Back from DC!

Actually, I arrived back home on sunday night and am now just getting round to posting. You know how it is when you've left your family (MEN AND BOYS..MALES of the species..)for a week and what it's like to come home to...

I did have a wonderful trip. PERFECT weather for driving. It was sunny, leaves just turning on the way up. On the way back they were even MORE beautiful, though not quite at peak, that is okay for me.

I arrived in Bethesda on tuesday afternoon, about 1/2 hour after my dad arrived, so he got all the checking in done at the hotel :c) How is that for good timing? I really enjoyed Bethesda. It is lively, busy, and very diversified! There are more restaurants than anyone could ever explore in a week's time...but suffice it to say that we ate out at a different 'nationality' every night! FUN!

We met up with Tonya on wednesday morning and we all toodled in to the smithsonian area of DC. If you aren't familiar with the Metro, and without a guide...I think it is easy to get turned around, you might have the right train, but going the wrong way! And then have to figure out how to get to the other side of the platform, do you go under? Or up and over? And having to put MORE money on your little ticket (exit fare) so you can actually get OUT of the Metro? Oh yes...it was fun for all, but by the time we were done, we had it down pat!

We toured the natural history museum. My fave was the dinosaur exibit. That always amazed me...SO BIG....and extinct. I remember being afraid as a child that something could happen to make me extinct too...pretty deep thinking for an 8 year old. And sometimes I still wonder. :c)

We also toured the Air and Space museum, which was also a big hit for school field trips! It is fun to people watch. So many nationalities and walks of life. I was so amazed at comparing how far things went...from the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk in 1904, to on the MOON in the 60's. in a period of 60 years, all that happened. It really is amazing. This pic is one Tonya took of me and my dad inside the air and space museum...see the big rocket behind us? :c)

Thursday we spent all day at the Holocaust museum. My dad is a big history buff, and he had to read every little display, watch every film, after lunch, Tonya went on home (I don't blame her! *LOL*) and I toodled with Dad while he explored everything. It really does make an impact. Especially with what is going on in the world today. That was a completely insane episode in history, and hopefully thanks to things like the holocaust museum, it won't happen again.

Friday we took a bus tour from 10am til after 4pm and saw ALL the monuments. It was a beautiful day to be out, a bit chilly, but a light jacket and all was well. There was no better way to get all these in. And since Dad is moving slower, being on a bus was GREAT for him.


Saturday morning Dad left to continue is motorcyle trip around ther perimiter of the US....and I headed over to Tonyas to play with fabrics...and kitties! I brought some show and tell, we played with that..discussed how we were going to quilt one of her quilts, and then we headed out for lunch, and then to do some quilt shop hopping! I actually BOUGHT fabric. But it was stuff I needed, including a 2 yrd piece of a fabulous black with colored squiggles on it. I see this as a border....it is perfect to pull a bunch of odd stuff together and make it fit. So I indulged.

I also bought the feathered star book by marsha mccloskey that I've been wanting.

Sunday morning I left Tonya's in Bethesda about 9:30 am and made it home by 5pm so I made good time. I am wanting sewing time, but yesterday I had to jump right back to work at the clinic. This afternoon/evening my Dad will be coming through here and staying the night at my house after a few days ride down the blue ridge parkway in VA and NC....so...no sewing time!

And this post is plenty long so I'm going to stop it here :c)

Bonnie

Cleaning Out!

Hi...it's me....long lost Bonnie!

I've even had emails from several of you asking if I needed help coming up for air!

And just a few weeks ago I was on such a roll with my blue quilt, but life got in the way. You know, I have 1/2 sq triangles all cut and ready to feed through the machine, but I haven't been able to even SIT at the machine unless it was for finishing someone else's binding. I've been quilting, but it is on other people's quilts, not on my own. Deadlines abound, and they seem to be taking up all my time.

I spent a couple hours this morning culling through my charity quilt stash. I'm resigning from being the charity quilt chairperson at the end of this year, there is a new gal stepping up to take my place, and along with the guild stuff I need to pass on to her, I thought it would be a good time to go through what I really didn't love anymore and see if it would broaden the charity quilt stash for the guild a bit better. The guild stuff is AWFUL UGLY. While I was chairperson I tried to make kits with it to use up what had been donated, and it is just not EASY to make all this stuff go together. So...I've added to it stuff I am happy to say farewell to in hopes that it spices up the mix a bit and the new person can find ways to use all this stuff.

Because I cleaned out...I now have a whole pile of my own stuff..and when I mean pile, I mean pile!

This pile includes pieces that are FQ size, some larger, some a bit smaller...small stuff I had tossed over to the charity quilt side of things, and now I'm pulling them back. I'm going to strip them down and feed them into my scraps. I need to find a way to make these chunks useable so that I will USE THEM.

I know it doesn't look like a very attractive mix of fabrics..but I am always amazed that when making scrap quilts, if you mix it all in....somehow it just seems to work for me. When will I get around to cutting this up? I'm not sure!

I've got a customer quilt on the machine I need to finish this morning, I need to go to the massage clinic this afternoon, tomorrow I have the "walk for life" breast cancer walk downtown, and I have to drive to Aiken to deliver several quilts to the quilt shop there!

I was supposed to take them to guild meeting monday night, but instead...I'm going to DC!! I'm meeting up with my Dad and spending several days with him doing the tourist thing in DC. I'm also planning on meeting up with TONYA! YAY! So...looks like Bonnie won't get in any sewing next week either!

Bonnie

Two Very Cool Things!

I have made reservations for the Paducah show...and Lucy is coming!! We are staying at Big Bear Resort..it's a little bit out of Paducah, but we have rented a little 1 bedroom cottage, it has a living area and a little kitchen...FUN FUN FUN! So that fun is for April, 2007....

The second very cool thing...there is a BIG quilter's retreat here that goes all out. It's kind of spendy and I haven't gone before. I was contacted and asked if I would like to be the official massage therapist for the retreat..a personal invitation! I said I would, if I could be guaranteed enough clients to cover the cost of my lodgings.

I just heard back that several people have paid their registration, and my fee for the massage on the form, and so I get to go to the retreat EXPENSES PAID! A little massage work on the side, and the rest of the time I get to spend quilting with everyone else. How cool is that?! The massages I have reserved so far will cover the cost of a little cottage room all to myself. It is Feb 22nd to 25th. So I have that in the works.

The third cool thing, okay so I didn't mention that in the title...this past weekend was the MS-150 ride for Multiple Sclerosis. With your help we raised over $2060.00 to fight MS. I had a great time working on the cyclists saturday and sunday. I was SO BEAT by the time I was done, but it was so worth while. I mean, what's better than guys in spandex bike shorts? :cÞ No really, it was wonderful, uplifting, and most of all FUN.

I haven't had time to work on my blue/neutral quilt....and it's driving me crazy. I have so many customers to finish quilts for and the pressure is ON. So...That pile of 1/2 sq triangles are going to have to sit there at the machine table for just a while longer while I get caught up on stuff. Life gets in the way, you know?!

Bonnie