Cordova, Here I come!

I’ve got 3 hours until I’m forcing myself to bed at 9pm.

I am so stinking excited I can barely stand it.

I fell in love with Alaska just over a month ago, and here I get to go again, to another corner, a place remote enough there are only two ways in. Either you fly – or you boat!

I got the funniest email this morning from the gals in charge of my visit there…a list of questions:

Dear Bonnie,

We have a few questions as we prepare for your visit to our remote corner of the planet. ;-) Here goes:

• What is your shoe size?
• Is there any specific equipment you need for your lecture and trunk show?
  
• Do you mind having food in the same room as your quilts?
• Do you like seafood?

MY SHOE SIZE?!? Oh, this is going to be fun, I can tell! :cD I’m getting visions of being fitted for SNOW SHOES!

Whatever it is..I’m ready!

Do I mind food in the same room as the quilts? NOPE! Bring it on! Just bring napkins or paper towels too.

Do I LIKE seafood? That’s an understatement! I adore seafood!

And the pic you see above is of Cordova, Alaska. My new home for a week with a bunch of wonderful quilters. UBER EXCITED!

Just WHERE in the world IS Cordova? You can find it to the Southeast of Anchorage, just below Valdez. Small print. Small place. BIG ADVENTURE!

Off to finish packing, and off to bed early ((Do you think I can sleep?))

Oh. PS! We had a wonderful wonderful shout out on the Mary Jo’s Cloth Store blog! You guys are the reason they can’t keep bolts of solid cheddar in stock. I didn’t know they were writing this, but you can check the blog post HERE!

I’m all a dither!

Scenes from Holton!

What a busy week and weekend. I suppose it’s nothing new. This is the way we roll! I go go go go go and when night falls, I crash and sleep hard, and get up and do it all over again. Sure beats the alternative, doesn’t it?

We had a great visit with DH's cousin and her hubby, we chatted for 5 hours about EVERYTHING. Boy, don't we sound like a bunch of old fogies reminscing?! Wait --- I guess we ARE! Anne is also a long arm quilter, so we had lots in common to talk about. They were visiting from Washington state, visiting her son and his family in Charlotte, and will be heading back to Washington state in a few weeks.

The only quilting that got done last night was one section of binding with my feet up in the recliner in the evening before I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore and headed to bed. But even one section is progress, right?

This morning I was going through some of my pictures of my trip to Kansas last week…I never keep ALL the pics on my camera, I transfer them over to my big storage thing here, just in case I lose the camera, or it crashes, etc. Those memories are precious! I start each trip new with an empty camera.

I saw a bunch of street scene pics that I took as I walked around the courthouse square during my lunch break!

Welcome to Mayberry Holton Kansas! I just loved this little town. Unlike a lot of small towns, most of the businesses downtown HAVE businesses in them! Businesses of all variety. There was a yarn shop, and everything! One of the gas-station mini marts on the corner said it made it’s own fresh donuts daily --- I never got down there, I was side tracked by Marilyn’s cinnamon rolls, but I can imagine the “regulars” stopping in for coffee and donuts before starting their day.

The “OTHER” side of the square. See that center tan building? That’s where our workshop was! Here I’m standing on the lawn of the courthouse….Quilts on the Square is at the far right on the corner of the brick building.

This is the “END” of Quilts on the Square --- I love that old Levi’s logo! It used to be the Lutz department store. Do you see that brickwork?? It was like they had put quilters cables into the brick work….

This me shooting UP at it! I also think you can see the “flower” shaped bolts at the bottom of the picture. Those are the ones that Mary painted inside to actually LOOK like flowers in this post HERE.

This was the old State Bank of Holton!

Another view with wonderful brick work. I loved that bay window! What’s fun is all the cobblestone bricks that still line all the streets around the square.

See the cobbles? And you know about my love of old Post Offices! This is a GREAT one!

More street scene! I love those arched windows on the right. When I was a teen, it was my dream to go to college, and live in an apartment ABOVE a shop. That never happened, but if it had, THIS is the kind of building I would have loved to live!

Look at these beautiful windows! They just don’t build like this anymore, do they?

When I checked into my hotel on Thursday afternoon, I had a couple of hours before it was time to go to dinner. The drizzle rain had stopped, and I took my legs on a power walk around the neighborhood just off the square. I probably missed the BEST Victorian houses, but I still got an eye full.

Houses, Holton KS, Sept 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Can you tell that small towns are where my heart is? We’ve lived in several. I still live in a small town. So small it doesn’t even HAVE a courthouse square…..but they just built a new city hall, and it is too big, too bright, too modern for my liking!

I also loved all the colors of the flowers everywhere you turned down town!

Aren’t these colors just vibrant? Reds, greens, pinks, oranges, white ---

And what is Kansas with out a bit of sunflower yellow!

It’s a packing day. I’ve got to swap out a few quilts from the trunkshow bags and replace them with the workshop quilts we are doing in Cordova Alaska this week! I’ll be off in the morning! I’m checking the temps, and what is crazy is that the temps aren’t going to be much different than what I’ve had at the tail end of Kansas, and here in NC over the past couple days. Mid 50s. I can do that! I’m ready for that! Bring on the snuggly hoodie weather!

Happy Monday!

Football Night!

While I was in Kansas I was “informed” that there was an employee football party for DH’s work and we would be going to the Wake Forest vs Gardner Webb game on Saturday night!

More than that – they went all out and rented us a box suite, and we had hotdogs and burgers catered, drinks, etc!

I’ve been to Wake Forest basketball games, and the home team support is HUGE in this area. As we drove to the stadium, there were cars and trucks and vans all with WF flags a’flyin!

Last night was beyond just chilly. It was down right cold and windy --- but I came prepared with my jacket with hood, also waterproof in case of rain, and my scarf.

And can you tell in the pic above that I’m wearing a pair of cute little fingerless gloves that Randy made me for my birthday a few years ago? I love these gloves! ((Yes, and they will be sure to go to Alaska with me on Tuesday!))

My first time to the football stadium, I had to stop and take a picture!

Pretty nice, huh? But what’s that I see at the top of the steps? Another photo opportunity! And yes, I had to twist DH’s arm to indulge my photo whim. I have a thing for statues, don’t you know? :cD

When I first moved here and started to become acquainted with local tradition, I have to admit that I thought a “Deamon Deacon” was a mighty strange mascot, when everyone else is having Bears and Tigers, and Panthers, etc.

I had to do some searching, but this is what I found via Wiki:

Wake Forest was founded as a Baptist college in 1834.

In 1923, the Wake Forest football team defeated rival Trinity (later renamed Duke University). In the following issue of the school newspaper, the editor of the paper, Mayon Parker (1924 Wake Forest graduate), first referred to the team as "Demon Deacons," in recognition of what he called their "devilish" play and fighting spirit. Henry Belk, Wake Forest's news director, and Garrity liked the title and used it often, so the popularity of the term grew.

The actual mascot made its first appearance in 1941. As the "Demon Deacon" terminology became more popular, Jack Baldwin (1943 Wake Forest graduate) took the first step and became the first in the long line of Deacon mascots.

"Some of my fraternity brothers and I were just sitting around one evening," Baldwin recalls, "and came to the agreement that what Wake Forest needed was someone dressed like a deacon -- top hat, tails, a black umbrella and all that. We wanted him to be more dignified than other mascots, sort of like an old Baptist Deacon would dress"

Baldwin found an old tuxedo and a top hat, and on the following Saturday, he led the Wake Forest football team onto the field, riding the North Carolina ram. Two years later, when Baldwin graduated, many interested students were willing to continue dressing up as the mascot. Initially, the responsibility to pick new Demon Deacons fell on Baldwin's fraternity, but later it broadened to include all students. Today, special tryouts are held annually for new Deacons, but the competition is very intense.

At the beginning of the game, the Demon Deacon rode out onto the field on his motorcycle!

This is a shot from where our group was…we had great seats and great eats and lots of fun company!

The marching band is just coming out to take their places, so is the dance team and flag squad!

On the side lines, even old Grandma and Grandpa Deacon get into the act….this was a hoot, they were all over the place, in the crowd, down the sidelines…so funny!

TOUCH DOWN!! This flag is HUGE, and with the wind, this guy was having a hard time dealing with it. It took several shots before I got one where the flag was full out and legible!

And the Deacon himself, in our box suite…what a fun night!

Great night for the Deacons too – Wake Forest wins 48-5! We headed home to warm our hands around giant mugs of hot cocoa and talk about the evening while enjoying a long soak in the hot tub.

Today? Well….I’ve still not been to the grocery store. DH’s cousins are stopping by for a visit on their way through town. We haven’t seen them in years! Laundry is going, some house upkeep has started…but hopefully they are coming to see US and NOT the house…

I think the only thing I’ll be making for lunch is RESERVATIONS!

I hope you are enjoying your weekend! Anything quilty going on?? Post what you are working on in the comments below!

Addicted To Scraps Tab!

I don’t know why I didn’t think of this before.

Could be too many irons in the fire, or not landing in one place long enough to have the obvious brick fall on my head….

Every week I get emails on where to find my columns in the Quiltmaker.com archives, and I go look it up for someone and send them a link back.

TADA! How about we just add a tab to the top of the blog with the picture, so you can just CLICK IT and it will take you right over to Quiltmaker.com and to the corresponding article? How brilliant is this? And why am I so brain dead I never thought of it?

You can find the ADDICTED TO SCRAPS tab right at the top of the blog. It’s all there. I’ll update it as they add the new ones.

I might need to be poked and prodded to keep that up to date too, but I’ll try, honestly I will!

I hope that helps some of you ((including me)) and saves me some time in having to look up things so I know where to send someone when they email. And now I can just point them to the Addicted to Scraps tab at the top. Much more easy, don’t you think?

DH and I are headed into Winston to go to the Wake Forest football game tonight! I asked him if it would be OUTSIDE. “YUP.” Okay, I guess I’ll leave the handwork at home. What if it rains? “There is an awning”. Yup. I guess I’ll REALLY leave the handwork at home….

I thought I’d get more done today than I did, but I’m still deep in email jail trying to dig myself out of mail that came while I was on the cruise….and then I had that week that I was sicker than a dog….and then I was gone to Kansas, which is not a hotbed of AT&T wireless card activity ((Couldn’t get NUTHIN!)) and here I am frantically trying to dig myself out.

And I have to go to a FOOTBALL GAME?!

Go, Deacons!

Hello, Home!

This is so crazy. It’s 55 degrees at home. It was 101 in Winfield, Kansas on Sunday afternoon, or was that Monday? But you know what? When I got home last night, I threw that second quilt on top of the bed, and still slept with the window cracked open a bit and it was BLISS!

I love Autumn. I love the temp changes, the color changes…..the only thing I have a hard time with is the losing of the daylight hours. I’m ready for Jammies 2 hours past dark….in fact, on Thursday night, we were done with class and had the room packed up by 5pm. We were at dinner at 5:30 pm. I was back in my ROOM by 6:30 pm….and since it was raining out, it was getting dark, and I didn’t have anywhere to be, anywhere to go, and no jacket to bundle up in ((All I packed was a denim over-shirt because I get cold on planes and you never know when someone’s a/c is on overdrive!)) I decided it was jammie-time at 6:30pm!

My digs? The Hotel Josephine in Holton, Kansas –circa 1889!

Here is the hotel as it appeared circa 1890!

The lobby

1850’s pianoforte. Of course, it said “please do not play piano!”

My room was so cozy..I had a king sized bed all to myself, fun antique period furniture, a little bath….all the comforts of home. Knowing it was going to be a chilly night, and doubting that they would have the antique radiators humming yet, I grabbed a trunk-show quilt and piled it on the bed to tuck me in nice and cozy.

TNT was running a marthon on a show called “Castle” and it held my interest and kept me from being lulled into re-run-land on stuff I’d already seen! I stitched hexagons in bed until I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.

Isn’t this pretty? this is the view from the closet looking toward the doorway to the hall. What I loved is that every room is decorated differently. And if the room is not rented out, the doors are kept open so you can peek in and get a good look at the different décor in each room! It really was like walking back in time.

From the door toward the closet..the bathroom is off the little alcove where the closet is.

Even the window treatments were pretty without being over-done! Can you see the radiator….I bet it gives off nice heat in the winter months!

And yes, I know this blog post is late in coming today. This morning DH whisked me off to breakfast out. I love breakfast out! Of course, his ulterior motive was to stop at Lowes for yet more household fix-it stuff!

While I’ve been gone he’s been busy laying the new floor in the sunroom! It looks great! And today….we spent the morning painting trim and fixing things in that sunroom.

It’s still got a ways to go yet, but I’ll post those pics later!

It’s nearly 2pm, we haven’t had lunch…and here I thought I had all this time home, and guess who leaves for Alaska on Tuesday? Accckkk!

Smith Mountain Morning Workshop!

I’d like to thank the folks at Quilting on the Square of Holton Kansas for taking such good care of me while I was there!

We had a wonderful workshop in a very nice rented space just down from the quilt shop..so if we ran out of anything, we could sneak away and go find what we needed!

The ladies were just so wonderful….Some I had met before! Imagine my surprise when Linda and her friends from Missouri came strolling in!

You might remember Linda as the quilter who followed the motor home in Alaska when I was there, the one that said “Bonnie Hunter or Bust!” ((Still laughing over that one)) Well, this group of gals sure know how to have fun, and I was just tickled to see her again!

Sandi also blew me a way with a visit to my past!

In my “previous life” From about 1992 to 1997 I designed patterns for dolls and animals, which were later licensed by the Butterick Pattern Co under the name “Needle In A Haystack!!” SHE BROUGHT IN MY PATTERNS!! These have been out of print for so many years, it just tickled me to see them. In other words, Boy! You’ve come a long way, Baby! ((Thank you Sandi! It was so fun to spend the day with you!))

We started the morning ultra spoiled by Marilyn’s delicious…TO. DIE. FOR. Cinnamon rolls. Seriously, these were the best I have ever EVER tasted, and I’ll have to get the recipe from her. My family would go ape over these. I’m not kidding! There were NONE left after we dug in :c)

Our Smith Mountain Morning workshop was all a-bustle with activity. I use this workshop to introduce quilters to the use of Tri-Recs, Easy Angle and Companion Angle rulers. I know many quilters are set in their way about NOT wanting specialty rulers, and I have encountered some “worthless duds” in my life time too, but there are a few that I love for basic shapes that we use all the time in traditional patchwork. I have no affiliation other than the fact that I love the results these rulers give, and they work with the sizes of strips I already keep on hand so they are a win-win.

It took until my THIRD BOOK to even be able to include some pages on the use of these rulers within the book. I love them, and I use them…and I think we have some converts!

Just look at the beautiful blocks they were turning out:

		Smith Mt Morning, Holton KS 2011 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

I just love the different fabric choices! Many of the old fabrics came with stories attached. The red/green version I REALLY love….and the black with brights is awesome too! I can’t wait to see how these all come out.

Kansas, I can’t wait to visit you again!

I’m on my way home today. I’ve got an afternoon flight out of Kansas City…I’ll get home pretty late, but at least I’ll be sleeping in my own bed tonight.

Looking forward to a weekend at home….finally over the crud, the voice is back, I’m feeling pretty chipper, and all is right in my world!

Happy Friday!