I have had a fabulous week!!!!  My best friend in the whole wide world (Ann)  came to spend a week with me and we had a blast!  We started out with a day at the Mall of America and then had a great time spending time in Mason City, painting pottery, going to Cresco, Iowa to pick up the quilts that Doreen from Treadlemusic finished for me, going to a Chris Mann Concert at NIACC, and catching up for a lot of lost time.  Chris was the perfect hubby and tolerated our giggles and silliness and took us out to a fabulous dinner at 1910 Grille—the restaurant in the Historic Park Inn on Saturday night.  We had the best time ever and I am so glad she came to visit me!

I can not count the number of friends that I have but I am blessed .  Blessed to have many who I have shared with in this journey called life.  I have friends in many places—places I have lived and places I haven’t .  Friends that I have met in real life and friends that I have yet to meet but hope to someday.   But Ann—-Ann has been with me through thick and thin and through a lot of stuff that has made us friends for life.   There is nothing like it.  I know I am blessed.  And I am so grateful for her and for her wit and wisdom and constant friendship even when I moved far away.  That’s what is important in life—-nurturing those friendships which are for life.  I don’t take it for granted but am very thankful that God brought us together years ago in North Carolina.

One of the best places in Mason City to while away a few hours is Music Man Square—the claim to fame for Mason City.  Fans of The  Music Man know all about Meredith Willson and his love of Mason City—his boyhood home.   The whole Music Man Square is really interesting complete with museum and a tour of his home which has a great deal of original items scattered throughout.  We had a lovely host—Fran—who made our visit even better.

Ann and our docent, Fran

A few facts about Meredith Willson

The street scape scene replica from The Music Man

Boyhood home of Meredith Willson

Aren’t we adorable?

Painting pottery at Market 124

Quilt number 1 finished!!!

Perfectly matched backing and binding complete the fabulous quilt!

Doreen is so skilled!!!  Her work is fabulous!

Quilt number 2 completed!  This one had to be hand quilted to be finished up and Doreen did a wonderful job as you can tell!

And the third quilt which is mine—beautiful!!!

Doreen made the huge white spaces so beautifully filled with detail.  It is amazing how this quilt top was transformed once Doreen got it!

It is BEAUTIFUL!  Don’t you agree?

Before dinner at the 1910 Grille–relaxing in the Historic Park Inn

Posing by the infamous Dice Sculpture in the City Park

Posing by the “fake dice” outside Rancho Z Deluxe!

Thanks, Ann, for coming to the prairie to see me!!!!   Not everyone will venture this far to come see a friend and I am soooo glad that she did!!!  I think Holly and Buddy will miss her, too.