Why I Went to Maryland!!

So, I am a big fan of all-things-Mary-Fons.

Next month, she is getting her Master's degree from the Art Institute  -- and she will officially become the Editor of the fabulous new magazine, Quiltfolk.

Mary mentioned in her blog that she will no longer be able to  travel all over the country, doing her kick-ass lectures...and I was very sad. Because I've never attended a Mary Fons lecture. HOW DID I MISS THAT?? I always figured there would be a  "next time"...

Then -- I saw Mary was scheduled to present two lectures in Easton, Maryland. For the Bayside Quilter's. On Wednesday, April 11.

Hey -- I HAVE A FRIEND IN BALTIMORE....I AM JUST GONNA DO THIS THING..!!

So, in a rare act of SPONTANEITY (okay, it's not that rare) -- I booked a flight from Moline to Baltimore.

Flying out of my local airport is certainly no big deal...Moline, Illinois is a wonderful, friendly small airport that I am very familiar with.

I had to fly to Minneapolis first...and that's a familiar place for me.  Piece of cake. Baltimore is a lovely airport...they have moving walkways....

BWI has a beautiful Rental Car Facility...

AND I'd rented a car for only $7 a day!! (and the Ritaluck UPGRADE meant I got to drive a Nissan Altima!!) Wow.  This is going really well, don't you think??

It was about 1:30 when I got behind the wheel of my beautiful rental car.

Three minutes later, I was smacked in the face with all my early I-am-such-an-experienced-traveler-and-this-is-a-piece-of-cake....smugness.

What finally got me was the Baltimore Beltway. Good old # 695. 8 lanes of crazy.

Apparently, to get a license in Baltimore, you must swear you will ALWAYS DRIVE 80 miles an hour!!

OMG WHAT WAS I THINKING???!! I have absolutely NO BUSINESS driving, by myself, on this crazy busy, congested big city beltway...with all these rude people....(I actually tried to take a picture of a man giving me the finger...)

At that moment, I remembered a time (years ago) I was driving in Canada -- and got stopped by a RCMP. (Royal Canadian Mounted Police). He asked if I had a valid driver's license. (he wanted me to DRIVE because the Canadian I was with couldn't pass the breathalyzer test).

I said, "yes, but it's from Iowa...and I'm afraid the only real driving skill I have is passing a combine on a gravel road going 45 miles per hour."

He said that was good enough...

But, clearly, my skills are NOT GOOD ENOUGH for Baltimore....After an hour of white-knuckle driving, near misses and honking horns -- I finally arrived at my friend's house.

The view from her yard looks a lot like Iowa!!

But it's the CRABCAKE that tells you YOU'RE IN MARYLAND..

Donna Babylon ALWAYS KNOWS THE BEST PLACES..!!

Tomorrow -- you'll see Mary Fons!! In Maryland!! Doing one of her last lectures (for a while...)...I AM SOO DELIGHTED!!