Ogemaw County Quilt Trail

On our last day of our trip Up North we visited several barns on the Ogemaw County Quilt Trail. Fifteen county barns display a quilt block.

The first one we discovered while driving from West Branch to my brother's cabin. The Zettle barn has a block with a cat on it.

 Several days later we were looking to get a nice photo of the Smiley face water tower, voted the #1 favorite sight on the I-75 drive Up North by Detroit Free Press readers this summer. That is how we found quilt block two.

 The third quilt block was not far away.

There is a map available at the city hall showing how to find all the barns.

A favorite shop that sold reproduction fabrics has decided to discontinue stocking fabrics! I had to take advantage of the 25% discount. I also visited Caroline's Sewing Room. I bought reproduction wide backing fabric for my Charles Dickens quilt. I have one more quilting session and I will have finally quilted my "Green Heroes" quilt!!! Whoopee! And Dickens is next in line.

While walking our doggies I twice saw an otter along the roadside and watched it slink into a culvert that diverts a creek under the road. In the other direction the creek goes down a waterfalls. As it rained quite hard several days the water's rush was very loud. We were told that a neighbor has caught salmon in this creek!

Now we are back home that To-Do List is being addressed again. This week we are painting the hallway, including inside the linen closet and installing a new LED ceiling light fixture. It was nice to spend a week away with no to-do list, no television, no Internet (except at the library!), and plenty of time to read.

My Michigan 101 Part II: Old Barns and Endings

On an autumn visit Up North many years ago my son, my dad and I went wandering the back roads. My son took photographs of old barns my dad had discovered.

 

 

One wonders who built these structures and what their dreams and hopes were. And what happened to cause the farms to be abandoned. Change is hard, but a part of life. Each day we rise with our goals and hopes, and at day's end we don't always find ourselves where we expected to be. And yet there is a beauty to it all, a beauty in the death and  decay of once green vibrant leaves and in the ending of  each day.