It’s hard to describe a Gees Bend Quilt Retreat but I have decided that its all I need to keep my head on straight for the next year. We are all signed up for next September – annual head maintenance. I (Jeannie) grabbed a couple of fun fabrics and went to play this year. That resulted in Ode to Frida, Ode to Wonder Woman and a cozy spaceship for Miles made for an impromptu challenge organized by a really fun group sitting close to us. (From Tom) I pieced a frame based on a landscape view, I am piecing a block that started with a “rose” that I learned to make, and I made a reconstructed shirt for the impromptu challenge.
MaryAnn and China were just back from singing and limo riding at a Vice Presidential Reception! MaryAnn said Kamala was a real good hugger. The three days are filled with China and MaryAnn’s gorgeous gospel. You don’t have to be a believer; it still gets your head right.
After final breakfast and afternoon airport drop we headed to Gainesville with an overnight stop in Andalusia Alabama to break up the 9 hour drive. We ended up driving the 4 1/2 hours to Andalusia without stopping because there was nowhere to stop! Great scenery but miles and miles of county roads, towns with a few houses and a closed gas station, acres of cotton, many acres of trees, logging roads, …. good thing we had a lot of car snacks and limited the water intake! Amazingly we eventually came to a nice renovated IHG Hotel which appeared to be clustered with some other hotel buddies in the middle of nowhere.
The next morning we knew our trip was changing when we, fortunately, found a big open gas station with my new favorite convenience store attached.
As we passed into Florida the roads got bigger and the traffic much heavier. We saw a wide swath of hurricane damage on the interstate; clean up was still in progress.
The house in Gainesville is definitely interesting. Looks like a little house in the Florida jungle. Set back on a tiny dirt road and still a bike-able, short distance to great rail trail.