Country Pines Quilt Shop

Hello Everyone,

 

So much has been going on since we returned from Alaska, that I don't know where to begin to tell the story and fill you in on our adventures.

 

Last Thursday, I set off by myself on a four-hour drive to Susanville, CA. to teach two classes.

 



I headed over Ebbetts Pass on Highway 4.  The road is not for the faint of heart. This is a narrow mountain pass that climbs to over 9,000 feet then plunges down into Nevada. It is not unusual to see range cattle wandering down the road along with some furry bears.  This is a view of the mountains that I had to drive through.  It was so smoky from the fire in Yosemite that the view was obscured.

My destination was Country Pines Quilt Shop.  You can see that I reached my destination since my reflection is on the front door.  I was warmly greeted by Laura, the owner of Country Pines and her employee Barbara.

Country Pines has something for everyone.

It is full of quilted goodness.

I love this shop and would gladly drive over the mountain and through the range cattle to shop there.

My sister Gail met up with me at the shop.  She left her home in Benicia about the time I left mine in Arnold, and we arrived at the front door about 3 minutes apart.  No kidding, we couldn't have planned it any better.

Here's a look at my fabric purchase the first day. 

I'll be cutting all of this up to make bundles to sell when I'm vending at quilt shows.  I shopped more on day two and day three.  I'm almost too embarrassed to take pictures of my three boxes of reproduction fabrics.

Here's just a small sample of some of components that came out of the Patchwork Math class.

I also taught Grammy Squares.

The quilters in the class were so nice.  I felt as though I'd known them for years.  We had fun!  If I lived in the area, I would be a regular at the shop.

I hit the road early Sunday morning to get back home as company was arriving.  The choking smoke from the devastating Carr fire in Redding filled the sky.  This is the sunrise I saw on my way home.  There are many alkali lakes along the route and I thought this picture really told the story on how much smoke filled the area.  Each morning our cars were covered in ash.

My granddaughter and her boyfriend came to the cabin to spend a few days before schools starts in mid-August.  They are both going to be seniors.  Our first stop was White Pines Lakes about two miles from our cabin.  It was so relaxing to just sit and watch the kids fish and catch zippo.

 

On Monday, we headed way up into the back country to Elephant Lake for some kayaking and more fishing......zippo again.

 

Mr. Joe, Mazey, and I took our turn in the kayak.  This was no easy feat for me to get in......or out of the kayak since I came home with a bum knee from the cruise.  It's a good thing Will is a big guy since he had to extract me from the kayak. Do you know how hard it is to get out of a kayak with a knee that isn't working properly, a dog that is rocking the boat, and a husband who couldn't stop laughing when our granddaughter told me not to fart!!! I know, I know, not very delicate but it's the truth!   

 

While we were up at the lake, I was so surprised when my phone dinged with a text message from my daughter in law.  A fire had started just below our town, closing the road, and she wondered if we were evacuating!  Bum knee or not, we high tailed it back to the car to begin the long ride home on dirt roads.  When we got to the main highway, I had better reception, and we learned the fire was under control and the air support was sent back to the airport.  What a relief.

I've been gone for so long that I'm playing paperwork catch-up today.....after I fondle all of the new fabrics!

Soon,
Lynn