Challenge # 76-Home..... and Chocolate!!

Wow!  Here it is only Tuesday and I am posting this week's challenge!!!  So not like me!!  I suspect there are some of you out there that must sit by your computers in the wee hours of the morning on Mondays...waiting for the Diva to post!!  More power to you!!!!  I am afraid my wee hour devotions are only for catching spectacular sunrises, but computer skills will have to wait for that early morning cuppa' coffee!!

Anyway, this week the Diva designated the Zentangle challenge to be "Home"...Canada is celebrating Canada Day July 1st and we in the United States celebrate our "birthday day" on July 4th, thus the title for the tile this week! And I think it is cool that this is Challenge #76 as our "birth" year is 1776!!  Very appropriate!

For my challenge tile, I chose the focus to be a star with multitudes of stripes...both have always been predominate figures in my country's history...the flag has 50 stars for fifty states with thirteen stripes for the original states; the state in which I live...Texas...is known as the Lone Star State and the flag is a star and bars or stripes..many other states use stars and stripes in their flags...the Stars and Stripes  is a military news source which has been in publications since World War II.  And I could go on but........Here is my Challenge:

Challenge # 76-Home

Yesterday was my monthly meeting of my art group, the Creative Crones.  Our 12 x 12 challenge this month came from Kay...and it was to create a mini quilt with this theme:

"It doesn't matter what the question is, the answer is Chocolate!"  And the optional technique to use was to create an optical illusion!  So here are a few of the interpretations that were brought to the meeting!

My "Chocolate"..can you see my optical illusion?

A close up of my "engraved monogram"!

Chocolate by Bethany

And the question is??? by Rhonda (a UFO)

And Kay's Chocolate...also a bit of an optical illusion!!!

To add to the merriment...we all brought chocolate to share..even those who didn't get their blocks done brought chocolate!!!  Yummy!!

Our challenge for next month is " I Heard It Through the Grapevine"...perhaps wine to sample is in order???

Cotton Robin website-reveal!!

A couple of days ago I posted a wee bit of the Round Robin challenge I had been participating in...if you go to this link, you can see all the quilts....their original block and the finished quilt...Cotton Robin.  As a reminder, here is my finished quilt which was waiting for me in the mail when we got home!

My quilt returned to me

Zentangle Challenge # 75

Having been out of town for a few weeks, I have fallen 'way behind on the Diva's challenges!  I want to fill in the ones I have missed but until then....here is the latest for this week:

Challenge # 75-Tanglation Nation: Cadent

The Diva gave the challenge...Cadent.  Here are the instructions on how to create this fun tangle.

Cotton Robins

The Round Robin (AKA Cotton Robin)....that I had joined several months ago is finally completed.  There were fifteen of us from all over the world...We created a 8"-9" block which we sent to  Floribunda who set up a schedule for us to receive, add to, and mail on...until we got our own block back..completed...quilting and binding finished!  Julie just posted on the Cotton Robin blog that the quilts have all reached their homes and she will be posting pictures of all of them! (see the blog on my side bar.)

Meanwhile....I want to show you what I was working on and how beautifully my little block came to be...from a cocoon to a butterfly!!!

The first block I received in the mail...I added one border

After I added a border.

The next block...I added a second border...I forgot to take a
picture before I started to add..the vertical polka dots.

And after I added the second border.

The third block/completed quilt

I quilted, added the binding, and embellishments.  The original
creator had a center block with a dragonfly on it...because I had
quilted over it, I decided to make her a three dimensional one!

My little block which I mailed out.

And my little block returned to me ...transformed!!!

This was really a fun challenge....all those involved did wonderfully on each quilt block that they received!  I am anxious to see all of them completed on the Cotton Robin blog!

...and More of North Getaway!

We are on our way home now...stopping to visit a few relatives in Missouri..then back to Texas!  It was very nice and cool when we left Door County, Wisconsin...but are heading into hot weather now.

Door County is a very interesting, entertaining place.  We stayed in Ephraim, WI...one of the little towns up and down the Green Bay coastline of the peninsula...Lake Michigan is on the East side...the  "Quiet side of the Peninsula"! The county is abound with orchards, primarily cherry, and fishing/boating interests....old barns, antiques, art and water everywhere!

Quilt block on an old log barn

A really crooked road going to the North part of Door County
(be sure to enlarge to get the whole effect!)

Green Bay from an overlook on the road to the North part of Door.

One of the high lights for us was a visit to the most delightful art gallery...Fine Line Design Gallery...in Ephraim, WI.  The building itself is a work of art and inside is loaded with some of the finest creations of all genres...wood, glass, paintings, sculptures, furniture, fiber arts, jewelry...and the grounds are filled with fantastic "yard art"!

Sculptures on the grounds of Fine  Line Design Gallery

 One artist whose work I just fell in love with is Martha Fieber.



This is an example from her website...her work is so intricate...this is created by fabric, thread, ribbons, and more.  Check out her website to see more of her beautiful work and read about her technique!

And another high light of Door County are the Fish Boils!  Our kids were there last summer and told us that to go to a fish boil is a must...it is a tradition of Door County..very fun to see and even better to eat!! The cooks boil up potatoes, onions, and whitefish in a cauldron outside...then to "cleanse the water"...they throw kerosene on the fire which causes it to flair up, and the water to boil over..thus washing all the excess oil from the fish out before serving!  Then...with bread and slaw...the feast begins...ending with the traditional cherry pie!!!  And either cold beer or lemonade to wash it all down!

Lake Michigan Whitefish...ready to boil!

Adding the kerosene!

Long Time Not to Blog!

We have been on the road for over a week now and have about a week more before we head home.  We have been having a very relaxing get away...much needed for both of us!!

Right now we are in Door County, Wisconsin....after the kids talked up about their vacation here, we thought we had better give it a try....especially the fish boil which the area is known for!!!

After visiting family in Missouri and Illinois, we headed up to Michigan for a few days; a return to Traverse City area...such beautiful land and lake areas!!  We stayed in Interlochen at a B & B..."Lake N Pines Lodge"....very nice, great view of the little lake they are on, and terrific breakfasts by the man of the house.

Holland, Michigan..on the way to Traverse Bay...I bought a
blank wooden shoe to try to to a ZIA on!!

A view of Lake Michigan from an over look on the way to Traverse City!

Lake N Pines Lodge from the lakeside

Sunset on Lake Dubonnet at lodge

Traverse City has many neat areas....great orchards, fishing areas on the Bay...and views of Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan from Pyramid Point...quite a hike to the top!!

Fishtown...near Leeland on Traverse Bay...quaint area which
has been left like early days of commercial fishing...great food!!

Barn up the peninsula with a Quilt Square painted on the end.

Then we went on over to Sault Ste Marie to watch the boats go through the locks...we had done that last year and felt we were close enough we should see it again!

Large cargo ship going through the locks..close to 1000 feet in length..one of the
largest to go through!

And on across the Upper Peninsula of Michigan...to Bayfield, Wisconsin on Lake Superior. We really lucked out on this stay..we were at Winfield Inn..right on the Lake..just beautiful.  We liked it so much we decided to stay an extra night!

The view from our porch, outside out room.

Some of the gardens at Winfield Inn.

We had such relaxing time there....the only draw back on the whole trip is we have really been over eating!!!  Dick kind of needed to as he had lost so much weight from his surgery and treatments....but I do not need to gain any!!!!

I am really behind on quilting and posting and my challenges so will have to work on all that better when we get home!!  In the mean time...still seeing some great sights and eating some great food!!!