Summer has arrived, and with it comes activity with our car clubs. This past week, the British car club held a drive up to the Blue Ridge Parkway with lunch at the Pisgah Inn. Stopping at an overlook on the way home, we couldn’t resist getting a photo of our MINI with the mountains in the distance.
The day started at a local grocery store parking lot where we gathered for the drive. It was good to catch up with friends not seen in a while.
Up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, we motored along. There are 8 tunnels on this section, and they all have lovely stonework facades.
Some are quite long, enough that the middle is pitch dark. Coming to the end, the sunlight seems very bright.
The road winds around verdant green mountains along the way.
Behind us, it is fun to get a shot in the side mirror to see more of the line.
Stopping at an overlook, we got photos of all the cars parked together with a prettier backdrop.
Lush green forest frames the vintage and modern cars.
All along the route, the pink mountain laurel was in bloom everywhere. I love this flower with its star center, unique to our area.
Back on the road, we continued up to the Pisgah Inn.
We brought our chairs and a picnic to enjoy in the shade, then went to admire the view.
Something about living in the mountains feeds my soul like no where else. More mountain laurel was blooming near the inn’s back deck.
Back home, it was a good day for squirrels. I managed to get three of them fed at one time. There is one on the left is blurry because he was moving, a little skittish. The fourth one was just too wary to come up for a treat. These guys are small, and may be Gracie’s pups.
Gracie took her sandwich to her favorite spot on the retaining wall.
On the feeder, the goldfinch flock comes by regularly, now wearing their bright yellow summer feathers. I love their little call of twee-tweeeeeee.
A solitary deer came by to munch on my hostas.
She stayed quite a while, moving around the yard, mostly eating what grows on the side of the driveway. I was surprised when she lay down on the grass for a rest. She didn’t stay long, though, moving into the forest a short time later.
This week I received some flowers as a gift. They were lovely, and had this unusual purple one with white.
I think it may be a lupine, but I really don’t know. The little white buds peek around fluffy purple petals.
This week is packed full again with activities from more than one club. There’s another drive with the MINIs club, and the quilt guild monthly meeting. I plan to have my Sample Sale post ready for Friday. I need to go through everything one more time, take measurements, and get some better photos. Several things from the guild shop that didn’t sell will be included.
Then, I have to figure out what I can save to enter in the State Fair. This year will be pretty slim compared to previous years. I don’t have a large quilt at all, and there are only a couple of small items from last year’s Autumn Jubilee which will go into crafts. I can enter the National Quilting Day Winter Amaryllis in Quilting Wall Hanging, but unless I get busy, that will be it for that category. I have saved a couple of projects for the retreat in July, but I am afraid I will not get either finished in time. So, I need to get a new project started, or pull one from July into June so it can go into the competition.
What is going on at your place?
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From My Carolina Home 
Carole, I love seeing the mountains in your post! Mountain laurel is so pretty, a favorite of mine!
Another lovely day out driving in the beautiful mountains. Exactly where I like to be too.
A lovely display of flowers very kindly sent to you. You must have been thrilled.
Quilts, quilts and more quilts. They soon mount up and it’s nice to have them go to a loving home. Will be much appreciated come Winter.
Your animal visitors coming for sandwiches and nibbles. I would love these little visitors making free with my yard. Love reading your activity around about.
Mary :))
very lovely pictures of your drive, a very fun adventure for sure
I love the animabibbles in your yard. We have lots of nibblers in ours too. Miles, my orange mackerel cornish kitty witnesses all of the night nibblers out of his window over night,
Lovely photos of your adventures! And of your local wildlife–your squirrel pals are just so cute! Thank you!
Such a beautiful area there – I can see why you love it so much! The photo of your little car with the mountains in the background is a fun one. Love seeing all those goldfinchesenjoying the feeder there, too! Have a wonderful Sunday, Carole!
It’s always fun to go along on one of your drives, loved the tunnels and overlooks. It can be hard to identify flowers, especially if florists import ones we don’t have here. The colors in the bouquet look like a good suggestion for a quilt. I have 12 blocks left to quilt, then I can finally be finished with the recalcitrant quilt & can move on. It will feel good to be more productive.
I believe the purple flowers are Limonium, commonly called Statice or Sea Lavender. They air dry very well and can last a long time. I often put them in mini vases or cups and tuck in a display on a shelf for a pop of color.
Oh, thank you, I knew one of my smart readers would let me know what that is. I’ll try to dry them, I have the perfect spot to try in the basement.
All you have to do is cut the stems shorter and transfer them to a vessel without water. That’s it! No hanging upside down or anything else. Easy peasy 😉
I too love the mountains — even rolling hills fill my heart. My birds are finally coming back to my feeders after our vacation. We’ve been so hot lately here in the St. Louis area that my birds are thanking me for filling up the bird bath again. Hope you’re having a great weekend!
Notch-leaf Scorpionweed (Phacelia crenulata) ???? But I’m sure your arboretum would know. Our’s charges a small fee for “identifications” or you could call the florist. Oddly my florist is a grocery store! And the clerks seldom know what the distributor sends them other than the tags. And now we all want to know! They are really beautiful. Tall? fluffy? One year I had an all purple garden. Thanks for all the “Travel” pics. I feel like I’m right there.
You have such beautiful scenery where you live, and I always d joy your car club drives.
I love your MINI, and that photo is a beauty! It’s going to be so hot and dry here for the next ten days, I will be going out early to water and hope our A/C does it job! Have a great week, Carole.
We have a cool week coming up with maybe some rain, so it will be weeding and more weeding in the early morning, and picking chamomile during lunch. Lots of lessons M-W so not much sewing until Thursday. I will work on the weekend bag during breaks and hope to work on the final border of my Alaska quilt Thursday and Friday.
I sure enjoyed your photos of the beautiful scenery, and the wildlife. We have a regular Wild Kingdom going in the garden right now. The cats are chasing the bunnies, and the f,edged robins are getting into all sorts of trouble from the sound of mom and dad!
I enjoyed your photos on the Parkway.
My daughter and I got off before we came to the Pisgah Inn. I was surprised by all the mountain laurel, since ones near us finished blooming weeks ago. I know it’s the altitude, but I hadn’t taken that into account when we set out.
Always love your Mini adventures and your visitors in the yard. My iphone tells me its a Wavyleaf sea lavender or Dea Lavender. Do you know about this feature? Go to your photos and select the one you want to identify. If you look below the photo, there may be a little leaf right undernearth that says look up plant and viola! Now it isn’t always right, but its darn good.
You are geared up for summer! Your mini group looks like such fun! And all those quilts. How many are you allowed to enter in the fair — or is it as many as you want to pay the entry for? I know you’ll be a ribbon winner (again!)
I love your car club rides, the cars are so awesome and what beautiful
scenery! Sounds like a busy week, have fun!
Jenna
I, too, feel so much more complete in the mountains. Your photos made me homesick, in a good way.
Thank you for reminding how beautiful that drive is.