It’s Good to be Home

Our 2013 beach vacation is in the books.

Heading for home in the fast lane…I was doing the speed limit.

The scenery along the border of North Carolina and Virginia is breath-taking.

Vacations are wonderful, but when you have these guys (guy & girl) to come home to it’s all good.

I think they missed each other.

Laddie our 11 year old Border Collie/Aussie mix stayed at home. My nephew house-sat for us. Laddie can be trusted alone in the house. He’s earned that right.

But we boarded our 8 month old English Shepherd puppy, Daisy. Daisy requires more supervision. A co-worker of my husband owns a kennel. So, that is where Daisy vacationed. Rumor-has-it or should I say pictures texted to us, shows she may have got some extra attention at the kennel. Evidence has since been erased.

Never-the-less, she was happy to be home and Laddie was happy we were all home.

Daisy looks like she’s begging Katie to never leave again.

As I said vacations are wonderful. But being welcomed by these two…

reminds you that there’s no place like home!

Pinckney Island Wildlife Refuge

One afternoon we hiked part of the trail in the Pinckney Island Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is about 1/2 mile from Hilton Head Island.

We hiked about 3 miles and it was a hot and humid day, as you can see by the sweat stain on the back of Jared’s shirt.

But it was worth it. We saw salt marshes.

Woodland areas.

Brilliant blue sky.

White Herons.

Green snakes.

Adorable armadillos.

Isn’t it adorable? I guess these little guys can be quite a nuisance, but for this Ohioan who’s never seen one before…it was adorable.

Exploring the Lagoon

Each year that we’ve gone to Hilton Head Island we’ve added a new adventure. This year we decided to explore the lagoon system that runs behind the villa where we stay.

My son, Jared and his wife Katie rented a kayak for the week. Because the villa sits on the lagoon system, Jared and Katie could dock the kayak on the bank behind the villa and store it under the deck.

I confess…the first time they got into and out of the kayak I was video taping it just in case. You don’t want to miss a possible $10,000 America’s Funniest Home video opportunity. No such luck. They were quite adept at disembarking and launching their kayak.

My husband, daughter and I rented a canoe one day and paddled along the lagoon with Jared and Katie. Here is Rachel and I suited up and ready to go. We rented from Hilton Head Outfitters.

We saw an assortment of water fowl.

And HHI’s version of “Keep Holding On”.

In May while running along the bike path in my home town I saw a similar situation of a tree holding on to the bank of the river. Here’s the link to that post…“Keep Holding On”.

The last stretch of the lagoon, as we made our way back to the outfitters, was the most beautiful.

The water was so still. It looked like glass.

The trees reflecting off the water was amazing.

Beautiful!

Biking on Hilton Head Island

Biking is a popular pastime on the island. Designated bike paths are throughout the island. Weekly bike rentals cost about $25-$35, which includes bike locks and baskets. We’ve rented from The Bike Doctor for the past 4 years. I call them and order our bikes a few days before our vacation. When we arrive at our villa the bikes are there waiting on us. And the day we leave The Bike Doctor comes and picks them up. Couldn’t be easier.

We love riding on the bike path near our villa. The scenery is beautiful.

Along the bike path you see stately homes tucked back in the trees.

Winding roads that seem to disappear in a canopy of trees.

And people walking their dogs.

This is the time I start to miss my dogs.

Hilton Head Island

My family and I recently had the pleasure of going on VACATION! For the past 5 years we have gone to Hilton Head Island, SC. We’ve stayed at the same villa for the past 4 years and it has worked well for our family.

If we are not bicycling, canoeing or at the beach…we are hanging out on the back deck that overlooks the lagoon.

From left to right is my daughter Rachel, my daughter-in-law Katie, me, my husband Roger and my son…

Jared.

If I’m not on the back deck I’m right here.

Ah, the beach!

Hilton Head Island has great beaches. When the tide is out the beach is huge. And the sand is hard-packed which is great for playing games on the beach.

I purposely did not include pictures of us playing games on the beach because that would include bathing suit pictures…and that’s not happening.

Two of my favorite things about HHI is walking on the beach in the evening.

And the majestic Live Oak trees with the Spanish moss dripping from them.

I want this to be my backyard. This swing just beckons you, don’t it?

Dodging the Raindrops

We have had rain 16 out of the last 19 days in central Ohio. The gardens and cornfields look great, but trying to find a time to go for a run has been difficult. I will run in a light rain. I will not run in a thunderstorm, which we have had several. Nor will I run in a downpour.

I found a window of opportunity the other evening, just after another thunderstorm. The temperature was great for running…the humidity was not so great.

I took a picture of the stream that runs along the bike path I run on.

As I said it was right after a thunderstorm with torrential rain. You can see by the grass on either side of the stream where the water had been. I was standing on a bridge to take this picture. If I had been there when the water was over-flowing those banks…I wouldn’t have stood on that bridge.

The forecast for the next week calls for more mild temperatures. 80° days and 50° nights with lower humidity. Looking forward to some great running weather!

All the Blocks Are In

The 2011 Amish Quilt Shop Hop quilt is almost done. After I had sewn the rows of blocks together to the half-way point…

I started on the opposite corner.

That way I don’t have to keep sewing rows onto a big and bulky quilt top.

After sewing the final rows on the bottom corner…

I sewed the 2 halves together and voilà! All the blocks are in.

Next and final step is sewing on the borders.

My Favorites at the NQA Quilt Show, part 3

Here are the final quilts from the NQA Quilt Show that simply, caught-my-eye. I think you’ll see why.

This final quilt was made by Alisa Seamster…love the name! How ironic.

This is an impressive quilt.

I took a picture of the label explaining how the quilt was made.

Yes, 33,320 half-inch squares…wow! And if that isn’t impressive enough, she “tied” it. Alisa was standing there by her quilt so she showed me the back and all the ties!

I hope you enjoyed the NQA Quilt Show and Tell. As I said…it always inspires me to improve my quilting and try new innovations. Cross-stitch quilting will not be one of them though. I’ll leave that to Alisa Seamster.

My Favorites at the NQA Quilt Show, part 2

Today’s quilt show-and-tell will be my Flora & Fauna category.

I love big beautiful floral pictorial quilts!

I love trees. I’m not a tree hugger, I just appreciate their simple beauty.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of the NQA Quilt Show and the, Caught My Eye, category.

Free to Run

Happy Independence Day!

To begin my July 4th celebrations I took part in a Free to Run 5k/5 Miler with my Run for God running group.

I’m the one in the middle with the green hat and my daughter-in-law, Katie, is beside me in the grey t-shirt…holding the half-eaten bagel. This was a fun run to celebrate the freedoms we have in this country.

Thank you to all those who have fought and given so much so that we can live in freedom!

Again I say, “Thank you”!

God bless America!