Did you know?

Did you know that it is now summer?  It sure is.  And a hot summer at that.  Record or close to record high temperatures every day, with thunderstorms in between.  Summer.  No question about it.

Did you know I went on my bee's retreat to the mountains?  Yep.  So much sewing.  I took the 301 and all the small bits of fabric I showed in the bin on the last post.  Many got put together, but there is sooooo much more to do.  We stayed in a very comfortable house with a fabulous view of Grandfather Mountain.  Very pleasant in every way.

Since I got home I've been plugging away putting the blocks together.  Soooooo many more to make. :-)

Did you know I've been on a hat sewing kick?  Yep.  About eight so far.

Did you know that strawberry season has come and gone?  It's too short!

Did you know I made another purse from my favorite pattern?  Very fun fabric, but I've decided it isn't my colors.  Great for the summer though, and it was a good experiment in using Soft and Stable batting in a pattern that doesn't call for it.  I'm definitely going to try it again in the autumn.

Did you know I also went off to the North Carolina Quilt Symposium?  I had "help" packing too.  Do you know how hard it is to explain to a two-year-old that "his" suitcase isn't broken?  He was convinced it was missing wheels because it only has two.  :-)

We took a happy selfie when we finally arrived after the long drive.  A lot of smile in that photo!  More smiles when we saw how many ribbons some of us (not me) won at the quilt show.

The venue was very nice and included this interesting historic mansion.

The famous Georgia Bonesteel lives very close to Bonclarken and was a gracious hostess when some lucky folk went on a tour of her house and studio as one of our classes.  Her cat, Rose, got into the act too, which meant I had to go outside for a while to get away from the cat dander raised while flipping quilts and use my inhaler, but even so I enjoyed the tour thoroughly.

My other classes were with Sue Nickels, learning to draw feathers, and with Laura Wasilowski, in her Tiny Homes and Garden of Eden workshops.  All were fun and fabulous.

Did you  know I could draw feathers???  I sure didn't!!

Have you ever heard of a water castle?  I hadn't either.  Every once in a while The Viking would mention castles when we were driving around town.  Castle?  Where in the world would you find a castle in North Carolina?   Neither I nor his parents figured it out until one day when we were out of the car he pointed out the water tower behind Trader Joe's and told me it was a castle.  OHHHHH!  Behold....a Water Castle!

Of which we have many.  :-)

Did you know it is so much fun to see your grandson playing with your childhood toys?  :-)

Did you know if you start a walking program you sometimes have to walk in the pouring rain?  Yep.  You do.

Had you heard of a new migraine therapy called Cefaly?  Neither had I.  I'm a couple of weeks into it and I'm not dead yet.  I'm taking that as a good sign.

Did you know that Em Ems taste better with sand?  (M&Ms)

We've been spending time at Jordan Lake.  Someone is wondering if Nini remembered to bring the Em Ems again.  :-)

Do you know how important it is to have a "beach project?"  After a few trips to the beach I realized I needed something to do while the boy plays.  Granny squares seem to be the ticket.  No sharp objects involved.

I saw the idea of putting holes and eyelets in a plastic box for your yarn.  So we made one and it seems to be a good way of keeping the sand out of the yarn.....mostly.

Did you know baby owls nest in cars?  The Viking declared, "I have a seat belt.  Baby Owl have a nest."  Works for me.  :-)

Did you know dogs like to rush out of the airconditioning and take up posts in the sun in 100F heat?  Honestly!  We don't keep the house that cold!!!  Good grief!  Dark fur gets HOT.

We had lots of family over (on Saturday) for Father's Day and I failed to take many photos.  But here is one of the happy fathers and his namesake great grandson.  Love you Dad!!