Whirlwind

Talk about rushing around!  13 flights in 24 days.  No wonder I am still feeling a bit tired and jet lagged.  Kathy and I returned from or trip on Friday and other than doing laundry and sleeping not much more was accomplished.

Hopefully I will begin to feel more human as the week progresses.  Was it worth it?  You bet.  What a wonderful experience.  I will share what we saw and did in the coming weeks.

As a tease we saw the Mirror Lakes.

The devastation caused by an earthquake

One day a dingo joined us for lunch.

Of course, had to see the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House.

Learned a little bit about aboriginal culture.

Rode a Skyrail over the rain forest.

Fed a wallaby.

And held a koala.

Will share more details over the coming weeks.

Although the trip was great, it is good to be home!

A Special Exhibit

Occasionally a fabric company offers a special challenge to quilters.  A few years ago you may remember me posting quilts that were all based on the Broadway show Wicked.

Well, this year Cherrywood fabrics offered another challenge.  Quilters were charged with keeping the integrity of the fabric and using it to depict scenes and characters from The Lion King.  All I can say is, “Oh my!”

There were 120 quilts in this challenge.  A few were designated as Disney Favorites.  These quilts will eventually be on display at the Minskoff Theatre in New York where The Lion King is playing.

Here you can see the display.

Here is a quilt featuring Rafiki.

 There were several lions.

How about one of Zazu?

This one touched me.

You can see the waste the Shadowlands had become reflected in the eye.

Not the best picture, but what is The Lion King without the Circle of Life?

A few more I thought were interesting.

Long live Simba, The Lion King.

Just want to let you all know that I will not be posting for the next several weeks.  I am taking some time off.  Will be back toward the end of May.

The Non-winners

Last week I focused on the quilts that won top honors.  There were so many other quilts to see as well.  I was looking for a way to group that made some kind of sense for this post, but I didn’t succeed.  So, here are the non-winners in no particular order.

Let’s start with some animal quilts, basically cat quilts.  There were several beside the winner I posted last week.  I can see one of my three doing this.

Is he perhaps watching this?

I think this guy is wondering what what his two friends have in mind.

Flowers are always well represented on quilts.  Here are a few featuring flowers.

Some quilts were just downright colorful.

This was just too cute not to snap a picture.

How can I not take a picture of any quilt that depicts reading?

Here are a few more to round out what we saw.

This one just fascinated me.

Since I started with animal quilts I felt that it is fitting to end with animal quits.  Here is another cat,only slightly bigger and two animals we saw in Africa but not in these colors.

Next week, a special exhibit.

And the Winner Is…

Last week Kathy and I went to the Lancaster Quilt Show.  It is sponsored by AQS, the group that also does the huge shoe in Paducah, Kentucky.  We have been to this show many times and I must admit that some years the quilts are better than others.  This year, in my humble opinion, the quilts were spectacular.

I think I snapped pictures of 90% of the quilts on display and now I am having a difficult time organizing them into one post.  I have decided that I can’t, so over the next few weeks I will be bringing you highlights form the show.

I thought I would start the series by focusing on the winners, those quilts that won “best of” in their category.

So, let’s start with the quilt that won for:

And the winner is…

One quilt at every show gets the honor of being named:

And the winner is…

Next comes the award for:

And the winner is:

Since there is an award for stationary machine there also must be one for:

And the winner is:

One room at the show was devoted strictly to wall quilts, those quilts that aren’t bed size but can be hung on walls for decoration.  They also had their winners.

As with the bed sized quilts, there had to be a:

Some of you know my likes pretty well so you won’t be surprised when I say this is my kind of quilt.  And the winner is…

A ribbon was given for:

And the winner is…

The last award went for:

And the winner is…

As I said at the beginning of this post, these are the top award winners.  They do not include 2nd, 3rd, and Honorable Mention winners.  I don’t want to bore or overload you with pictures so I think I will stop here and save the non-award winners for next week.  Oh, and just to pique your curiosity, they had a special exhibit that just blew me away.  That I’ll save for a future post.

We Made It; It’s Over

SOLSC  Day 31

The challenge is over.  We made it!  When the call to sign up for the challenge came I did not hesitate.  I signed up with no second thoughts.  It was only afterwards that doubt crept in.  Why did I do it?  What do I possibly have to write about for 31 straight days? Will anyone bother to read what I write?

Well, why did I do it?  It is a challenge and I like challenges.  They are a way of helping me grow.  Because I am retired I don’t write the way I once did.  Use it or lose it.  I don’t want to lose my writing skill.  I also wanted to try some things I haven’t tried before and I know this is a safe and nurturing place to to that.

What do I possibly have to write about for 31 straight days.  This is something I have asked myself the previous 4 times I took on this challenge.  Many people plan their month in advance.  I don’t.  Many people make a list of possible topics.  I don’t.  I just hope for inspiration each day.  One thing I did do differently this year, though, was to write a draft the night before I posted it.  I didn’t feel so pressured this way.

Will anyone bother to read what I write?  This I have no control over. I am always grateful for those who read my posts and then leave comments.  They encourage me to try new things and to keep writing.  I am happy that I can sometimes bring a smile to those who read my blog or share some information someone may not have known.

Will I be here next March?  God willing, yes.  I will probably still have the same reservations and doubts but that won’t stop me.

What will I do until then?  I will be here every Tuesday (except for the weeks we will be away) sharing whatever is happening in my life.  Hope to see many of you here each Tuesday as well.

Thanks to everyone at TWT for hosting this challenge.  Thanks to all who took the time to read and comment on my posts.  You are the best.

Out the Door

SOLSC – Day 30

The car is gassed. Did that yesterday.

The cats are fed. They’ll be good for the day.

Money to enter, money for food, and some extra just in case.

Before we leave I have to post.

No time to comment.  Will do that tonight.

Don’t forget the camera.

Must take many pictures.

After all, I need to get several posts out of this day.

Lancaster Quilt Show here we come.

It’s Not Easy Being Royal

SOLSC –  Day 29

Many people think being a royal is easy and there is no work to it.  Wrong.  Although royalty has its privileges, it does make for exhausting days.  Let me just share one day with you so that you get the picture.

First of all, when you rule it is important that you get enough rest.  To make difficult decisions you need to be sharp and that only happens if you get a good night’s sleep.

Of course a ruler needs to look good so grooming is an important part of my morning ritual.

Once I am presentable it is time for breakfast.  After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.  The nice thing about being royalty is that I don’t need to fix my own meals.  That’s why I have a chef.  Of course, my chef is lazy and likes to sleep late.  I can’t have this since I have so much to do.  I need to wake him up.

Ah, the table is set and I am ready to eat.  Wait!  What do you mean this food is not for me?

This is my food?  How do I get at it?  I demand service.

Finally it is served and I can eat.

Now I have to plan my day. That takes some serious thinking.

Now that I am well rested the first thing on my list is to go up to my tower and survey my kingdom.  I need to make sure all’s right in my world. What is this!  How dare someone else be in my spot.  I will not tolerate this kind of behavior.

Now that is much better.  Things are looking good from up here.

However, things can change quickly so that is why I post a sentry.  It is her job, yes, I do have women in my service, to tell me if anything is amiss.

I think I’ll take a stroll around my kingdom.  As I walk around my domain I often run into one of my subjects.  It is only fitting that he bows before me; I am the ruler after all and no one’s head should be higher than mine.

Even though there is lots to do on any given day it is important to take some time out of the day for fun.  We all know that all work and no play…

In order to know what is going on in the world reading the newspaper is a must.

One thing we royals are noted for is the lavish dinner parties we give.  We are having one tonight.  Looks like cook has made some dessert.  I’d best sample it to make sure it is fit for them.

Since we are having company I must look my best.  The laundress brought clean clothes to my chambers.  What?  You expect me to fold and put these things away.  I don’t think so.

I’ll wear this one.  Leave it out.  The others can be folded and placed in the wardrobe.

All this has worn me out.  I think I’ll take a cat nap before my next bit of business.

That was refreshing.  Now it is time to grant an audience to my subjects.

Looking at the time I see that I must get ready for my guests.  Dinner was a success.  I have no pictures; some dignitaries just can’t hold their catnip.  I don’t think they would like to see their pictures displayed.  The Siamese Ambassador…oh my.  That’s a whole different story.

As you can see, it’s not easy being royal.  I am totally wiped out so I am sure you understand that it is now time for a well deserved good night’s sleep.  I am glad I was able to share my day with you and I hope you have a better understanding of what it is like to be Royal.  We are just like you…well, maybe not.