tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13508708303847065992024-02-06T18:04:36.171-08:00This & ThatA few things worth sharing...Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.comBlogger195125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-81281587180239629612019-04-21T17:16:00.005-07:002019-04-21T17:16:48.518-07:00Easter at the Biltmore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This Easter Sunday started out cool, cloudy and a little blustery, but full sun and warmth was forecast for mid-afternoon, so we thought it would be a good day to check out the azalea garden at the Biltmore Estate.</div>
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The clouds cast interesting shadows on the newly emerging leaves and the mountains in the distance had various shades of blue and green.</div>
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We missed the tulips by about a week and a half. This was about all that was left after the torrential rains on Friday.<br />
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But it was the azalea garden that we really came to explore, and they did not disappoint.</div>
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The orange flame azaleas are favorites of ours.</div>
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Additionally there were some wildflowers. Here is a May Apple flower...<br />
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and some fiddleheads.</div>
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I always like to see the root bumps created by the Baldy Cypress tree.</div>
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I had trouble photographing the wisteria in the pergola,</div>
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but got this nice image in the walled garden.</div>
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After some coffee and people watching by the house, we headed to Antler Village. What looks like a lake beyond the parked cars is actually flooding from the Swannanoa River. </div>
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And then, of course, we had to enjoy a glass of wine!</div>
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Happy Easter!</div>
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Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-57772848795424438052018-07-08T15:19:00.001-07:002018-07-08T15:19:17.432-07:00ARKANSAS!So, today I was clearing my desk of some of the things that have accumulated over the last couple months and I found all my "paperwork" from my Road Scholar Trip in May to Arkansas.<br />
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It was such a nice trip that I took with my friend, Alice... I thought it deserved to be preserved on my blog.<br />
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We flew from Asheville to Little Rock, arriving early enough in the day to have lunch at the historic Capitol Grill and do a little exploring on our own. Our room was overlooking the Arkansas River and had this spectacular view.<br />
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After lunch we walked to the Market Square and then through the sculpture garden that decorates the riverside park on the Little Rock side of the river. Here's a postcard photoshoot of another bridge:</div>
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During the first full day of the program, we stayed in Little Rock and visited the Clinton Library. Adjacent to the Library is the headquarters for Heifer International and the campus includes their urban farm. This llama seemed to want to have his/her photo taken.</div>
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We also visited the historic first capitol building, which is now an eclectic museum of all things Arkansan and not. Coincidently there was a nice display of some of the museum's collection of quilts crafted by black Arkansans. Since the docent was not too knowledgeable about quilt construction, Alice pointed out interesting aspects of the quilts on display. She did a good job!</div>
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On the second day, we visited Little Rock Central High School which is a national historic site as well as continuing to be an operating high school. We had an excellent ranger led tour giving us the background of "the Little Rock Nine," the first black students to attempt to desegregate the all white school in 1957 and the explosive political and social aftermath. TV cameras made this local issue an international news item. It was a very moving presentation.</div>
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Our travels took us to northwestern Arkansas, with several interesting stops along the way, and we had an evening in Bentonville, home of the original Walmart 5&10 store. The next day we walked through the Compton Gardens to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which was the highlight of this trip for most participants, us included.</div>
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The three bears accompanying me was one of the first sculptures we encountered.</div>
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Crystal Bridges has an impressive collection, including a Buckminster Fuller dome and a Frank Lloyd Wright house, but the architecture of the space was also amazing. The museum is nestled in a ravine and the galleries are literally bridges spanning the Crystal stream that the Walton children played in as children. Sam Walton's daughter started collecting American art and it seems as though she is the driving force behind the Walton Foundation which operates this facility free to the public.</div>
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This photo was taken of the architectural model on display in the lower lobby and was the starting point of our architectural tour.</div>
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It gives you an idea of how the structures span the creek and float above it. </div>
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Here is a ground level photo of an actual part of the museum.</div>
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It was an amazing day. We were literally on the museum property from 10 AM to 9 PM.</div>
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We meandered back to Little Rock via the Ozark Craft Center where we had some time in the craft village, were treated to a wonderful evening concert, and spent the night in a very comfortable cabin. After a hearty breakfast, we were entertained by an Ozark storyteller.</div>
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We returned to Little Rock and had a tour of the current state house, as well as a docent led tour of preserved historic neighborhoods.</div>
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Our final day consisted of a stop at Garvan Woodland Gardens as well as lunch and an afternoon at Hot Springs National Park. Here is a view of bath house row.</div>
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The RS program ran from Monday afternoon through Monday morning, a full and busy week. In addition to the things I've highlighted in this blog post, there were many other places that we stopped at or learned about. Our guides were native Arkansans and were very knowledgeable about their home state, it's resources, history, politics and they had good suggestions for restaurants to eat at on the few times we were on our own for meals.</div>
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It is a popular RS program, running several times throughout the year, and it has been fine tuned. There is very little I would suggest to change and, as usual, I continue to be a fan of RS travels.</div>
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Who knew Arkansas was so interesting???</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-47137643050566071052018-04-13T09:08:00.001-07:002018-04-13T09:08:47.713-07:00Orchids for your pleasure!<div style="text-align: center;">
One of the annual events at the North Carolin Arboretum that I never tire of is the orchid show and sale. Of course, if you follow my blog, you have seen photos posted just about every year. Well, I took photos again, and so I'll share a few. I'm always amazed at the different colors, shapes, sizes and arrangements. They are certainly varied and it's hard to pick a favorite. </div>
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And there were many vendors there selling all of these different varieties. Interestingly, after looking over all of the choices, I brought home a Macodes Petola, which has a very unremarkable flower stalk if I can get it to bloom. I was attracted by it's petite size and it's magnificent reticulated leaves.</div>
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Here it is!</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-67296985229330217392018-04-11T17:42:00.001-07:002018-04-11T17:42:56.861-07:00It was a great vacation!When Maggie asked if we wanted to go to Puerto Rico with them in mid March, I have to admit we were a bit hesitant. We already had some travel plans at the end of February and quite frankly by mid-March we are likely to have some nice spring weather here at home to enjoy. We also didn't know if Puerto Rico would be ready for visitors yet.<br />
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But then we quickly realized that sharing vacation time with family is such a special treat... how could we even think of saying "no?"<br />
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As it turned out, winter storms delayed Maggie's family's arrival by a couple of days, but that gave Russ and I time to get acclimated, fill the refrigerator, and enjoy a lovely "adult" dinner by the beach.<br />
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As we hydrated ourselves and filled our bellies with delicious food, we were able to enjoy the beautiful sunset from our table.</div>
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Our rental hacienda was in Rincon on the western side of the island. It was a property that we had stayed in a year and a half ago, so we were familiar with the amenities and location. It seemed to have survived quite well through Hurricane Maria and was equipped with a generator in case of power failure. We did see downed power lines and unusually leaning power poles, evidence of tree loss, and blown down signs, but in general Rincon was up and running and looking good. Everything was lush and green. In this climate, the flora regenerates quickly.</div>
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Once the twins arrived, many hours were spent in the pool and we even had a swim up bar!</div>
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Seriously, days here are very relaxing. We do expend some effort keeping well hydrated and submerged in pool water or relaxing at the beach.</div>
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There is a fair amount of nonsense with 4 year olds and we played a lot of UNO.</div>
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One of our favorite beaches is called Steps Beach. I wonder why they call it that?<br />
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Besides the beautiful ocean, there are lots of shade trees to relax under or to climb.</div>
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Though we do eat many meals "at home," we did also try to support the local economy by eating out often, too.</div>
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Palm trees abound, though there were more of them before the hurricane.</div>
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Sunsets were lovely.</div>
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And the local fauna included this iguana who regularly visited our pool.</div>
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Good bye to a wonderful vacation!</div>
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Rise up, Puerto Rico!</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-47900782190675664142018-03-01T08:22:00.000-08:002018-03-01T08:22:23.995-08:00Ruins, ruins, and more ruins<div style="text-align: center;">
We have just returned from almost two weeks in southern GA and northern FL. </div>
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Our first stop was Kings Bay, GA, where we enjoyed a nice round of golf at Trident Lakes, an 18 hole course that is located on the US Navy base, a trident submarine base on the St. Mary's River inlet.</div>
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After leaving the golf course, we made a brief stop at The Tabby Sugar Works ruin. The ruin was located just a short walk, through a canopy of live oaks and Spanish moss which are both prominent in this part of the country.</div>
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The interpretive sign informed us that the Tabby Sugar Works were built in 1825 and it was the first horizontal cane mill worked by cattle power.</div>
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The ruins were quite extensive and composed of many large rooms. I imagine that there were areas of the mill used to not only store sugar cane, but possibly to house some of the cattle power.</div>
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We were intrigued by the building material which appeared to be a cement that made use of the abundant sand and shells in this area.</div>
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On the first full day of our Road Scholar Program based on Amelia Island, FL, we returned to southern GA to take a ferry to Cumberland Island. We spent the day doing a hike which took us to Dungeness, the ruins of an estate owned by the Carnegie family. Like many of the islands off the coast of GA, wealthy families owned huge tracts of land and built their winter homes here in the late 1800's. (This is similar to the tale of Asheville's Biltmore Estate which served as a year-round playground for George Vanderbilt and his family and guests.)</div>
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Unfortunately Dungeness burned leaving behind an impressive ruin. One can imagine the massive size of the home which rose four stories and looked over the mouth of the St. Mary's River as it enters the Atlantic. </div>
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While viewing the ruins, our guide pointed out that much of the structure was made out of "tabby." The light bulb moment! When we had been at Tabby Sugar House Ruins, it had not occurred to me that that was the material that the structure was made of. She went on to say that the shells used were taken from huge deposits of shells that the native Americans from hundreds of years ago left behind, and indeed it was a type of cement made from sand and crushed shells.</div>
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Most of the large island of Cumberland (it's 18 miles long) is part of the National Park Service, though there are about a dozen private residents still on the island. Only a limited number of people are allowed to visit the island each day. There is another Carnegie home on the island that has been turned into an inn, and we were told that a developer recently purchased one of the few remaining privately owned tracts and plans to build some sort of resort property. That has been met with a lot of local opposition from groups and individuals who feel that the island should remain as natural as possible.</div>
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One fascinating but sad fact is that when the Dungeness estate was no longer functional the last owner released the polo ponies to fend for themselves. As a result, the island has a huge herd of malnourished feral horses. The horses are a tourist draw, but many environmentalists feel that the horses are damaging the natural landscape and that it is cruel to keep the horses there. It is a controversial issue we discussed as we walked.</div>
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Our nearly 6 mile hike took us to the Atlantic beach side which is a great place to hunt for shells. We had only a brief time at the beach and it was late in the day, so we did not find many shells of interest. We didn't see any whole sand dollars, but there were lots of "quarters."</div>
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We visited our last set of ruins on the third afternoon of our RS Program when we had some "free" time. We decided to drive about 15 or 20 miles south of our hotel to visit the Kingsley Plantation.</div>
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Though the plantation house was modest by plantation standards, it had an interesting story in that the owner of the plantation married a black woman from the West Indies, so the slaves on the plantation actually had a black mistress. It was a rice plantation and was situated on a beautiful piece of property along the river. </div>
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The tabby ruins there were the slave houses; tiny tabby structures, perhaps 12 feet square, with two small rooms arranged in a semi circle a distance from the main house.</div>
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While we were at the ruins, a peacock joined us to show off and distract us from thinking too much about what kind of life these slaves endured.</div>
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I would highly recommend this RS Program #11603. We were kept delightfully busy and entertained, the accommodations were excellent, the food was great, the coordinator knew her stuff. Besides Cumberland, we spent a day at Okefenokee Swamp, had a wonderful narrated river cruise from the Amelia Island marina, we did an entertaining historic Fernandina Beach tour, we had musical entertainment, learned about the local paper and shrimping industries, had a presentation by a naturalist, and of course, enjoyed perfect weather!</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-71996428474663513852017-12-10T12:32:00.001-08:002017-12-10T12:32:42.188-08:00Biltmore in the snow<div style="text-align: center;">
It's rare to see the Biltmore Estate blanketed in significant snowfall, so when the skies turned blue yesterday afternoon we headed to see it for ourselves.</div>
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Someone built a snowman on this cherub's head!</div>
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It used to be prohibited to take photos in the house, but now it's allowed. I suppose people were surreptitiously using their phones anyway and, after all, it's good publicity. </div>
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The artifacts in the house are breathtaking enough, but they have some magnificent holiday decorations and Christmas trees this time of year. </div>
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So here are some photos for you to enjoy.</div>
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The conservatory is festooned with greenery and poinsettias.</div>
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The tree in the dining room is too big to capture in a single photo. It is a "real" tree and actually gets swapped out once during the holiday season. </div>
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As lovely as it is, I think I was especially taken by the three massive fireplaces at the other end of the room. You seldom see them ablaze.</div>
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And now some other pretty trees...</div>
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And a final photo of some lovely yellow begonias in the display on the hallway table.</div>
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A treasure to visit any time of the year, the house always looks especially ready for entertaining during the holiday season!</div>
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Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-44855744264442127132017-12-10T09:04:00.001-08:002017-12-10T09:04:30.010-08:00We got SNOW!!!<div style="text-align: center;">
On Thursday, 12/7, the local forecasters had told us we would get a dusting of snow on Friday, maybe an inch, with of course, more at the higher elevations. Even in an area where a powdered donut dropped in the parking lot is enough to close school, this did not sound dire... just festively seasonal! There wasn't even a rush to get bread and milk on hand, though this time of year the ABC Stores are always busy.</div>
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Well, we woke up to the dusting.</div>
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And then it continued and continued all day.</div>
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Until we had close to a foot of snow! </div>
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The birds were happy that Russ had filled the bird feeder!</div>
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By dusk, things looked like this and the area was at a standstill!</div>
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Notice, we had lights... some in the area weren't so lucky.</div>
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The next morning, it was apparent that another inch or so had fallen overnight.</div>
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It was a pretty snowfall, with the snow clinging to branches and boughs.</div>
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By afternoon on Saturday, things were looking even prettier because the sun returned and the sky was a nice clear blue.</div>
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Typically morning snow is gone by around noon here, but this amount will stay for a while... well, at least for a few days.</div>
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The local paper, which hasn't been delivered in the last couple of days, said that this is the 15th biggest snow fall ever recorded for this area. </div>
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Imagine that!</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-25672055018656203962017-11-19T17:49:00.000-08:002017-11-19T17:49:36.852-08:00The Secret City and Gatlinburg<div style="text-align: center;">
This weekend we traveled to Tennessee to walk with the Asheville Amblers walking club in Oak Ridge and Gatlinburg.</div>
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About a year ago I read (well, actually, I think I listened to the audio book) "The Girls of Atomic City" by Denise Kiernan. It is a fascinating account about women who came to a newly created, secret, secured city, not found on any map to work on a project that they were told would help win World War II. Though housed in dormitories and prefab houses in makeshift neighborhoods, they shared stories of their lives with one another, but were forbidden to talk about any aspect of their work. The secret city eventually came to be called Oak Ridge, TN, after their mission succeeded. The work at Oak Ridge involved extracting the radioactive uranium that was used to create the atom bomb. At it's height, the government city had a population of 75,000 people.</div>
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Well, the book piqued my curiosity and so, when the Ambler trip was announced, I was eager to go and see what was left of the secret city.</div>
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Our first stop was the American Museum of Science and Energy.</div>
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At the museum, we signed up for the walk and then viewed a short orientation movie about Oak Ridge and the Manhattan Project.</div>
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Because the skies were heavily clouded with the threat of rain by mid-afternoon, it was decided that we would take our walk immediately so that we wouldn't get soaked.</div>
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The walk took us through a large park region which had a number of monuments related to the Manhattan Project. I was particularly taken by this friendship bell which is temporarily sitting on the ground awaiting a new structure from which it will hang.</div>
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If you read the plaque above you can see that it is a collaborative project between Japan and Oak Ridge, presented to celebrate the 50th birthday of Oak Ridge.</div>
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The photo below gives you an idea of how pretty the park area is, even on a cloudy day.</div>
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The rest of our walk, after we left the park, was mostly through rather modest and nondescript neighborhoods. We also walked by a lot of churches.</div>
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I couldn't resist taking a picture of this pig car.</div>
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The fact that we rushed to get our walk finished as quickly as possible gave us and hour or more to explore the museum, which not only documents Oak Ridge history and related World War II history, but also has a lot of compelling, hands on displays about all of the common sources of energy... atomic, electric, coal, oil and solar.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7C20SfYfPVErAWbkX8WoyqvRqHjYLJLweoXrw_AsS8oJN5tdlvjytdK-DY_Al-wiWccHgejJRxpudwM_nfKwEeFSzqa4zjg891goq6kBeAZZ6KCvosK23_5ERtTRbyMFqXZiKqUbDdxw/s1600/IMG_4654.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1478" data-original-width="1600" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7C20SfYfPVErAWbkX8WoyqvRqHjYLJLweoXrw_AsS8oJN5tdlvjytdK-DY_Al-wiWccHgejJRxpudwM_nfKwEeFSzqa4zjg891goq6kBeAZZ6KCvosK23_5ERtTRbyMFqXZiKqUbDdxw/s320/IMG_4654.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was quite fascinating, but we heard that the museum will be moved and likely downsized due to the current administration's lack of support for these national historic sites. What a loss that will be.</div>
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Late afternoon we left Oak Ridge and headed to Gatlinburg for dinner, overnight, and a walk on Sunday morning.</div>
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I didn't take many photos in Gatlinburg, but it was very busy there... lot's of traffic and lines at every restaurant. We ended up having an excellent dinner at Cherokee Grill... I recommend it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcy51ySF_SpVKOxsCKSZZCd38KgK8Lrf9sNNLZ8ZY6PHvWGncrnW-Ji64j3AqtfdQ8yieGV0WNyn8vkrAwg6BdHMjNFbB90gmH0M_J2xloqIx71jv8HnqsBVm-lu1dv1_QvE_2xbfBzvA/s1600/IMG_4667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1053" data-original-width="1600" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcy51ySF_SpVKOxsCKSZZCd38KgK8Lrf9sNNLZ8ZY6PHvWGncrnW-Ji64j3AqtfdQ8yieGV0WNyn8vkrAwg6BdHMjNFbB90gmH0M_J2xloqIx71jv8HnqsBVm-lu1dv1_QvE_2xbfBzvA/s320/IMG_4667.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since we needed to get back home by early afternoon, we opted to take our morning walk on the main drag of Gatlinburg. So I took the daytime photo of our dinner restaurant then and here's a street scene. The main street of Gatlinburg which is the gateway to the Great Smoky National Park is a couple miles of tourist shops of all kinds... I think we passed at least 6 places where you could buy fudge, at least 4 pancake restaurants, several chain restaurants, many t-shirt and souvenir shops, Ripley's, Star Cars, three indoor mini golf courses, a wax museum, etc., etc. You get the picture. Well, actually, you can get an "old time" picture of yourself or your pet at about a half dozen places, too. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNOcUoi7A56aBJoxduDj5-crA8oykWAfjZsULoGfzgPwu7uLEysl0c190ljfoEr6wyEPofHC7X558sjJg_2oA61yNkDBo0mugX-XrcC2Xb9-ZQqCPwjOWFFQPEUJUqIywNi8fjTQfb64/s1600/IMG_4665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1556" data-original-width="1600" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNOcUoi7A56aBJoxduDj5-crA8oykWAfjZsULoGfzgPwu7uLEysl0c190ljfoEr6wyEPofHC7X558sjJg_2oA61yNkDBo0mugX-XrcC2Xb9-ZQqCPwjOWFFQPEUJUqIywNi8fjTQfb64/s320/IMG_4665.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's refreshing to know that just a couple miles down the road you can enter the national park and be surrounded by nature!</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-25898335198784052382017-11-10T16:33:00.004-08:002017-11-10T16:33:46.932-08:00Tryon Equestrian CenterToday we spent a sunny few hours at the Tryon International Equestrian Center which is actually near Tryon in Mill Spring, NC.<br />
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This amazing new facility will host the FEI World Equestrian Games in 2018. Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, this huge campus includes a regulation outdoor arena, a soon to be completed indoor competition space, and several rings specifically for dressage, jumping, and other events. Adjacent land is being leveled for another large arena. Additionally there are rental cabins, a campground, a village with shops and at least a half dozen restaurants, many stable buildings, a general store, and the grounds are peppered with horse inspired pieces of artwork. The goal of the developers is not only to have a world class resort honoring "the magic of the horse" but to make it a year round destination for families of horse enthusiasts who also might be interested in exploring their nearby golf course, a lodge they have on nearby Lake Lure, and attractions in the nearby small towns and the area between Charlotte and Asheville. As our guide explained, a family might stay there because they have a child involved in a week long "horse camp," but the rest of the family can be zip lining, swimming, golfing, using the shooting range, exploring nearby towns and cities, visiting the Biltmore Estate, hiking, tubing or doing any number of other activities within a reasonable radius. They are aiming to have multifaceted appeal.<br />
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I took a few pictures to share.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQm31R0h-2Akjuv69DO1ZfcMRZbOjgNPmeYEg9GOski6IkKTVwEVve9D-SyZBhoL96SxfG4Isgbu_PRkBQIOwkbt9e504EgLCHLoQzJl307-9k3uCMVKd1TuwVqOhNqbkxvskxolYdPGM/s1600/IMG_4577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQm31R0h-2Akjuv69DO1ZfcMRZbOjgNPmeYEg9GOski6IkKTVwEVve9D-SyZBhoL96SxfG4Isgbu_PRkBQIOwkbt9e504EgLCHLoQzJl307-9k3uCMVKd1TuwVqOhNqbkxvskxolYdPGM/s320/IMG_4577.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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These giant Rolex clocks top the main building which fronts the large arena. The outdoor seating in the foreground is part of "The Legends" restaurant.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfh_mriuasFjzpU8rY5qyeiwfFCp3JSYslcFjGZ8m3AayFidC6Vyy_Eycl3BHq0zUUToMZIRt-uXPT6a5Dpr6nBPi49cz5QDZLDM6Gnr3-9Bot1OaDsnkz6iaakFJBRbk-wZatWo_NdKA/s1600/IMG_4574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfh_mriuasFjzpU8rY5qyeiwfFCp3JSYslcFjGZ8m3AayFidC6Vyy_Eycl3BHq0zUUToMZIRt-uXPT6a5Dpr6nBPi49cz5QDZLDM6Gnr3-9Bot1OaDsnkz6iaakFJBRbk-wZatWo_NdKA/s320/IMG_4574.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's a view of the same building, note the clock tower, from across the arena.</div>
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From just about every location you can see construction going on... there is lots of earth being moved around and reshaped. Along with an interesting intersection off the highway to get to the property.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5rIbOA5FAhoieJFeNnAe-ZOekwZElFWxbQABB_4azr6CrxJf8jKqBPIEbiKdyDvIwCWeM8rhSFiUgbfN0wI6tl6bHvhVLkwktN9mpDjmmb9w4JpUlNvXX5sVnpmL0eFQeV1EFshRGUE/s1600/IMG_4575.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1425" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF5rIbOA5FAhoieJFeNnAe-ZOekwZElFWxbQABB_4azr6CrxJf8jKqBPIEbiKdyDvIwCWeM8rhSFiUgbfN0wI6tl6bHvhVLkwktN9mpDjmmb9w4JpUlNvXX5sVnpmL0eFQeV1EFshRGUE/s320/IMG_4575.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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This Venetian carousel operates during special events and I'm sure it's as popular as it is pretty.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzz7AwJN77b7__oJ6eqVOET6AYORSDzsgmTwb6kgEkhtP-l2TM0Rh_FnKd7x8v1P1Hq0yc9mytpCsgMB0BjwooEbWFQAAkAhj_DeNfZRioQ4nE2jU8TXXXOp1zZYqIX8IiUeyTP-NGWw/s1600/IMG_4576.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1600" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUzz7AwJN77b7__oJ6eqVOET6AYORSDzsgmTwb6kgEkhtP-l2TM0Rh_FnKd7x8v1P1Hq0yc9mytpCsgMB0BjwooEbWFQAAkAhj_DeNfZRioQ4nE2jU8TXXXOp1zZYqIX8IiUeyTP-NGWw/s320/IMG_4576.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Signs direct you to various venues.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Cx0BwdzWPk4i_l9TmlaIwtdi0TOYyQdnABo6qufi63QSjU6LabyrQyIZZG08Dn7jERX2OzjcHHGQ3ghaMw2DvFP9sE_EnhgKf3OnlUVJ1DARZWPuE5UCVKKU3T-lTdMHdBplK6yyNsg/s1600/IMG_4594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1442" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Cx0BwdzWPk4i_l9TmlaIwtdi0TOYyQdnABo6qufi63QSjU6LabyrQyIZZG08Dn7jERX2OzjcHHGQ3ghaMw2DvFP9sE_EnhgKf3OnlUVJ1DARZWPuE5UCVKKU3T-lTdMHdBplK6yyNsg/s320/IMG_4594.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
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We ate our lunch at "The Legends" but most of our group ate at this cute diner.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXQAMSDr4Rnrz2ASZEr1nh_t9Ekae_aGivq8yWYMBILw_IwbUp7Ccg63c9YgNxMfKv4Q-FDAisOrVj48cV5kn7D4uEAb7zwKyY3Rbn6XOvzF85R5ZGxmgJ_8sGUQfkfSUY_1oOZifXu4/s1600/IMG_4588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZXQAMSDr4Rnrz2ASZEr1nh_t9Ekae_aGivq8yWYMBILw_IwbUp7Ccg63c9YgNxMfKv4Q-FDAisOrVj48cV5kn7D4uEAb7zwKyY3Rbn6XOvzF85R5ZGxmgJ_8sGUQfkfSUY_1oOZifXu4/s320/IMG_4588.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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There are lots of "horse farm" related places, like this silo bar.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAE4R6IAB_yZ6FeR8WOlFE_14shsptt_8UVpnlvoMecmDmXpodA8bJEPA5xQhfvWDDLhNKq_CcD_cBDAtHfbx3zXa_Gxckf_UZEIucceIRz0LybWRzUCBCmih05O3hwDWj0GZoHDG-HI/s1600/IMG_4590.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAE4R6IAB_yZ6FeR8WOlFE_14shsptt_8UVpnlvoMecmDmXpodA8bJEPA5xQhfvWDDLhNKq_CcD_cBDAtHfbx3zXa_Gxckf_UZEIucceIRz0LybWRzUCBCmih05O3hwDWj0GZoHDG-HI/s320/IMG_4590.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here are Russ and I near some of the art pieces.</div>
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We had hoped to see more horses in action. There is a jumping competition tomorrow, but then this weekend ends the season. I did capture nice images of this horse posing and then an action shot.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzGACJ4wQiSU54LhjaCYUOrHatBwsAjLC3lvZGu3sNj5v_esFfpuuuKHelapMQVNHp7EPiV177J1aOvYZotFrWroi_p1lB-18kvGiGP5IZpSRAz5qJL5R0Dtt6A5R6S-KkHLA_lUCKL4/s1600/IMG_4581.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1207" data-original-width="1600" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCzGACJ4wQiSU54LhjaCYUOrHatBwsAjLC3lvZGu3sNj5v_esFfpuuuKHelapMQVNHp7EPiV177J1aOvYZotFrWroi_p1lB-18kvGiGP5IZpSRAz5qJL5R0Dtt6A5R6S-KkHLA_lUCKL4/s320/IMG_4581.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6zPyikLGyeRj1Xgimnwwnc2jEeBkp2B5JPRFsV27UEHjTiPdyh7B0iuHPcHTIsSQd6uSlnEpOzBQOW2Xqf2hZ-dcimBnJeHP4XshDb2HSVnE_t3ql_lNyp6CsknrIxkMf3EUJQsl6rs/s1600/IMG_4579.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6zPyikLGyeRj1Xgimnwwnc2jEeBkp2B5JPRFsV27UEHjTiPdyh7B0iuHPcHTIsSQd6uSlnEpOzBQOW2Xqf2hZ-dcimBnJeHP4XshDb2HSVnE_t3ql_lNyp6CsknrIxkMf3EUJQsl6rs/s320/IMG_4579.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here's another horsey shot.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQWf2WpkKr5VhXvjI15-fR7QAARVsQre0Dh2oXQeSlOBZ7X938c2h8he3TvCjHuiv58rhDjJ4YrotBenQWKWdTsPxyE8ifXaBEQO4Kepan9IgjQ4d-JxEzQ1mex4V7yiNf4kHzZiWZyM/s1600/IMG_4592.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1490" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQWf2WpkKr5VhXvjI15-fR7QAARVsQre0Dh2oXQeSlOBZ7X938c2h8he3TvCjHuiv58rhDjJ4YrotBenQWKWdTsPxyE8ifXaBEQO4Kepan9IgjQ4d-JxEzQ1mex4V7yiNf4kHzZiWZyM/s320/IMG_4592.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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We had been lead to believe that there would be a horse show of some sort, but as it turned out, we just had to rely on our luck to see some of the horses involved in tomorrow's event warming up in the various rings. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00UvbkRbx3NQWO37nukjloMLkVA-biqSaSE7j2Fz1TFOaOzYQDy09yqDkhA3bGkAmMwRxNn4eFyIaitFphaBspRWp11jFHqvPCLsMKaYY5AGh4zCLNcnYbrjbWfX-W8H5alGTvMZ101I/s1600/IMG_4593.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00UvbkRbx3NQWO37nukjloMLkVA-biqSaSE7j2Fz1TFOaOzYQDy09yqDkhA3bGkAmMwRxNn4eFyIaitFphaBspRWp11jFHqvPCLsMKaYY5AGh4zCLNcnYbrjbWfX-W8H5alGTvMZ101I/s320/IMG_4593.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After our excellent lunch, it was pleasant to sit in the sun and sip our afternoon coffee as we watched.</div>
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This is definitely a venue to keep on our radar and revisit as it continues to grow!</div>
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Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-1822259455350972622017-08-26T07:41:00.000-07:002017-08-26T07:41:11.679-07:00Lake Lure Flower Bridge<div style="text-align: center;">
Yesterday I finally visited the Lake Lure Flower Bridge. The light was not in my favor as I took this photo of the arch at one end of the bridge.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_d-itpZhytUNd9DuWYT_bTXSzd2CvchQ6c8F4mErnry_FnLzYJ4WMOBPgKeFHSpkiu-nGHLJhdvdXnKn5cxLSpA9hbMm6yKXePn0wkDEY_jwOsBEwZsapyE8sOHCnGd7UctVTVEYC5c/s1600/IMG_3888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_d-itpZhytUNd9DuWYT_bTXSzd2CvchQ6c8F4mErnry_FnLzYJ4WMOBPgKeFHSpkiu-nGHLJhdvdXnKn5cxLSpA9hbMm6yKXePn0wkDEY_jwOsBEwZsapyE8sOHCnGd7UctVTVEYC5c/s400/IMG_3888.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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But basically, the Flower Bridge is a community volunteer effort to turn the decommissioned bridge between Chimney Rock and Lake Lure into a garden paradise. This next shot show the "new" vehicle bridge that is currently in use.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8uoQhTwmx4Dsz7h_mH7lvxhGbvpoGiI9Fa40IN1DliHiKYwi9fYE-naUy-JodPurTbo_pQWU4d8hYvz9QBA5zQxVKDO7C3qRgV7L2yFoGBk0e5rJ-YnuuwiExC7baaDoKlniQzDrH72Y/s1600/IMG_3862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8uoQhTwmx4Dsz7h_mH7lvxhGbvpoGiI9Fa40IN1DliHiKYwi9fYE-naUy-JodPurTbo_pQWU4d8hYvz9QBA5zQxVKDO7C3qRgV7L2yFoGBk0e5rJ-YnuuwiExC7baaDoKlniQzDrH72Y/s400/IMG_3862.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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In spite of the fact that the full flush of summer blooms was over, there was still much to see and admire. The plants were well identified by both numerical markers and keys in the garden areas and there was also a free "cell phone" tour you could listen to.</div>
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Since I was able to get many nice photos, I will just let you enjoy those without a whole lot of chatter. I know I have some followers who enjoy flower photos as much as I do.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-R8kpX5DRiZ2RRLsdQe6UCiMaK-PoMeGzgoWyTJTHHJcQ0UJMHDScexYDDWRyQ7bPfeUr8x6338spLKkVvsi2u4Izivde_xZpDKEGmTjHcHfEDuEoHFwmhJ6xEQdOOPEoJHLgpgUzFP4/s1600/IMG_3889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-R8kpX5DRiZ2RRLsdQe6UCiMaK-PoMeGzgoWyTJTHHJcQ0UJMHDScexYDDWRyQ7bPfeUr8x6338spLKkVvsi2u4Izivde_xZpDKEGmTjHcHfEDuEoHFwmhJ6xEQdOOPEoJHLgpgUzFP4/s320/IMG_3889.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I had heard about the Flower Bridge and driven by it several times at inopportune times of the year, but it was much more extensive than I imagined and, especially for "locals" it is well worth a stop.</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-78458440564507844622017-08-25T07:50:00.002-07:002017-08-25T07:50:54.601-07:00A Welcome BlanketMy friend Alice told me about the Welcome Blanket project. (WelcomeBlanket.org)<br />
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The basic idea is to contribute a 40 inch square knitted, crocheted or quilted blanket for an immigrant that will be part of a temporary installation at the Smart Museum of Art in Chicago. The project organizer, who is also the person who came up with the idea of the knitted "pussy hats" for the recent Women's March in Washington (and elsewhere), hopes to gather enough blankets which end-to-end would measure the distance of the proposed 1,989 mile Mexican border wall. <br />
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The installation is ongoing and they have blankets hanging as well as piles of blankets on display already. The original deadline for submitting blankets was Sept. 5, but I understand they have extended that deadline. (I work better when I have a deadline, so I was glad that I didn't know last week that the deadline had been extended!) You can see the display by visiting WelcomeBlanket.org, as well as get updated information about the project.<br />
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They suggest a simple blanket made of half square triangles, which can be arranged in a variety of ways.<br />
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Here is my Welcome Blanket:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcPbxADL6pm2lCHtt4ktzL6oVX25qSROWnQ0eXMlweU9anMF51R6B_lYv2K_JEOk5pw3jDFWoSrf27GA-7s5_b_22vlLHoMSnDn6KOK7_VatJUz-bNeVrnC964atSngqeOJMQdzyEJ_8/s1600/IMG_3849.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1473" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbcPbxADL6pm2lCHtt4ktzL6oVX25qSROWnQ0eXMlweU9anMF51R6B_lYv2K_JEOk5pw3jDFWoSrf27GA-7s5_b_22vlLHoMSnDn6KOK7_VatJUz-bNeVrnC964atSngqeOJMQdzyEJ_8/s320/IMG_3849.jpg" width="294" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AWWU-4AP-H7pYY3XJVCNcHTOKZpha2KOYhsJL1aWTN0PGY8E7YZUrP_djZ-xQwlJ_AQpszKMpOtGYrLyqRPwPcPv6HQu-376fRBfjikmbRRORpWDqEuLPoCAy6cc-NxOiMEhEBC-0Sg/s1600/IMG_3850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1496" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6AWWU-4AP-H7pYY3XJVCNcHTOKZpha2KOYhsJL1aWTN0PGY8E7YZUrP_djZ-xQwlJ_AQpszKMpOtGYrLyqRPwPcPv6HQu-376fRBfjikmbRRORpWDqEuLPoCAy6cc-NxOiMEhEBC-0Sg/s320/IMG_3850.jpg" width="299" /></a></div>
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At the website you can view this PDF which includes all the necessary information as well as a template for a tag to add to your quilt. On the tag you are supposed to write a Welcome Note to the recipient telling a bit about your immigrant story and offering words of encouragement. The blankets will be distributed to refugees and other immigrants through several resettlement organizations once the installation is dismantled at the end of the year.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqOP7vOo-LbcQY3AUWCZynXQQnLOHlEQjHyNg3QDebg52nS-G5s2oMYr2sj0Ipo40IdLPvIcuUdEd4Jd70PhxitrB29nvxWP9ackldwSknfsb30SpfUDU3MOCUkBBqLhlJCodIGRRdWc/s1600/IMG_3851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyqOP7vOo-LbcQY3AUWCZynXQQnLOHlEQjHyNg3QDebg52nS-G5s2oMYr2sj0Ipo40IdLPvIcuUdEd4Jd70PhxitrB29nvxWP9ackldwSknfsb30SpfUDU3MOCUkBBqLhlJCodIGRRdWc/s320/IMG_3851.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Here's my blanket, tagged and ready to mail. I will pay my own postage, but there are sponsors who will pay for postage. This might be especially helpful to groups or organizations with limited funds who are mailing multiple blankets.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXHNcG9EvZpwn2nlG95HDrTiINIrAA3TaJjAcCLxfKvvBEHCUCw5VrqLewUEC_qPuSEmV9nKGns1BcwIiwPcRR5vShy6tq7gHO98A8pAEPwAC_3YZbuWg4u7LfdfRPLJNPsR6930JV1I/s1600/IMG_3852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXHNcG9EvZpwn2nlG95HDrTiINIrAA3TaJjAcCLxfKvvBEHCUCw5VrqLewUEC_qPuSEmV9nKGns1BcwIiwPcRR5vShy6tq7gHO98A8pAEPwAC_3YZbuWg4u7LfdfRPLJNPsR6930JV1I/s320/IMG_3852.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I've included a photo of my tag. I don't recall any dramatic family stories of oppression or perilous ocean passages, but I have to think that there must have been some compelling reasons or some great allure to make my ancestors decide to leave family and friends in Europe and come to a totally new country so far away.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid_Mx_jhJSDAsygJQdEYDfF4rWvzcEW4muJGf_KIgKd9FHwm4ShmUkcA6Gnba9sB8nhSA0mnR9irhWdtZ3UlaAcjdHGzRPYiFfrs6SysX5juMjCHZbyyu97JW1XAu8cRMrvc9aG7DOuc/s1600/IMG_3853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid_Mx_jhJSDAsygJQdEYDfF4rWvzcEW4muJGf_KIgKd9FHwm4ShmUkcA6Gnba9sB8nhSA0mnR9irhWdtZ3UlaAcjdHGzRPYiFfrs6SysX5juMjCHZbyyu97JW1XAu8cRMrvc9aG7DOuc/s320/IMG_3853.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Anyway, I'm glad they did and I hope that someone receives my blanket who will have a chance to call America home very soon.<br />
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I'm glad to be part of this project!<br />
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-65776603786662608202017-08-12T09:21:00.003-07:002017-08-12T09:21:46.135-07:00Summer fun?<div style="text-align: center;">
Summertime... and when the weather is nice, I like to be outdoors enjoying it! We certainly had a lot of great weather during July and I played a lot of golf. I keep practicing, eternally optimistic that some day it will all come together in the perfect game.</div>
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But I also have been doing some more creative stuff which does eventually reward me with a finished product that I can share with you.</div>
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In June I took a workshop with Jane Sassaman learning an appliqué technique she uses on some of her quilted art. It involves fusing fabric onto interfacing, drawing your shapes on the interfacing and then cutting them out. Then you have shapes you can arrange to your liking on your chosen background. Once you've developed your design, then you use decorative stitches to attach the pieces, raw edge, to the backing. As you complete each layer, you cut away the extra fabric behind, so the piece stays supple.</div>
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I used the technique to make a 6 1/2 inch "president's block" for our last year's AQG president who requested hearts on a white background. Looking at the back of this simple block you can see that two layers of the red fabric centers were cut out. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzlNg51Ic-f4Q1kpu2xMxqPWIOEeJMDyvBoxSe08VIk54vSonnn_nnDhyphenhyphenL3z0vRkac9ZcgXd5gUBaDN3VtGx_3cfK2G7IP_t-mveJqdrRKHe6bWU3SZuV2CPl88DKnoAr-qgCTmPv_Ms/s1600/IMG_3707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1561" data-original-width="1600" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzlNg51Ic-f4Q1kpu2xMxqPWIOEeJMDyvBoxSe08VIk54vSonnn_nnDhyphenhyphenL3z0vRkac9ZcgXd5gUBaDN3VtGx_3cfK2G7IP_t-mveJqdrRKHe6bWU3SZuV2CPl88DKnoAr-qgCTmPv_Ms/s200/IMG_3707.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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For my class project, I brought this photo of a blue poppy that I took at Butchart Gardens in June.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDHXAl__PJoG6oyHTGEKgTp-rN-Xopl2F5o4pw1BhBet4WVzGIlrrqUp3WILMpdJTVAJoXVOlGiprnl6NOsH8ijL4FDDhX-eAkYamcxezgymKykSuae09CgHtioKmf7cH7sSepnvva-k/s1600/IMG_2704.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivDHXAl__PJoG6oyHTGEKgTp-rN-Xopl2F5o4pw1BhBet4WVzGIlrrqUp3WILMpdJTVAJoXVOlGiprnl6NOsH8ijL4FDDhX-eAkYamcxezgymKykSuae09CgHtioKmf7cH7sSepnvva-k/s320/IMG_2704.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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And came up with this final product which I will bring to the AQG meeting this coming week and donate to the small quilt silent auction at our quilt show. (Proceeds from this silent auction support our guild's community quilt program.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCi7J1owqshKbOutwhG7IVnYjwOPJ0LoL9JmMUfLeMcXkQRQd8IjmiKLXGGesqnP697yU7_LBkNyFd0Tks8sKeCq3Tf_QFIUqOdgACw7qvvUAaVFH8OJl1SHTWWkHYW20nfhxPWhp3HGk/s1600/IMG_3705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1506" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCi7J1owqshKbOutwhG7IVnYjwOPJ0LoL9JmMUfLeMcXkQRQd8IjmiKLXGGesqnP697yU7_LBkNyFd0Tks8sKeCq3Tf_QFIUqOdgACw7qvvUAaVFH8OJl1SHTWWkHYW20nfhxPWhp3HGk/s320/IMG_3705.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
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It was a fun workshop, but to be honest, I'm not thrilled with the technique. I've come to accept and enjoy raw edge fused appliqué, but the fusible interfacing does not seal the edges as well as fusible web, so in my mind, no amount of decorative thread stitching really captures all those frayed edges to my liking.</div>
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One of the hand sewing projects I have been enjoying this spring involves sewing coordinated fabrics into strips which I then finish into blocks with my sewing machine. Starting with three charm squares (5 inch squares) which I've cut in quarters and a coordinating solid center 2 1/2 inch square, I make up packets so that I can hand sew the three square strips and the five square strips. Sometimes I hand sew the white triangles on the end, too. But then I machine sew the strips together and add the corner white triangles, since they then need to be cut down a little to measure 8 inches square.</div>
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The blocks are fun to make, use up a lot of scraps, and are very easy to transport so I can sew while being a passenger on a road trip, in a hotel room, at my kid's homes, at outdoor concerts, a bee... where ever.</div>
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So, I recently finished my first quilt made with these blocks. I arrange each block into what looks most pleasing to me that day and it surprised me when I put them together how the different values make the blocks look different. Some look like "X" and others like lines of diamonds and others you can clearly see the central 9 patch. I think that gives this scrappy quilt top a bit of interest.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgT5I6oyWfAm-95MSFx7Ud2mYYPbi4yklGJhxzh7qUP2ASHF_IUtS9bkSYIOMgQFjTInAde3OmM1Qy-LGB9MgNG6u9z1-cAwPVPVw1e-Mv5xkpmZ0B-Zf0_VICFYA1Eq_H64LuLuPKBg/s1600/IMG_3685.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="1600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYgT5I6oyWfAm-95MSFx7Ud2mYYPbi4yklGJhxzh7qUP2ASHF_IUtS9bkSYIOMgQFjTInAde3OmM1Qy-LGB9MgNG6u9z1-cAwPVPVw1e-Mv5xkpmZ0B-Zf0_VICFYA1Eq_H64LuLuPKBg/s320/IMG_3685.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I had some coordinated tealish aqua fabrics in my stash that I used for a pieced backing and binding.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSFISPOOd0iOf0J11RHC6mvzQCDWntCiZqwKlhtfYMnglhonA6ge4lHxJPbMBirtIk9j06KOj_Rr5woQHLL5HJOn5hf08gsTG8xjp91X2xCRTkSjjPop_A4AFqmRhUUNcwtKNXTxGAqo/s1600/IMG_3687.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVSFISPOOd0iOf0J11RHC6mvzQCDWntCiZqwKlhtfYMnglhonA6ge4lHxJPbMBirtIk9j06KOj_Rr5woQHLL5HJOn5hf08gsTG8xjp91X2xCRTkSjjPop_A4AFqmRhUUNcwtKNXTxGAqo/s320/IMG_3687.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I like to "stage" quilt photos over my living room couch.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYtCQfQXD1DkerFGtEH6pQZuTNZMC6c7kxxhl4Qmit8DU9iH3kYtzYWMXCzwtlUfnVprIiSnbXgzHkjBllmOwrh6XfqM8AkSZKu7o_snIBRIO3MGnyPJTODPeSXSbVIT8O_KAy1cbl_U/s1600/IMG_3689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1125" data-original-width="1600" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYtCQfQXD1DkerFGtEH6pQZuTNZMC6c7kxxhl4Qmit8DU9iH3kYtzYWMXCzwtlUfnVprIiSnbXgzHkjBllmOwrh6XfqM8AkSZKu7o_snIBRIO3MGnyPJTODPeSXSbVIT8O_KAy1cbl_U/s320/IMG_3689.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The couch gets little use, so until I decide where this quilt will ultimately end up, I will enjoy seeing it displayed on my couch. Maybe when my grandkids visit this week, one of them will claim it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7q8RZrJIBmH2yURoeQSwTmpQA3bSQIZGqQDtWlroT8EZj4hTNNEuvxYH77QbN9aBtrk2HOV0NcMTseE2JKX7r9uDIrIOr0v3ElFRE8phAN7w5ZT2IrmB8cu47w2KR6Hq1fcDxgZZVT6w/s1600/IMG_3690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="1600" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7q8RZrJIBmH2yURoeQSwTmpQA3bSQIZGqQDtWlroT8EZj4hTNNEuvxYH77QbN9aBtrk2HOV0NcMTseE2JKX7r9uDIrIOr0v3ElFRE8phAN7w5ZT2IrmB8cu47w2KR6Hq1fcDxgZZVT6w/s320/IMG_3690.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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You might remember from an earlier post that my friend Alice and I made "Turning Twenty" quilt tops at our spring retreat from fabric that was gifted to us. This was actually a "Mountain Jam Circle" collaborative project, so the quilt tops went to our friend Cheryl's to be quilted after Alice scrapped together some beautiful backings. A couple weeks ago, I got one of the quilts returned to me so that I could sew on the binding. Ta Da! It's done. Here it is on my couch. Isn't it pretty?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMi0YKMhzyRFzSJLtF8i398Hy4ZVIb1wO5l5H1et8ZwMlTZfDNpaDXOggDTUs2-pfF_YYlzBrOfkb5GsRoc9HThXYVdS_oQ26AiOWBZgPC2aDfHhzvkwbr6AuEIunYj5AeZctgv5ODc4/s1600/IMG_3708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMi0YKMhzyRFzSJLtF8i398Hy4ZVIb1wO5l5H1et8ZwMlTZfDNpaDXOggDTUs2-pfF_YYlzBrOfkb5GsRoc9HThXYVdS_oQ26AiOWBZgPC2aDfHhzvkwbr6AuEIunYj5AeZctgv5ODc4/s320/IMG_3708.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here is a close up showing some of the fabrics and the nice all over quilt pattern Cheryl chose.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sJsOj6P8pccF43z8ts9EEa1th2VpE92CqCcKtchilJWIxOkjGqCWPz7kndvBdK8w6i8oTo5oYxJopkHb5WBu5PNvYY5fLrJ2IZF9LJS8OV0qkw8DVpcrgClE2kzGlBrUONSYQb54lhs/s1600/IMG_3709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5sJsOj6P8pccF43z8ts9EEa1th2VpE92CqCcKtchilJWIxOkjGqCWPz7kndvBdK8w6i8oTo5oYxJopkHb5WBu5PNvYY5fLrJ2IZF9LJS8OV0qkw8DVpcrgClE2kzGlBrUONSYQb54lhs/s320/IMG_3709.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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I didn't actually measure it, but I think it's about 70 x 80. Our hope is that it will go to our local Hospice facility, along with it's partner quilt, to give comfort to someone in need.</div>
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And finally...</div>
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My friend Sue and I went to a fun event at Blue Ghost Brewery a couple of weeks ago. I think it was called "Blooms and Brews." The event was run by two young women, one was the "flower expert" and the other was the "painting expert." We were given a canvas and a variety of paint materials and some direction for painting the background of our masterpiece. We put those aside to dry.</div>
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Then we were given some suggestions for composing flower arrangements and we were let loose to choose our focal flowers, secondary flowers and greenery fill ins from a lovely selection of flowers that were brought in from a local flower farm.</div>
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Here is my arrangement which was then used as inspiration for finishing my painting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWBmRNGHGesSMVpAckMBvC6OtWg-gcQyUnpOhPNOhsYNqCYi0O-24bx6rxHI5rEG94AyfufQ7GiROTJ7NypYS7oXku7thoSYySI8QUYQL93r1dX6YO07pY1Sb-9dQ_vIT-GtCQ03g2Rw/s1600/IMG_3652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWBmRNGHGesSMVpAckMBvC6OtWg-gcQyUnpOhPNOhsYNqCYi0O-24bx6rxHI5rEG94AyfufQ7GiROTJ7NypYS7oXku7thoSYySI8QUYQL93r1dX6YO07pY1Sb-9dQ_vIT-GtCQ03g2Rw/s320/IMG_3652.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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And here is my interpretation!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVMC37IWmfEwQ4WZQHZ14jqL3faL_yaXh_FsTIiwcetkFoK5ssC68QCo7IHLyOhFMFw-LSEnkoj9W0TjBHfCmGqkVjyoui5YCz29FgG0WnLops-jqbXNPyhVtNDpbuup-ROUkUzfHrQc/s1600/IMG_3651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1511" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVMC37IWmfEwQ4WZQHZ14jqL3faL_yaXh_FsTIiwcetkFoK5ssC68QCo7IHLyOhFMFw-LSEnkoj9W0TjBHfCmGqkVjyoui5YCz29FgG0WnLops-jqbXNPyhVtNDpbuup-ROUkUzfHrQc/s320/IMG_3651.jpg" width="302" /></a></div>
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It was a very enjoyable evening!</div>
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And it's been a delightful summer!</div>
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Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-5557109331448983942017-07-13T11:45:00.002-07:002017-07-13T11:45:30.410-07:00More Pisgah Forest...<div style="text-align: center;">
I thought that the Catawba Rhododendrons deserved their own post, but there is always much to see and do in the Pisgah Forest. It's a real treasure.</div>
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Last Sunday we went to an outdoor concert at the Cradle of Forestry which is several miles into the forest park. The C of F, which is a national historic site, is the location of the first school of forestry which grew out of G. W. Vanderbilt's love of nature. The property was originally used by the Vanderbilt's for hunting parties from the Biltmore Estate which is quite a few miles away. The Vanderbilt's originally owned all the land between the two properties, and amazing piece of real estate!</div>
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Our first stop yesterday was at the Fish Hatchery. The parking lot was teeming with hiking parties, camp groups, and families out for their day of adventure. There is an interpretive building on site and we looked at the aquaria which showcased the water creatures of the area... snakes, toads, salamanders, a hell bender, and of course, trout.</div>
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It's always fascinating to walk along the concrete pools outdoors where the trout are raised to maturity. It's a little difficult to capture them in a photograph, but here's a try.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8gkyOjCHnEQMYRS-VdSwb8FH-vP-IuK22kFeFcGQS-dQfn5y1Zcmgmct9bm-7IYEm_cwvaqYSQeLpW65FpJvpQER7wNh68E0FifxmQ2ln7QNqje7zh6RAQGQlroWHRPJRxVWAXqzALE/s1600/IMG_3558.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq8gkyOjCHnEQMYRS-VdSwb8FH-vP-IuK22kFeFcGQS-dQfn5y1Zcmgmct9bm-7IYEm_cwvaqYSQeLpW65FpJvpQER7wNh68E0FifxmQ2ln7QNqje7zh6RAQGQlroWHRPJRxVWAXqzALE/s400/IMG_3558.jpg" width="316" /></a><br />
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For a quarter you can purchase a handful of fish food and when you throw it in a pool it creates quite a frenzy!</div>
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We took some time to walk one of the trails adjacent to the fish hatchery that wove through a pollinator garden and over several little bridges.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nigbd948TtIvneLoi_1Ndpqu-OvK5_GEF39qu1tI-9j52nY9sqamaeLm2iY_CSYHdsjOa5Wdl3FOGKW5PjU-ZRQDmIQ1ib53UbQuX3O55y3BeteTKdPKNHrZUCRIAbnwAPjeSpoF41U/s1600/IMG_3562.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nigbd948TtIvneLoi_1Ndpqu-OvK5_GEF39qu1tI-9j52nY9sqamaeLm2iY_CSYHdsjOa5Wdl3FOGKW5PjU-ZRQDmIQ1ib53UbQuX3O55y3BeteTKdPKNHrZUCRIAbnwAPjeSpoF41U/s400/IMG_3562.jpg" width="331" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhoWDuZeGhYnraVJS7NQ-xjPv0w3Hu8nmOZKEOHBrUdIKKqonh0t87cXX6mxQChl2mirHZhRS5_HhEpZYNsTDTHnoJngaIDxqJt16V1X9LjyVEK0feNcshT12MviF1WRWpNY88AdWkcM/s1600/IMG_3561.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjw9wxQNKI65qNWx4dnQdti0Wla-GS3dF3p4ihUmnquXZU65fcEikwslt1Cshx0dnQ9Epuuh9PNQCz9Au1dw30Nqr9PVU2hGiJn17s3QDv_gwYwvsFs-oDvcSb_ykeGMW-puaKyOtlFyWw/s1600/IMG_3563.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhhoWDuZeGhYnraVJS7NQ-xjPv0w3Hu8nmOZKEOHBrUdIKKqonh0t87cXX6mxQChl2mirHZhRS5_HhEpZYNsTDTHnoJngaIDxqJt16V1X9LjyVEK0feNcshT12MviF1WRWpNY88AdWkcM/s400/IMG_3561.jpg" width="360" /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_S8EkozqCRij4B2oBW2l5i6oNIeISAlLuLkJwaFi9WeeQ-zEBw9k32Kr4N6550jqRxbTON8mJBAXchC5syZ_0snFHs7-tH2B4IOrpQCaF7JMseiAkF1qMxv_MZr3c3e7bb8nTGfzP9c/s1600/IMG_3563.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_S8EkozqCRij4B2oBW2l5i6oNIeISAlLuLkJwaFi9WeeQ-zEBw9k32Kr4N6550jqRxbTON8mJBAXchC5syZ_0snFHs7-tH2B4IOrpQCaF7JMseiAkF1qMxv_MZr3c3e7bb8nTGfzP9c/s400/IMG_3563.jpg" width="341" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYjgUZNQkeOR_ampOwb_JvbLu93mJsxpQSPVfLP8IsSQzIAWGpAHcNFFH6OcuB7y0ZOJ-RmHhg6GgJathNR0UhiOOrab-lKUMB0rxgrrIY5jMtfiqOt6Hb7KWVl163qXLTEazJnPB8_s/s1600/IMG_3564.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYjgUZNQkeOR_ampOwb_JvbLu93mJsxpQSPVfLP8IsSQzIAWGpAHcNFFH6OcuB7y0ZOJ-RmHhg6GgJathNR0UhiOOrab-lKUMB0rxgrrIY5jMtfiqOt6Hb7KWVl163qXLTEazJnPB8_s/s400/IMG_3564.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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I'm sure you recognize these common butterfly and bee attractors, but I wasn't sure what tree produced these interesting white puffs. I'll have to do some research unless you can tell me. They are cool, though, aren't they?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFaa_ONr-sfMfs4mdO27BSDLE7QErkuS69ptGGpL5cv0kH1n_ympp0FUvUQqLjDxA252WQ6P-FfHT4h3hmuw8gD3MpN7uUihiXVzt2OTMZxftS9ZInV1Ky5jneU9ksVqAbbTZ2-ReBsU/s1600/IMG_3555.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFaa_ONr-sfMfs4mdO27BSDLE7QErkuS69ptGGpL5cv0kH1n_ympp0FUvUQqLjDxA252WQ6P-FfHT4h3hmuw8gD3MpN7uUihiXVzt2OTMZxftS9ZInV1Ky5jneU9ksVqAbbTZ2-ReBsU/s400/IMG_3555.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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And then we drove the short distance to Looking Glass Falls... and descended the 100 or so steps to bottom where there were lots of bathers on this warm day!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gKxTXAb0NBYmKSE2Vvg-PaQtcXLHvG7LSavZgySnNuDVzSvsJX6O4-piPpCuyTaq3VjbN6FPrLk4L7X8B8hag3rxB8Qjd8BsIdntFSbb-WsaE7YYWFDa9dgVrt-PFRiBMmnhFehyphenhyphenNZ4/s1600/IMG_3570.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gKxTXAb0NBYmKSE2Vvg-PaQtcXLHvG7LSavZgySnNuDVzSvsJX6O4-piPpCuyTaq3VjbN6FPrLk4L7X8B8hag3rxB8Qjd8BsIdntFSbb-WsaE7YYWFDa9dgVrt-PFRiBMmnhFehyphenhyphenNZ4/s400/IMG_3570.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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It is a pretty spot and attracts a lot of visitors because of it's proximity to the road. We had planned to do a short hike into another waterfall just a mile or so beyond Looking Glass, but as soon as we got to our car, the heavens opened and it started to rain! Brevard is practically a rain forest and so this kind of quick onset shower is never surprising, but it did discourage us from pursuing our hike yesterday.</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-23583164660621189292017-07-13T10:59:00.001-07:002017-07-13T10:59:31.351-07:00Pink Catawba Rhododendrons!Yesterday we took a ride to the Pisgah Forest to gather some photos of the Catawba Rhododendrons in bloom.<br />
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Rhodies grow wild along many of the mountain roads and when we moved here 12 years ago, I expected we would see them blooming everywhere. Surprisingly many of those roadside plants don't seem to have that many noticeable flowers. Several times we have driven to Roan Mountain to see the dark pink rhododendrons and flame azaleas in bloom at high elevations toward the middle and end of June. It's a long drive, not far from Mt. Mitchell and at a fairly high elevation, but well worth the effort.<br />
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Pisgah Forest is a mere half hour away, so I was delighted to find the pale pink Catawba Rhododendrons in full bloom this late in the summer. I guess it must be at a higher elevation than it seems and to see the most profusion right now you have to drive into the park several miles, just past Looking Glass Falls.<br />
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It's hard to capture from a distance, but the photo below shows some bushes on the other side of the stream to give you an idea of the profusion of plants and blossoms.</div>
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The thickets of plants are years old and they rise in the air probably 20 or more feet to catch the sun among the canopy of other trees. Their branches create a tangle of growth to negotiate on the trails. This photo of Russ ducking under the growth gives you a little idea of how they create tunnels over the trails.</div>
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So, here are some close up photos of some of the flowers. You can see the buds are a darker pink and the flowers themselves are so pale that many appear to be almost white.</div>
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And finally a lone plant in bloom near Looking Glass Falls.</div>
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It's really a spectacular display and we were lucky to witness it this year!</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-61647954925365414172017-05-04T15:16:00.000-07:002017-05-04T15:16:52.709-07:00Ta Da!!!<div style="text-align: center;">
I have a couple of reveals for you today.</div>
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First is the "Shindig Quilt" for this year. </div>
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Just a reminder that three of us have collaborated for several years to make a quilt to donate to the Folk Heritage Committee to use for fundraising during the summer outdoor traditional music and dance series known as "Shindig on the Green." This free series takes place most Saturday evenings during the summer right in Asheville's downtown Pack Place Park on the Bascom LaMar Lunsford Stage. We call our collaboration "Mountain Jam Circle," and I'm proud to be one of the members of this group supporting this wonderful local event series. </div>
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This year's quilt features a design by our master machine quilter, Cheryl, and she actually did the bulk of the "work" on this quilt, since she created the center Carolina Lily medallion and then Alice and I put together the remaining blocks in four large sections that Cheryl put together to frame the lily.</div>
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I should have measured it so I could give you precise dimensions, but it is about a twin size quilt.</div>
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The three of us made a shopping excursion to select fabric and then last week Alice and I machine and hand sewed on the binding at our quilt retreat.</div>
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Here's a closer view of the medallion.</div>
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And a couple of close ups to show you some of Cheryl's wonderful custom quilting.</div>
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We try to come up with a quilt that will show well from the stage and it's nice, too, when we can incorporate something traditional like the "Carolina Lily" motif which reflects the local area.</div>
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Anyone who buys a raffle ticket during the season has a chance to win this and the proceeds of the raffle help the FHC to pay for the expenses of setting up the sound system, renting porta-potties, and all the other costs that allow this to remain a popular free summer activity for locals and tourists.</div>
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I think this looks pretty good draped over my living room sofa, but alas, I can't keep it.</div>
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This final shot just shows our label, the coordinating backing fabric, and the striped binding that mimics the shading in the border poppies.</div>
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The second reveal is my annual submission the Quilt Alliance contest. Proceeds of this competition help support the QA mission of promoting, preserving and documenting quilts. This year's theme is "Voices."</div>
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I decided to make my 16 inch square quilt reflect the memories that speak to all of us when we come across ephemera we've saved... things like newspaper clippings, old photos, things in familiar handwriting, ticket stubs, journal entries, memorial cards, postcards, and even a grandmother's handkerchief.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePnilXDOkmlPon3L-wfSNu7kuqS8VCCTr6Zx7NFHJJCnYkZS7hoPL2mGcwqAd6hd6RT5YyAtKyNk0V-0H1u3CtrohHnW4jFMr8GaJQvb_XJVLljtNikoiQI8d8FzJIgPGx-Pkq3vH_DE/s1600/IMG_2318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePnilXDOkmlPon3L-wfSNu7kuqS8VCCTr6Zx7NFHJJCnYkZS7hoPL2mGcwqAd6hd6RT5YyAtKyNk0V-0H1u3CtrohHnW4jFMr8GaJQvb_XJVLljtNikoiQI8d8FzJIgPGx-Pkq3vH_DE/s320/IMG_2318.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
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It's machine quilted and embellished with rick-rack, yo-yos, buttons and inkjet printed ephemera.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwl1mNeFQiJDy3nQb-sdA-4c-47RSK7d2cGO90riCnQQZXeQ2_AmYvmOUIJFmgFafV7317Mj2x7pWqJTpBIROHdSEUvvw1l0bUwbhQHMhFBZVoExeOZORaPVYj6yG4u8uJgYknGJAOlo/s1600/IMG_2319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSwl1mNeFQiJDy3nQb-sdA-4c-47RSK7d2cGO90riCnQQZXeQ2_AmYvmOUIJFmgFafV7317Mj2x7pWqJTpBIROHdSEUvvw1l0bUwbhQHMhFBZVoExeOZORaPVYj6yG4u8uJgYknGJAOlo/s320/IMG_2319.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Though the items were from my personal collection, I tried to choose things that were generic enough to "speak" to everyone who reminisces about people and events that brought joy to their lives.</div>
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And, of course, all quilts need to be labeled.</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-38865561355541610372017-04-29T06:48:00.000-07:002017-04-29T06:48:47.551-07:00Annual Quilt Retreat<div style="text-align: center;">
This past Monday through Thursday I was on a quilt retreat. </div>
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The retreat, which is now organized by several of the Asheville Quilt Guild members, actually happens twice a year, but for the last several years my friend Alice and I have only been attending the spring retreat. </div>
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Formerly the retreat was held at Lake Logan, about an hour's drive from my house, in a rather remote Episcopal center which is on the site of a former logging camp. So think of lakeside housing and a large sewing/eating space with a fireplace and a rustic feel. </div>
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This year we moved to Bonclarken, also an historic religious retreat, but closer to "civilization." It is a half hour drive from my house, very close to the golf course I often play at in Flat Rock, just outside of Hendersonville. There is a nice quilt shop just a couple miles down the road, and the center of Flat Rock Village which has a nice bakery/coffee shop is about a 3/4 mile walk away.</div>
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The move was motivated by a cost increase at Lake Logan, but all the 30 attendees seemed to be happier with the Bonclarken accommodations and agreed to return there in the fall.</div>
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We were housed in a newish facility that had the layout and feel of a three story chain motel/hotel and on the other side of the "lobby" was a huge, well lit, windowed room where we sewed. There was a full kitchen adjacent to the sewing space and a small gathering spot with a gas fireplace and a TV that was never turned on. We had a short walk past a couple of buildings and through a parking lot to get to the dining facility which was an add-on to the historic hotel on the property which dates back to the 1860's.</div>
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Here is a photo of my corner of the main sewing room.</div>
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And outside there is a patio with rocking chairs. The hotel rooms are above the patio and our sewing space is in the peaked portion of the building visible to the right.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Oy5eG8kgCuNZfRa1y4okj5btY-kQdQUBekzlPSXUEKD-gXGGz0rQP3bPHdydgSBKH7VzyG-a6Rufn8CdzE81jA_g9Juibol70_8pKik-4A_yr6RKcQf6O3DIttroCc2EdBx-Bk77Pjc/s1600/IMG_2362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Oy5eG8kgCuNZfRa1y4okj5btY-kQdQUBekzlPSXUEKD-gXGGz0rQP3bPHdydgSBKH7VzyG-a6Rufn8CdzE81jA_g9Juibol70_8pKik-4A_yr6RKcQf6O3DIttroCc2EdBx-Bk77Pjc/s320/IMG_2362.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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After a few hours of sewing, I was ready for a walk, and just a short walk away was their lake which has a nice walking trail circling it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZ5iAI4htjoykU2c8YbyMFVZt7QM7pyfucV43HIcr8uHNr3DWU1RTUJ4l5i4fd2yBnU_TsL6gHiKLG7nJ-q5lpVnUzzucepxWZp6cdzw1GVQcei1RIYQ4bYLNkjxA2SYILtBCBerMNEk/s1600/IMG_2340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcZ5iAI4htjoykU2c8YbyMFVZt7QM7pyfucV43HIcr8uHNr3DWU1RTUJ4l5i4fd2yBnU_TsL6gHiKLG7nJ-q5lpVnUzzucepxWZp6cdzw1GVQcei1RIYQ4bYLNkjxA2SYILtBCBerMNEk/s320/IMG_2340.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The campus is quite large and includes several large meeting halls and many types of accommodations ranging from buildings that look like old fashioned strip motels, to larger boarding houses, to cabins, to year round homes. In addition to their own lake, some of the homes overlook neighboring Highland Lake.</div>
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I brought several projects to work on. I was happy to finally put together the rest of my scrap mystery quilt top from last year. It was a treat to have the floor space to lay it all out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvzrb-uqPMlRcVirrcKMCYFkwGsXIpR3osFybzdlsZOx-aM8OqMB697g0KVKDBNop1IfC5AQm-YHzb4kKI-sip8oEhI1k5YNnZEStuEapNF_dSUHarrT_VqljqOXuxrrzwqgAP07u_s8/s1600/IMG_2336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivvzrb-uqPMlRcVirrcKMCYFkwGsXIpR3osFybzdlsZOx-aM8OqMB697g0KVKDBNop1IfC5AQm-YHzb4kKI-sip8oEhI1k5YNnZEStuEapNF_dSUHarrT_VqljqOXuxrrzwqgAP07u_s8/s320/IMG_2336.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Alice and I also divided up some fabric that was donated to us and we each made a "Turning Twenty" quilt top. Once the quilts are finished they will likely be given to Hospice.</div>
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We also hand sewed the binding on this year's Shindig quilt. I guess I didn't include a picture of that in this posting, but likely you will see it in a subsequent posting.</div>
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I am including some photos of other people's projects in progress so you can get an idea of the things people were working on and so I can remember some of them, too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OHxYG06ILHgcbfbazIqGFUqOi7va2P0iKn7Gbu1RvYP_Sr5ri3zUDJHE-URDcvTP3Unv76xOglYxQfKh1b7BOXqJjWT28kCODD886NMEek37Zxv6Vphvax9BAtDBlf0yDbAgN55OSD8/s1600/IMG_2337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OHxYG06ILHgcbfbazIqGFUqOi7va2P0iKn7Gbu1RvYP_Sr5ri3zUDJHE-URDcvTP3Unv76xOglYxQfKh1b7BOXqJjWT28kCODD886NMEek37Zxv6Vphvax9BAtDBlf0yDbAgN55OSD8/s320/IMG_2337.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This annual retreat is a nice get-away. </div>
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It's a treat to not have to meal plan and to be able to focus solely on a hobby we share with others. We enjoy the the fellowship, make new friends, get our creativity sparked, learn from each other, share resources and recipes... and so much more!</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-81145274210938687462017-04-14T14:35:00.000-07:002017-04-14T14:35:31.286-07:00Prayer Flags!<div style="text-align: center;">
I have been thinking about making some prayer flags for my front porch for a looooong time.</div>
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I'm not really sure why it took me so long. Probably that procrastination tendency at work again.</div>
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Then this week, I happened to see the suggestion of making them out of old handkerchiefs... brilliant! </div>
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I have a collection of old handkerchiefs that I have accumulated... some from my childhood, others likely were my mother's or grandmothers'.</div>
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So, in about a half and hour, I had my prayer flags ready to hang.</div>
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I think they look rather like springtime! </div>
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Happy Easter! Happy Spring!</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-73535476020866583892017-04-10T06:37:00.001-07:002017-04-10T06:37:58.870-07:00Tip Toe through the Tulips... with me!The Spring tulip season seems so fleeting, compared to the daffodils which we have been enjoying for two months. So yesterday we were at the Biltmore Estate gardens to see their annual tulip display. Apparently our timing was good, because it was a riot of color.<br />
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I love this view from the garden this time of year when you can clearly see the house. Later in the season, when all the trees are leafed out, the house will be a bit more disguised.<br />
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The rose bushes are in the upper left of this shot. They already have leaves and in another month they will be full of color!<br />
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I noticed an absence of those stately red tulips... this year the oranges stole the show!<br />
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The purple and white were impressive, too!<br />
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These delicate blooms were tucked in an out of the way spot.<br />
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And now... just a few more pictures:<br />
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And finally, a stop at the winery for a tasting. Year 'round the whites and the reds steal the show there!<br />
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-65016565058668605232017-04-02T15:00:00.001-07:002017-04-02T15:00:11.439-07:00A Quick Finish!In mid-February we went to the 30th Annual National Arts & Crafts Conference Show at the Grove Park Inn.<br />
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It's an amazing event featuring antiques from the "Arts and Crafts" or Craftsman era as well as all manner of things made by contemporary "makers" of items in that style.<br />
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This year Russ bought me a kit to make a pillow, selecting this nice design featuring pinecones and pine needles. For me, it was a quick finish, from a bag of loose materials to a finished product in less than 2 months!<br />
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I worked on it primarily during my winter TV viewing time.<br />
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The other day I finished it and now I think it looks pretty much at home on my Morris chair.<br />
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It only required satin stitch for the pine cones and a chain stitch for the needles. The linen has a very coarse burlap-like texture. The back of the pillow, which was also provided in the kit, is a dark brown finer weave linen.<br />
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This isn't the first pillow kit I have completed from this company, www.TextileStudio.com. At the A&C festival three or four years ago, I purchased a kit for myself. Again, I started the embroidery immediately and worked on it throughout the summer during many outdoor music events. I finished the embroidery, and then due to my tendency toward procrastination, I folded it up and put it away.<br />
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The next year when I saw the price tags on some completed pillows, I figured I had better find my project and finish it and put it to use.<br />
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This pillow design is a little more elaborate, but nothing requiring great embroidery skill. I liked the sage green linen background and backing and the acorn/oak leaf design.<br />
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The pillow now resides on the East Lake rocker in my living room.<br />
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If you like the A & C look, you might consider going to the 31st National Arts & Crafts Conference which will be held at the Grove Park Inn on February 16-18, 2018.</div>
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Arts-CraftsConference.com or ArtsAndCraftsCollector.com for more information.</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-83821503059498045602017-03-26T16:49:00.001-07:002017-03-26T16:49:54.761-07:00Oh, no! More orchids!<div style="text-align: center;">
I know, I just did a post that included some of the spectacular orchids at the Biltmore House, however we made a stop at the NC Arboretum on Friday for the opening of the annual orchid show. </div>
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I can't resist taking a few photos.</div>
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Lucky for you, I don't know much about orchids, so all you get are photos.</div>
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They are just so mesmerizing... all the colors, shapes, sizes... and all displayed so skillfully!</div>
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It's too late for you to see this year's show, but you could always come and see them next year.</div>
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Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-74152924679248539952017-03-17T17:33:00.001-07:002017-03-17T17:33:31.478-07:00First visit to the Biltmore Estate Gardens 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My book club met this afternoon at the Biltmore Estate for lunch and our book discussion. Afterward my friend Jane and I toured the first three floors of the Estate to see the current decor and the current exhibit featuring costumes from films based on books in George Vanderbilt's library. It was extremely busy in the house... not sure why that was... possibly because this is the final day that pass holders can bring guests in for free and likely because most of this week was unusually cold and by afternoon today there was finally some blue in the sky and warmth from the sun.</div>
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You can see the mix of sun and clouds in the photo below:</div>
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Because of the below freezing temps at least three nights this week, I didn't know what the gardens would look like. I know that they brought in heaters to preserve the plants that already had flowered. The heaters had been removed and the earliest of the spring blooms could be seen, really in pretty good shape considering the frosty week.</div>
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There were some delicate pink early tulips among the daffodils.</div>
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It still is quite early for tulips, which will dominate the garden over the next month or so, but I think with the extremely warm weather just before this cold snap, crocuses and some of the other really early bulbs are finished. There were some grape hyacinths.</div>
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The clustered planting allows for a succession of flowers to bloom throughout spring.</div>
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We have been enjoying daffodils for well over a month and many succumbed to this cold week, so I was happy to see that they were still thriving here.</div>
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Of course, year 'round you can enjoy beautiful blooms in the conservatory greenhouse and today was no exception. So I will finish with some of the "inside" flowers I saw today.</div>
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I overheard someone exclaim, "I've never seen such beautiful orchids!" I'd have to agree, they were spectacular and not only were they all over the greenhouse, they were also liberally decorating the house. </div>
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Next week spring will officially arrive and I hope I will be making several more visits to the gardens as they fill with more spring blossoms and eventually roses!</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-67415933152411825122017-03-08T06:23:00.001-08:002017-03-08T06:23:58.564-08:00For the love of pansies...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhp_ejbREfkpx7-i4JSuypG4JI__W0fg064x5xsRLD-d4g2_KiN46FQ-o9zdDF_w0YMWPn6g16SLUX9HRSTy6T56SX7VAxF3v5hWXIdyHQpjkwWrZK-mdqUlmKQgRUtuC0yFi5HucMQ4/s1600/IMG_2095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwhp_ejbREfkpx7-i4JSuypG4JI__W0fg064x5xsRLD-d4g2_KiN46FQ-o9zdDF_w0YMWPn6g16SLUX9HRSTy6T56SX7VAxF3v5hWXIdyHQpjkwWrZK-mdqUlmKQgRUtuC0yFi5HucMQ4/s400/IMG_2095.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 21pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 21pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Face<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 21pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Coyly smiling at the sun<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">with brightly colored
face,<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a demeanor quietly
homespun<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">garlanded with ruffled
grace;<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">wherever planted,
sheds crisp cheer<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">all about the garden
plot,<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">sophisticated peers
may proudly sneer;<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bravely, she smiles on
from her spot.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Determined through the
winter cold<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to continue blooming
by the walk,<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I love to see her
shining there;<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">oh, if that simple
face could talk!<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are others, I
confess,<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">who possess more
glorious flair;<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">but, to me, in all the
world of flowers<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to the pansy they
cannot compare.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Copyright, August 11,
2016<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Faye Lanham Gibson</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week I finally planted some pansies in some of the containers on my back deck and I am thoroughly enjoying their colorful "faces." </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3D2GyJPatv5btJYifLH_dpZTVZBkPXEbpCI34CEGITRDoLASXqvaaIN4WlW1caZegkxYqLSLiUvkuqU28XqwR2hE85-_Zcybw1byettuJ8gR6kQOIcXX3czzFQaI0X4-Le3FuoADoxFE/s1600/IMG_2090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3D2GyJPatv5btJYifLH_dpZTVZBkPXEbpCI34CEGITRDoLASXqvaaIN4WlW1caZegkxYqLSLiUvkuqU28XqwR2hE85-_Zcybw1byettuJ8gR6kQOIcXX3czzFQaI0X4-Le3FuoADoxFE/s320/IMG_2090.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mine are still such babies, but they will tolerate the occasional frost we still will likely get (and even snow, if necessary) and I should be able to enjoy them until the planters are ready for summer flowers.</span></span></div>
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Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-54396053824104195132017-02-27T14:47:00.000-08:002017-03-01T16:44:13.770-08:00A bit of Mardi Gras in Asheville!<div style="text-align: center;">
This isn't New Orleans, but for the last 10 years, Asheville has hosted a Mardi Gras parade the Sunday afternoon before Ash Wednesday. </div>
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We have only been to the parade twice. The first time, 5 years ago, it was a rainy day and the festivities were dampened by the weather. Yesterday was a bit cool, about 50 degrees, but sunny, and the parade drew hundreds of participants and likely thousands of spectators! </div>
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We were impressed! </div>
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It was a fun experience.</div>
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We situated ourselves in front of the Haywood Hotel, across from the Flat Iron Sculpture and Wall Street, which was the staging area for the parade. The gentleman clown above was the grand marshal and signaled each of the "Krewes" when they should start and announced some of the floats, such as the one carrying the King and Queen.<br />
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I don't usually have video in my blog, but this will give you a general idea of the atmosphere.<br />
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We were impressed with the number of groups participating and the elaborate floats.</div>
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Beads and candy were tossed to the crowds watching. And many of the spectators were dressed for the occasion. This fellow with the amazing hat was in front of us, likely getting nicer photos than me.</div>
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And we saw this dapper couple watching the parade later on as we walked to a coffee shop.</div>
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Some other photos you might like to see...</div>
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And then, of course, this year's King and Queen...</div>
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Downtown Asheville is known for it's costumed buskers and flamboyant street people, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the city embraced Mardi Gras so heartily. </div>
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An "open to the public" party followed the parade, but we did not attend that. Perhaps next year we'll get some masks and glitz... or maybe not.</div>
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-1679593868127342162017-02-08T17:29:00.000-08:002017-02-08T17:32:33.478-08:00A Walk by the Hudson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We just got back from spending over three weeks with our daughter, son-in-law, and their new baby. They recently bought a house right outside of Peekskill, NY. </div>
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We expected that we would have some old fashioned north country winter while we were there, but had mostly pleasant temperatures and very little snow. However, it was cloudy nearly every day.</div>
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On one somewhat sunny morning, we took a walk at the Scenic Hudson Park at Peekskill Landing.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6eSn2MB1aGCzK9D6CI5IADef_w766KpuU-xmOx-VGVqoND6DjJDZwsw2GiIEHIhyR0rL_Oq1PqLaoF9nYSdomWMYOHwSSL355I4sWUfqCC8j_GU1CRG9jw82qC5PMhdkRiUOHGdEfYY/s1600/IMG_1785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF6eSn2MB1aGCzK9D6CI5IADef_w766KpuU-xmOx-VGVqoND6DjJDZwsw2GiIEHIhyR0rL_Oq1PqLaoF9nYSdomWMYOHwSSL355I4sWUfqCC8j_GU1CRG9jw82qC5PMhdkRiUOHGdEfYY/s320/IMG_1785.jpg" width="177" /></a></div>
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It's a pretty area right at the water's edge that includes a boat launch site, a scenic pier, playground, a walking/biking trail, picnic tables, and a nice scattering of public artwork.</div>
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I don't know the story behind the creation of these benches, but there were several of them and I suspect that the tiles were student artwork.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLpe_etP2qBPWlqf9BITU4IZa3jK_-EoVMSOh68hi3VWcoHqig2F9XV1T0rIpqjtySyBa5KV1U14SiXl1733uxcdV-vH8LM4QCACbBd0yAekVZCrcoNG5TzClIpC2m4UI-ukhyphenhyphenYNdVxc/s1600/IMG_1778.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlLpe_etP2qBPWlqf9BITU4IZa3jK_-EoVMSOh68hi3VWcoHqig2F9XV1T0rIpqjtySyBa5KV1U14SiXl1733uxcdV-vH8LM4QCACbBd0yAekVZCrcoNG5TzClIpC2m4UI-ukhyphenhyphenYNdVxc/s320/IMG_1778.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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On the wall of the public bathroom was a nice mural depicting the river and it's exploration. The sun cast shadows that made it difficult to capture nicely in a photo.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KJe3SMCcph3LLZ8QJYZMEnOvS9hOMyYzSXaCCd-U5Adpo_eTL8D__7q9t_UzoTDaW44WTF9qNaHnYHXFvJ44o1aP7u6bofcvunRgzR7Bwb3irkxx-OCjVqJ7bFKbCOm7tSljUH2itR4/s1600/IMG_1779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1KJe3SMCcph3LLZ8QJYZMEnOvS9hOMyYzSXaCCd-U5Adpo_eTL8D__7q9t_UzoTDaW44WTF9qNaHnYHXFvJ44o1aP7u6bofcvunRgzR7Bwb3irkxx-OCjVqJ7bFKbCOm7tSljUH2itR4/s320/IMG_1779.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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But I did take some closeups of portions in the sun so you can see some of the details.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9tHOVE7XnxMU1gFfMfaYQ8xFNWeU1v3D-_ZmmQSv7W51cMU2kfwR9VNDKa2tv8eijx9op483DzCjmZCxlk8jLonNrguapVnBx5U-VSp7QHpKApt8KbQDiG8VNzHU_nBMpyyTs_s9t-k/s1600/IMG_1781.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_9tHOVE7XnxMU1gFfMfaYQ8xFNWeU1v3D-_ZmmQSv7W51cMU2kfwR9VNDKa2tv8eijx9op483DzCjmZCxlk8jLonNrguapVnBx5U-VSp7QHpKApt8KbQDiG8VNzHU_nBMpyyTs_s9t-k/s320/IMG_1781.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CSyNcGpd6o3nE2cxjhbylu42CWH-TCvzkr7WQXo9i5RVEmS7kY3_aFZkjl-c3pjY1Tfzy0t7qAMRDv97UjJYOFtoPRCTRbPjU0W4iwcD7is-4KDewc-0mYKBycx652wYb04oL0u7khs/s1600/IMG_1782.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_CSyNcGpd6o3nE2cxjhbylu42CWH-TCvzkr7WQXo9i5RVEmS7kY3_aFZkjl-c3pjY1Tfzy0t7qAMRDv97UjJYOFtoPRCTRbPjU0W4iwcD7is-4KDewc-0mYKBycx652wYb04oL0u7khs/s320/IMG_1782.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The Hudson is a beautiful river and has scenic views on either side.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyVabu9DDhbDpS8PudxygxUhW0-XwGsqVvoZTA-9WK31NSQULXEmUOzODUeukyHDs_etQuCJ6EwP_wJKJeqf8H8-n2V-7nWAEZdZ5YJNuYQd1aeo4XcGGdb1cG5UTbO29azXLsmpoGAw/s1600/IMG_1799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmyVabu9DDhbDpS8PudxygxUhW0-XwGsqVvoZTA-9WK31NSQULXEmUOzODUeukyHDs_etQuCJ6EwP_wJKJeqf8H8-n2V-7nWAEZdZ5YJNuYQd1aeo4XcGGdb1cG5UTbO29azXLsmpoGAw/s400/IMG_1799.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52Xu3CnLvZ_x-vmbZfBCwBWviOi4x6-75aBGV5TD3rwN70Xd90dF_oNbf7e3nHK87nt673yUqxBciftaf-l_M8aT8XxPoLk-D3lQxZSCpVgZW_AgZlIg89qoOeqyDdWoDhO9xptuZy3c/s1600/IMG_1786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi52Xu3CnLvZ_x-vmbZfBCwBWviOi4x6-75aBGV5TD3rwN70Xd90dF_oNbf7e3nHK87nt673yUqxBciftaf-l_M8aT8XxPoLk-D3lQxZSCpVgZW_AgZlIg89qoOeqyDdWoDhO9xptuZy3c/s400/IMG_1786.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We're not really sure what that impressive building is on the bluff overlooking Peekskill but it does have a cross on it and someone told us that there had been a small Catholic women's college in Peekskill at one time. We surmise that might be what it is, but maybe we will learn for sure at a subsequent visit.</div>
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No good park is complete without a playground and this one looks pretty nice. I suspect that we will visit this with our grandson, Greyson, when he gets a bit older.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qgW6io3YUDyuFheerFhnqpt8RZANKcLVShovuayE1PprMqjCshhdXg2PaVQi8YQC1BjYI7XsQJXb1TjvEFmFjftC6V7yeJuFfv0nl1FwB8q8SDuk8brjfWzjmC4pOJwHf7JIfwO2F7c/s1600/IMG_1803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qgW6io3YUDyuFheerFhnqpt8RZANKcLVShovuayE1PprMqjCshhdXg2PaVQi8YQC1BjYI7XsQJXb1TjvEFmFjftC6V7yeJuFfv0nl1FwB8q8SDuk8brjfWzjmC4pOJwHf7JIfwO2F7c/s320/IMG_1803.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here are some of the nicely placed sculptures.</div>
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These last two were interesting. This one was a small shipping container. When you looked through a window at one end you were treated to a kaleidoscope reflection of the Hudson.</div>
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The horizontal image just above the center of the photo is the opening toward the river and the rest are mirrored reflections. Looks kind of like a quilt, doesn't it?</div>
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And the last image is from inside a large orange sphere (I don't know why I didn't take a picture of the outside) which has a number of tubes protruding from it. Each of the tubes is a kaleidoscope with a different image in it's lens.</div>
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Though we are native New Yorkers, we have not spent very much time in the Hudson Valley. </div>
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There is a lot of history and natural beauty to explore here!</div>
<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1350870830384706599.post-21025724282411683532016-10-31T12:02:00.001-07:002016-10-31T12:02:54.398-07:00Flora and Fauna... here and thereAs I was walking in Fletcher Park this morning absorbing the beautiful fall foliage,<br />
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I recalled the fact that two weeks ago I was in Rincon, Puerto Rico, enjoying quite different foliage. In fact, I had taken some nature pictures there with the intention of doing a blog post.<br />
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Our rental house was perched on a hillside with ravines on either side that were for the most part jungle growth, giving us some views of some nice bird life, as well as several cows that grazed in the pasture to the left, and iguanas which we saw daily on the canopies of the trees surrounding us.<br />
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This ibis was quite a distance away, but it was one of several that we saw around the property and around the area.<br />
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Tropical flowering plants are often brilliant colors. I don't know their names, but many of these were growing on the property where we stayed.<br />
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This lovely orchid was growing along the driveway.<br />
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And though no longer alive, I rather liked this brain coral that was also near the driveway... it's about the size of a bowling ball.<br />
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These are probably forms a yucca and, though they weren't in bloom at this time, they do have great foliage.<br />
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And of course, we had many different kind of palm trees surrounding us.<br />
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It's so very interesting to spend time in a place which has a very different climate and exotic plants and animals... but I think I would miss the four seasons and the squirrels!<br />
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<br />Anna Bananahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02164625615623739865noreply@blogger.com0