I've had more fun with my Wild and Wonderful West Virginia puzzle
than I ever imagined.
Between May and August,
we traveled much of the state
delivering puzzles to state parks and forests.
We just loved seeing these places,
most of them for the first time!
I will be revisiting them
for my TravelWV video series...
(more about that in my next blog;)
While traveling near Blackwater Falls SP
we caught the majesty
of these awesome creatures...
These are HUGE!
We also promoted puzzles to independent gift shops
like Wild Ginger & Spice in Davis.
Wild Ginger & Spice
Crammed full of cool stuff, this little shop
creates some of their items in the back room!
Adorable people.
This old bank building's vault
"protects" the West Virginia merchandise.
The Vault
Perfect!
We've laughed, smiled, and marveled
at things in West Virginia...
Watch out for landing airplanes
while driving down this road!
Watch out!
I treasure my mom's old yardstick.
She taught me to sew with that thing.
This collection caught my eye at C.J. Maggie's in Elkins.
Yardsticks.
And look at these artisan creations
at
Canaan Valley State Park...
Love!
Look at the leaves on the carpet!
Sometimes it's the small things in life
that make it special.
Of course, there have been bumps along the way,
like we ran out of puzzles.
We hadn't made it throughout the state,
plus we were getting orders we couldn't fill.
Instead of just reordering the same puzzle,
I decided it was important to make a 2.0 edition.
About 20 changes were made to my original painting,
a fold-up map and new box were designed,
and then I called Steve, my puzzle guy.
In no time, he sent me this box proof:
And here's the fold-up map
from Chapman's Printing in Huntington:
Map print front
Map back
But the puzzle production was delayed
because Target cut the line
with a huge order.
Finally last week, I got the call from Steve
that our puzzles are almost ready!
Rick and I will fly to Kansas City, MO,
pick up our U-Haul truck,
and drive them home.
Stayed tuned for a video production update!
Thanks for following along,
Linda
Wild and Wonderful West Virginia puzzles
are now in almost 40 gift shops in our great state...
like this one...
at Coopers Rock State Forest near Morgantown.
btw... the views at this state forest are unforgettable...
more about this place to come;)
When I started in January, I knew we had hidden treasures,
like Audra State Park with creek side camp sites...
where I met this little lady with her teardrop camper...
But I really HAD NO IDEA how fabulous WV is...
Two video series will start in a few weeks.
In the meantime I’ll share photos and stories
of wild and wonderful West Virginia.
😊Here’s one…
Davis is an itty-bitty, precious town
with cool shops and little restaurants
surrounded by state parks and ski resorts.
This house is in Davis… we drove on by.
Then I told Rick to go back...
he's soooo patient.😊
Artist Delia Wach and her hubby, Martin
live upstairs and run a gift shop downstairs.
I recognized her art!
Years ago at a school where I taught,
Delia had given a presentation
about the books that she and her husband wrote,
and she illustrated.
Also her daughter is a nationally recognized artist of birds,
and she sells her prints… stunning!!
She shared her journaling with me.
I HAD TO buy supplies from her
for bullet journaling (which I had never heard about).
All of that and much more I discovered in that little house…
Oh and she showed us her husband’s garden. ❤️
Thanks for following along,
Linda
We had a blast peddling puzzles
and enjoying spots in West Virginia,
like the Cathedral Cafe
in Fayetteville,
a very cool breakfast/lunch spot
created in an old church.
The rest of June will be
quick trips to
get the state park orders filled
and sell to gift shops nearby.
After that,
we will go more slowly...
revisiting favorite spots,
going to new places,
taking the tours...
fishing (Rick)...
painting (me)...
Sometimes I'll take a girlfriend or two...
AND...
I'll be sharing those adventures with you
because I believe...
once you learn what West Virginia has to offer...
you will grab your husband, wife, kids or friend
and Travel WV.