Good Morning, Texas!

Where All things Patriotic and All things Texas are one in the same!

It was a HAIRY day yesterday – I literally could have driven here in the same time it took me to get here if I had hopped in the car the moment I woke up at 4:15 am NC time.

Trust me – this was a day of “You’ve GOT to be kidding me!” 

If you throw in more than an hour sitting on the runway before turning back to the gate to wait for another hour plus – and you miss your connection.  It’s going to be a long day.

If they start passing our snacks once back at the gate – you KNOW it is going to be a while!

(These things have heretofore been nicknamed sawdust bars. Just sayin!)

And that wasn't ALL that was making me fidget!

I had to sit here and look at that TAG!!

It was driving me NUTS – it was all I could do not to just reach up there and tuck it in.  Seriously.  But I want you to know I showed major restraint as some people would consider it a complete and utter violation of private space if you reach up and...…Just DON’T! DON’T TOUCH THE STRANGER!!

As it turns out, about half the plane ended up getting off and making other arrangements to get to their destinations (We were about 2 hours past take off time at this point) and he was one of them.  So there.  He can be someone else’s OCD trigger!

Hexie stars to the rescue.

I honestly don’t know what people who don’t carry a busy bag DO when days like this happen.  I don’t care if they are going to give me strange looks – just leave me and my pieces alone and we’ll be fine.  Just let me know if another gate change happens because I spent plenty of time doing THAT in Atlanta as well.

They moved me from the 11am flight to a 2:28pm flight that didn’t end up leaving until almost 3:30pm.  And so the crazy day went on and on.

Did I mention that I’d been up since 4:15am?! Zzzzzzz

Watching the lightning and rain to the sound of thunder in Atlanta.

We eventually DID board.  We DID take off.  I DID sleep most of the way to San Antonio.

Just before the onslaught of rush hour!

And as I stood there at the baggage claim, watching suitcase after suitcase come around on the carousel, most of them looking like they’d had to swim the creek to get from the plane to the baggage area, I started to worry.

First worry – would the quilts be wet??  Was I going to have to deal with 100 lbs of wet quilts to somehow dry overnight?

Second worry – wait – the bags are done coming in – WHERE ARE MY BAGS?!

This day really didn’t have room for more hiccups – And I asked a guard if he could direct me to the Delta baggage assistance room.  I rounded the corner, opened the door and there they were.  DRY DRY DRY.  They had somehow made it on an earlier flight!  Don’t ask me how – but from that moment on I knew we had turned a corner and this day was going to end up much better than it had started.

I loaded up a luggage cart with the 3 big bags and wheeled myself over to car rental – thank heavens I didn’t have to go catch a shuttle to some off-site location in the rain.

I went through the process of renting my smallish “intermediate” car due to the amount of luggage I travel with. Economy wouldn’t cut it.  The garage guy took pity on me when he saw all of my bags and upgraded me to a Pacifica at no extra cost!  Sweet!

But the best part of all -

I am staying at my friend Doris’s retreat!  And I’m solo until Thursday when some other folks come in. 

It was dark when I arrived, so no outside photos have been taken.  Later!  Later!  But you can visit Queen’s Rustic Retreat website for more info.

This is the COOLEST building.  It started out it’s life as a milking barn.  Somewhere along the line it was remodeled into a dwelling and it spent many years as a sorority house for a local college – how else could it sleep 20 and have 6 bathrooms?

One side of the main floor work areas!

This place makes Quiltville Inn look like a starter home.  LOL!

Doris has thought of EVERYTHING!

I love the baskets for linens – the peach colored face cloth is for removing make up.  Brilliant, and much prettier than black or navy.  

Bedside tables with cute lamps, quilty decor everywhere to make you feel right at home.  Ideas are flowing!  Yes, this is a fact-finding mission for me as well.

Doris knew about my desire for Quiltville Inn, and our plans to purchase it long before I let the rest of the world know.  She’s been a great encourager all along.

Another one of the many bedrooms.

I could get lost in this place!

The quilts are scrappy and charming and make each room such a bright and cheery comfortable refuge from the world.  It is definitely a home away from home.

I arrived in San Antonio too late to set up my classroom last evening for the quilt show, which means it is extra early out the door this morning. 

Scrap Crystals is our workshop today – books and merchandise have been sent ahead.  Doors open for students at 8am – class starts at 9am and I need to be ready before that.

Doris and I are out the door at 6:45am Texas Time!

I am still trying to figure out why all the photos work except for anything that I have placed text on – like our Quote of the Day.  Something with the formatting is different for just those ones so I am trying to upload those manually once I have sent everything else over as draft.  

It’s a pain in the neck, so thanks for bearing with me – evidently just looking at things in “incognito” mode didn’t let me know that they weren’t working for everyone else either.  Sorry folks – we’ll figure it out eventually!

Quiltville Quote of the Day

I love this saying!  And it really does make the world a better place when we try not to see the best in others – but also in ourselves.  

Your thoughts and actions toward any person may become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Give them the benefit of the doubt and the chance to live up to it!

Have a wonderful Wednesday, folks!