North TO the Border

Here in central New York, you can tell what month it is by the plants growing at the side of the road. In May, big red poppies seem to spring up everywhere. June brings big patches of pink sweet pea blooms and fresh white daisies. In July, it's bright yellow and orange day lilies everywhere you look. The corn fields reach their highest highs in August.

And in September patches of purple New York aster announce summer's swan song.

Throw in tall clumps of goldenrod and thorny thistles to add to the roadside picture for September.

It's so good to enjoy these last bits of summer before cold weather sets in and a wintery white landscape replaces the full-spectrum color. These photos were snapped in Ogdensburg, NY where I was guest speaker and workshop leader at the Borderline Quilters annual quilt camp this past weekend.

Wadhams Hall is a former seminary, but the huge campus, including lots of wide open outdoor and indoor spaces is used today for a variety of retreats, including crafting and quilting retreats.

The format is familiar.

There's show-and-tell . . .

And quilt workshops, where discussing strategy is key . . .

And a few smiles and laughs . . .

And celebrations for a long day of stitchy lessons and successes. . . This workshop attendee got a bit of a head-start!

Someone stayed up late and completed their Stained Glass quilt block . . . Nice!

Don't forget the group shot! Say CHEEEEEESE!

And time for a breath of fresh air and a relaxing walk to the St. Lawrence Seaway, just across the street from Wadhams Hall, minutes away. At this point, the river looks a lot like a narrow lake.

The sun was about to set on a beautiful late summer day. Straight ahead in the photo is Lake Ontario, and far off behind the camera's lens is the Atlantic Ocean.

Directly across the river is Ontario, Canada. . . Just a stone's throw away.

But you'd better have a really good arm!

Happy Stitching!
joan