The last day of a retreat is always tinged with a degree of sadness... The machines are packed and suddenly the room is empty. The chatter has ceased and the room becomes quiet....I'm usually still jumping and it takes a day or so to relax. However... a noisy dinner with friends and a little wine helped the relaxation process. Classes are finished for a few weeks... so I'm not going through the actions of taking class, but the ideas and the planning never cease.
On Monday about 15 of us met once again for a final lunch. Nancy hosted us at her house by the lake....It's a quilters dream. Her studio was once a bar and she tells me it was even a hideout for the Mafia.... The huge sign that displays the name of her establishment was once host to a full size flashing dancing girl... Now it has the outline of a crow.....!!! and is a quilting establishment.. (and you thought I was wacky) Fields of flowering wildflowers frame the lake and the sun shone brilliantly. The gals put on a super lunch of salads and pound cake washed down with strawberry lemonade and then introduced us to the intracies of fabric dying... whoop I whipped mine up in a few minutes.... "No" the gal said.. you have to wet it after you paint it....
"Sorry, I want mine just as it is".... so that's the way it stayed.....
More hugs, farewells, photos and not looking back and we were on our way to Winamac Indiana.
OK so we had to stop for an icecream just a few miles down the road... but it was worth it... Pecan maple...... !!!!
It took us 6 hours of driving time and an hour out for dinner at "Cracker Barrel." This restaurant has to be seen to be believed... It serves food like Grandma would make... And the gift store sets your heart a flutter.... I was sitting on the rocking chair out the front waiting for my friends... when this African American gent went by...he had the most amazing boots.... grey snakeskin... suddenly I heard myself engage him in conversation... "Love your boots".... so we visited for a few minutes and those wonderful boots wandered off.... One of these days I'm going
to get myself into strife....We arrived in Winamac as it grew dark and for some time we drove through waist high flat cornfields that were dancing with fireflies... it was magic..... Now for tomorrow...
"Sometimes I feel like I'm diagonally parked in a parallel universe. "
