An Apple a Day!

The quilt on the left is one of the  first quilts I ever made. It's a strip quilt and I even hand quilted it! I titled it "An Apple a Day".   It's far from perfect, but it served as a great teacher. I tried out several pieced borders and used them as strips (checkerboard, diamonds, points). Strip quilts are perfect for beginning quilters. They are very forgiving if you want to try new things or use up scraps. You don't even need a pattern for a strip quilt! (And even if it isn't perfect, it makes a comfy, cozy cover!) I used apple prints and colors for the theme of this quilt. Speaking of apples..........

Diane McHaney and Bryan Hutzler

 On Memorial Day we headed off north of San Antonio to the Texas Hill Country. 
Here we have winding roads, steep inclines, lush greenery, rivers,lakes, and cooler weather. Dude ranches and resorts abound in this area. Our first stop on this road trip was  Love Creek Orchards. (Check out their website. You can find great recipes as well as other information.)The Apple Store, (associated with Love Creek Orchards) is owned by Bryan (left) and his wife, Staci (not pictured). It offers dwarf apple trees that you can take home and plant, as well as all kinds of jams, jellies, apple cider syrup, and other goodies.We stopped at their Patio Cafe (voted one of the top 40 best small town cafes in Texas) for some Apple Ice Cream! (Delicious with it's subtle apple flavor and cinnamon taste!) They have been featured on the Food Network as well as  various newspapers and magazines, the latest being Texas Monthly magazine. 
 In the picture above, you see Diane holding one of the HUGE, delicious apple pies that helped make them famous. They use 5 lbs. of apples in one pie! Bryan is holding one of the apple trees they sell. Yes, apples grow in Texas. In the hill country, where the winter days can actually get COLD by Texas standards, they grow at least 11 varieties. Love Creek Orchards pioneered apple growing in the hill country.

Carrie Caruso

Diane Langner

Did I mention that the staff is friendly?

My apple strudel, half eaten. Delicious! The sweetest apples ever!

If you're in the vicinity, be sure to check them out. You won't be sorry!

Frio River (notice that the water is clear and clean!)

A couple of old, retired horses near Concan. This is what it means to be "put out to pasture"!

 Although I didn't get a good photo, the entire hill country was blanketed with little yellow flowers. (Everywhere you looked you saw fields of them! They bloom from late April into June.) A little research tells me they are Greenthread (Thelesperma filiform), and that the Texas hill country is covered with literally billions of them this time of year.

                           Until next time....