A Thing of Beauty

Really, isn't that a beautiful pup? Gracie--my travel companion when I go by car--does love a barn quilt. Yeah, I know that it's mostly the open field, but humor me.

I have headed for the hills to get this final revision done. Of course, I knew I would be only a short hop away from some of my favorite barn quilts, so we took the afternoon off. I thought it might do me some good to be "out in the field," and it did!

I got lucky with this photo today--an old favorite, Tennessee Tulip, in Blaine, TN. The barn has a tin roof, and the glare off of it has thwarted two previous attempts to get a decent shot. Good timing today!

Of course, I had to make up for some lapses in other areas. I left my GPS in Atlanta, then unpacked the car and put everything in the cabin--drove off with my quilt trail map but no map of the surrounding area!

I was shocked at my sexist behavior. I stopped at an auto parts shop to ask directions--figured some burly man would know how best to get to Highway 11W. Asked one guy behind the counter--Not sure. The other one--Nope. I sighed. Then the woman who was standing next to me asked, "Do you want me to tell you?" Shame on me!

Here's a quilt that I had not seen before--enhanced by a bit of fall foliage. Feathered Star, in Thorn Hill, TN. There is nothing like the first time I see a quilt square--it still energizes me, even after so many hundreds.

On the way back, I was kind of proud of myself--still had no clue how to get back to the highway, but I did know that it was west.

The sun was beginning to lower in the sky, and just as we passed a couple of really excited-looking groups headed out for hayrides, I figured out which way to go. I guess we did find our way around before GPS, didn't we?

I didn't get a photo of it, but you know I love a good public typo. Passed a church marquee that read, "It doesn't matter who you are; it matters who's you are." My ninth graders are going to enjoy that one when I return.