A Happy Friday

I decided yesterday that Fridays would be days for my own pleasure and projects. Why not? The joy of being retired once again!

I started the day with a nice e-mail from a high school friend. I found out that her daughter lives only four miles from me. We are looking forward to getting together soon when she comes down here from Virginia Beach to visit her new grand baby.

Shopping was next. First, The Cotton Company. No, quilters, it is not a fabric shop! It is one of those shopping emporiums in an old cotton exchange warehouse building. It contains lots of vendor booths with numerous decorative items for home and garden, jewelry, toys, and so forth. What is unique is that there are artists' studios in one wing of the building, where they can also sell their creations. After browsing the galleries, I had a nice chat with artist Dick Larsen and toured his workspace. It featured animal portraits in oil paints, mostly dogs full of personality.

One of the vendor booths is a fair trade market with products from Peru and other countries. I picked up a birthday gift for my husband's sister that I hope she will like. I also found several other goodies while wandering through the vendor areas. And decided to buy myself an early birthday gift (my b-day is tomorrow) of a pretty beaded necklace with shell pendant. Very inexpensive but in colors I love.

Then, on to the local quilt shop, Quilts Like Crazy. Here I had a nice chance to catch up with my friend Nancy Pease, long-arm quilter extraordinaire and former shop owner. She still owns the knitting part of the store, which will be renamed Yarn Birds. I met the new QLK owner, Betsy Jobe, and her husband. I toted along the butterflies quilt I am finishing, and was pleased at the oohs and ahhs from several folks in the store who loved the quilt. I chose a chocolate brown Moda Marbles fabric for the binding. I also bought just half a yard each of a fabric called Samba in two bright, happy colorways. No plans for these yet, they just called my name.

When I got home and checked the mail, I got a wonderful surprise: my MQX photo DVD! I ordered this since I did not get to attend Machine Quilters Exposition in New Hampshire this year, but two of my quilts were juried in. Photographer Jeffrey Lomicka took a full photo and several detail photos of each quilt and garment. I was pleased with the pictures of my quilts, and drooled all over the keyboard at the images of the quilts that were on display at the show.

DH and I decided to go to an excellent cafeteria in downtown Wake Forest for supper. We almost always select their Brunswick stew, a yummy homemade chicken stew with vegetables and potatoes in a tomato base. This must have been my day to re-connect with old friends, for there was my friend Cathy G. from the Wake Forest Middle School. She was the media assistant during my last few years there. She came over and sat with us for a nice little visit.

After supper it started to rain. This is always a good thing here in drought-stricken North Carolina. It was a gentle but steady rain, so we headed out to the front porch rockers to enjoy the cool weather and a glass of wine. Eventually there was a fiery sunset against the dark storm clouds. Maggy was sitting there with us, very bored that she had to stay on the porch and watch it rain. We were enjoying the sunset and the hummingbird who was buzzing us, chatting on the phone with Charlie's sister, when suddenly two deer appeared as if by magic on the lawn right in front of us. I bet they were not ten feet away. Suddenly Maggy sprang to life and took off after them across the yard. She was back shortly having successfully chased them off.

Both Charlie and I got wind chimes while we were at the beach last week. Mine were an early birthday present from my in-laws. Charlie's were a Father's Day gift from Dave and Emily. We hung them both on the front porch. Charlie's are an amusing set of fake beer bottles that contain tea candles. They looked nice all lit up in the darkness.

Here is my funny flamingo. Well, that's enough posting for one day!