A puzzle and a rehearsal

Today is the day!!! The big wedding, but FIRST - I have to tell you about yesterday, and then you'll hear all about the wedding tomorrow. 

I'm not sure where the others were, but I asked the previous day if anyone wanted to go for a bike ride! I had a couple of takers, but when push came to shove, they were working out in the gym! But that's OK - I thoroughly enjoyed riding the bike. And sometimes being by yourself on a bike is best! 

Off for a ride

However, I had to sign a waiver, which is normal, and wear a helmet, which is the law. I decided to ride the bike into Tofino (about 4 KMs) to see what I could see. Oh my gosh --- what fun that was. You never forget how to ride a bike, and if you maintain your balance, it's a piece of cake. The bikes are single-speed, which I am not used to. Even my townie back home has three speeds. 

That meant a wee bit more oomph to get up a couple of small hills, but really, the road is flat, and all was great. You cannot help but smile when you ride a bike, unless you have been in the pouring rain for hours and your shoes are filled with water, and you have to set up a tent, but only after you finish climbing this 5 KM hill!! 

I've had a day or two like that in the past, but seriously? It's so much fun. When I am home, I NEED to get my bikes serviced and get out there!! To heck with walking --- let's get on the bike! My knees didn't seem to mind it so much, and everything feels fine today. 

I have to tell you a story about the seatpost, which is why I took the picture above. It's for adjusting the seat height, and I feel dismay when I see people riding a bike with the seat in the lowest position. That is the HARDEST way to ride a bike. Your leg can't extend fully, and you have ZERO power. Your knees will not thank you later. And you struggle. At one point yesterday, the seat fell right down. I guess the latch wasn't as secure as it should have been. I put it back up, and all was good. 

I remember on one of my bike trips that, unbeknownst to me, the seat was slowly descending, and after a break, I got on my bike and couldn't figure out what I could barely pedal. Then it dawned on me that the seat had slipped lower. Once that was fixed, I was back in business. So if you have grandchildren, spouses, or anyone who rides bikes, make sure the seat is the correct height!!! It's important, and pedaling won't be as much of a struggle. 

What did I discover in Tofino? Oh my -- there was a cute little cafe called Rhino, and well, I stopped. And I had a tea and OH MY --- look at the donuts. So I had one!!

The breakfast of champions!!!

I figured I deserved it since I rode the bike there!!! 

Then it was back to the hotel and Bear, and we were exploring and decided to check out the library, which is just a big open space on the third floor. Guess what we found? By the way, we had already been out on the beach several times. 

This is a Stave puzzle. Technically, you are not supposed to look at the picture. I don't think the picture came with the puzzle, but the hotel had conveniently placed a copy on the table. I was not familiar with Stave puzzles, but each one is handcrafted and is the Cadillac of wooden puzzles. If you check out the prices on the website, you'll see what I mean! 

A jigsaw puzzle - how could I resist

Once I flipped that card over, where it said NOT to look at the picture, I turned the picture face down. I placed all the pieces face up and realized there were many with special shapes. They were insanely beautiful. The signature piece in each is a clown, which I did not get a picture of, but we spotted the clown. 

Insanely intricate pieces

And there are often puzzles within the puzzle. There is a note inside the box that tells you if you have any of those and how many there are!!

I started traditionally—digging out all the edge pieces. But wait—this is NOT working. I was struggling when M came along. So we worked on the puzzle together. Dillon spent time with his mom in the gym, while M and I worked on the puzzle. It was a beautiful memory for us. And she's good at it!!! If only she were closer - I could have a speed puzzling buddy!

A great teammate for puzzle assembly

Once we figured out how the puzzle works, it was "easier." I use that word very lightly because every single piece of this puzzle was a struggle and therefore a win when we got it in. 

Between the two of us, we worked amazingly well as a team, got the bottom (waves) part of the puzzle together. The sun was cut into the shape of a sun!! 

Progress on the puzzle

She had stuff to do, so she left. Then my aunt came up to visit while I attempted to work on the sky, but I wasn't getting anywhere. But it was at this point, when I couldn't figure out what went into that weird opening, that I realized the two puzzle pieces that spelled out an island fit in that weird space. And then I realized that the TOP of the puzzle was not a straight line. It was puffy clouds!!!! 

Very weird shapes

Then I had to run some errands, so I left the puzzle in this condition. OH NO!!!!!  

DON'T touch the puzzle.

My aunt, cousin, DH, and I went into town for a late lunch. Poor Bear - even though we ate on an outdoor patio, he wasn't allowed, so I had to put him on the outside of the little fence, and I was on the other side. It was an open fence, and with a few bits of French fries, he was just fine. I know—people food, but I had to keep him entertained. He loves being with people, and this situation was not satisfactory for him. However, he was able to watch people and dogs go by, and that did keep him busy. 

I swear that dog is a people magnet. Everyone stops to talk to him!!! And he loves it. He just saoks up all the attention. 

DH and I explored the property and found this little path through the woods. 

The entrance to the Rainforest Beach Trail

What a pretty trail, and Bear had fun walking along the wood chips. He is not a fan of walking on pebbles, but wood chips are OK. 

The path to one of the beaches

There is a beautiful spot in the forest to stop if you wish. 

A wonderful clearing in the forest for faeries! 

We didn't have any rain yesterday, so that was good, but it's not warm. Which is probably OK, but I could stand a couple more degrees of heat. Since I didn't have a jacket with me and I know that the temperature on a bike is about 5 degrees lower than if you are just standing, I put on my jean jacket and then my flannel shirt jacket. I was toasty as I could be. 

OH -- there's a picture of Bear on the beach. For some reason, it's very hard to get him to look right at the camera. 

Grandma --- NO pictures please!!!

Then we were off to the beach (Shell Beach) for the rehearsal. It took three tries for us to get serious, pay attention, and decide who was doing what and when. Actually, M had it all planned out, but we needed to get on board. So that got done, and all was good. Then we went into the dining room for the rehearsal dinner. Actually, we were in the wine cellar, where they have a long table for a more private event. 

Practicing at the rehearsal

They really are a cute couple, and I wish them so much happiness. The big bet for today is who is going to cry at the wedding!! 

Bear was not too happy to be in someone else's arms. He was pulling on the leash to get to me, but he soon settled down. 

When he hears a voice he recognizes, he freaks out! When one of M's friends walked by when we were working on the puzzle, he went wild!!

I didn't get a picture of the wine cellar, but let's just say there was a lot of wine there. And here is the dessert from last night's dinner. I mean, you can always eat dessert. 

Dessert from the rehearsal dinner

The food is amazing, and earlier in the day, I had read up on the Executive Chef, who isn't that old. So they asked if he could come to our table, and he did. What a nice young man, and I had told the single girls at the table about him. I was praying that the pictures on the internet were not old. I pleaded that if he was not good-looking, the photos on the internet were airbrushed! Thankfully, he lived up to his pictures! Hmm -- I can't find that link to him at the moment. WAIT --- found it. 

OH -- if you go to this link, you can see a photo of the wine cellar -- just scroll down. 

So you want to know what happened to the puzzle? When we got back from Tofino after lunch, we had about 35 minutes before we were to be at the rehearsal location. I was going to take a nap, but the moment I lay on the bed, my mind went to the puzzle, and I'm wide awake. So off to the puzzle Bear and I went, and I was under a lot of pressure to complete it in 35 minutes. At least at this point, I had figured out how the top border would look—somewhat —and there were fewer pieces. 

The completed puzzle

But see what I mean about the top border? It was crazy, and there were small openings along the top as well. On the left, they almost look like seagulls. 

There were even cutouts in the top.

What a little treasure it was to find that puzzle and work on it with M in the morning. 

It was a great day, and as the day progressed, more and more people arrived. Not everyone is staying at this hotel, so I was on pickup duty once yesterday, and I have to pick someone up this morning for the beach yoga session. I think that is only for the young ones. But I'm OK with that -- I'd much prefer to go for a bike ride. 

I have to say that the bride is pretty chill, which is exciting. She says she spent so much time planning and has this massive spreadsheet of who needs to do what when, that it's all coming together. I just need to remember to pick someone up today and finish sewing that pillow! I completely forgot about it yesterday, and I need to get that done this morning. 

The weather today looks halfway decent - it's cool, and we hope to have some sun. WAIT -- speaking of sun, when we were on our final run of the wedding procession, and the bride started down the "aisle," a massive wave crashed on the rocks, and the sun came from behind the clouds! A sign!!!! 

It was a fabulous day, and everyone had a great time!!! A few more people are arriving this morning, and then I think we'll all be here! 

On that note, I'd better get Bear up and out for his walk, as I don't want to be late fulfilling my pickup duties! 

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

What a memory!!!

OK --- I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face, and I can't help it. They are tears of joy, but still. And even when I got ahold of myself and then came back to edit, these pictures still bring tears to my eyes. 

I just had a quick peek at Facebook before I started writing, and I spotted this post. I knew my nephew, who recently got his pilot's license and bought a small plane, wanted to fly from Winnipeg to visit with my parents in North Battleford. It's about 840 km. 

When I talked to Mom yesterday and asked if anything new was happening, she said that Devin and his girlfriend were there for the weekend. 

And here is Devin taking my Dad for a ride in his plane. My Dad would be tickled to the ends of the earth with this, and I just can't stop crying when I think of how much this would lift his day, his week, his year!!

Grandfather (my Dad) and his grandson (Devin)

One of Dad's buddies (best man) lives in Edmonton and used to fly small planes, and Dad talked about it all the time. Going for a ride with his grandson in his own plane will have him over the moon. And they flew over the farm, which is even more special. I bet the neighbors were wondering who the heck was in that small plane!! 

What's left of the family farm

Gosh -- if it weren't for the blue roof on the old garage, you wouldn't even know there was a farm there! Almost everything is now gone, but you will notice a long line of debris in front of the blue-roofed garage. That belongs to my brother, who is in total denial about being a hoarder, just like Mom. He is a hoarder of old trucks and cars. While he's in the process of getting rid of it, there is still a lot of work to be done. But that's not my problem! 

OK - I think I've settled down now! WOW --- what a thrill of a lifetime for Dad. He'll be talking about that for years! I might have to get those pictures framed for him! 

My news for the day is pretty tame compared to that. I'm so not used to having NOTHING to do on the weekends that I'm positively becoming a slug! Well, that's not true, but I didn't get done nearly as much as I would have liked. But you know what? That's OK. 

This was my quote in my tea in the morning. How fun, and it's so true whether you are quilting, getting from A to B, or anything in life!! I try to "enforce" that when I'm teaching a class. I am not a fan of teachers who dictate how something must be done. There are a few rules in my vocabulary when I teach - I have my preferred way, and I like to state why that is my preferred way, but honestly, does it matter if the students do it slightly differently? Not at all!

Quote for the day

The three of us went to DH's golf club for brunch. It was a beautiful day, but it was cold, and when that wind starts up, it's even colder. When I walked Murphy in the morning, it was without mitts, but when I walked Lexi, I got mitts. 

It was a wonderful buffet, and we had a great lunch. I only took pictures of the best part! Dessert! They had yummy cupcakes. 

Mother's Day dessert

But the best part was the creme brule!! Oh my --- the portion was tiny, so I did sneak a second one, and it was so creamy and heavenly. A great way to finish off a wonderful meal. I'm sure DH will be happy when his sister moves out! So much talking and frivolity at the table! He's used to my one-sided, idiotic conversations, but to have someone respond to me -- well, I'm sure he's getting tired of it. I think it's hilarious and loads of fun!

Creme brule to die for!

I had not been out to the club for several years, and I used to ride my bike in that area, but the roads have all changed now. I almost got lost! 

So what did I do once we got back home? That darn puzzle was calling my name, and I just couldn't resist. After all, it was Sunday, and Mother's Day on top of it, so I resisted the weak pull of the sewing machine and sat down to work on the puzzle. Those buildings were a challenge since there were loads of windows, but there were small figures in them, and, well, it all came together. And this is more like me—finding a home for all the pieces I have selected. 

Progress on the puzzle

Then I covered the puzzle and said, "No more," but I couldn't resist, and before I knew it, I was back to working on the puzzle. And this is what it looked like when I shut things down last night. I think you can now tell the city it portrays! 

Great progress on the jigsaw puzzle

And while I loved getting the information, I didn't need to know there was a second puzzle store in my area!! I looked at their Facebook page, and it looks like a wonderful store in Toronto. It's called PuzzleNerds, and it's about 30 minutes away by car. Hmmm--- I may have to take a visit, but they have a very good website, so one could just look online and order! Lots of great independent puzzle makers with some amazing pictures!

I spotted this puzzle, which I need to get. It's called Soaring Over Tofino, and since that is the location of the next wedding, it's a must-get! It's out of stock at both puzzle stores!!! The Villager is a Canadian company. Yeah!

Soaring over Tofino jigsaw puzzle

Anyway --- it was fun not having any pressure to get something done, and working on the puzzle was amazing. I LOVE doing jigsaw puzzles. 

However, I did accomplish some quilting things. The customer's quilt was finished. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I just have to join some batting pieces for the community project quilt I'll work on today, and I'll switch back and forth between these two categories to finish them. It's time I got back to the long arm! And I have some learning to do, and this would be the perfect time since I don't have much pressure from classes. And can you believe? This coming weekend is also empty!! I MUST get my bike tuned up, so I can get out for some rides!!

I also traced all the applique shapes for that winter seasonal quilt I'm working on. I didn't get any sewing done, and I'm OK with that. Tracing the applique is a boring process, and it's all done!

Tracing the applique shapes onto the fusible.

It's Monday sewing, so I hope to get all the fusible on the back of the fabric scraps and cut them out. Then, when it's time to do the applique, all is prepped. I have some other applique stitching to do, and today might be just the perfect day to make it all happen. While it's OK to slide a bit, I don't want that to become the new norm. I like sewing and have so much I want to do. 

I'm off to spin this morning. Notice I didn't say "class." I'm going to hop on a bike in the main area and watch the TV without sound. I'm OK with that. I just need to get back into my routine, and I really, really miss the spin classes. 

And on that happy note, I'm out of here!!

Have a wonderful day!

Ciao!!!

How do you measure a meter?

It was a wild night! I hate it when you go to bed tired but can't fall asleep. The last couple of nights, I've been tired and tried to read my book. I could barely read a couple of pages, and I was fast asleep. Last night? Not happening. So I read more and more pages of the book. Let's say this is one of those psychological thrillers that well --- do you want to know what happens? This one is called Watch out for her" by Samantha J. Bailey, and it was creepy from the opening sentence, "I watch people". Yikes!!!

It's a bit disturbing to read, and that's what the storyline explains. What's really disturbing is what the heck happened, and what is continuing to happen? The story is unfolding in the past, and the present, and it's just creepy!!!!

When I couldn't read any longer, but was still not tired, I got up and worked on my puzzle. More on that in a minute. Yet - I'm still up before anyone. But I think a nap will definitely be in order this afternoon. 

I finished the puzzle before we went for our morning walk. Four pieces are missing! But that's OK -- you still get the enjoyment of making the puzzle. I made a note and put it in the box. 

The completed puzzle

Later in the afternoon, I packed that one up and got out the one that I brought with me. No clue how big or how many pieces, but from the bag inside, I knew it wasn't a big puzzle. I tried using the puzzle sorting trays, but I think it's going to take some time to get used to them. At some point, I emptied the pieces onto the table. It took no time at all to turn those pieces over. 

Breaking out puzzle number two

And then I built the frame, which was pretty easy, although I was missing one piece for a long time. What's interesting is that the entire side of the box is the puzzle, including the puzzle's name and the brand at the top! And as you can see, it's very long and narrow - just like the box. 

The border of the puzzle

After I read, but was still awake, I popped up and finished the puzzle. I know -- it was ridiculous o'clock, but that worked for me. There is a nasty glare from the light, or I probably would have finished much earlier. But that's OK. It's done, and there is ONE piece missing. Well, I bought it for cheap at the thrift store. I don't care. By the way, the puzzle has 300 pieces! No - I didn't count them; I counted the pieces along the sides and the top/bottom and multiplied! 

My second puzzle is complete!

This was a DowdleFolkArt puzzle. So I can pack that up, and it won't be coming home with me. 

We took a trip in the afternoon to one of the local quilt stores. Yikes -- you sure don't buy stuff willy-nilly anymore, not at the prices in this store. The lowest price I saw on solids was $14.98, and we saw fabrics at $28.00. Most of the prints are $22.98. That's obscene, and this store tends to price things a dollar or two higher than others. Loads of variety, but not cheap!!

This is the fabric that was $28. It's a yarn-dyed cotton by Anna Marie Horner. Where would you use this stuff? I sure the heck wouldn't use it for a quilt - it's too expensive and thick. And to make a jacket? Not with those patterns - at least not for me. If you want to learn more about these fabrics, check out this document. I think preparing this document was an excellent idea, but I still don't see myself using it. Making a bathrobe? Not thick enough. A light wrap—I could do that —but again, the colors are so off; I just wouldn't buy any of this. 

Yarn-dyed cotton

But in looking at the cotton prints by this same designer, they are wild. I like wild - no, I like bright. But when I see some of the quilts made with the wild print, you can't see the pattern, so why would I do all that piecing and not be able to see the pattern? I guess I'm old-school now. And you know what? I'm very OK with that. 

 Besides, I have loads of fabric at home to make quilts, so I don't need to buy much new stuff. This kind of thing would just sit on the shelf and never get used. I like to try new fabrics, but not at that price. 

When we got back from the shopping trip, it was finally time to get something done on my placemats. I decided to quilt them before assembling them. But wait! Before I could do that, some of my fleece pieces were not large enough. Thankfully, some odd pieces were hanging off, and I was able to use a triple zigzag to stitch them into a usable piece. And thank goodness for others having the same machine brand as me, so I could borrow a foot as I had only brought ONE - my 1/4" piecing foot. 

Had to borrow sewing machine feet

And these pieces of fleece came from somewhere. Why was it cut like that with markings? 

Where did this fleece get used?

Oh well, it all worked out, and I got four pieces of fleece that were the correct size. Then onto the quilting. Now I did a bad thing and quilted some straight lines along the pattern lines. But I didn't use a walking foot, which I should have. One of the other ladies even has a walking foot that I could have used. Not using the walking foot caused the fabric to shift slightly, even though I started from both ends. I'm working with my old sewing machine (the ONLY sewing machine I own), and, well, the feed teeth aren't that great. I am not taking the placemats apart. They are a bit wonky, but they will be fine. You can't really tell in this picture, but the one end is slightly skewed.

The quilted center of the placemats

 I happened to have black thread in my retreat supply box, so that worked for the top. And can you believe that in my bobbin tray, I had TWO bobbins of orange thread? I'm using any color for piecing blocks. My goal is to use up all these colors!! 

My bobbin collection

That worked perfectly for the back. Seriously? I couldn't have gotten that more perfect if I had tried. 

The orange thread on the back of the placemat

The next step is to put on flat piping on all eight sides. This is NOT a fast placemat. Since I am going through all layers, I decided to baste those piping strips on, and I used a long stitch and a different-colored thread in the bobbin. As I put the final round of fabric on, I'll remove all the green basting thread. Smart!!!! 

The green basting thread

I didn't get even one placemat finished yesterday, and I'm OK with that! But everything is cut and prepped, so it should go quickly today. I didn't have anything for binding, as the instructions say to make the top, then sew the backing and the fleece in, and turn it inside out. Since I quilted through all layers, I need a binding. I bought a solid black fabric at the quilt store, and now I can completely finish them later today! 

Someone else is working with fleece to make a car seat poncho for a child. That stuff is fluffy, and she was vacuuming frequently to get rid of the fluff! At first, I couldn't figure out what all the noise was about! 

Vaccuming up the fluff

Helen Anne and I went for a walk in the morning, but that wind was NIPPY!!! While I was warm, my face was cold! I should have stopped and wrapped my face a bit more with my scarf! 

And the weirdest thing happened in the morning. I was trying to pair my new iPad to my Sonos speaker. I couldn't get it to work. So I turned off the Bluetooth on my phone, and it still wouldn't work. It was searching, but no luck. Restart the iPad, turn the Bluetooth on and off, and nothing. Then, as I held the speaker in my hand and NOTHING was connected to it, it started to talk. What? Then it was gone. 

Then it was back, and I could hear things about baking. What's this all about? Then I remembered that someone had connected to my speaker the night before. They were up and in the kitchen. Are you listening to a baking show? No. But WAIT -- she had been listening to a baking hack on some social platform. Yep -- that was the culprit. Her signal kept coming and going because I kept turning the speaker on and off. 

Why her phone was still connected to the speaker is beyond us, especially since she was trying to listen with her earbuds! Yep—we got a good laugh over that, I got the speaker connected to the iPad, and all is good! 

OMG --- I had another chuckle yesterday. One of the ladies was measuring some yardage that she had brought. She folded it in four and laid it on the cutting table. She whipped out her measuring tape, and this is how she measured it. 

WHAT? Measuring a meter with centimeters?

What? She measured it in cm!!!!!! I never or very rarely use that side of my measuring tape. 

This is how I would measure a meter. 

Measuring a meter in inches! 

What a hoot!!! I'm pretty OK with most things metric, and it really makes a lot of sense because everything is based on 100. 100 cm makes 1 meter, and all that fun stuff. I'm good with Celsius for temperature and pretty much have no clue what 70 degrees F means. But when it comes to inches and centimeters, I'm challenged. So I buy fabric by the meter, because that is how stores sell it. But when I work with the fabric, I work in inches!!! 

It's all about how we used and learned the metric system when we were young! 

So a bad thing happened here, and I can tell you about it. The other night, we were chatting about what meals people were preparing for the week. Desserts are optional because they are usually laden with sugar, which isn't a good thing for any of us here, and it's all health-related. One person mentioned that she almost brought those marshmallow/peanut butter/butterscotch chips squares. OH MY GOD - I haven't thought of that in a long time. 

Well, she surprised us by going home and making a batch. I do NOT need this. She also had other cookies, and I stuck to ONE small piece of this because I do NOT need it. I do NOT want it. But it was good to relive memories by having this one piece. 

A blast from the past

For months, I've been thinking that I need to get back to eliminating sugar from my diet. It's incredible how quickly the pounds can pack on by eating refined sugar. But with so much travel and coming and going, it's been hard to eat super healthy. And I confess that a few pounds have found their way to my midsection, and I feel awful because of that. 

So I must get back into the groove when I'm home, and I am NOT deviating from this. It's not that I consume a lot of refined sugar - I'm trying to think where I've strayed, but I have, and it's mostly with sweets. It shouldn't be too big a challenge to cut that out. I'll likely keep my two small squares of chocolate every day just because. But the fancy cookies and squares? They are gone! And I've had a few too many fancy hot chocolates in the last while, and those need to go, too. 

I don't think it'll be too challenging, and I need to get back in the groove. I'd also like to do a bit more weight lifting, but I can only introduce new stuff slowly. I'll make it happen. 

I see that it's windy again this morning with lower temperatures, so we'll still go for a walk, but it will be brisk!

And on that note, I'm out of here!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Planes, trains, and automobiles

Have you ever been so exhausted that everything hurt? That was last evening. And then you finally get to check into your hotel room at 10:30 PM, and typically the first thing I do is turn off the AC; well, I didn't even do that. I crawled into bed and fell asleep. But not before I put my Mom's quilt on the bed to keep me warm. 

I have tried to turn off that stupid thing this morning, as it's like an ice box in here! And noisy to boot. I MUST figure it out - at least, I've got it on low but cannot turn it off. I HATE AC. 

And I couldn't get myself out of bed when the alarm went off, and I don't have a ton of time before I have to get out the door, so I'll do what I can. While working, it doesn't help that the Wi-Fi isn't fast, or should I say -- my pictures are somewhere in limbo-land. 

Oh -- just found them -- they had been downloaded earlier, and I didn't see them. 

I know my aunt will kill me for posting this picture of her, but it was tradition when we visited their house to get our photos taken on the front step. I have many pictures over the years, so as we exited the house, I got this selfie. First off -- I hate taking selfies, but we had no choice as it was just the two of us! 

And we have to remember that my aunt is -- well, I don't want to reveal anyone's ages, but let's just say that she's a few years older than I am, and I have to say that she is doing amazingly well. Thank you, Aunt Yvonne, for all your hospitality!!! Can't wait to come back!!!

Aunt Yvonne and me

I'm so grateful that we got to spend some time together, and I MUST make a point of getting out here more often. 

As she drove me to the harbor for the trip to Vancouver, we spotted two deer on the side of the road. Shoot -- I thought I took a better picture, but obviously, I did not!! You can just see his butt in there! 

A deer

Then we were at the harbor so I could catch a ride to Vancouver. Was this my ride? Of course not! But we got to see the other side of it. According to our research, it's called the Summertime, which we thought was the name of the yacht, but it turns out that is the model, and it's not a yacht, but a SUPERyacht that you could buy for $74K US. It sleeps 12, so we could have a retreat on it. Any takers????

A super yacht

Oh, as we waited, we spotted this guy -- was he the newspaper delivery person? I'm not sure, but he was buzzing around the harbor, and what was in his boat? His two dogs were happy to lie there and enjoy the ride. Can you see Murphy and Lexi doing that? Lexi would be cowering, and Murphy would be trying to jump in! 

A man, his boat, and his dogs

AH   -- now my ride is arriving. Yep -- I was taking the seaplane back to Vancouver. How cool is that? It was my first time in a seaplane, so big luggage or lots of it is frowned upon! There just wasn't room, and there was room for five passengers. 

The seaplane arriving

Passengers disembarking

Why do I think? Well, because I got to sit up front with the pilot! Yes -- that was very cool. And it's not that expensive when you think about it. 

Me in the cockpit of the seaplane

I could take the seaplane and be in Vancouver in 20 minutes, or I could take the ferry and be in Vancouver in three hours. That was a no-brainer since I needed to get to work. 

We flew over the ferry

I arrived at the Vancouver terminal, only to see the airport shuttle arrive and leave before I could get to it. So I had a thirty-minute wait for the next one/ I had a cup of tea and didn't stress. My boxes arrived at the hotel, and my colleagues got them from the desk and took them to the convention center. 

So I caught the shuttle and got on the SkyTrain to downtown Vancouver. We drove Pam's car back to the hotel after the long day. So it was a plane, train, and automobiles (and bus) kind of day! I like to travel light because there are many options, and I'm still carrying that quilt for my Mom as it won't fit in my suitcase!

On the Skytrain

I was supposed to meet up with M and her new boyfriend for dinner, but the setup day went much longer than anyone had planned, so they were able to stop by, and we got to chat for about 15 minutes. I know -- it wasn't ideal, but I could NOT abandon my group when there was still so much to do. Bear was thrilled to see me and settled into my arms in no time, but not until he gave me a thorough lick with his little tongue. What a cutie!!!

Dillon, M, and Bear

I'm getting spoiled as before we left the convention center, we went to eat as we were all exhausted and unsure the hotel restaurant would be open. So we were off to some pub on the harbor, and I had this, which was delicious. 

Dinner

And then I had this -- yep -- another decadent dessert. How crazy is that? Well, this will be the last one. 

Key lime pie

What can I say about setup day -- it was long. There were five of us, and we had many sewing machines, embroidery machines, quilting machines, and a quilting frame to get set up. And you know how it is -- everything takes longer than you plan, especially when some of the stuff is new or relatively new. 

Other than a bruised thumb, which hurt like crazy at the time, and almost falling off the ladder once, but we won't go there, it was the usual chaotic setup day. The best news is that it is done! And I can't wait to take it all down in a couple of days! NOT!!!

Samples got hung, and we have loads to share with those that stop by our booth. We were going to go to the awards ceremony last night, but there was no time for that either. 

I've not been getting in my quota of steps each of the last three days, so today, I'm going to walk to the convention center. It's about 2 KM away for a 20-minute walk, and I can handle that, and I've got an umbrella in the event it rains. 

Well, I'm off to get ready for the day. We'll get there early, and I'll get the quilting machine threaded and see how it goes. 

And if you are at Quilt Canada, be sure to stop by and say HI. I had a few people stop by yesterday to say HI. You know that hairband of mine? The one with the orange flowers? People recognize me by that! I really need to get a new one with updated flowers. Margaret has made me some new flowers, so I need to make that happen when I get home!

On the homefront, this is what happened yesterday. I have to say that DH has been doing a great job at keeping me up to date. The girls were unhappy because they didn't get outside once yesterday- well, not with the freedom they usually enjoy- and I think DH took them for a short walk. They were probably beside themselves with joy!!!

It was a concrete pouring day at the house. 

The cement truck

And now the sidewalk beside the house is poured. 

The walkway

And here's the front step. There's more work to be done for sure, but this will make it much easier to get up and down than that giant step. 

Progress on the front step

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!