Living the Dream with Joyce: September 25th to 27th, 2015

Quilting Retreat - always an awesome experience, and this year was no exception! Irene and I drove to Gracefield - stopped at the Milano Restaurant for lunch - then drove up to the main house to unload all Judy's stuff - and Irene disembarked here to get settled in her room. I took the car around to Beaver Lodge, where I was rooming with Helen (missing Emma, who did unexpectedly a few weeks before this - very tragic, and Emma is sooo missed by all of us).
This location is stunning - right on a river, with woods, an outdoor chapel, gazebo, and of course the big house where all the quilting magic happens! I went swimming on Saturday -beautiful weather. Also started each day with a meditation in the chapel, watching the mist rise off the river and listening to music provided by Chris.Because of the offshore breeze, it looks as though the mist originates in a little by just to my left, and is swept out over the lake, finally becoming invisible as the morning sun gets warmer and warmer. It occurs to me that our perception of God is kind of like that - we look for a source, a place where God lives or originates, then realize that He/She is actually everywhere, spreading in and through everything; the closer we look, the less we see, but we know that He/She - like the moisture in the mist - is actually always there. Anyhow, those were my philosophical tendencies during those morning meditations!
our project for the weekend was strip quilting - and even I seem to have mastered this technique - I made a placemat for my rv - and also put in some time crocheting. Ruth and I stuck together for the quilting, since we seem to be about the same place as far as sewing is concerned . . . Hopefully, we can band together next year, too!
The time flew by - more great memories created, a grand total of 48 quilts to donate to St. Mary's!!