Coldwater Adventures

Hello, dear friends!  Its been too long. 

We spent the month of July near Ellijay, Georgia in a little cabin on the banks of Mountaintown Creek.    The first ten days we were there, I thought I might have to grow webbed feet because it rained so much.  

Raindrops a fallin' over my head......

We loved the cabin, even with its shortcomings.  I spent more hours than I can count out on the front porch just rocking and watching and listening to the creek. 

Just up the way 

And, just past the end of the driveway 

Now, you have to understand that I'm a flat lander.  Where I live, the elevation is a whole 11 feet or so.  Yes, that's the correct elevation.   Did I say it was flat?      Anyway, we eased into the hills and then the mountains as we drove up.  As we entered Coosawattee River Resort where the cabin is located, the roads became an adventure unto themselves.  The paved portions were in very good shape but just wide enough for two vehicles to meet, and just hope one isn't a service truck!   They are as crooked as any pile of spaghetti you ever tossed, and also going up and down.  Also, there's the paved but divided one lane portions.  They took some getting used to.  

And, then there are the gravel roads.  Lots and lots of gravel roads.  With hills.  Some with very steep hills.   Which must be climbed by our little red car in order to get to our cabin which is on a private drive off one of those gravel roads.  I swear, I thought we were driving into a rabbit hole when we headed down into that driveway!!  It was really just a twisty trail wide enough for one vehicle, all covered over by trees and bordered by more trees and a little stream.   Then the trail turned, widened a bit and ran along the bank of that glorious creek to the cabin.    

Looking to the skies 

We had real fun learning how to shoot up the drive and stop precisely on top before heading down the slope on the other side.  Then, there was the entertainment of backing down that drive to the turn around area.  Nope, couldn't just drive on down and do a three point turn to come back out.  Trail not wide enough and slope too steep.  Couldn't head on down to turn around somewhere else, cause there wasn't anywhere else to turn around unless we plain drove up to the neighbor's door and turned around in his driveway!   Oh, I forgot to say that his driveway is also the end of the road.  

The wide part of the trail

 Hence the backing down our driveway with trees and a bank on one side and the drop off on the other.    I know.  In the picture it looks like it would be easy, and for some folks it might be.  However....Hubby and I aren't those people, although I might have a slight advantage.  It did get easier, though, as time went by.  

And remember that flat lander thing?  We live in a one floor house where we have maybe a 6 inch step up into the house.  Once we got to the top of the driveway, it was 30 stair steps over four sections up to the deck.  You shoulda seen us unloading the car.  Not a pretty sight at all.   Once we got up there, we were perched among the tree tops looking directly down onto the creek.  Worth every step of it.  (Most days, anyway.) 

If you'd like to take a look at the cabin, here's the link.   I'll be back soon. 

Y'all take care. 

Alive and Well

I'm alive and well, fun stuff,  just not able to post much.  Hope everyone is doing well.  Back when I can. 

Y'all take care.  

Happy Independence Day

Do you like the sound of a slow, steady rain on a roof overhead?   I love it.  Good thing, because there's been plenty of that steady rain for a very long time and no end in sight.  The creek below is running high and I suspect it will be that way for at least the next week.  So much for sitting in the creek,  whiling away the time.

Meanwhile, the trees are so lush and green and I'm sitting up here in the middle of them in a rocking chair on a covered porch. I'm not complaining. 

I hope all of you have had a wonderful Independence Day, remembering what it all means.  Our freedoms are not to be taken lightly and we must be diligent to protect them. 

Y'all take care. 

Tweaking the Blog

As much as I hate to do it, I had to change the comment settings to exclude anonymous comments.  Although I moderate all comments, it is tiresome to have to deal with "anonymous" all the time.  It has been a problem for a couple of months now. 

I hope this doesn't create a problem for all my lovely, legitimate readers who comment. 

A couple of weeks back I went to the International Quilt Study Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.  They had a display of toy sewing machines that was outstanding.  I can't even imagine having one of those as a little girl. 

Y'all take care. 

WARNING! There are thieves among us!

No pretty pictures today, just a warning everyone should heed. 

An attempt has been made to compromise my husband's social security account using his social security number.  Thankfully, it appears that we've been able to correct the changes they had made and have put measures in place to prevent any further attempts.   Thus far, thank God, no monetary damage done.  The matter is under investigation by federal authorities.  

Please be very careful with your personal information.  Make sure that your bank accounts are protected, check your credit reports to make sure no one has tinkered around.  Be diligent about this.   Be very careful what personal information is shared on social media networks.

One piece of advice we received is that parents should request a credit report on the child just before they turn eighteen.  It seems that thieves somehow stockpile stolen social security numbers of underage children and as soon as they reach eighteen, they are ripe for exploitation.  

Y'all please take care. 

The Threadcatchers' Antics

Now, where was I?    After returning from the birding trip to Texas on a Sunday evening, I hurriedly did laundry and repacked my bags.  I left on Tuesday morning for my semi-annual quilting retreat.  I love that bunch of crazy women!!

What ensued can only be described as four and a half days of controlled (barely) chaos. 

One of the projects worked on during our stay by some folks was Quilts of Valor. 

Others had made blocks or tops or entire quilts for donation.   All together, about 15 quilts were donated that weekend.   We all sewed up a storm on various projects.  No pictures of what I worked on. It's at home on the design wall.

As usual, we had to have our fun.  After all, what would be the point otherwise??  :)     Seeing Stars and I made tutus for everyone, some in purple and some in turquoise.  After all, every woman needs to remember the carefree little girl inside. 

My reluctant model 

Now, once the tutus were presented to everyone, what else were we to do?   (Sorry about the lousy picture.  Totally wrong settings on the camera.)

And, the evening wouldn't have been complete without a little music. 

Y....M.....C.....A

Until the next time.......

Y'all take care.  

YES, I'm still around............somewhere

I'm still alive and well, just on the road yet again and with no reliable internet service except intermittently.  So, I'm behind in posting and reading of blogs. 

Hopefully, that will change this next week.  Meanwhile, enjoy a few pictures. 

Tulip poplar blossoms, Missouri 

Does this look like trouble?

Purple leg tutu, anyone?

Back soon.  Meanwhile, y'all take care.