Flood Update - part two

What a difference a day makes. On Friday, the DOT reopened the north and south-bound I-5 lanes. We were free to travel again. We drove by the Chehalis Inn (see last post's photos) and we saw that the water had completely receded - it was as if someone had just pulled the stopper out of a drain (apologies for the over-used analogy, but hey it fits). So, as my dad says, we blew this popsicle stand (i.e. got the heck out of town).

We drove down to Longview and ate a late lunch at Muchos Gracias. And then it was on to Black Buggy Furniture. The furniture shop is hidden back in the woods near the hamlet of Rainier, OR. To be honest, we drove by it and Scott considered forgoing the stop. The shop is just a metal shed-type building and there are a couple of Amish buggies parked nearby. I told Scott we needed to stop since this was the whole reason we had left home for the day. So we parked the car and went inside. What a contrast between the outside of this business and the inside. The interior was warm and cozy and smelled like wood and cinnamon.

The owner has family living in Ohio that takes care of many of the dealings with the Amish craftsmen and the inventory on the floor is just a sample to get you thinking of all of the possibilities that are sitting in catalogues - one for each craftsman or company back in Ohio. We went in to the store looking for a dining table and buffet but walked out instead with an order for a Mission style secretary, a chair for the desk and also a quilt rack in that matching Mission style.

I'm probably just as excited about the quilt rack as the secretary. I think that quilt racks are very country-decor, which is just not me, but I really want some way to show off the quilt that Great-Grandma made for us when we got married. I hope the rack we bought won't seem out of place in our house. The quilt is really too beautiful to be in a closet.