Sleepless in Halifax

Seriously??? It's way past my bedtime, and I'm wide awake? Why? Because my hotel room faces a bustling night spot in the city, and the music is blaring, and I don't do well with music at night. I remember one campground we stayed at when we were cycling; someone was playing music, and even with earplugs, I couldn't sleep. The next day wasn't fun! 

Party Central in Halifax

So what is one going to do? I could lay in bed and hope to fall asleep, but I'm restless as all get out, so that isn't going to work. So I went geocaching at night. I know -- what an idiotic thing to do, but why not? At least I got my FIVE consecutive days in and a virtual badge for that achievement, so it was worth the adventure! 

It was an easy one where you had to take a picture of yourself by a certain art sculpture. I knew where the sculpture was -- just down the hill from the hotel, and the idea was to take a creative picture. I do NOT do selfies well, but how about this? 

My shadow

OK -- so here's a picture of the sculpture and my shadow. 

My shadow on The Wave

I thought that was pretty creative for the middle of the night, and even though there were a few people around, I wasn't going to ask them to take a picture of me! 

OK -- these scooters are EVERYWHERE! I almost ran over this one. 

Scooter for rent

And there's my Virtual Badge for five consecutive days of geocaching! 

My virtual badge

Can I do another five days to get the medium virtual badge? Can I do another 15 days to get the challenge virtual badge? Let's see what happens!

Remember the photo I posted of The Last Steps monument along the waterfront? Well, here's what it looks like where there is no fog. The difference between the two photos is incredible!!!

NO fog today

Look at what I saw this morning along the waterfront, which is heavily populated with restaurants. This one allows doggies on the patio. Can you imagine Murphy and Lexi on a patio with other people and other dogs? It wouldn't be pretty -- Murphy would be barking her head off, and we'd be asked to leave! 

Doggie friendly restaurant

This is St. Georges Island in Halifax Harbor. I couldn't see it the previous morning because of the fog. 

St. Georges Island

I love the name of this restaurant!! 

In case you are wondering about the hill in Halifax, there are many hills, but this is the one I have to walk up and down to get to the waterfront. It's very steep, and I must say that with my walking pace, I'm winded when I arrive. But my fitness level allows me to recover very quickly. 

The Hill

And I spotted a Free Library along the way. I had no books to exchange, so I took a picture and moved along. 

Free library

So did anything exciting happen at the quilt show? We were busy right until the end -- I've never seen a show like this before. It was BUSY!!! Before the show started, I went to the center a bit early to help in the classroom, and then I zipped around the vendor mall to see what was there. I spotted one item I wanted to buy, but they sold out within hours on the first day! You have to wait to see it, but it's stunning. 

I also had a few minutes to visit the National Juried Show before the show opened. I managed to grab a few pictures for my Monday sewing group. All I can say is that the quality of the quilts would blow you away. 

OH MY GOD -- can it be true? The music has stopped!!! Yes -- I'm writing this in the middle of the night because I can't sleep. We have a very early morning flight, so I think I'll just crawl into bed for an hour or so, and I'm not changing at this point. 

I always buy one of the Trendtex challenges, and this year, look what I snagged!!!

Sue Sherman, myself, and her Trendtex challenge

This is a Sue Sherman original. Sue won the Best of Show award and is a fantastic quilter/artist. Her theme surrounds endangered animals, and well -- she is amazing. As she was standing near her Best of Show piece, I managed to get a photo with her after I picked up the piece. I feel very fortunate to have been able to purchase this piece. I can't wait to get it home!

The teardown was crazy as usual, and yep -- we were the last ones to leave the floor. Nothing new there! It took five hours to disassemble the booth and get everything packed to be shipped wherever the items were going. That job is NOT for the faint of heart, to be sure. It's a physically grueling job, and my knee was a bit stiff, but nothing I couldn't handle. And then there are pills and alcohol to soften the blow. 

Not that I'm a regular drinker or drug user! You're going to think the worst of me! 

And I figured out why I couldn't connect to the hotel Wi-Fi and was using Margaret's. I was logged out because she checked out earlier today - she lives here, so she got to go home tonight. But I also got my bill for the room, and they misspelled my name! As soon as I also misspelled my name, I was connected again! 

OK -- while the music has quietened, the partygoers are still having a blast. What must the tourists do in this room in the summer? Should I stay here again, I shall ask for a room on a different side of the hotel! 

Well, I'm off to try and get at least one hour of sleep before we meet to get a cab to the airport. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

Quilt Canada Day Two 2023

So glad to know I'm not the only one who gets off their game with the food thing and travel. I've just been "careless" about the sugar intake, and I'm not happy. But I made a start last night -- no cool beverage or dessert. I didn't miss it, and I felt much better. 

I'm happy to report that Day Two was almost as busy as Day One, which is great for a show, and let's hope that today (the last day) is as busy again. People are excited to get out to a quilt show, and I'm enjoying Halifax. It's a very cool city to visit. 

The day started with another walk and more geocaching. I walked along the harbourfront this time, and there is a beautiful boardwalk with fantastic artwork. 

This was one of my stops along the Adventure Lab and is a tribute to those who left Halifax for the World Wars. The monument is called The Last Steps, and the scene was quite fitting with all the fog yesterday morning. 

The Last Steps

There is a harbor beyond the end of the pier, but it was nowhere to be seen with all the fog, and from time to time, you could hear the fog horn of the ferry. It was eery but beautiful at the same time. 

I walked down to Pier 21, which is the location where many immigrants landed in Canada, and again, there were many monuments and artwork to celebrate. As the fog lifted, this was the scene on my way back to the hotel, which was very cool. On a nice day, when cruise ships come in, I imagine this area is bustling! I'm glad I got to experience it when it was almost empty. 

Here is the challenge piece I made for the show. The theme was Quilts Ahoy, and I used the Word Sculpt Wizard in the mySewnet embroidery software. Let's just say that there was a wee bit of learning involved in this, and I had to make three attempts before I got it the way I wanted. OK --- I screwed up the first time and added 30,000 unnecessary stitches to the piece. The second time, I made a spelling mistake (Thanks to Lorraine for catching it!), and the third time was a charm! 

My challenge piece

This was the blurb for the piece called Mine, Mine, Mine! 

And if you don't understand the reference to the title, this may help. And if that doesn't help, think "Finding Nemo." Anyway, I had great fun coming up with the design, and I wish I had completed the other two challenges I wanted to make, but I didn't, so let's move on! 

Seagulls are so possessive

I had a look at the TrendTex challenges, which are AMAZING. There are 60+ entries, and I bid on four of them, but I see that I was outbid on three, so I hope to go back and have a serious look at which ones I want and try again! 

Then I had another mission. Years ago, when I must have been in Atlantic Canada, I purchased a scratch lotto ticket. I know -- you didn't see that topic switch, did you? Well, I forgot the ticket, but it surfaced when I was cleaning, and I believe it's a winner -- maybe $25 if I'm lucky. I didn't realize it was not from Ontario and tried to claim it at a kiosk back home. 

When the kiosk couldn't scan it, I called Lotto Ontario. As I was on the phone with someone from Lotto Ontario, I realized my mistake and was told to send it to the head office for Atlantic Lotto. I brought the ticket to try and cash at a kiosk here. Well, imagine my surprise when I spotted this next door to the convention center. 

Atlantic Lotto

Yep -- turns out it's the head office for Nova Scotia. The first time I popped by yesterday, the office was closed for filming, so I returned later. The front desk couldn't scan the ticket either, but she offered to send it to the head office of Atlantic Lotto, which is in Moncton. So that got sent off, and let's see if I get my $25. It could take 6 - 8 weeks, so fingers crossed. 

It just makes the whole thing more exciting, and I remembered to bring the ticket and then get it to the office during their office hours!

I've been looking for a sunflower embroidery design, and imagine my surprise when yesterday I was looking through a book for the PFAFF creative 4.5, and there were TWO of them. So I must get a copy of them today to work on my project. Now I know why I stalled on that project -- because I hadn't found the right design yet!

I heard from a couple of friends about an art installation created by Andrea Tsang Jackson. It was within walking distance, so I headed out in the general direction after we finished dinner last night. It wasn't hard to miss as the installation covers the ENTIRE parking structure. 

An art installation on the Summer Street Parkade

All those panels are made with a wire mesh - actually, there were two kinds of wire mesh, and it's firmly secured to the structure, which opened earlier this year and is associated with the hospital across the street. 

The artwork is called In Conversation, and you can read more about it here. It's impressive to see, and it covers all sides of the structure. 

Then it was back to the hotel and off to bed. While I LOVE this location, it's a party city, and I've been awoken each night by something. Last night at 4 AM, a group of partygoers shouted as they found their way home! Sigh......

OK -- I'm off to get my geocache of the day. I've got a roll going here, and today will make four days in a row, and I need 20. I CAN DO IT. 

The show closes at 4 PM, and then we have the fun of tearing down, which is never as bad as setup!

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!!

Quilt Canada 2023 Day One

Quilt Canada 2023 --- what a blast we are having! Day One was a zoo as everyone rushed to see the quilts, visit the vendors, and catch up with each other. We barely had time to think all day, which is great - the day passed so quickly. 

And so many people stopped by the booth, some of whom I hadn't seen in person in years, some I had only met on Zoom, and others I see on Facebook. It was like an old-home week! There were too many people to name, and I'd surely miss one or two. So a HUGE shout out to everyone who stopped by to say HI. 

I did start the morning by going for a walk and checking out a geocache. That makes it two days in a row. How many consecutive days can I do this? If I want the top virtual badge this month, I need 20 consecutive days of geocaching. Hmm - there are a few trips between now and the end of those 20 days. It's possible! I have one mapped out for this morning, and I have one for tomorrow as well. Both should be easy to make happen. Then we'll see.

I mentioned yesterday that Halifax reminded me of Quebec City, and here's why. There are many OLD ironworks buildings near the water, like this one. 

An old ironworks building

And yet, there are many "maritime" style buildings as well. This is an amazing building with those HUGE storm doors covering the large windows and doors. They are likely no longer in use but are still attached to the building. 

Old maritime building

I'm glad I have some time to explore in the morning as there is much to see, and I don't have any extra time while I'm here, so the early morning walk is great! It gets me loosened up for the day. 

My knee is so much better. A bit of stretching and a few anti-inflammatory pills, and I'm good to go! Trust me, I'm not overdoing it! I will certainly be down in my steps again this week, but not nearly as bad as last week. 

Here are some pictures of our booths. I'm not sure how big the booth is, but we have crammed stuff into every square inch, with a 12-foot-long arm frame, a 5-foot frame, and a sit-down machine along one end. Don't you love my pixelated apple? That's a workshop I took with Tamara Kate several years ago! 

One end of our booth

This is one side of the PFAFF booth, and check out my modern improv quilt at the end. 

One end of the PFAFF booth

Here's the other end with serger samples. People do NOT realize they can do fantastic quilt stuff with a serger! We need a sign!!

The PFAFF booth

OH -- there's the end of the PFAFF booth. 

The rest of the PFAFF booth

And here's the Husqvarna Viking booth. I was going to be in this booth for the day but never got out of the PFAFF booth, but it worked out just fine! 

Husqvarna Viking booth

While I hope it stays super busy, I would like a few spare minutes to get out and view some of the quilts. I have to find my challenge piece, and I'd like to look at the Trentex challenge, as I usually buy one piece each year. 

It's for days like yesterday that we put up with the "horrors" of set up day! It's not that bad, but we were all tired that day! 

OH -- I have to tell you about the geocache of the day. So I'm in a park in the middle of Halifax -- close to the waterfront. The little container is attached to the metal railing. That was pretty obvious when I arrived at the spot. But where along the fence is the container? I had no idea how large it was. There is a tent along the fence, and I'm assuming it's a homeless person sleeping there as it was there the day before when I walked through the park. I didn't want to get too close to the tent. 

So there I am, feeling my way along the fence, looking for a tiny container, and I found nothing. Of course, it was in the section beside the tent, and its occupant was awake, as I heard a lot of coughing as I got close! But I quickly found the container, which was much larger than I anticipated, so I did NOT need to feel all the fence posts. 

I swear, non-geocaching people must think there are some very disturbed people in this world as we search for little containers in strange places! 

Right after the show closed at 6 PM, Margaret and I went to catch up with the Friends of Stitch by Stitch (Kingston), who hosted a wine and cheese. There I met up with more Zoom friends, some of whom I had met in person and some not. We had a blast, and my initial plan of staying for half an hour and then getting something to eat was blown out of the water. We finally left and headed to another pub for a much quieter drink and dessert. I know -- I need to go on a diet when I'm off this crazy travel thing. I feel like a slug!

It's all the dessert, beer, and junk food. So when I'm home (and even now), I need to start banning it from my diet as it's NOT good for my waistline. The minute I eat that stuff, it attaches to my waist, and I do not like it! 

It's time to get dressed and get moving -- I have a bit of walking this morning with my geocache - well, my adventure lab, which will take me along the waterfront. So I get to play tourist, get in my steps and have a "goal" simultaneously. It works for me!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Set up day is the most fun day of a show - NOT!!

Quilt shows are always super exciting and yet, there's an unpleasant task to be done before that can happen and it's called SETUP day. I swear in all the shows I've set up (and I don't mean guild shows), but the big ones in the larger locations -- I have had the unfortunate experience to always be in a booth that requires HUGE amounts of setup. 

When I worked for Alma - her booth was filled with notions that required much care to get in the correct spot. Northcott had a huge booth structure (X three) that had to be huge, with many lights and just seemed to take forever to put together. 

And now with SVP Canada, we have two classrooms, quilt frames, and many machines to get set up. I found yesterday was a physically hard day and my knee was stiff as a board and not happy! However, we are mostly done, but need to zip over early this morning to finish up. 

Yep --- on takedown day, each company I worked for was always the LAST one off the floor. Is it me? Next time I switch jobs, I'm asking if they go to shows and what it's like! But sadly, we only have ONE show a year, so I guess I can suck it up for one show. Wait -- last year, we did two. But not as many machines and no classrooms. 

I started the day off by unboxing TWENTY-FIVE sewing machines for one of the classrooms, well, that is after I hauled 21 machines into the other classroom for Margaret to unbox. The skids didn't fit through the door, but I had a dolly to help. Once I got into a rhythm, I could unbox the machine and get it set up in 4 minutes! Anyone have a new machine still in the box? I'm at your service!

Before we started in the morning, I wanted to check out the neighborhood and get some geocaching done. This month, the goal is consecutive days of caching. I've never been good at this, but it means finding ONE per day for at least 5 days. I should be able to do that. I went on an adventure lab looking at murals in the area and the first one was literally across the street from the hotel. 

One of the MANY murals in downtown Halifax

On my journey, I spotted this old building undergoing a facelift. 

Getting a facelift

They had gutted the building and the facade was being held up by steel girders. It sounds like this used to be a newspaper building and it's being turned into condos. 

It's just a FACADE

To a certain extent, Halifax reminds me of Quebec City and there's a pub on every corner!

I walked past the Nova Scotia School of Art and Design and it was cool because they had quilt books in all the windows. At first I thought it was a bookstore and I got excited, then I realized these were library books and NOT for sale. Although I have quite a few of the ones on display. 

ONE of the many windows of quilt books

There are loads of murals on the wall, and loads of artwork around. This mural is on the waterfront. 

Another mural

When we were done setup for the day, most everyone headed off to do their own thing. Margaret and I went next door for dinner and a cool beverage. I was never so glad to sit down! Can it be that I'm getting old and finally feeling my age? Or is it this darned knee that needs some TLC. I really need to be stretching because the stiffness is NOT because of the joint, but the muscles. 

A good way to end the day

After that, I decided to go to the drug store for some drugs! We decided to forego the awards ceremony which was starting just as we left. I can watch the thing online if I want or just go see the ribbons on the quilts. 

On the way I spotted this guy. Hmm.   

Well, hello!

He's actually standing outside the shop of the neighborhood witch! Sadly, she was closed, or I could have got her to create some potion for my knee and I'd be fine today!!!

The neighborhood witch

Then I passed the Luu Lemon shop and this is cool. There's EVERY shade of thread possible for hemming pants! 

Thread for hemming pants

If you can't find your pant color there, you won't find it anywhere! 

Then off to stretch and have a sleep. Feeling much better today and I'll just have to watch that knee. I think I'll be wearing my running shoes during the show. I don't think I can take an entire day of standing in my other ones. But I might take both and switch up during the day. The key is to keep it moving or it'll stiffen up!

I forgot to ask about the internet. I could NOT log on yesterday. But I happened to know which room Margaret was in, so I used her connection! Hopefully there are no errors above as I can't seem to find my grammar checker! 

I'm off to find a geocache for the day! I'm on a ONE-day roll so far. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!