What’s your favorite summer break?
Although my flight to France for The French General Chateau Dumas Getaway doesn’t leave for a couple more weeks, my brain is beginning to go AWOL!
When I went on this trip in 2010, I had no idea what I was in for — it was an unknown adventure awaiting and I was not disappointed! Then for the 2011 trip, I had the delight of anticipating all of it, as I knew what to expect.
And, this year I am positively driven to distraction thinking about what is to come!
I keep picturing the light:
the colors:
the food:
and the fun:
Some sort of down time is pretty essential to recharge. So, shop owners, what is your favorite getaway for the summer? Where do you like to go to have a break from your business? Tell us your story — whether it is a lake cabin hideaway, a world tour or simply sitting on your porch for some needed quiet time. We’ll pick a few favorites and send out some beautiful new fabric bundles from Dear Stella and Moda.
This way we can all dream together and think of each other on our summer break!
Good summer wishes to all! — Susan
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France, WOW would love to vacation there.
My favorite place is our cabin on Lake Eau Claire, in beautiful Wisconsin. The whole place is made with cedar so the smell is fantastic. Infact I love it so much I’m turning it into a crafting/sewing retreat!
The classroom will be 800 sq. feet of FUN and sleep around 12.
Hoping to have it ready to rock n roll after Labor Day!
Our favorite getaway is a small camp area above Detroit Lake in Oregon. It is right on a small river and the spot overlooks a wonderful fishing hole. It is great to be able to go fishing right out the back of your camp site. It is a wonderful and relaxing getaway. The last time we were there it was just the hubby and I and we ended up extending the weekend trip for 2 more days just so we could unwind completely. The kids were upset they did not get to go but they were gone at their friends houses having a blast. Gosh I can not wait to get back there again.
A few years ago, while researching my mother’s family roots (Canada and Scotland), my husband surprised me with an offer to go to Scotland. We were going to the UK anyway to visit friends, but that would have limited us to London and Southhampton. I jumped at the offer and it turned out to be an amazing experience! We flew into Edinburgh where I could do some genealogy work and some sightseeing. Some friends of ours joined us there and all we drove to Inverness and stayed at the haunted Stuart Castle! We did see any ghosts but we laughed so hard while playing darts with our friends, it still makes me chuckle when I think of it! We drove through Drumnadrochit where we took a boat ride on Loch Ness…no Nessie sightings there either, but the view of Urquhart Castle on the shore was beautiful. Then we drove across the remote Highlands, visiting somber Glencoe and saw ancient other castle remnants across the countryside. The highlight of the trip for me was spending the night in the Kinloch Lodge on the Isle of Skye. Skye is where my mother’s ancestors are from, and although we didnt’ get to travel too far onto the large island, what we did see of the Cuillan Mountains was striking! The scenery of Scotland is unsurpassed in my opinion and the overall trip fed my soul, opened my mind and refreshed my spirit! I’ll cherish those memories forever! Thanks, Susan, for the opportunity to reminisce!
My new quilt shop is set to open after Labor Day in a 1910 cottage that we are renovating. LOTS of WORK!
Because time is of the essence in order to meet our grand opening deadline, I can only get away for little snippets of time. My favorite way to do this is to get up early and work in my vegetable garden in the cool of the morning. There is no better way to clear my head than to weed, prune and harvest.
Then I sit down for a few minutes and sip ice cold lime-infused water. It’s amazing what playing in the dirt does to refresh one’s spirit!
Mary, good for you and best of luck as well. The best vacations are just the times we get away. We just bought a boat again so on Sunday’s (my only day off), we go to the lake and I love to just read and enjoy the glory of being on the lake and do some fishing. The small times we get away and the little things we love to do is what matter most. Always take time for You!!!!!
My favorite getaway is Lake Roosevelt in the summer at a place called Rogers Bar. Long sandy beaches, cool water, hanging out with friends, water skiing, hiking, bocce ball & cribbage tournaments and more visiting with friends! We go each year on the second weekend of August. This year marks the 33 year of this get together.
It’s hard to make our sometimes annual trip to Lake City Colorado without the lyrics “Oh Beautiful for spacious skies”… “purple mountain’s majesty”… and “America, God shed His grace on thee” running through your mind. This will be my first time to leave my quilt shop for a week with others running the shop. Certainly there will be a bit of hide and seek when I return so I’m excited to explore new fabric combinations when others are restocking my shelves! But, the Feathered Star won’t be far from my mind. I’ll take along plenty of hand work to fill the driving and relaxing hours- crazy quilt embroidery, English paper piecing and applique will all make the trip. Since we’ll drive, not fly I can pack multiple pairs of scissors without fear of confiscation.
While in the mountains we will hike,fish and explore with my camera ever ready to capture this first trip with all four grandchildren. Columbines against green grass, abandoned mines and buildings from the past, mountain ridges and trails, and aspen trees will likely inspire a quilt color combination or quilting pattern.
Welcome Summer 2012!
This summer will be my first time leaving my shop, I have just been open for 9 months! But I know this is an important time not just for me but for my family as well. They have been my biggest supporters after all!
Every summer since my oldest (13 years old) has been a baby we have gone to Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe, California. Sure we often do many of the same things like, hiking, swimming, bike riding, playing mini golf. It is those annual summmer rituals that keep us close as a family. Even though Mom (that’s me!) has her own business now, after 15 years of being at home, we will always keep these summer days in the mountains a special family getaway time together. We all need a break and most often it is fun getting to take that break together with the people that I like the most! Jeff, Quincy, Liam and Alena.
Katie,
I have only been open since Oct. so I know how you feel. I too love Lake Tahoe. Have fun!!
Susan,
As a longarmer I can be a little flexible with my schedule. I make sure to get together regularly with my quilty friends for a day. Maybe a visit to a new quilt shop and lunch or a stitch-in at one of our houses.
For a longer break my husband and I take long weekends and travel our beautiful state (Michigan!) exploring small towns and hiking on one of the hundreds of trails that ramble through out state. This last long weekend we went to Boyne Highlands and did their fabulous zip line tour! It is what I asked to do for my 52nd birthday. Eight lines with short hikes in between. Too much fun!
Terri
My family would probably not want to hear this, but my favorite summer getaway is an annual July retreat with fellow quilters. This small group is made up of the most creative and intelligent women I know and spending a few days to a week with them recharges my soul like nothing else in the world. We usually gather in a lovely little retreat place outside Houston, but next year we may convene in Idaho, where one of the members has a 2nd home. It really doesn’t matter WHERE we gather; it’s the time spent together that counts. We spark each others’ imaginations, tell tall tales, drink some adult beverages, enjoy massages, facials and mani/pedis, eat out, and create to our hearts’ content. And the laughter is non stop. Just thinking about how much fun it will be makes me gasp “IS IT JULY YET???”
My favorite getaway from my shop in Northern California is a townhouse in Minnesota that houses 4 of my 5 grandchildren. It is a loving and chaotic circle of sloppy hugs & kisses, some sit-on-my-lap-while-I-read-a-story quiet times….sand up my butt at the beach at the lake, making cookies (while letting them crack all the eggs!), tea parties, pushing on the swings and more from first light until after dark. My soul recharges with the uncomplicated love of it all. My Grammy heart fills to overflowing and keeps me going when the pressure of owning a quilt shop pressed in. When customers are a pain-in-the-patootie I think about chasing fireflies and eating popsicles on the curb. (Oh, and I get to sew with my daughter in the evenings too!).
I’ll be packing for my “favorite getaway” this week-end. As much as possible, I return to my home state of South Dakota. My Dad usually has some unusual plans during my visits. He has a horse ranch, so activities in the past have been a cattle drive on the National Grasslands, a trail ride though the Badlands, or more routine projects like helping stack hay bales. He is 84 and nothing seems to be slowing him down! I love the smell of the fresh air and the wide open spaces there, where you can see for miles and miles! This trip I will be attending a family wedding! I am already wondering what other mischief my Dad has under his cowboy hat!
My favorite vacation was a real eye-opener last week in Cascade, Colorado just outside Colorado Springs. I’ve had my shop just under two years and this was our first vacation. I’d been reading about the importance of getting away and now I am a true believer! The peaceful mountain setting with no cell service was divine. Our daughter, my husband and I did silly touristy stuff and stayed in and played board games. We had a relaxing destressing week of just being. I am so very proud of my staff who were able to cope without me that we are already planning our next recharge!
My most favorite place to go to Ely Nevada. We camp out and take our four wheeler out in the woods and listen to the elk and trout fish. It is the most peaceful place to be with no cell service. We usually went with our kids and grand-kids, but now that we are all back home in Texas, we will meet up there with some very special friends we met while living in Las Vegas. It will be a mini family reunion of sorts. Peace and quite, the great out doors and good friends, What more could a person ask for!
Ladies,
It’s such a pleasure to read what’s so different yet the same about quilters/quilt shop owners. It appears that we are a uniquely creative people that is inspired and renewed by nature, the beauty that others have created throughout history and who find our solace in quality time with those we love. During my life, I’ve traveled extensively, singly raised two amazing men and worked too may hours at the computer as a software developer. Now that I have the opportunity to play with fabric, play on the longarm, play with the fabric:), create daily and teach what four generations of seamstress/quilters have taught me (with Mom), everyday is vacation for me. So..even though I will be traveling extensively this summer, I’ll be with someone I love, have the opportunity to be inspired by nature and the creations of others and feel renewed and inspired by something new each day!
Oh… France. I’ve been eyeballing that very trip for a few years now. Looks absolutely heavenly!
But for me, one of my favorite getaways is to Duck, NC (Outer Banks). Wind blowing, sun shining, pelicans swooping over the waves, sitting down and firmly planting my feet in the sand, and plenty of sand castles with the kids. I think as shop owners, we’re always actively making things happens. But being able to just sit on the beach and breathe… and just be — that’s an absolute treat. Time to clear the mind and re-focus on life’s truly important things.
When Duck is just too far, I also like to treat myself to short day trips to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, VA. Within a few hours, I always feel re-charged creatively. It’s so important to remember that we all need to nourish ourselves, too!
Any day that I can get away for a quilting retreat, a class, or even just go to lunch with friends is enough of a break to really charge me – Marti
Time away from your store is so important in so many ways. After 33 or is it 34 years of owning a quilt store I find that I am a better shop owner, wife, friend and happier person after a little r and r. I just posted some of my photos of our Sedona, Arizona vacation on my Pinterest boards. pnterest.com/janeese52 Vacation places and spaces
No favorites places because I have so many more to see.
My favorite getaway isn’t what you would expect at all – I look forward to sleeping in as long as I want on my one day off – you can go anywhere in a dream!
My sister and I own our business together and luckily, we get along well enough to travel together too! We have a yearly weekend trip with our mom and other sister to Portland, OR (about 3 hours away). It’s a fun city with so much to do and amazing restaurants! We’re always so excited that we start talking about our trip months before we go!
For bigger trips, our family has gone to Hawaii a few times and it is one of my all-time favorite vacation spots. I can’t get enough of the color! The ocean, flowers, sky, sand – it’s just all so gorgeous and it’s a great escape from rainy Seattle, where we live. While we love to shop and check out the sites, we spend plenty of time relaxing on the beach too.