Ambling at the Arboretum

This morning we did a 10K walk at the NC Arboretum with a group we belong to, the Asheville Amblers.  We've done this walk before and it really is my favorite time of year to explore the grounds.  I took a few pictures, so I thought I would share a few with you.

Well, I just learned that I can download lots of pictures at once.  I chose 14 to share with just a few comments.

Russ and I had our pictures taken in the native azalea repository.  We learned that 17 of the 18 species of native azaleas are represented in this area of the arboretum.  The 18th specie only exists in California because it requires a different climate.

I was wearing a cap the same color as the flame azaleas behind me, but you can't really see the color of my cap, but the bush behind me was brilliant!

Some of the walk was along Bent Creek... that is just to the right of this shot of bracket fungus growing on an old stump.

 Here's a shot of the walkers up ahead.  Russ is the man on the left.  I kept stopping to take pictures and then I'd get behind and have to hurry and catch up and then something else would beg to be photographed and I was behind again.  Sometimes on these walks I can be on the slow side, but this time it was really the fact that I was stopping to take pictures.  I just love the fresh spring green foliage!

I have taken some courses on identifying spring wildflowers, but it's been a few years, so I really need to brush up on names.  I believe this is a May Apple.  The upper leaf that I'm grasping is like and umbrella, but if you lift it up you get rewarded with a sweet little flower dangling just underneath.

And I've seen these things along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  They look like corn cobs, but I'm not sure of the name... maybe Indian corn?

Again I had to move some other foliage to get a picture of this guy, but if you look closely, it's Jack-in-a-pulpit.

                                                    Baby pine cones?

 I can't have spring go by without taking a few dogwood pictures.  This is a nice variation with it's pale green pointy blossoms.

A lot of the containers were planted with anemones.  They are a pretty flower I don't see very often, in spring pastels of pink and purple.

This pretty foliage was in the bonsai garden.  Just look at that pretty color combination.  The beige stones, the copper, lime and grass green plants...

 And the quilt garden was planted all in pansies and you could really see the pattern, though I don't know the name of this square.  Cheryl, if you read this, you probably could educate me about this.

And finally, some more dogwood, the blossoms forming a stripe across my photo.

This is just a small sample of some of the things we saw today.  I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my photos!  It was a beautiful spring morning and perfect conditions for our walk.

STRAWBERRIES!

We are happily into strawberry season here in North Carolina.

Well, technically, most of our "local" strawberries actually come from just over the border in South Carolina.  This time of year you see lots of makeshift roadside stands show up.  Usually there is a truck and a tarp and some kind of a table with buckets of strawberries for sale.  We bought our first container full last weekend, and we are down to the last few.

The buckets hold 3.75 quarts of berries.  I apologize for the fact that these berries are getting a little dull looking from spending the week in the refrigerator, but I have since cleaned and consumed some of them and they are still very tasty!

Several years ago I bought a hanging basket of strawberry plants at the Farmers Market.  Late in the summer, when I thought the plants were pretty much dead, I just set it in the garden and the plants sent out runners and now there is a corner of our garden (between the chives and the birdbath) that is overrun with healthy, blossoming strawberry plants!  We do harvest a berry or two from here when we notice them, but mostly the birds enjoy them.

Each year Quilt Guild members are invited to make a quilt block to be given to the outgoing president as a recognition for taking on the job of leadership for the year.  Last year's president requested "food related" blocks in primary colors.  Her goal is to make her quilt and donate it to MANNA, the local food pantry that distributes food to the needy in our area.  In addition to her work with the Asheville Quilt Guild, she also sits on the MANNA board.  Likely the quilt will decorate an office or conference room at MANNA headquarters.  

Inspired by strawberry season, I decided to put strawberries on my block.  Here it is:

It measures 9 inches, as all the blocks will measure 8 1/2 inches in the final quilt.  I modified a free motif that came my way this week in a blog from Lark Books.  I had to enlarge the motif by 3.5X and then added a third strawberry to help fill my space.  I stenciled the berries, leaves and blossom and used fabric paint on white cotton.  I then embroidered the stems, seeds, branch and major vein on each leaf and some highlights on the blossom. 

 I think it is a simple and sweet block for Janie's quilt!