March 28, 2015

Not Your Grandmother's Corsage!

I just had to share with you some of the orchids I saw at the Western North Carolina Orchid Society show at the Arboretum today.
Since I don't know a whole lot about orchids, I will not provide any commentary other than to say that these flowers come in an amazing variety of colors, sizes and shapes.  And though there are some that might resemble the large orchids we used to see in corsages, there are others that look entirely different.
So here are just a few of the photos I took... in no particular order.  Enjoy!

















March 27, 2015

Everyone Loves a Scottie!

This is my "donation" to the Quilt Alliance annual contest.

As the contest specifies, it is 16 inches square and I think relates obviously to this year's theme, "Animals We Love."

It's a pretty traditional pattern of pieced blocks and half square triangles, and I adapted it from many variations available by googling "scottie dog quilt block images."

I made it from fabrics in my stash.  My first thought was to find a black, white and red plaid for the bow and the border, but a quick look at a couple of fabric and craft stores, as well as a quick internet search brought no useable results.  So I looked at what I had and worked with that.

I'm pleased with the result.  I did have to purchase rick rack.

I think the red rick rack trim really complements the red bow and the "sort of plaid" border fabric gives it that hint of Scottish look that we associate with this dog breed.

If you are not familiar with the Quilt Alliance or their annual contest, you can check out www.allianceforamericanquilts.org.  It's an organization that documents, preserves and shares quilts, so if you care about quilts, it is a nice organization to support.

Here are a couple more shots to show some details.

I was happy to sew on the sleeve during my sewing bee yesterday and deliver the quilt to the QA office later in the day... well before the May 1st deadline!

Now I have to tell you that my original plan was to adapt this photo into my quilt submission.
It was my emotional favorite because it shows three of the animals my granddaughter loves, sitting in my grandmother's childhood rocking chair.  I think it would have made a nice quilt.  But it would have been a lot more complicated and time-consuming to construct and I did have a deadline and several other projects demanding my attention.

So, I hope the Scottie dog has more universal appeal and that it will raise some money for the QA when it is auctioned off later this year!


March 22, 2015

Cataloochee

Yesterday we took a bus trip organized by the Western North Carolina History Association.  Our guide was regional author, Wayne Caldwell, who wrote a novel, "Cataloochee," which is a fictionalized account of the settlers in the town of Cataloochee during the late 1800's through the time just before 1930 when their land was acquired to become part of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  Wayne's ancestors lived in this area way back to his "third great grandfather," so he feels a real connection to this area.

We had a beautiful weather day for our trip, which included visiting several homesteads, outbuildings, the methodist church, and included a picnic lunch and a one mile hike into one of the homesteads that involved crossing the river three times each way on narrow log bridges and rock hopping along the river bed for a portion of the hike.

We stopped at this overlook to stretch our legs and appreciate the view.  You can see what a pretty day it is.


 From this overlook, our bus began the descent into the former settlement, negotiating severe switchbacks and a dirt road that snaked down to the valley where the remaining buildings are located.
 This yellow dog run house is called the Palmer house.  There is a little exhibit with census records and photographs of some of the families that lived in Cataloochee around the turn of the 20th century.
 I suppose that the layers of "wall paper" provided some insulation... and they made an interesting graphic statement.
If I had lived here, I would have certainly had some daffodils in my front yard!  Imagine how welcome it would be to see these flowers bloom after a long, treacherous winter!



 Above are some views of an outbuilding and barn that are on the Palmer property.
 Spring thaws have given the river a rather brisk current.  The water was crystal clear.
 In a distance you can see some of the elk herd that has been introduced into the National Park in recent years.  You can enlarge this picture to see them more clearly.  We saw several groups of elk from the bus throughout the day, some of them much closer than this, but this is the only photo I was able to get.
 Our second stop and the scene of our picnic lunch was the Caldwell House.  The overturned mud in the foreground was caused by wild pigs who search for roots and truffles.  We saw lots of evidence of the hogs, but didn't see any of them.
 The Caldwell House from the road.
 This is the trail head that leads to the Woody House, an interesting 1 mile hike that included crossing the river three times on single log bridges like the one below.
 We also had to walk up the river bed for a while, jumping from rock to rock!  Eventually we reached the house.
 Notice that the wild pigs have also been here!
Below is the Methodist Church.  Wayne read from the pulpit from his novel, delivering a fictional sermon on the actual spot where his ancestors, the residents of Cataloochee, were told that their homes would be taken by eminent domain for the formation of the National Park.
 It was a special treat to spend such a beautiful day learning more about the history of the area.  I hope we get to return to Cataloochee again soon.

March 20, 2015

Welcome Spring!

Happy 1st Day of Spring!


 A couple of days ago we went golfing at "our" course, the Asheville "Muni," now known as the Asheville Golf Course.  Because of travel and bad weather, it had been nearly 6 weeks since I had been there and I was pleased to see that everything was greening up.  So I decided to feature some photos I took as my homage to spring this year!


I don't usually include a picture of myself, but I did agree to get photographed in front of the nice display of daffodils in front of the club house.


It was a somewhat chilly and cloudy start to the round, but it's nice to see the fairways greening up again.  I took this picture because I really wanted to draw attention to the mahogany cast around the trees in the distance.  Here's a better view:

I love when the buds are prominent enough to color the branches like this!  Maybe the next time I play this hole there will be tiny green-gold leaves emerging!

We saw and heard many birds and, of course, the geese are back.  Geese just love golf courses!


In my search for color, I found some berries.  I'm not sure, but maybe this evergreen shrub is some sort of holly.  I was surprised that the berries were still so plentiful!


The golf course staff was busy pruning and shaping trees and picking up brush.


 This large, tall stand of trees borders on an intersection of Swannanoah River Road and probably was threatening power lines.  I imagine it is gone by now.  That was a big job!


We do get some pretty views as we play... this is looking down the 5th fairway with mountains in the distance.


As you can see, the clouds were breaking up and by the end of the round we were comfortable in short sleeved shirts.
The views on the back 9 are really prettier.  Here's the view from the 18th where the mountains appear closer.


It wouldn't be spring without a few dandelions, but they are hard to find on the golf course.  Here's a stray one.


Hole #11 was closed because they are doing extensive work on the irrigation system on the back 9.  They are closing one hole at a time until they get it done.  You can see the equipment in the distance where they are digging around the green.


On hole # 14, there is a garden planted right next to the women's tee and I saw these hyacinths in bloom.  There is some weather damage to the leaves, but the flowers are beautiful!


If I had waited a couple days, I would have been able to show you the forsythia that is now in bloom, as well as tulips... seems I notice something new everyday this time of year!
Happy Spring!