Journeys Remembered
Block Number: 75“Journeys Remembered”
By Nora Worthen
On a windy January afternoon, passersby on US 226 South near the I-40 interchange could see Mike Lucas of the McDowell Quilt Trail on the scaffold installing a quilt block over the carport at Blue Ridge Monuments. Joy Woody, office manager, says she became aware of the quilt trail by seeing blocks popping up on buildings around town and thought a quilt block would be a nice addition to Blue Ridge Monuments. Greg Daniels, owner, thought so, too, and the process was set in motion. Joy worked with the quilt trail volunteers, Mike and Jill Lucas, to design a block that expresses beauty and simplicity.
As you look at this block called “Journeys Remembered,” your eyes are drawn from the Celtic cross monument in the center foreground to the rays of sun that appear to start at a point behind the mountains and illuminates the expansive sky as the sunrays spread across the horizon. As in reality, when the sun is low on the horizon, it is possible to see the tops of mountain ridges not always noticeable during mid-day, due to shadows. Those illusory ridges and peaks are captured in this scene by colors ranging from pale to darker blues, reminiscent of the colors of the Blue Ridge Mountains that are so familiar to residents of Western North Carolina. A stone wall encloses the gardens where the monument resides, and the cream-colored grain field creates some sense of distance from the gardens to the mountains in the background. “Journeys Remembered” is block number 75 on the McDowell Quilt Trail.
Frank and Wilma Daniels, founded Daniels Memorials in 1985, located on Rutherford Road in Marion.
In the year 2000, their son Greg took over the business, and after three years, relocated to its present location. Over two decades of serving the residents of McDowell County, Blue Ridge Monuments has earned the reputation of customer care and quality products. Its mission is to offer a versatile range of products at affordable prices that expand beyond the traditional uses, such as commercial, architectural, landscaping, and home and garden products. The company participates in local projects by creating personalized bricks to use as fundraisers, and placing granite signs and memorials in various locations in the county.
