Home Again
Home again. I love to come home after travel and vacation, but when you leave one of your family members behind, it makes it bittersweet.
We had a great time visiting our daughter, and we packed a bunch of fun things into our time with her. Mind if I give you a few peeks? If you don’t want to see the fun we’ve had, feel free to flip to the last part of the post, where I’ll show you what I’ve quilted since I got back.
Our first stop was St. Augustine and the ocean. St. Augustine on a Saturday is busy, so the shops and eateries were buzzing with people. I didn’t take any photos because it was so crowded.
I did take some ocean photos, however. It was windy and chilly, but so beautiful. We sat in our chairs, listened to the surf and watched the waves. We did dip our toes in the water and – oh! – it was a take-your-breathe-away nippy!
On our way back, we stopped at a little place called Cedar Key. Pretty sure I could live in this little haven, where they drive golf carts, eat oysters and clams, and enjoy amazing sunsets.
The next day we took a sunset stroll at Sweetwater Wetlands Park in Gainesville. It’s a beautiful place to take a walk or run, snap photos, and enjoy the wildlife.
Wild horses along the trail.
A bittern. This was a fun sighting; we had never seen this bird. It has an unusual call you can listen to here.
We saw this big fella cruising his way down the little creek.
We didn’t see any gators any closer than this, thankfully. Ok, I’ll admit I was a little disappointed that I didn’t see one closer!
The next morning, we visited our daughter’s church. I think this is one of the prettiest walks from a parking lot to a church building I’ve seen.
Azalea lined the walks and drives everywhere in Florida. I love the bright pink colors!
Sunday afternoon, my daughter and I did a little shopping. We stopped at an amazing thrift store, and I found my couch for my dream quilt studio. Haha! If you know me well, you know I had a season of love for anything leopard. I think this about tops it off!
The last part of our vacation was spent in Fort Myers. We managed to find this fun little beach to watch the sunset with the locals. Everyone pitched their chairs, watched the sunset, clapped and hollered, picked up their chairs, and left. Funny.
Our last day included a Twins ballgame in Fort Myers. We enjoyed the beautiful 77 degree weather and sunshine. I learned that I apply sunscreen very sloppily, so I had some patchy sunburn. Haha!
Wednesday we said goodbye to Molly and flew home to 10 inches of snow in our driveway. I’m already missing the girl, the warm sun and those beautiful sunsets!
Have I Quilted Anything??
Yesterday I eased back into quilting, I was a bit tired, so just made one simple block for the 2018 Block of the Month Sampler Quilt Sew Along. This is the March block. It has Max’s stamp of approval, as you can see.
I have plenty of quilting to get caught up on, and hopefully I can do that this weekend. But first, a nap.
Just a reminder that this weekend it’s time to turn your clock ahead! A sure sign that Spring will soon be here!
Thanks for stopping by, my quilty friends!
Wendy
23 Comments
Terry
Glad you had nice vacation. My son works in Gainsville but lives an hour away. We also visited St. Augustine, a beautiful area.
piecefulwendy
Thanks, Terry!
Becca // Pretty Piney
It sounds like a nice break! I’m madly in love with the shape of that couch. I wish you’d add it to your studio! Can you imagine lounging on leopard?
piecefulwendy
Thanks, Becca! That couch really was something! I wonder if they’d ship it, low cost? Hahaha!
Cocoa Quilts
Wendy sounds like you had a wonderful trip. Too bad that leopard didn’t make it’s way home too..
piecefulwendy
Thanks, Jan! We had a lovely time together!
Vicki in MN
I had to cautiously scroll through your pictures, was afraid I would see the slither. Thank god you didn’t post it!!! The trip sounds so relaxing. I didn’t know you had a leopard love!!
piecefulwendy
Nope, no snake pictures! It was relaxing, except for the driving!
rl2b2017
Hi Wendy,
It sounds and looks like you had a fabulous time. Your post had me smiling along as I kept up with your beautiful pictures. Oh, to sit on the beach and enjoy a sunset. That ten inches of snow was a slap in the face to bring you back to reality! Rude! I love your little block and especially Max’s stamp of approval. ~smile~ Roseanne
piecefulwendy
Thanks, Roseanne! The sunsets were lovely!
Karen
sounds like you had a wonderful time – we noticed too when we have watched a sunset on the beach that a lot of people clap and then get up and leave
Kathleen McCormick
What a fun trip! I always find it hard to leave loved ones and always wish they were closer. I love the couch and sure could see it in your study. I am sure they would ship it, but the cost would be a little prohibitive. That’s a sweet block you finished. Good luck getting back into the groove.
piecefulwendy
Thanks, Kathleen! It’s good to be home! 😊
Barbara
Welcome home. Your pictures brought back memories of our time in Florida. We spent some time in Ft. Myers and possibly St. Augustine, but honestly, it’s all a blur. Glad you had a nice visit with your daughter.
Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats
Welcome back! I always find it difficult to get back into a routine after I’ve been gone for awhile. I like your making one block method to ease into things. Daylight Savings time- That’s one of the things I like about living here in AZ; we don’t do that. But then we get nailed with it when we head home anyway and it’s two hours different.
Lisa
And what a beautiful block that is. It sounds like you had a wonderful time with your daughter. I’m glad you could spend time with her. We get to spend time with our daughter tomorrow. She is not far away but we don’t see her a lot now that she’s 29.
piecefulwendy
Enjoy your time with her, Lisa! Thank you!
Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting
What a great getaway! Love seeing the bird, and the GATOR!!! Whoa! Looks close enough to me! Wild horses-how fun! And a wildly popular sunset–go God! That sofa made me smile. Sew nice you could spend time together with Molly.
piecefulwendy
Yes to all of that! Thanks!
Louise Hornor
Beautiful photos! I’m sure you were making beautiful memories, too. And thanks for the link to the bittern call. I’ve seen the birds, but never associated them with that unusual sound. In fact, I never knew that was a bird call at all!
piecefulwendy
You’re welcome, Louise!
Sandra Walker
Nap sounds good as I’m contemplating heading to bed, trying to orient myself to the time change… Lovely photos, brings back not-too-distant (just one week ago waah!) memories of FL for me too. Glad you had such a great time.
piecefulwendy
Thanks, Sandra! Rest well!