Door County Report

Four days of enjoying the beauty of God's creation (with a few quilt
shops visited along the way).

The drive from our home to Door County is about six hours if you take
the fastest, non-scenic highways. The weather Monday was so pretty
even the interstate was scenic. We stopped At Primitive Gatherings
Quilt Shop in Menasha, WI. Dave napped in the car while I enjoyed
seeing the original models of many of the patterns published by
Primitive Gatherings.

The condo we rented for the three nights had wonderful views of the
bay. Dave enjoyed sitting on the balcony with his morning coffee just
staring over the tops of the multi-colored trees to the water. I found
it a little cool on the balcony so sat inside but the large windows
still offered a great view.

According to the weatherman Tuesday was to be the best weather during
our visit so we drove all over the peninsula just drinking in the
colors. We stopped at Quilter's Quest in Sister Bay which is the only
quilt store in Northern Door County. The owner said the store stays
open all winter but cuts the hours November to May. Only the hardy
stay in Door County through the winter. Store had a nice collection of
bright's, batiks and quick graphic quilt samples.

The weatherman was wrong! Wednesday was bright and sunny although only
in the 50's. We were blessed with a second day to explore. This time
we left the more traveled roads and drove through the state forest.
The bright oranges and yellows against the dark green pine trees made
me dream of a fall quilt pattern. One surprising thing was the oak
trees were more orange than at home where oak trees usually turn a
rusty red. We stopped at two antique markets. Since "the season" ends
in two weeks many vendors had close-out prices. I found the regular
prices on the Fostoria glassware much more reasonable then in Chicago
area plus everything was 20% to 50% off. I spent more on glassware
than on fabric this trip.

Thursday morning we had to say good-bye to the comfortable condo and
head home. The drive south took eleven hours rather than the six hours
driving north. Dave took every road marked scenic he could find on the
map. Some of the roads were very narrow country roads with the trees
arching over our heads. Our lunch stop was in Plymouth, WI. After
great sandwiches at a local eatery Dave again napped in the car while
I visited Sewing Basket. Wish this store was 100 miles closer!

We arrived home about 9:30 p.m. and found Mom happy and healthy. My
friend, Mary Jane, who came to take care of Mom stayed until Saturday.
This gave us time to view the local quilt guild show Friday and enjoy
extra visiting before she flew back to her new home in Florida.

As usual I packed several handwork projects for the trip but didn't
even get them out of the bag. Now with memories of all the lovely fall
colors I am anxious to start a fall quilt. Maybe I will just look
through the UFO's and find the maple leaf quilt which is half
finished.

Susan