here

Can it really be March 20, 2013?  Guess I'm probably not the only one who feels like I'm in a time machine going way too fast!  

Since I can't travel ALL the time this blog needs to reinvent itself to include my life when I'm not in the motor home or car or plane or boat - but just living life at home.  As much as I do love traveling - I love home and family even more.  

Our new motor home needs a name - we never named any of the previous ones - but somehow this one seems to want a name.  Elsewhere!  Perfect.  When we're in the motorhome we are not at home - we are Elsewhere!!!  But he is surely not a Saint!  and definitely is a He.  Elsewhere is very young - just got him a couple of weeks ago.  We had looked at motor homes for six weeks - found exactly the floorplan we wanted - then could NOT find one anywhere.  Worn out from looking we decided to just keep the one we had - after all we really liked it...

March 8 -Loaded up and left for a trip to a Pennsylvania Mud Sale (more about that later).  I was in the back taking a nap (not all that unusual) when the Man yelled "Wake Up"!  Seems there was a Camping World in Roanoke, Virginia right alongside the Interstate.  Should we stop?  Why not?  Well...we pulled into the parking lot - right behind a motorhome that had just been delivered - not even washed and put on the lot.  What kind of motorhome?  The exact one we had been looking for!  Really?  We looked at several others just 'cause that's the way we are - have to make sure.  But it was meant to be, don't you think?  

The people at Camping World of Roanoke were great - gave us a good deal trading in our Class C for the Class A.  Cleaned up Elsewhere - hooked us up in their service area - parked our Class C next door with the doors facing so we could "move in"!  Didn't take long.  So we spent our first night with Elsewhere at Camping World of Roanoke.

We spent some time getting to know Elsewhere before heading north to Pennsylvania - didn't make it in time for the mud sale - we'll put that on the list for the future.

Boondocked at a Walmart somewhere in Pennsylvania.  There were five other RV's there - our own little community.  Did some shopping in Walmart - ate supper at Sam's - walked back to Elsewhere and started the generator - watched a blu ray movie.  Perfect Day.

Sunday in Lancaster and Intercourse, Pennsylvania.  Lots of Amish horses and buggies on the road - families walking - children playing.  Such a peaceful life they seem to live.  We spent the day walking around the town of Intercourse - smaller and more enjoyable than the city of Lancaster.

The Man found the quilt of his dreams - at Miller's Quilts in Intercourse.  He has wanted a Mariner's Compass quilt since he first saw one a couple of years ago.  I had plans to make it for him - but not until the really big Double Wedding Ring for Son 2 and wife is finished (yes, it will be finished one day)!  This quilt is amazing - pieced and hand quilted by an Amish lady.  He is a happy man.  

Drove to Hershey, Pa - really nice, leisurely day.  Spent the night in Hershey Campground - quiet, wooded.  

Headed south Monday morning with a few stops on the way.  We went back by Camping World of Roanoke - to ask a few more questions about Elsewhere.

Got home and realized that Elsewhere barely fits in our tallest building - the Man will have to make some modifications or building additions to accommodate our newest addition.

I Do Like a Challenge!

Why do you think I'm making this quilt?  I sometimes ask myself.  It is a bargello.

Squares are one inch - some smaller - some just a tiny bit larger.  Cut one inch strips of fabric - twenty different fabrics.  Sew the one inch strips together and then cut the sewn together strips into one inch strips and have fun arranging them and sewing them back together.  I do like a challenge - and this definitely qualifies as a challenge.  One more to check off my "bucket list" ...when it is finished.

My subconscious may be rebelling since I seem to have lost the pattern after starting the quilt.  My stubborn streak won out - I bought another pattern book!

I admit to being very competitive - just can't stand the thought of not knowing how to do something.

I love making quilts.I just have an aversion to ever making the same quilt pattern twice...so on to new and bigger projects. The new Janome Horizon sewing machine I got for Christmas sure makes it easier and so much more fun. I will be teaching a quilt class at Sew Together in February and March.  It's a great pattern...that I haven't done before so we will be learning together.  I really enjoy working part time at Sew Together - don't know if I enjoy teaching knitting or quilting more.  Our customers are wonderful and I've seen so many people that I haven't seen in years.

Little Man spent Sunday night with us.  His mommy says he always takes long naps the day after spending time with us.  He must be worn out from all that playing.  He is two years old and so full of energy and fun.

I cooked "dinner" for all of us Sunday.  Funny...it is dinner on Sunday but it's lunch the rest of the week.  Sitting around the table for a meal with family is one of my favorite things.

My biffle (best friend for life) who now lives in Georgia called tonight.  We talk quite often and usually for an hour or so at a time.  Some friends are just so much more than friends.  She works part time in a book store so we always have books and quilts to talk about.  She is reading a new book by Karen White - set in Georgia - I may have to read it.

Life is good.

Life is good.

Alphabet Quilt for Little Man

Snow, ice, cold. No school yesterday and today - no school tomorrow.  The boys are happy.

A very good day to be in the house - knitting, quilting, cooking.

Perry, Dale and Tristan ate with us - their favorite meal - salmon patties, gravy, creamed potatoes, green beans and biscuits.  Mmm, mmm good.  Perry was out all night putting salt on the roads so Dale and Tristan spent the night with us.

Auburn won the college football championship game last night!  Go Auburn.

I finished the Alphabet quilt Becky and I made for Jeremiah.  I love my new Janome Horizon Sewing machine - it makes everything easier.              

Next project - a bargello quilt - might be quite a challenge.  I will be teaching a Day and Night Quilt class at Sew Together next month.  It is an Eleanor Burns pattern - looks like fun.

Too Many Things I Love to Do

I started a new baby quilt.

Started a new string quilt.

Don't even ask how many knitting projects I have going.

I knitted an ear of corn and a pumpkin for Jeremiah.

I'm making an upholstered bench seat for Josh and Becky's hearth - so J won't hurt his head!!

Stained glass project in the works.

Breakfast with Lorraine and Lester at Cracker Barrel this morning.

I bought a Wii today - in the hopes that I'll use the Wii Fit...

Weather is beautiful, so I bought some flowers to plant!

And of course, we're planning a vegetable garden...

Dale is going fishing with Ken tomorrow - getting up at 4:00 AM - glad I'm not going.

In the midst of all this, I did cook dinner - even made cornbread and blueberry muffins!

Why in the world was Obama on the Jay Leno show last night??  

Life is busy, life is good.