LOST!

So if I were to attend a quilt retreat in heaven, I would want it to be a super retreat. Well, I'm not in heaven, but I think we hit the jackpot in retreat houses. Yes -- I'm on quilt retreat again, and this one got planned simply because this new house opened, and I WANTED to be part of the action. 

If I were looking for the ideal retreat, this is it. It's hard to find fault with anything here. You can check it out - it's called Spring House Retreat. Let's see -- it's ONE hour from my house to this house. You can't beat that. The sewing room is HUGE -- there is room for 12 tables, so each person gets their own 6-foot table, and there are two very nicely sized cutting stations in the middle of the room, 4 ironing stations, and extra lights on the tables. 

There's a wrap-around veranda and lots of windows looking out on an active farm, and it's fantastic!! I did not get much sewing done yesterday, as I spent the day chatting and admiring the house, and I went for a bike ride. 

Yes -- the weather was unsettled, and it looked like it might rain at some point, and there was thunder, but what the heck? I brought that bike and was going out - I didn't care what the weather brought. Besides s, there was a geocache very close to the house, and I was getting it. 

I quickly found the first geocache, but I tell you, people must wonder why a cyclist is walking along a ditch looking at signs! I don t care -- I'm past the point of caring. 

Then back on the bike to find the next one, close to a closed bridge. I didn't see that one, so onto the next one, also near a bridge. And let's note there was ZERO rain at this point, although the sky looked a wee bit more threatening and there was more thunder. 

Here is the beauty of riding a bike. If you arrive at a location that is closed to cars, there's a good chance that you can get there on your bike. This happened on some o  my long bike trips -- the roads were closed for construction, but we could get through on the bike! And that is a bicycle -- not a motorcycle!

I parked my bike at one end of the bridge and walked across. 

Yes -- I would say that this bridge needs repair. The signs say the bridge is to be replaced, but it seemed solid enough as I walked across. 

A bridge in need of repair

And then I was off into the woods. Oh boy -- this will be interesting. And I have to say that I've been super lucky in all the bushwhacking I've done -- I've never run into a patch of poisonous green stuff, which is good as I'm not likely to be able to identify it. So I just foraged ahead. 

My bi e was parked at the end of that bridge

Then I spotted this sign. OH -- so this is some sort of trail, but definitely NOT maintained. I swear that I crawled over MANY trees while finding the geocaches! 

A caution sign!

And without too much trouble, I located the first geocache. 

The first geocache in a tree

Upon looking at the app, I realized that there was another cache in this area, and since I'm here, I might as well keep going. I happened upon this sign. 

Another sign on the trail

Let's just say that the terrain and the overgrowth got significantly worse. OH yes, I was deep in the woods, and there were some mosquitos, but it wasn't that bad. HEY -- I'm on an adventure, and one must put on your adventure cap and go for it!!!

When I finally arrived at the second cache location, I had my phone in my hand and got a text from someone at the house. Was I OK, and did I need them to come to pick me up? No -- I'm OK. I thought it a bit weird, but then I thought about it -- it wasn't the time, it was the weather. 

Then I stopped and listened and heard the rain coming toward me. I was in a very densely wooded area, and it was the coolest thing as I could hear the rain as it moved through the trees. I thought this could be a good thing or this could be a bad thing. When the rain did arrive, it wasn't as bad in the woods as if I had been standing out on the road. 

Hey -- I'm in this deep; let's keep looking. I was about to give up when I spotted the container!!

The second geocache

I tell you -- once you have invested this much time and effort, I did NOT want to give up, but I was glad to finally find the geocache. 

The woods were wet, so once I started back out, I knew I would get wet -- more from the wet foliage than from the rain. 

There's just one problem -- the blazes on the trees were non-existent, and so was the "trail." I use that term very loosely at this point. I certainly did not want to walk in circles, so I used my phone to walk back towards the first geocache, which wasn't too far from the road. Yep -- I was lost! 

It's so mu h FUN to bushwhack through the undergrowth and the fallen trees! NOT!!! But hey -- it was an adventure, so it was fun! My feet and shoes were soaked b  this time, but hey -- that's part of being on an adventure. It's all about the mindset!

Then I saw this - YEAH!!!! I'm back in civilization! 

A sign of life!

And then, finally, I found t e path. Only the first part looks this great -- the rest of it is not really a path. 

The path - the path!

And there are the blazes on the trees! I mean, the sign did say -- use at your own risk!

The blaze  on the tree

Number three --- I'm getting close!! Thank god for the geocaching app --- I'm not sure how quickly I would have gotten out of the woods without i 

Number three

And there I was at last -  out of the woods!! Now I know where that expression came from! But as I was nearing the road -- remember, this bridge is closed on both sides, I could hear voices. Seriously??? I left my bike on the other side of the bridge. Nope -- I passed a car, all right. Hey, where would you park if you were a young person with a girlfriend? That's their car at the far end of the bridge. I'm sure I frightened them as this cyclist appeared from nowhere and walked past their car and across the bridge. 

The closed bridge

They could NOT see my bike at the other end of the bridge. So after I walked across the bridge, I hopped on the bike and r de away!!! I hope they got a laugh because I thought it was hilarious. And by this time, the rain had stopped, so I didn't get super wet, but I had unpaved roads t  ride on, and when I got back to the house, my bike and I were dirty! I hopped in the shower, and all was great!!!

I love a great adventure, and I'll remember finding those geocaches, and I'll undoubtedly remember that bike ride!

Then it was time to get down to some serious sewing. I'm working on my Tula Pink Butterfly Quilt, and I need to start assembling the sections as much as possible. I have 3 units together as much as possible because the darn teacher (ME) hasn't assigned all the blocks yet!

My Tula Pink Butterfly quilt

Another thing I love about his house is the HUGE pantry cupboards in the kitchen. We each have a shelf and can put all our stuff away, so the kitchen stays as neat as mine does at home! Yeah! !!!!

The pantry in the kitchen

It would be hard to explain how amazing this house is -- you have to experience it yourself. There are so many storage areas and little nooks and crannies! And there's a hummingbird feeder right out the window, and yep -- there was a hummingbird yesterday!!! 

The hummingbird

I slept like a log in the basement bedroom with Dede. A good thing I brought those flannel PJs with me as the AC was cranked up, and it was COLD. But I was happy, and that's all that counts. This morning, I don't think the AC has come on, which I'm pretty excited about!!

Well, it's time to get the day started. I've already been sewing and hope to finish the Butterly quilt by lunch. I need to go for another bike ride and probably a walk! 

And yes -- Mary -- I already had my Vitamin D this morning! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

PS  --- Grammarly did something very weird this morning and there may be some weird typos in this -- hopefully I fixed everything it did!