FOLLOWING THE BARN QUILT TRAIL
FOLLOWING THE BARN QUILT TRAIL
Suzi Parron
Foreword by
Donna Sue Groves
SWALLOW PRESS
Athens, Ohio
Swallow Press
An imprint of Ohio University Press, Athens, Ohio 45701
© 2016 by Ohio University Press
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Parron, Suzi, author. | Groves, Donna Sue, writer of foreword.
Title: Following the barn quilt trail / Suzi Parron ; Foreword by Donna Sue Groves.
Description: Athens, Ohio : Swallow Press, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015044696| ISBN 9780804011693 (pb : alk. paper) | ISBN 9780804040693 (pdf)
Subjects: LCSH: Barns—United States—Pictorial works. | Barns—Canada—Pictorial works. | Parron, Suzi—Travel—United States. | Parron, Suzi—Travel—Canada. | Outdoor art—United States—Themes, motives. | Outdoor art—Canada—Themes, motives. | Culture and tourism—United States—Pictorial works. | Culture and tourism—Canada—Pictorial works.
Classification: LCC NA8230 .P365 2016 | DDC 725/.372—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015044696
ISBN 9780804040693 (e-book)
In memory of Maxine Groves, in whose honor her daughter, Donna Sue, began the quilt trail. She inspired so many through her wisdom, her quilting artistry, and a life well lived.
contents
FOREWORD BY DONNA SUE GROVES
PENNSYLVANIA, AND A SIDE TRIP TO VERMONT
foreword
Everyone has a story, including me. Stories make us laugh and cry. They evoke memories and help us form emotional connections. Stories teach us about life, about ourselves, and about others.
Little did I think that a large part of my story would intertwine with the lives and stories of thousands of other folks across the United States and Canada.
In order to tell my story we have to go back sixty-plus years. I grew up in West Virginia. My mother and father were the first generation to move to the city away from the farm. As a family—my dad, mother, brother, and I would visit my grandparents most weekends.
My brother, Michael Blaine, was five years younger and a general pest to me. Riding side by side in a car for any length of time caused us to squabble. Those were the days of no cell phones, handheld games, or DVDs. It was impossible for us to play the typical license-plate game because all we saw were West Virginia plates. To keep us occupied Mother created a game counting barns. If it was a certain kind of barn, you got two points; if it was another type of barn, you got three points; if it had advertising on it, you got a bonus of five points if you could read the ad. Barns like “Chew Mail Pouch,” or “See Rock City,” or “RC Cola” were five points. Red barns were two points and white barns minus two points.
The