Ohio Adventures

When you're going on a road trip do you sleep well the night before?  Does the anticipation of a super fun day ahead leave you tossing and turning?  Me too!  I'm always up for a road trip and today was no exception.

Linda Lu, Sue, Judith, Harriet, Michelle and I headed for Bowling Green, OH, this morning for a fiber adventure.  Our first stop was the Black Swamp Spinners Guild Fiber Show.

None of us left empty handed.  On the contrary, we were all too eager to help the local economy.  It feels good to know the money is staying in the community.  The vendors were stocked up with all sorts of fibery goodness.  I bought 2# of roving to use for felting base, plus several balls of beautifully dyed balls of roving (see picture below for today's haul).

Now last year we didn't have the best of food provided at the show by the Boy Scouts -- sorry boys.  This year we chose to go into town and take our chances.  In an uncharacteristically bold move, I stopped a woman on Main Street and asked which establishment she would recommend for these out of town visitors.  We decided on her first suggestion, Easy Street Cafe, and we were super satisfied.

With our bellies full we were ready to head off to our next destination but got side tracked when I stepped into this shop for directions to a yarn store ~~

I spotted this gem ~~

and went back outside to tell the ladies they 'needed' to step inside, too.

Art-a-Site is a gallery and studio run by retired art teacher Becky Laabs.  It's a consignment shop of sorts, offering all kinds of beautiful handmade items from across the Midwest.  She has the classroom in the rear of the store ~~

and the items for sale in the front half ~~

Of course I was drawn to the felted bags created by Pamela A. MacGregor of Tarvey Cottage Studio.  She also created the evening clutch that drew me into the store in the first place.

Linda Lu loved this unique teapot ~~

Isn't it crazy???  It also had matching teacups.  So resourceful!

Several of us purchased items -- more money into the local economy, keeping artists afloat.

While waiting to leave the town I spotted this building across the street.  I thought it was a bit odd to have the fire escape on the front of the building.  Maybe it's just me.

Anyhow, we piled back into our cars and drove to Perrysburg, up I-75 from Bowling Green.  We headed straight for Yarn Cravin, which had been vending at the fiber show too.  We all lessened their inventory as well, and they had a nice sale going.  Too bad the store was filled with women sitting and standing around, shooting the s#*t, which made it difficult for the six of us to move around the various rooms of this house-turned-store.

By now we were quite parched and in need of a beverage so we headed for downtown Perrysburg, a quaint town, and spotted My Daily Grind, where each of us found a beverage to suit us.  I ordered an Iced Chai while my friends all ordered hot beverages, all created by the charming barista.

 

She snapped a shot of the group before we headed back to Michigan ~~

And when I stepped out of the coffee shop I was instructed to go back in and 'check out' the bathroom.  Well, this loo is definitely one of the oddest ones I've ever seen ~~

Yes, there was a step up to the toilet, taking you to new heights in relieving yourself!

We headed back home and I do have to admit to dozing off a bit in the car.  The sun was shining brightly and I just couldn't help myself.  I was glad I didn't have to drive.

So here is the sum of my efforts today~~

It was an ideal way to spend a Saturday.  I can't wait to start using all that roving.  What should I make first?

I started writing this post around 8 PM, stopping from 8:30 to 9:30 to observe the hour of darkness, where people around the world were to turn off electric appliances and be in the dark.  I lit candles ahead of time and shut off my computer.  With a Coleman lantern to light the living room, I sewed two of the buttons I bought today on some Button Hats, and then organized tons of buttons into my new containers from IKEA.  Surprisingly it didn't bother me at all to have the lights off.  I felt kind of like a pioneer woman, except I bet a pioneer woman would have just gone to bed.  That sounds like a great idea to me.

Hope you had a wonderful day doing something that brought you joy.