Fashion Statements

Sorry -- no spellcheck or grammar check this morning so there may be some rough spots! 

Good morning from another hotel! I can't imagine moving around with a lot of luggage. I'm still in Vancouver, but some of us have moved to a hotel closer to the airport since we have early morning flights. As mentioned, I try to travel light if I can, but some have lots of luggage and well -- that doesn't work for me. 

Anyway --- we had a successful show. It was the first major event for many quilters since the pandemic and I know that some people were not ready to be out so they didn't attend, lots of people wore masks and some people just went with the flow! I'm in the latter category. Let's just get on with life but with precautions. OK -- so I throw all cautions to the wind! 

However, the day did not start out well for me. I woke up and wasn't feeling well at all, which is a RARE occurrence for me. I had a bit of vertigo which seems to come and go, but it was worse than usual. I've no idea why it comes and goes, but anyway. And then I seemed to have some stomach issues and well, it wasn't a good morning and I really wanted to crawl back into bed for a bit. 

Alas, that wasn't a possibility as I had TWO Zoom sessions for the reveal of our quilts for Boho Heart, Wanderers Wife, and Long Time Gone. All three quilts were designed by Jen Kingwell. So I trooped through the presentations but I have to admit, I was tired and I looked tired. Not only are we having long days, but often they extended way past my regular bedtime and so I'm a bit tired. 

The presentations went amazingly well and it was so much fun to see everyone's quilt. And shoot -- I missed one person's. If they were super zealous and sent their photo really early, I missed it. But missing ONE quilt wasn't bad considering the amount of quilts we had. In total, I think there were 35 BOHO heart quilts and 18 of Wanderers Wife. I know there are others that are close to finishing and so there will be more to put on our Facebook Group. 

A good part of the Long Time Gone were also finished their quilts and some people had even had them quilted! I'll be sharing more with you when I get home later this week. It was so exciting to see the difference in the quilts - the different fabrics used, the difference in contrast and how they personalized their quilts. It was such fun! 

Once that was over, I had a quick shower to clear my head and then I walked downtown. I know -- I wasn't sure if that was a good idea, but I needed to clear my head and while I was unsteady, I wasn't that unsteady. AHA --- there's a drugstore in the foodcourt across the street from the convention center, so I stopped in there to get Gravol. You know I'm not well, when I take medication! 

And I needed to eat something, but I wasn't sure if that was a good idea. There's a place to get a decent protein shake and that's what I sipped on for the first part of the day. Between the Gravol and the shake, all of a sudden, I felt like a new person! The rest of the day went well and I feel pretty good this morning. Yeah!!!

I had to laugh because someone had texted me and asked if I was OK and I said I was tired. They suggested a nap - which I would have done at home. I said that I wouldn't be able to have a nap until 10 PM. I was off by 30 minutes. It was 10:30 PM by the time I crawled into bed. And now I'm up at my usual time as I have a plane to catch at 8:30. 

One of the reasons I love to walk, is to check out everything. I had to walk past Holt Renfew and they had displays of clothing in the windows. The other day, I saw a PUFFY shirt for men! I know -- I need to find that photo and post it. It was hilarious and if you ever watched Seinfeld, you know what I'm talking about. It wasn't quite the same, but those sleeves were pretty puffy!

The display was changed yesterday and now they have these items in the window. That shirt in the back had a big peekaboo slit right below the bust. Sure -- I'll wear that -- NOT! Anyway -- it was interesting to see the fashions and that dress had a big wide shirred bias all over it -- that would be easy to remake! 

Fashion statements

At the show, I spotted a woman wearing a pair of pants that was very interesting. I stopped her to chat and she had used the patches to mend a hole, cover a spot of paint and then added more for interest. They were great. 

Patched pants

The convention center is a dock for the cruise ships. We've seen a number of them this week, so I popped outside at one point to get a photo. These things are HUGE --- way too big for me to contemplate being on. I have zero desire to ever take a cruise. I know better than to say never because things change, but at this point -- zero desire. 

Cruise ship at the port

The Trendtex challenge was right in front of our booth. I think there were 70 quilts that were submitted. Alas my kit is still at home and not touched! I had an idea -- I had intentions, but it didn't happen. This is a fundraiser for the CQA and I have bought a few over the years. So I picked out a couple and put some bids on them. Then it was interesting to see the booth as the bidding was coming to a close. I had bid on three of them and I was being outbid on two of them. That's OK -- I let them go and I was the winner of one. It's very cute and you'll have to wait a while to see it as it got packed away last night. 

 

The Trendtex booth as the bidding came to a close

Since I couldn't take an extra suitcase (float plane), I had shipped my stuff out so I got it shipped back home as well. But not exactly to my house -- I'll have to tell you about that another day. But I got rid of more stuff into those boxes, so I'm going a bit lighter for the next part of the trip! Yeah me!! I'm still carrying that quilt for my Mom, but now I have a a bag for it at least. 

I bought a book at the show and that was it. I had zero desire to check out the vendors and zero desire to check out the quilts. GASP!!! How could that be? Total exhaustion - mostly mental and just couldn't do it. I did get some pictures of the winning quilt, but that was it. 

A little before 4 PM (I think EVERYONE was exhausted) we all started to disassemble the booths. Machines had to be boxed, quilting tables had to be disassembled and it was a lot of work. Thankfully, I was feeling good so that made it a whole lot easier. 

I had two quilting tables, three mid-arm machines, and two light stands to take apart and put into the boxes. That took me almost four hours. So by 8 PM, we were boxed up and had numerous pallets of stuff going to different locations. 

Then we were off to the pub across the street to have dinner. I had my usual cool beverage and had a good dinner. Then we drove back to the hotel to get our luggage and switched to a taxi to take us to the hotel near the airport. 

The cool beverage of my choice

Here's a view of the harbor as we left the pub to get back to the hotel. The weather has been great. Not hot and sunny, but cool and cloudy and just a touch of rain! 

The harbor

The next leg of the trip will be much less exhausting -- at least physically and I might just need a big nap this afternoon, but I'm sure I"ll sleep on the plane although it's a relatively short one! And it as only last night, when someone mentioned that it is Father's Day today, that I'm going to spend the afternoon with my Dad! How cool is that?  

Let's just hope that my rental car is waiting for me at the airport, otherwise, the day will just be that much longer! 

So yes -- we had a blast at Quilt Canada, got to reconnect with friends, made new friends, and all around had a great time. But that is hard on your body! Oh my and with being in lockdown for two years, it's a challenge to get back into the swing of things. I have to say that I'm about talked out! I need a break from talking! Imagine me saying that!!!

Well, it's time to get myself organized to catch the shuttle to the airport for the next leg of the journey. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Fun in Vancouver!!

I'm as cozy as a clam in my hotel this morning. I've got the AC off, so it's quiet and a beautiful temperature! I got a quilt on the bed, and I'm listening to my home radio station! How cool is that!!!!😊  Oh, I had to switch to the Zoom call for the Barn Quilt from Thimbles and Things. You have to love the internet. 

I've access to my files on my shared drive so I can put the finishing touches on the presentations I'll be doing tomorrow morning. Yep -- it will be the final reveal for Boho Heart, Wanderers Wife, and Long Time Gone. I'm so excited -- that's almost more exciting than seeing all the fantastic quilts at Quilt Canada!

Never one to shy away from walking, I decided to walk to the convention center yesterday, and it's less than 2 KM, which is nothing for me. I finally hit 11.5 KM yesterday, the first time since I left home. 

But I had to get out of the hotel first! I was waiting for the elevator as my room is on the 7th floor. When one finally came by, it was packed, so I decided to take the stairs. I got to the bottom, and there was NO exit from the stairs to the lobby. Really?? I had to return to the 3rd floor and take the elevator down. It drives me crazy when hotels do NOT make stairs work for people who don't want the elevator because who takes the stairs in the hotel? By the way -- if you look in this picture, the EXIT for L had an alarm on it, which is why I had to go back to 3 to take the elevator. Just in case you were thinking, I can't read!

Help -- I can't get out! 

I see that cars and pedestrians are a big issue here as well as there are loads of underground parking and there are HUGE signs for people to pay attention to those entrances to the underground parking. The problem would be those people who are always on their phones who would NOT see the sign. 

Pay attention

And I spotted these in a window close to the convention center. I LOVE that type of thing, and it would be easy to do with the embroidery machine. Hmm -- an inspiration, which is partially why I love to walk as you never know what neat things you're going to spot. 

A fantastic sign in the window

Here are some more things I spotted on my walk. When this section of sidewalk was created, they put the impression of leaves in it. How cool is that? I should have done that at home, but I wasn't there, and I wouldn't have thought of it!! 

Leaf impression in the concrete

And then I spotted this on the edge of a building. The first 11 (or so) stories have letters written around the edges. It's so cool. I didn't get the entire wording -- I'll have a better look this morning. 

Words on the outside of the building

And there's my thumb. -- the picture doesn't show how bad it is -- OK -- so I'm exaggerating. It's not that bad and only hurt when it happened; now, I wouldn't even know that anything happened. 

My bruised thumb

I found the Food Court across the street from the convention center, so my goal was to hit the Tim's for breakfast. The breakfasts in the hotel are so expensive. And once I had sat and enjoyed some quiet, it was off to Quilt Canada 2022!

Welcome to Quilt Canada

It was a CRAZY day! We still had a few things to get together in the booth and once that happened, well -- let's just say that we were still doing some of those last-minute things when the doors opened, and we had people, and we were swamped all day. People have been cooped up and wanted to kick the tires of new sewing and quilting machines, and they came in droves! I'm sure people will be back today as they checked out other machines and then will decide today or tomorrow. 

What was so fun was the number of people that stopped by to say that we had "met" on Zoom. How cool is that? And people from all over Canada have come, so that is super exciting. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello. 

I didn't really get a chance to leave the booth yesterday, other than to get something to eat at lunch! I'm in a class until 4 PM today and hope to spend some time during lunch and after the class ends to check out the quilts. Tomorrow will be a quieter day and ends at 4 PM. 

After a group dinner, I was off to meet up with M again. I got to walk past the steam clock in Gastown, which I've seen on numerous occasions. It fascinated my grandfather, so he brought us here many times!

The Steam Clock in Gastown

And then someone at dinner mentioned The Old Spaghetti Factory. Oh my god -- when I was here MANY years ago (with Katimavik!), I went there, and I remember getting some glasses from drinks that you could buy -- The Conductor and Jump up and Kiss me? Does anyone remember those? I still have those glasses! I thought I might stop for a drink or dessert as I had some time to kill, but the place had a 20-minute wait, and all the bar stools had been removed for the pandemic. 

The Old Spaghetti Factory

So I continued and spotted an ice cream shop, and even though I found the air cool, I stopped for ice cream. I didn't get a picture as it was in an overflowing cup, and by the time I got things under control, I had forgotten. Let's just say that it was YUMMY. 

Yes -- I find the air cool here while people walk around in sleeveless shirts and shorts. BRRRRR!!!

And then I got to meet up with these two. M and I and Bear had a good visit. That little guy is enthusiastic about his greetings, and what a goof, but then he settled on the sofa beside me and was quite happy until it was time to go. Another short visit, but better than no visit at all. 

M, me, and Bear

It wasn't that far for me to walk back to the hotel, so we took Bear for a walk for part of the way, and I spotted this on a building, which is very cool. And when you make a trip like this visiting family, you realize how true that is. 

An excellent slogan on a building

But I love this picture. Do you know how hard it is to get photos of dogs and people and have everyone looking at the camera? Well, he cooperated on the third picture. Love you guys!!!!!

Bear and M

He is such a pumpkin!!! 

It was getting close to 10 PM when I got back to the hotel, and I spotted many homeless people on my way. There are quite a few homeless communities around this area, and the weather is more conducive here than it is back home. But it's scary to think how and why they ended up homeless. How far away is each of us from being homeless? 

The bottom line is that I wasn't scared to walk home in the dark, and well -- don't mess with me. I remember something my grandfather told me when I was a teen. He said, "walk like you know where you are going, even if you don't, and no one will bother you." That is something that needs to be written into my memory book about him. Wise words of wisdom and so very true. It boils down to confidence, and you can get into trouble if you aren't confident. Thank you, Grandpa Mills!!!

Gosh  --- this is a pretty emotion-filled trip with all the family visits and memories. I hope I have more in me as I'm not done with the visits and memories! Good grief   -- I keep losing my phone on the bed as I remember another picture to put in the blog. 

I need to share what's happening on the home front. The concrete for the step and walkway are poured, and it's time to get the PATIO done. Yep -- there's going to be a patio on the front of the house. I can't wait, as I'm excited to sit out there and visit with neighbors, dog walkers, and well -- just watch the world go by. Often I sit on the steps, and it's not comfortable. The patio is not huge, but enough to put a chair or two, and the girls will love to be out there. 

The forms for the patio

It will also help the transition with that huge step and hopefully make it easier. As a neighborhood, we just don't spend enough time getting to know our neighbors or taking full advantage of our yards, so we're trying to make every square inch have a purpose. Then the rest will be landscaped with trees and grass. 

I won't be home for a while yet, so I will have to wait to see it all. 

I see it's almost time to get myself moving so I can walk down to the convention center, have some breakfast, and then get to my class. I'm so excited about it, and well -- I have more stuff to tell you, but not today!! 

You can check out this link if you want to see the winning quilts from Quilt Canada. I haven't even had a chance to check it out myself as it's been quite busy, but I'll have some time tonight, so I hope to do that, or better yet, I hope to see the quilts in person!

On that note -- I'm off for another fun-filled day of, well -- FUN!!!!

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!!!