Quilts and Fresh Color

My uncle is a plant man.  Actually, he's THE plant man!

Visiting him in Wisconsin was like visiting a private botanical gardens with a guided tour.

Though the growing season is drawing to a close, we were fascinated as we learned all about his zinnias and this pretty red streaked hybrid he's developing.

An old friend of mine taught me that zinnias are the easiest way to add loads of low maintenance, vivid, long-lasting color in your gardens.  I'm already a huge fan.

And my uncle taught us more!  He even showed us how to harvest the seeds from Zinnias.

His Zinnias were taller than Blossom4!  I was astounded!

In other parts of his garden, he had popcorn and other decorative corn that will harden to a lovely, translucent jeweled color.

And his mushroom enclosure!!!!  

Oh my goodness!  Mushrooming is fascinating!

He is also an accomplished stained glass artist.  

Because I am enamored with crimson roses, these are my favorites of his masterpieces.

He showed us his workshop and talked about the process, showed us his current work in process and talked about how he uses new glass alongside hundred year old antique historic salvaged glass. It was riveting!

My aunt is an artist in her own right.  

I could barely keep my phone in my hands.  

The Blossoms kept snagging it to capture vignettes of color that spoke to them.  

This is simultaneously endearing, invigorating, and mildly annoying to me.  

I love photography and beauty, so I want to take my own pictures, and yet, it thrills me that they are developing an eye, appreciation and skill in this area also.  

We experienced this tension the entire trip, with me always doing my best to be generous and share my phone, as well as snag the pics I wanted.  Mama's always growing, y'all, just like our girlies are.

My aunt quilts with a delightful array of patterns, blocks, color combinations, and arrangements.

The Blossoms were fascinated by her workshop.

I was so pleased that they took the time to listen and appreciate her skill and expertise.

Later, she led them into the jewelry area of her workshop, where they browsed.  She then showed them her supplies and patiently taught them all about the ins and outs of beadery, wire, earrings, tools and tips and tricks.  

This thrilled their souls.

Blossom4 and I snuck outside for the vegetable garden tour.

Blossom4 said her favorite thing was tasting the Nasturtiums.  

While I didn't care for their strong peppery flavor, it was fascinating to walk through a garden, pluck something fresh and impulsively pop it into your mouth to have a taste.

My uncle specializes in heirloom or rare plants, which made the tour all the more intriguing.

And the barn quilts!  

I have a board on Pinterest for making one some day.

I love their rural, classy charm!

My favorite thing I tasted was the ground cherry, which delighted me with it's burst of mini pineapple like sweetness. Unfortunately, I didn't snap a pic of them.

There were so many amazing and beautiful things to behold.

The Blossoms declared it the best field trip we've ever taken!  

Dominique

PS ~ They're already busily employing new jewelry techniques.