TRAVELING

Chicago O'Hare Field was named after Lt. Edward Henry "Butch" O'Hare.....who, in 1942, was this country's FIRST top gun.  There is an informative display about this hero between terminals 1 & 2.

One of these days, I'm going to count how many Starbuck Coffee shops dot the various terminals at O'Hare's huge airport complex.

United's, terminal 1, in the B concourse, has a huge dinosaur display, on loan from Chicago's Natural History Museum.  It's a hit for children of any age.

The famed light show can be found in the underground people mover between United's concourse B & C.  The ever changing color, along with the music adds charm to what would otherwise be just a tunnel!

My favorite place to hang out......an oasis called the Red Carpet Club.  It's United's private club (membership required).  With customer service agents, food, beverages, rest rooms, tv's, internet etc.....it's a more pleasant place to stay during layovers.

Look what greeted me as I made my way to the 1 baggage claim area in Redding, CA.  I thought it was a perfect way to say hello to a tired traveler after over 13 hrs. and 4 flights!

I've never stayed at an Oxford Suites before.......def. a thumbs up for me......love the 5 bed pillows!

I had a yummy omelet, overlooking the pool at my hotel this morning.  The day is certainly shaping up as I try to adjust my body clock to the 3 hr. time change.  Off for a bit of site seeing before the evening lecture.....  My camera will be in hand.....

 

HIKING

It was a gorgeous day yesterday, and since most of my packing was already completed....'the husband' suggested we spend part of our day hiking.  We headed over to Mt. Pisgah, which is a short 30 mins. drive.  This mountain is something over 5,500 ft. elevation and a favorite hiking area for locals and visitors alike.

I said, hiking, not strolling.  I'm not kidding....this was our path!  (about half-way up to the top) Not all the walking was quite as challenging, but it was not a groomed gravel path either.  We began feeling our ages as we met other hikers, none were using walking sticks, except us. Seriously, the footing was not easy and frankly, I much prefer to feel steady on my feet when navigating on this type of terrain, so it's okay that I looked like a doddering senior!

After about an hour, we reached the top.  The photo looks mistier than it actually was, an awesome view for sure!

I was shooting my camera straight on.....we were even with the cloud cover across the way, or so it appeared to us.

Even way up here, wildflowers abound everywhere.  We are determined to do more exploring on the hundreds of trails nearby.

I'm actually posting this as I sit in the Charlotte airport.....awaiting my 2nd flight of the day to Chicago, where I'll have a 4 hr. layover before flying to SFO, and will have a 2 hr. layover there before I finally head to Redding, CA......  So far, the day has gone well....

CA & OR - HERE I COME

Before the crack o'dawn tomorrow....I'll be headed to the airport for the first of 4 flights to Redding, CA.  I'll be visiting Quilter's Sew-ceity Guild first, then I move along the quilting highway to Mountain Stars in Medford, OR where I'll be lecturing and teaching a full-day of beading techniques, followed by a full-day felted wool collage workshop.

My final stop on the trip will be in Eugene, OR....yeah....I'll be able to spend time with my brother and his family. 

In Redding, I'll be teaching, Attention to Detail, a beading and embellishment workshop. Although, my name is so often associated with beading (love it), I've always incorporated embellishments, other than beads into my work.  Bacon & Eggs is an example of how small, detailed 3-D motifs can add character and depth to a wall hanging.

The chickens are stuffed, embroidered, and yes, some feature beads.  The bacon is created by machine stitching variegated rayon thread onto strips of upholstery fabric.  The quilt is hand quilted with silver metallic thread to resemble chicken wire. 

Will chat again soon......or as the internet connections along the way allow!

SERIOUS COPYRIGHT CONCERNS

A bill was introduced in congress on 4/25/08 that should scare the socks off anyone who wishes to retain their copyright on original work.

Please get involved by contacting your representatives, by phone or email to help nix, yet again, another way the government wants to meddle in our lives.  Hold onto your head so it doesn't explode as you read the following:

The Shawn Bentley Orphan Acts of 2008 

BACK AT WORK

After nearly a week of R & R, we are now back in the mountains....and still picking wood ticks off ourselves!  So much for bonding with nature.

For any of you in the area, or those that may be in the future....take note....  A new quilt shop has opened in the Waynesville area.  Quilters Quarters is located at 2020 Dellwood Rd. (828-926-0803), on the main highway between Waynesville and Maggie Valley.

I'll be presenting a trunk show/lecture, "What's Old is New Again", tomorrow at 2:00 PM as part of their grand opening month.  

Penny Iris, a smal, traditional style, embellished wool wall quilt is one of many examples that will be explored during the lecture.

Running Squared, a table runner,  is a contemporary design that too features embellished felted wool.  Working with felted wool is fun, easy, and fast....join me if you can tomorrow.

AMAZING!

So...back at the Barber Museum.....

This sure says it all!

And....around the track they came.....practically flying.  Riders have one knee down at the corners, I assume to keep them from falling over.  Tell me again....why is this a good idea to travel at such a high speed, protected only by leather and a helmet?

I caught 'the husband' looking longingly at this model.....he had one in the early 70's which was stolen from right behind our apartment building.  Of course it wasn't insured for theft...who thought of such things back then?

Not only does this Barber person collect motorcycle......but cars too....  Ya gotta admire the display talent!

No detail was overlooked.  Both the front and back wheels of each motorcycle, were perched on these itched stop guards.  Detailed signage was provided for every bike on display.

How about this for detail.....it's a decorative air value stem.

Racing on pavement is crazy enough......apparently ice is even more challenging!

How cute is this?  I found a nice place to rest my weary bones.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF ART MUSEUM

As a quilter, I'm always thrilled to learn about a new quilt museum.  I was surprised to learn about Barber Vintage Museum    Nope, sorry, it's not a quilt museum.  It's located in Birmingham, AL in a pristine 5 story building, set alongside (according to 'the husband') one of the best race tracks in the country.

The museum is home to a collection of over 1,500 motorcycles, plus vintage cars and lots of other related items.   Apparently, Mr. Barber is rich, really, really rich.....and has a lot of time on his hands.  His fortune came from the milk business.

Most of the visitors to the museum come via motorcycles, all parked out front.  Notice the few cars in the parking lot!   We heard numerous languages being spoken as we strolled the floors.  

You enter the museum and are instructed to take a glass elevator to the 5th floor to begin the tour.  Not all 1,500 motorcycles are on view.....though it seemed like it.  About 650 are displayed at any given time and they are EVERYWHERE!

Each bike has its own wooden display stand and detailed signs are provided.  This view was taken from the 5th floor, looking down to the 4th.

Did I say there were about 650 motorcycles displayed....and of course, even in a 5 story building, that requires creative displays.  This rack runs through all 5 floors in the open atrium.

More photos will follow.....again, I'm having a terrible time posting to blogger....me thinks too many people are using it.  It's frustrating to spend an hour trying to post photos with no success as I did last night.  Back with more interesting visuals of this amazing museum shortly.

VICKSBURG

Visiting Vicksburg National Military Park  is a stirring experience.  The surrender of Vicksburg by Confederate General John C. Pemberton to Union Major General Ulyssess S. Grant was a major turning point in the Civil War because the North gained control over the Mississippi River, allowing uninterrupted passage of troops and supplies.

We took a 16 mile battlefield tour through the park, climbing in and out of our car at every one of the 15 tour stops, as instructed by our audio assisted tour guide.  The information and details provided (markers in red for confederate and blue for union positions) helped to provide a visual (and scarier) understanding about the 47 day siege.  Many of the cannons, abandoned after the battle where they stood, illustrate how very, very close together the troops were as the  fighting occurred.  The famous words.....don't shoot until you can see the whites of their eyes.....is so descriptive of what it must have been like.

Looking at this defense makes one realize how primitive it was.

The State of Illinois dedicated this impressive memorial.

Inside the ceiling is open to the elements....note it's distinctive shape.

A design triumph.....the opening allows the light to cast a spotlight on the various sections as the day progresses.

'The husband' was in the 131st Infantry of the Illinois National Guard.  His unit was one of the few ever to have been 'called up' for federal duty more than once during peace time.  They served during the riots which occurred when Martin Luther King was killed and the Chicago Democratic Convention craziness!

Both David and I were born and raised in Wisconsin.  I'll always consider myself a Wisconsin gal.  This is their state memorial.  There are hundreds and hundreds of monuments, markers, statues, and other historic artifacts on view throughout the park.

The cemetery, with small square stones for the unknown soldiers and larger rectangular ones with names engraved will down right bring tears to your eyes.  I can not imagine the bravery of these men.  I didn't take photos, frankly, it didn't seem appropriate.

This plaque says it all.  If you ever get the opportunity to visit, you too will be awed by all you learn by this living history of the Civil War.

STARKVILLE TO NATCHEZ

Today's journey began in Starkville, MS fairly early in the day in order to get some hiking in before it got too hot.  Yup, even at the end of April, it's warm here in this part of the country.  We stopped at the Jeff Busby site (he was a U.S. Congressman from Mississippi who introduced the bill that ultimately resulted in the Old Natchez Trace becoming a unit of the National Park System in 1934.  It's Mississippi's highest point (603 feet) on the parkway.

We burned off the calories from our dinner the previous night, before getting back in the car for a pretty full day of driving.

As a contrast to the highest point, we also walked trails through the cypress swamps.  This landscape begins about 120 miles from Natchez.  We assume it'd be brutal later in the year...happily there were no bugs at all.

However, I've already found 3 wood ticks in our car from our days in the woods.....naturally, I feel itchy just thinking about them.

Ahhhh, I am a happy camper tonight.  We changed our hotel reservation from Jackson, MS to Natchez.....and upon walking into our room, we sure hope we simply got upgraded....and not charged for this suite.  We had planned to overnight here on Fri. but moved it up so we could head over to spend the day tomorrow in Vicksburg where we want to visit the National Military Park and scene of the famous civil war battle.  

This view is only half of our fabulous room.....yeah!!!  We had a yummy dinner tonight at a local eatery....Blues and Biscuits.  David partook of ribs and chicken cooked out back.....I had a New Orleans style Muffalatta.  I decided to eat light so I could have chocolate bread pudding for dessert, but the sandwich was so huge, my pants couldn't expand any further.

It's been such fun exploring a part of our country that I've only read about. 

NATCHEZ'S PHOTOS

Today, (Thursday), we've traveled all the way to the end of the Parkway at Natchez.  We are staying at THE best Hampton Inn......really swell...again, being a hotel snob, I'm a happy camper.

The internet works like a charm.....so here's some views of the incredible scenery we've seen so far.

This is just one of many water falls we hiked to while we traveled through Tennessee.  The river beds are mostly rock....therefore the water is crystal clear and the sound could lull anyone into a calm state.

When I said 'hike', I meant it.  Here's David as he's reached the top of one of the paths we hiked down....and of course then had to go back up!  We regretted not bringing our walking sticks on this hike....a mistake we didn't make in the future.  The rocks here must have been shale.....lots of broken layers that didn't provide good footing.  

Lewis Meriweather's burial site.....of the Lewis and Clark fame.  He died as a result of gunshot wounds......there is some suspicion it might have been self-inflected.

The mounds are in the background....not nearly as impressive in the photo as in person.  The splotches of red are crimson clover.  A plant that was totally unfamiliar to me.  It's seen along roadsides on the parkway and highways....from Alabama to Natchez.

 

From a distance this plant appears almost maroon, but up close it is definitely crimson.  To think we actively fought clover in our yard.  I wonder this variety would grow in the midwest?What a concept, plant and enjoy the color!

One of the many, many historical stops we visited along the parkway was this confederate grave site.  Frankly, it was pretty moving.  The 13 graves faced the actual trace trail, apparently to greet other soldiers to greet them as they passed.  These are replacement markers, sadly, vandals destroyed the originals.