We finally got back from our trip to Georgia and North Carolina. We started out driving to Rockingham, NC to stay with Ken's sister on Monday, Oct. 1st. We then drove Tuesday to Columbus, GA, and stayed in a motel for the 3 days there.
Wednesday was the first day we got to see Zack, during the Beret Ceremony. We actually ended up standing really close to him during the ceremony, an advantage of being a little later that we had planned. Here is a photo of him with a pack of his belongings on his back, on the way to the van.
He was glad to have some freedom, and to re-aquaint himself with his laptop. We spent the afternoon driving around Columbus, and seeing some of the sights. We ended up on the Phoenix City Alabama side of the Chattahoochee River on the River Walk.
Left- Zack in his shades, Right- Ken and Zack along the riverwalk.
We visited the Civil War Museum that day, and to right is Zack in dress uniform in front of the museum.
On Thursday, we were able to pick him up at the base and take him across the state, from Ft. Benning to Ft. Gordon.
We got a surprise when we arrived at the new base, he got a 3 day pass to go off base in order to spend more time with family. It changed our plans a bit. We stayed with Ken's sister, and were able to connect with many of Ken's relatives that he hasn't seen in years.
We took Zack back on Sunday, 16 hours before he had to be back, but we needed to get back home. After the trip back to GA, and turning around back toward home, we needed to stop for another motel night. It turned out great. We have traveled through Virginia before, and had told ourselves that we would someday go on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Well Someday came, and we took a side trip.
Here are some photos I took along the way. The pond was before we started climbing the mountain, much.
OK, I'm not super great with heights, Ken doesn't mind them. Here he is behind the sign, which was very close to the drop-off. Not a place I'd go. The view here was super!! We could see for miles even with the haze.
Here is a neat, dead tree that was not too far from the sign Ken was behind. You can see it was a sunny, blue sky day. It was also hotter than usual for October.
We had not planned for the extra time away, but it turned out to be a great thing. We got more time with Zack, and got to do something we have wanted to do, but never had the time.
Now I have nearly 200 photos for quilt inspiration!! Mountains and skies, and more.
I also had my laptop case loaded with pin bases and beads, so did some work on the road, and at the motels at night. Here are some of the pins I finished. Quite a collection, I have also uploaded a few new ones to my Etsy store. I also sell these at my shows and in a few gift shops.
If you should see one you might be interested in, let me know, it may be available- they usually move fast.
I am a former textile artist and new pattern designer with a degree in horticulture, wishing to share my love of nature, flowers and gardens with everyone through my photos, sunprinted fabrics, and now pattern designs. Chronic Lyme Disease has caused major changes to the direction my life. I have to limit the amount of time spent digging in my gardens, and quilting has become more difficult. I discovered pattern design as a way to get art back into my life. I now use my gardens and photos to inspire designs that can be used on fabrics and print on demand items.
