Sunday, November 30, 2008

Miss Arlene's wish

It has been several weeks since my last post, and there has been much happening in my life that had nothing to do with Barn Quilts. A great deal of my mental energy has been focused elsewhere, so now I will try to play catch-up the next few days. Looking at the date of my last post, and one of my more recent Barn Quilt pictures is a good place to start.

Watauga - Baumgardner's Barn


The image above is the Baumgarner's barn, found in the Mabel Community of Watauga County, NC. My wife and I were riding bikes a few weeks ago along Old Hwy 421 when we came across this sight. I have since found out that these recently hung Quilt Squares were designed by the seniors at the Western Watauga Community Center, and painted by over 30 members of the community and visitors. It is reported that having these quilts painted and hung on the barn was one of Miss Arlene Baumgardner's final wishes.


... and yes, those are Christmas Trees growing behind the barn.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Where to...

Are you sometimes looking for a new experience? How about trying a new place to visit, where the demands on your time are less, and the quiet is like a renewal, and an uplift for your spirit? This is a blog with a focus on the Barn Quilt (or Quilt Barn), so I went on-line looking for the elusive Barn Quilt Inn. I discovered that there are several places that you can stay that either have Barn Quilts on the buildings where your room may be, or on working barns outside your door to welcome you to a new day. Some of these Inn Keepers don't realise that they have something in the Barn Quilt that is so rare and desirable.

I will list several of these Inns and B&Bs here, and there are more... If you know of one, please send me the link so I can share.

The Barn Inn Bed & Breakfast
6838 County Road 203
Millersburg, OH 44654

Hannah Marie Country Inn
4070 Highway 71
Spencer, Iowa 51301

Ponder Cove B&B
1067 Ponder Creek Road
Mars Hill, NC 28754

On the Windfall
2822 Little Windfall Rd.
Lansing, NC 28643

Valkommen House
3219 - 370th , Hwy 175
Stratford, Iowa 50249

Enjoy

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Sign of the times...

I was on my way to hunt for one Barn Quilt when I had to stop and take a picture of another. And then, there it was... the day after Halloween and almost a month before Thanksgiving, I see that it's harvest time for one of the big cash crops in North-Western North Carolina. Loaded on the back of big flat-bed trucks, they have started arriving at one of the many staging and distribution points in the area...



Christmas Trees!