Rights and responsibilities of vacationers

Yesterday was all about making plans and then doing something else.  Rob and I headed out to downtown for one of our downtown hikes.  When we turned into the downtown street, a bicycle whizzed past us.  And, then there was another coming toward us, and another, and another, and another, and then we realized they had numbers, and we had wandered into some kind of a bike race. 

That blew our plans for downtown.  Streets were blocked and there were at least a hundred bikes whizzing all over the place.  So, we went to the Christ of the Ozarks statue and the Passion Play site. 

The Passion Play has been bought and they are working to keep it open.  And, the statue is a very reflective and peaceful place, it just doesn’t hold the same intrigue it held for me when I was 10 years old, which is about when I saw it the first time and seven stories tall and 65 feet wide were bigger numbers. 

After that, we went to Tropical Threads for me to fabric shop. 

I bought a panel of a Geisha to finish a quilt I’ve been collecting fabric for, for a year.  Surely I have it right now and one of the four Geisha I’ve collected will make the quilt I’m wanting to make.  And, some teen girls are likely going to get some fun Geisha Linus quilts, to boot.  Last year, the shop was out of the Geisha panel he had on display, so I bought a really cool fabric for the border and hunted for the Geisha.  This year, he had a different Geisha, and I bought her and some border fabric to blend with the border I bought last year (thank goodness he still had some of that on the bolt).

 

Hopefully, this will finally get the Geisha quilt out of my system.

But that’s not the real reason we went to Tropical Threads.  I recently listened to The Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverinni.  I’ve listened to about 6 of her books, back to back, and am on the last one in the series.  Anyway, since I did, I’ve wanted to make a Hawaiian style quilt as a way of spreading my wings.  But, I don’t just want to make any old one.  I decided first, to try my hands at a kit and this store sells kits in all sizes.  They die cut the applique, downstairs of the shop.  When I didn’t find a kit I liked, he told me he’d cut me a kit out of anything, if I could give him two days.  So, I picked out a light green print and a white backing, and I get to pick up the cut applique piece and the backing, batting, thread, needles…he says it has everything I’d need to make this quilt…tomorrow or Wednesday.  That’s an 18” pillow size.  A good tester.  And, I picked out a pattern I liked that I want to use to make a wall hanging.  I suspect that will fulfill my desire. 

Just like one or two Asian themed quilts is going to fulfill that desire. 

I have various interests, but I always come back to good old scrap quilts.

If you’re in the Eureka Springs area, there are two quilt shops.  We can’t ever seem to get into one of them, Digital Quiltz.  But, Tropical Threads was even open on Sunday at 9:30.  They have prints, batiks, asian prints, die cut Hawaiian kits in several sizes, patterns, solids, lots of embroidery thread and lace.  It’s a fun shop and a good stop with reasonable prices.

Next, we picked up the kid and drove to the War Eagle Mill for lunch.  I think the Mill has been bought and has become more of a brand than an actual mill.  Things were just different, like the differences a big corporation would make on a small business it acquired.  Sad.  We had lunch there and enjoyed it, but it wasn’t the mouthwatering lunch I had there last year and I didn’t buy any of their milled goods.

We stopped in a couple places and then we tried to decide what to do with the rest of the day.  Sydney didn’t want to do anything we suggested, so I assured her that was okay, but meant she needed to toss out some suggestions instead of just say no.  She took a long time to decide and, of course, she wanted to go to Treasures from the Pacific, which is in the same building with Tropical Threads, where we had been earlier that day.  She was shopping from their extensive collection of rings and, while it took a while, she found a ring.  Her next choice was a swim and who could blame her because it was in the mid 90’s by then.  Besides, that’s become part of my sewing time, so we’re all good.

Today is also a Sydney day.  The stable is closed so we’re taking her downtown to walk and shop in the “new stuff”.  She’s tired of antiquing because “we do that 24/7”. 

Please pray for my calf muscles.  This town is truly up and down hill.  I think I packed my pedometer.  Today is the day I should measure.  It will give me something interesting to talk about on the ambulance ride. 

Lane