Last Monday I was able to spend a day & a night with 3 wonderful ladies... Barb, Sharon & Lynn. So what do we have in common, you may ask? QUILTING and a love of laughter! Barb planned and saw to every detail - even gave our little trip a title "Barb's Bodacious Shop-Hop". Monday, June 17th we left our homes at 6am. With two cars, we drove through Wisconsin and stopped at 7 different quilt shops. This is what you call a Shop-Hop. It was so much fun to see all the quilt shops with their lovely displays and variety of fabric choices.
A highlight was lunch!
Bodacious Barb surprised us all with a homemade picnic lunch. Finding a park shelter, we stopped for a bite to eat. Little did we know what Barb had in store for us. As you can see from the picture, she put each serving in canning jars -- a quart of salad, a pint of grapes, a half-pint of dessert, crackers and drinks aplenty (even my favorite Dr. Pepper). But that was just the food... the table setting was no shabby picnic! After the table was spread with a lovely table cloth, she produced china plates, silver chargers (pizza pans) to match, wrapped silverware in dishtowels (our napkins), and a lovely gift of a seam ripper (that matched the tablecloth too)! We were stunned and knew Barb had earned the title of Bodacious hands down!!
What a treat to enjoy this lunch in a beautiful setting of outdoor greenery, with birds singing, and a cool summer breeze to keep us cool.
Our destination was Galena, IL where Barb had secured a cabin to our liking. The setting was an old farmhouse with cabins built mid 1850's. The farmhouse was the office and there were 3 or 4 buildings that had been converted to cabins. Our cabin, the Chetlain, was two stories. The pictures show how rustic and interesting the farm was.
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| Side view of Chetlain |
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| Front walk to Chetlain |
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TV included!
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Fireplace wall
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Ironing board sidetable
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Front porch and blooming poppy
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Lower level bed
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| Relaxing after a long day |
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| Upper level beds and jacuzzi |
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| Sink in dresser & stairs to upper level |
We ate dinner in downtown Galena at the Old Log Cabin. Such delicious food... I had prime rib Greek style. It had a taste of garlic and Greek spices. Wonderful meal in a very popular place. Sorry I didn't get any pictures of that, but it was rustic looking too.
After a very restful night, I got up to take a shower. Bodacious Barb had struck again! Inside my suitcase were gifts labeled Day 2 & Day 3. So added to Day 1 seamripper, was a bottle of Best Press and a Charmpack of Moda fabrics. Barb is truely a priceless gem and thinks of everything!
After taking my shower, much to my surprise I couldn't turn the water off. Each of us tried to turn it off, but with no success. Maybe it's still running... I don't know because this was the end of my wonderful fun with the ladies. After a breakfast of nut breads & juice, I had to make a long drive to Maple Grove, MN for an MREA Board meeting. With a sad heart I left at 6:45am and started my long trek. Bodacious Barb, Lynn, and Sharon remained in Galena another day & night before they started their trip back on Wednesday. How I missed them on the drive back. With no one to chat with or laugh with, the trip back was much longer than the trip there. I did see some windmills in Charles City, so that was a highlight.
I'm looking forward to another trip with this fabulous group in the near future! Next time I will not cut my trip short for ANY reason!!
I'm looking forward to another trip with this fabulous group in the near future! Next time I will not cut my trip short for ANY reason!!
