End of Workshop and Mountain Stay

There was something a little different when I left the cabin for my last day of class in Boone...snow on the ground!  None on the roads, but there was plenty on the trees and hills.

On the last day of class we watched Fealing work some more on her demo portrait, and spent a lot of time critiquing the student work from the class.

When the workshop ended, I took a short drive to Blowing Rock, NC, to see the exhibits at the Blowing Rock Art and History Museum.  They were hosting the Watercolor Society of North Carolina 68th juried exhibit, as well as a special exhibit of Anerican Impressionists.

No photography was allowed, but there was a lovely portrait by one of the members of my class in the show- and it won a special award!  Congratulations, Jan Green!

The museum building had lots of carved wooden benches, even in the Ladies Room and the elevator!  I've never seen an elevator with a slate floor.

  There were nice gardens around the museum.

There were hand-painted rocks in the gardens with mountain scenes.

When I got home, my son and his family had arrived, along with two of my son's friends.  I will tell more about the weekend and also our trip to the First Annual Oktoberfest in Jefferson, NC.

Back From Boone

I got home yesterday afternoon after a nice visit with my family in Boone.  On Monday we went to Pepper's for lunch, and ate pizza at my brother John's that night.  On Tuesday we ate at Melanie's in downtown Boone, and then the visiting Floridian Turners cooked a chicken stew for supper. 




Jeff, Anna, Chris, and Dad

 My brothers Jeff and John love to play guitar and sing together.  We went through many pages of the Beatles Songbook.  John and Patti's house is like a cozy tree house atop a hill.



Dad, John, Jeff and Barney the Dog



Patti and Anna



Unfortunately, the weather was horrible the whole time.  It was foggy, rainy, cold, and even snowed a little.  It takes a little longer for spring to reach the High Country of the North Carolina mountains.

I brought my watercolor paintings to show my father.  He is a retired commercial and fine artist.  He was happy that I am exhibiting some interest in art.  We went to Cheap Joe's and viewed the art gallery there in the store.  Dad bought me a copy of Jeanne Dobie's book, Making Color Sing.  My father is doing better after his recent hospitalization, but not back to full strength yet.  I was glad he felt well enough to go out and do some visiting.

I hated to leave, but my husband left for a business trip to Washington, DC yesterday, and I had to get home to my Kasey.  While I was at John's, I enjoyed visiting with his 13-year old dog, Barney.  He has gotten very mellow in his senior years.

On the way home, I stopped in Lewisville at Sewingly Yours.  I had been there when the Carolina Longarm Association had its quilt show near there last fall. 

I have signed up for an online class through Quilt University on making a highly embellished quilted jacket.  I bought the Whisper Creek jacket pattern and some blue-green fabric printed with a gradient of light to dark. I am already behind in this class and still have not finished Lesson Three from the last one with Pamela Allen.

This weekend my son and grandkids are coming up from South Carolina.  My husband's birthday is Saturday.  I have a lot to do!  The weather should be very nice here, and I haven't seen my grandkids since Christmas.  We are also dogsitting for Roo this weekend, so there will be a full house.