The Heart of Torch Lake

Start with a cool sunny morning…

Choose a trail that suits your mood for the moment but if you think the following is a diagram of a side of beef, you might want to rethink the whole walk thing…

Go with a trusted companion…this is Zack who not only serves as my trail guide but is also willing to lay down his life for me against a dreaded black squirrel attack. As you can tell, he’s alert & ready to leap into action at the first sign of those prolific critters. He’s also the consummate optimist having chased 100’s but never actually touched one.

A camera isn’t always necessary, some days you just need to quietly commune with Mother Nature & leave all the thinking behind, but occasionally it doesn’t hurt to carry it along. Just make sure when you do take it along, you keep your eyes wide, wide open to the colors, textures, & surprises.

The Famous Woodland Corn on the Log!

The Terrible Mean Woodland Bunny!

You Have to Look at Things…

From All Angles!!!

This is NOT a honey bee nest…so don’t go looking for anything here but Trouble!!!

Portal to the Hobbit World!!!

Strange but Cool Woodland Stuff Growing Out of a Tree!!!

…& the best for last…

I love this sign because after all isn’t all of life this simple, just put one foot in front of the other & move forward.

Me…I’m off to find the perfect “after walk” snack!!!

This blog starts with a confession…

I never learned to sew…

despite the fact that I had a mom who could probably have stitched together a small car if given enough “away time” from 3 active young kids. I was, in fact, famous during my new teacher days for being able to staple or masking tape any hem before the tardy bell rang! 

In addition, I had one grandmother who knitted prolifically, & another who crocheted with equal zeal. I should have become a fully formed crafter as a grown-up, but stubbornness & I suspect a short attention span left me clueless. Imagine my surprise when I decided to try my hand at quilting a few years ago. It started with the gentle nudge of a great friend & an unknown passion for collecting fabric…& lead me to last week’s the AQS Show in Grand Rapids. (AQS stands for American Quilters Society for those uninitiated in the language of stitching see www.aqsquiltshows/AQS/Grandrapids/show.com)

If it’s true that a picture is worth 1000 words then maybe there’s a chance to share a part of it with you!

To all who love color or nature, beauty or art, music, adventure or fun…

Here’s the scoop…

• AQS sponsors shows all over the country during the year so if you’re traveling…
• The show in Grand Rapids had 300 quilts entered this year.
• There were also 350 vendors at the show including 2 that I recognized from our area…
• Renee’s House of Quilting in Williamsburg. www.reneeshouseofquilting.net &
• Cousins Quilt Shop in Bellaire. www.cousinsquiltshop.com
• In addition to the quilts submitted to the show there were 4 other major quilt exhibits. Check out the website to see work from Egypt, the Philippines, the National Quilt Museum & more…
• Next year’s show in GR is Aug. 14-17 so you may want to put it on your calendar.
• My friend is a wizard at long arm quilting & the following is a small sample of her work!

“Thank You” to the gifted quilters who chose to share their art & to all the people who created the venue to show off all the talent. I don’t know you, but I appreciate every minute you put into the project.

Me…I’m off to talk to my mom about some new clothes!!!