The first part of our Virginia trip 2023

Once again we are headed to Shenandoah County in Virginia. to join our oldest son and his family for a week-long vacation at an Airbnb rental. They, a family of 7, have been going to the same rental for a number of years. We have joined them many times.

This trip began in oppressive heat so we made adjustments as we went along, meaning we skipped some things, i.e. we saw less quilt shops than planned, didn't hike, and spent a lot of time reading. We also drove back roads, no Interstate highways. It was quite relaxing!

We stopped in Morton, IL at The Quilt Corner.

The sun was so bright that I could not see where I was aiming the camera!

I found some needed white thread and this great piece for backing. 

pardon the shadows on some photos

In Arthur, IL, we stopped at Stitch and Sew, LLC. I found needed thread that was very reasonably priced and this backing. This shop's clientele is mostly Amish and Mennonite. I decided to leave my phone in my pocket so no pictures of the shop.

In Arcola, IL, we stopped at the Hippie Memorial. We heard about this and decided it was worth the one minute drive from our motel.

Part of the speech "... Why a memorial to hippies? He said they changed our society for the good. Because of them, he didn't have to conform anymore. ... Was Bob Moomaw a hippie? No. ... Hippies, he said, gave us room to BREATHE; and that is what aspect of their existence he was honoring. ..."

As we headed east, Ray spotted this Mail Pouch barn in Oakland, IL. The barn says:

 172 mi.

Chicago

Chewing serves to steady nerves

Chew Mail Pouch

Treat yourself to the best

We aren't promoting chewing; we just enjoy seeing the old barns and reading the messages.

In Spencer, IN, we found Unraveled Quilt Shop. This was in a very small mall and we both thought it was a small shop - wrong! It is a great shop with a fantastic collection of fabric, some of which I've never seen. The ladies working were so nice too!

I wanted so many pieces but I stayed in control, pretty much! I bought fabric for two backs and I was given my choice of a fat quarter. 

We stayed in Nashville, Indiana, a favorite place of ours, for a couple of days. It was still very warm and we had rain one night. We decided it was too hot to hike so we did a little window shopping but not much. The Yellow Door Quilt Store was a must.

This was my first time visiting this stop and I will be back. The owner has a great little shop with lots of bright colors. I found fabric for a specific back and binding that I needed. I also found fabric for another back and the pencil material because I really liked it. By my calculations, I have purchased 1 yard of fabric so far that I didn't really need - I'm doing good!

On our last night in Nashville, it was finally cool enough to spend a little time outside on the comfortable porch of our rental.

We spent time in Jackson, OH. Our rental was in the country and it was so nice and peaceful. We enjoyed the fire pit area without a fire.

In Parkersburg, WV, we stopped at Bolts and Quarters Quilt Shop. I love going to this shop because of their fabric and thread selection and also the knowledgeable people. 

It looks like I didn't get much but you can't see all of the advice and information! They are a Baby Lock Dealer (along with other machines), and the lady helping me owns the same serger I just got. We talked quite a while and I'm looking forward to spending more time with my new serger and feeling a little more confident. I did purchase things I needed - a back and some Glide thread.

As we headed east through West Virginia, quite often on the George Washington Highway, we found ourselves in a short parade of logging trucks.

The trucks moved along at a good rate but we had a lot of steep grades and a little road construction. Interesting that as we reached the Maryland border, the last one turned off.

The next part of our trip begins in Winchester, VA. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we'll be able to do more things - we are having a great time but we'd enjoy being outside more.

“To travel is to live” – Hans Christian Anderson