What a fabulous visit I had with Terri Click a few days ago! She had been teaching in Orlando and stopped by my house for a too-brief visit. It seems that visits from sewing friends are always too short, but we made the most of the time we had. Mostly, we talked–about sewing, about life, about sewing and more about sewing. It’s great to have a friend who shares your passion for needlework.
She brought me two one-of-a-kind gifts that I treasure. The first is the sweet pincushion shown above. Old sweaters provided the materials for this!  Terri has many talents, but the making silk purses out of sows’ ears is at the top of the list. I like this so much better than a silk purse. You would enjoy visiting her blog.
The sweater/pincushion is attached to a felt base made from her beloved Big Shot Sizzix die-cutting machine. I need to learn more about that!
The second gift is a screen printed dishtowel, made long enough to be easily converted into an apron. Isn’t that clever? Screen printing is another new skill that she is honing. The tangerines are the first of this year’s crop from one of our trees. We were so busy talking that we forgot to pack them up for her to take home to South Carolina.
This is the Old Spanish Sugar Mill. The water wheel no longer turns but the gears and basic parts are still inside the ancient building.
For breakfast, we went to one of our family’s favorite haunts, the Old Spanish Sugar Mill located inside the 600 acre DeLeon Springs State Park.
Just about 5 minutes from my house, the restaurant is a really unique place for breakfast.
I do not know these people. It is just a stock photo I found on-line. This is the table where Terri and I cooked our flapjacks.
Griddles are built into the tables. While you flip your own 5-grain or colonial white pancakes, alligators and turtles often can be seen sunning themselves on fallen logs in the run. It’s a nature lover’s dream. But we were so busy talking that I forgot to take a single picture during Terri’s entire visit. So all the park photos were found on-line.
The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would turn over by themselves. W.C. Fields
The park itself is breathtaking, especially when the azaleas are in bloom.
Spanish soldiers camped under this very tree, as evidenced by the artifacts that have been found beneath it. The live oaks are so old that the spread of their branches touch the ground.
Legend has it that explorer Ponce de Leon thought this might be the Fountain of Youth. Of course, after a swim, he was no younger.  So he moved on searching for the real Fountain of Youth. I’d like to find that fountain, but I am too busy sewing to spend time looking for it.
The Sugar Mill is just to the left of the swimming area.
I met Terri in Myrtle Beach when we roomed together at Sewing at the Beach 2011. She is a wonderful teacher and a wonderful friend. You will be blessed if you have the pleasure of meeting her one day–as a teacher and as a friend. She certainly has been a blessing to me.
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