With Love from AZ!

The sky was just beginning to glow as we took off for Atlanta from Greensboro.

These early morning flights are the hardest to get up for – not to mention the hardest to fall asleep for the night before.

I haven’t hauled a trunk show to the airport since October!  I feel almost out of practice!

Did I pack everything I need?  Yes, and a big box of rulers went priority mail yesterday as well, and should beat me to Oregon before I get there.

It seemed like no time had passed, and we were descending.

I really love seeing the world from above!

I made it half way through episode 8 of GENIUS on National Geographic - hoping to finish the remainder on my return home from Oregon.  FASCINATING series.  Watch it if you have a chance.

Headed out to lunch with my papa – top down!

It’s been years since I have been in Arizona in December.  It’s usually January or February, and I have missed all of the south-westernly holiday décor and hubbub. 

It’s beginning to look festive in a very desert like way, as only a desert can!

And that sun on our faces?  Bliss!

So glad to catch up with my dad for just a bit ---lunch out, and then I was out for the count for a long nap.  I’d been up and running since 1:15am Arizona time.  My batteries were running on low.

See what I mean?  LOL!!

A saguaro with Santa hats on each arm.  TOO fun.  IO took this photo around the corner from my dad’s as I headed over to my brother Mark’s for dinner. 

Toto, we are NOT in North Carolina anymore!

How many of you remember when my brother’s neighborhood was in a cut-throat competition for the best neighborhood light show in the Great Christmas Light Fight a couple of years ago?  Click HERE for that post.

Well, this neighborhood is at it again!  It’s one of the drive-by Christmas light displays not to be missed if you are anywhere near Gilbert, AZ.

Mark & Sharolyn’s house!

And lights are JUST going up!

Click to play:

A post shared by Bonnie K Hunter (@quiltville_bonnie) on Nov 29, 2017 at 7:09am PST

The drive-by opens to the public on December 1st.  ALL 13 houses on this street, and many others on neighboring streets will be all lit up.  Seeing these last night brought out the inner child full of wonder inside of me, and we had a beautiful walk around the neighborhood, talking to friends and neighbors.

It’s not often that a whole street will participate, and the best benefit? You get to KNOW your neighbors.  REALLY know them.  I’m just this side of envious when it comes to that. What a fun group of neighbors they have!

It was past 11pm last night and folks were still hanging lights.  Thursday evening is the “trial run” for the neighbors, and then it goes live for real.  To check what it really looks like live, be sure to click the link I gave you above to see how ALL the houses are synchronized to music…it’s just fabulous.

We sat and talked into the wee small hours of “past 10pm!” And we crawled into our beds with visions of Christmas lights dancing in our heads.

Auntie Bonnie playing taxi driver!

This morning my niece Ashley needed a ride to school with her viola – and off we went in the rental car.  I figure if I’m paying for the car, we may as well use it, and I was excited to have just a few minutes one-on-one with her so she could fill me in on everything high school before going off to her busy day.  Oh, that traffic is a cluster.  I haven’t been in school drop off traffic for a good 10 years or more.

Today?  Sharolyn and I have planned a bit of Christmas shopping together, and are just playing it by ear with a plan for lunch out just the two of us as well.

In other news --- I’m sad to say that at least HALF of the entries that have come in on our Mystery Monday Link-Up, Part 1 for On Ringo Lake did NOT include a link back to the link-up page.  

I’ve been deleting links left and right as time allows.  I’m also concerned that MANY of these entries are listing piece counts as well as sizes in their posts.

Folks, this is serious business.  If this continues, I’m going to discontinue the link-ups all together because it is way too much work to go through them all and remove the posts that fall short of their mark.  

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE read the directions, and follow along.  Link back to my post in your post.  Do not give sizes and piece counts.  I don’t think that is asking too much, do you? Thank you for double checking your posts to make sure that they comply on both accounts.

I really hate to have to post about this, but there is no point in having a link-up if folks don’t follow these rules.  Thank you.

On the upside, there are 187 posts remaining, and they are WONDERFUL shares!  Please check them out ON THAT POST.

And don’t forget to enter the Quiltmaker Bundle Gift-Away that was just posted YESTERDAY!  Drawing for that one happens Saturday morning.

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Ever so true. And ever so grateful!

Have a terrific Wednesday, everyone!  2 more sleeps until Part 2 of On Ringo Lake!