slowly she turned

Monday-Tuesday, Sept 9-10, 2024

Edwina Bringle, that fascinating and multi-talented artist who has been a teacher and mentor to so many fiber artists, held a second fiber retreat at Wildacres Retreat, a mountaintop retreat facility near Little Switzerland, North Carolina. I attended last year, and jumped at the opportunity to go again this year.

Because my brain was full of squirrels, I packed a large variety of art supplies and unfinished projects. I could do this because I drove the Volvo wagon up there. I decided to take the Blue Ridge Parkway from Hwy 421 near Wilkesboro and Boone, which was a great decision and as long as the weather is good and I have a bit of extra time to travel I will take this route from now on.

I realized that I had never driven (or been a passenger) on this stretch of high country, so on both drives I took advantage of being able to stop on the overlooks. On the way there I stopped at Moses Cone Memorial Park and Flat Top Manor. Driving across the famous Linn Cove Viaduct on Grandfather Mountain was a visual treat. I wasn’t able to find a spot to take a photo of it, but it is a widely photographed bridge and has a fascinating history.

After about 50-60 miles of stunning Appalachian scenery, I rolled up into Wildacres where two young deer greeted me at the entrance. Later I would see the largest wild turkey I have ever seen in the same spot.

On this trip I took a photo every morning to document the changing weather. It was warm and sunny for the first few days, despite the ominous forecasts of heavy rain coming from Hurricane Francine to our south. I never had to put on my raincoat or lift my umbrella, though. When the rain came, it was after I left and came from the east in another storm.