Among the Big Trees

It always surprises me how exhausted I am after a family vacation.  While the kids were on holiday last week, we took to the Sierra Nevada foothills (of California, not Spain).  It was very pleasant and low-key, just as a vacation should be.

Is it weird that I brought my sewing machine on vacation like the sixth member of the family?  As we were loading up the car, I told my husband to leave room for my machine.  He asked incredulously if I was kidding (I was not).  Room was made, and off we went! 

We spent a little time playing in the snow, a little time walking some nature trails, and a little time in front of the television since we were rained in.  Walking the North Grove Trail in Calaveras Big Trees State Park was quite an experience.  The sheer size of these Sierra Redwoods is overwhelming.  In the photograph below, we are standing on the edge of a rather large tree trunk.

 

Here's another view to give you some perspective of how massive this tree was:

 
The rain that came a couple of days later was a great excuse to break out the old Singer.  My 3x6 bee blocks were due upon my return home, so leaving my machine behind was not an option.  I opted to make "Rocky Road to Kansas" blocks, using this tutorial.  Three blocks were completed prior to the trip, but I had to "unsew" one that turned out badly.  I spent an evening fixing that block and working on the other three while the family watched "Avatar."  The blocks were finished early the next morning before the household awoke.

I also did a little fabric shopping.  There is the most wonderful little general store called the Twain Harte pharmacy that has an amazing selection of quilting fabric at very reasonable prices (especially the flat-folded fabrics).  I'm already looking forward to my next visit to the foothills so I can pay the pharmacy another visit! 

Note to self: don't leave your debit card at home, thus leaving you dependent on your husband to make your fabric purchase.  No good can come of it.