Two Weeks In The Buckeye State

I've been in Columbus, Ohio for almost two weeks. (Side note: I missed the ENTIRE College World Series! Since Arizona State got knocked out in the Super Regionals, it wasn't quite as much of a sacrifice. And I take some comfort in the fact that the team that beat ASU (Fresno State) won the whole she-bang!) First week was at the National Quilting Association (NQA) show, second at the Quilt Surface Design Symposium (QSDS). I squeezed in some time with my family during and between the shows. There have been storms, lots of rain, not enough lightning (which I love!), and this rainbow on a back road in Logan County.









QSDS has been wonderful! Vendors each have a hotel room as the "booth". I've shared a room with Roni of Sunny Bunny Designs. With two of us, we are able to get away from minding the store to peek into the classrooms. The printing class is calling to me! My own work is so beginning compared to that in the fabric exhibit of complex cloth! If you want to expand yourself as an art quilter, QSDS is THE place!

I've been walking in Union Cemetery (established 1806) and on a trail along the Olentangy River. It is similar, yet very different to the trail I walk in Omaha. They are both "rural" trails in urban areas. Plenty of bikers here, but I didn't hear any "on your left" as they approached & passed me from behind. My Omaha trail runs along a "crick" much, much smaller than the Olentangy! Gray squirrels in Columbus, brown and the occasional black squirrel in Omaha.I saw a gray heron on the river today, along with plenty of ducks. Mulberry trees in both places are messy! No buckeye trees or poison ivy on my Omaha trail. And I miss having my little dog to walk with me!

It gets lonely on the road. I miss my husband, my daughters and my own bed. I'm looking forward to heading home! (Yes, Alyssa, I miss the cat too!)

Quilt Shows, Tornados, Dance Recitals!

What a weekend! It started on Thursday, when I set up for the Omaha Quilter's Guild show. Because of a close-to-the-last-minute change, the show was being held at a new location - the Gretna outlet mall. Definitely different, somewhat confusing, but it ended up being quite successful. Vendors and quilts were divided among seven bays at the mall. DellaJane Hand Dyes was in Bay 7, along with Material Girls (Grand Island), The Log Cabin Quilt Shop (Omaha), Quilters Candy Shoppe (O'Neill), Vintage Textiles (St. Paul), Etc. Etc. Etc. (Omaha) and two others whose shop names I've forgotten (sorry!).

A good turn-out on Friday eased our fears about the location and shoppers finding us scattered through the mall. In Bay 7, we tolerated less-than-adequate air conditioning on a day that allowed us to have the doors open. Saturday, the A/C was fixed, attendance (and spending!) were both good.

Saturday night! The tornado sirens woke us up about 2:30 am. By the time family and pets were awake and safely in the basement with the tv turned on to find out what was going on, the storm had moved over us! A tornado touched down just a few miles south of us, damaging a few houses and businesses. DH & I checked out damage to his factory on Sunday morning and found lots of tree damage and a few broken windows. A nearby neighborhood was hit harder, with several houses damaged. Luckily, no one was hurt!

Sunday was the last day of the show. See the Winners

I did a quick-as-possible tear down of my booth so I could get to Caitlin's dance recital. Thanks to Becky, Mary M, Rene, and Andrea for helping!! Caitlin was in four dances and was the best dancer in all four! In the interests of complete disclosure, I have to say that I didn't watch any of the other dancers while she was on stage. I'm a proud Mom!

Rain! Snow!

I was in Dallas at the Dallas Quilt Celebration last weekend. I like to drive around a little when I'm in a new place - get a feel for where I am. I was near the American Airlines (?) Center where the NCAA tournaments were being played. On Saturday morning, I ate breakfast with Arkansas Razorback fans, many of us in sweats & tees (mine said Cincinnati Reds). On Sunday, I was the lone sweatpant/tee-shirt wearer in the midst of a Mary Kay convention. Need I say that I had on the LEAST amount of makeup? Not one to let lack of makeup or matching outfit hold me back, I shared a breakfast table and conversation with some of the MK reps. And a good time was had by all.


It rained on Saturday and and again Sunday, when street flooding was a problem. Not for me - I was inside, watching the lookers. Sundays are typically slow sales days at shows. Lots of "Lookers", few "Buyers". Lookers cruise past my booth, never straying from the aisle. Sometimes they call the attention of a companion to something in my booth, a quilt or fabric which has caught their eye. Both admire it from their aisle location before moving on. The occasional looker who breaks ranks and actually ventures into my booth will typically admire whatever has caught her eye, compliment me on the beautiful colors, and move back into the aisle with the [small] crowd. Sound whiny? Perhaps it is. So, if you are one of the Sunday "lookers" at a quilt show, for God's sake, step into a booth and TOUCH something!

I drove out of Dallas on Sunday night in the rain. Drove very slowly out of Dallas in the rain. Traffic was a mess, with flooded streets and high water in all sorts of inconvenient places. I had planned to drive to Wichita or Topeka or wherever the rain turned to snow, find a motel, and wait out the winter storm. But it just kept raining. So I kept driving. On Monday, somewhere north of Kansas City, the rain turned to snow. Light snow, blowing around more than anything. I didn't see any accumulation until I got into Omaha. I got home, unloaded the trailer, got it stored, and watched the snow begin to fall in earnest. I think we got 8-12 inches on Monday night, on top of the 6 inches which had fallen on Sunday night. I took this picture of Alyssa with the snowman she and Elizabeth built.