HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARY!! Hey -- one more year with NO BIRTHDAY CARD FROM ME. Sorry. Of course, you know by now that I am the WORST when it comes to being thoughtful about people's birthdays...and I cannot remember the last time I actually bought a gift and got it to somebody on time. Ugh. It is one of my major shortccomings...It's right up there with my inability to do housework or pass up a good thrift store bargain.
So, I decided to post some pictures of some of the good times we've had. Some you will remember. But I'm pretty sure you've never seen many of these...
I'm sure there are other people out there who have wonderful friends and enjoy traveling and spending time with them. But I'd like to say NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THAN WE DO, Mary.
I vividly remember the wonderful Viking trip we took to Sweden and Norway. (has it been 20 years ago?) I weighed over 300 pounds at the time, and it was a very hot day...and we were walking up a long hill to get to some Norwegian Museum. I thought I would die....and, even though you were trying to walk very, very slow, I could not keep up with you. My feet hurt, and I could hardly get a breath...when I spotted a bench about a block away. As I gratefully landed on that bench....I looked at you (all cool and relaxed) and said, "you look like you could walk to Peoria..."
The hot new property in downtown Davenport is the Current Hotel. One of the unique things about the Current is their rooftop restaurant. Called, appropriately -- UP.
Recently, I had a lunch date with some friends...but it looked like a rainy day.
They were having a special lunch menu for the month of September.
Cousin Linda and I were the first to arrive. Note the incredible view of the Mississippi River!!
Carol and Sandy joined us.
But IT'S TOO WINDY TO EAT OUT ON THE ROOF...
Linda ordered the prime rib sandwich -- and those are HOMEMADE CHIPS, people!!
The food was great -- and I highly recommend this place. But the REAL treat is the tour of the art in the lobby...
All summer long, AGT was the show I watched with the kids.
Thanks to the wonderful technology of DVRs....I'd tape the show on Tuesday. Then, every Friday night, the kids would blow up the air mattress, I'd make popcorn, and we'd watch that week's AGT episode.
I was always rooting for the magic guy (who did end up winning)....and Lilly loved Zucaroh...and the whole world fell in love with Michael Ketterer.
His back story was compelling. He's a pediatric nurse from Tennessee. He and his wife adopted children nobody else wanted...and every back-story-video they showed of him and his family was heart-warming and tear-jerking...
Michael Ketterer was Simon's Golden Buzzer. As a matter of fact, when he sang "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", he brought Simon Cowell to TEARS.
Then, unbelievably, Simon reached out (on the live show) and asked Garth Brooks to write an original song for Michael Ketterer.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME??
Garth Brooks answered the call -- and he wrote a really beautiful song (video below)...
Michael didn't win the show. He came in 5th. But everybody knew HIS LIFE WAS CHANGED FOREVER. After the show, Garth Brooks asked him to come on tour with him...
WOW..!! RIGHT?
DREAMS REALLY DO COME TRUE.
What a great story -- right??
Then...this happened....
And -- NEVER -- in the history of the world -- has anybody shot themselves in the foot in a more spectacular way.
ONE DAY after the AGT Finale -- Michael Ketterer was arrested for domestic violence...
ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
I can hardly believe this happened. It makes me feel all creepy inside...like those "packages" they put together for the show are complete Bull@@##$$!! I mean -- really??
Sadly, Michael Ketterer will NOT be the opening act for Garth Brooks.
Instead of cashing in on his meteoric rise of celebrity thanks to AGT, and being ON HIS WAY to stardom...and a brand new life. Everybody in the country is saying this..."Michael Who?"
Clearly, ONE DAY is not really enough time to do a big show like the Wisconsin Quilt Expo. I did my best to pack every minute of my time there -- but I know I missed a lot.
The one exhibit I was really looking forward to was the Landscape Quilt Exhibit. Many of you know that Nancy's happy place was making landscape quilts. Her quilting buddy was the wonderful Natale Sewell -- and together, they created MAGIC.
Of course, they wrote several books on the topic they loved.
Nancy died last November, and Natale died in July...so seeing this exhibit, and thinking of the two of them, together, quilting and laughing and creating...was going to be very emotional.
It was a wonderful exhibit.
As far as I'm concerned, Natale and Nancy came together and created a new art form...
It felt like I was in a wonderful art gallery...
This one is my personal favorite.
My mother's favorite flower was the iris.
Each quilt reminded me of an earlier time with Nancy...
All the times Mary and I shared a cup of tea in Nancy's office...every wall decorated with one of her landscape quilts.
Or the time I was the auctioneer at Nancy's fundraising event -- and a print of this quilt was auctioned off...
That print is hanging somewhere in Texas....
Nancy Zieman changed many peoples lives -- including mine. And I am grateful.
One of the (many) things that makes the Wisconsin Quilt Expo special is the FOOD..!! I feel compelled to mention this because, like many of you -- I have attended scores of vendor shows over the years -- and the food is usually mediocre and always expensive...
BUT THAT'S NOT THE CASE in Madison, Wisconsin...Truly. They pride themselves for delicious, reasonably priced food. I'd only been at the show for an hour when Deanna was called to put out a fire somewhere behind the scenes. We were doing a "talk and walk"...when we came to this door!
Holy Cow...are we allowed?? Really??
I felt very special...
AND THERE WE WERE...in the sparkling clean hallways...where nobody is allowed to go...guess what I found??
Racks and racks of their signature Wisconsin food item -- giant Cranberry Bread!! Which is what they use to make all their sandwiches...
Because, at this show -- the exhibits are amazing, the classes are excellent, and THE FOOD IS DELICIOUS!!
By the time we got to the corridor cafe -- the 3,000 cranberry sandwiches were all gone...but the hot beef brisket was FABULOUS...($10)
I am a lucky, lucky girl....and, honestly, life just doesn't get any better than this people!!
Thanks to my years with the Sewing and Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, Washington (THERE'S A SHOUT OUT)...I feel like I know E.V.E.R.Y.B.O.D.Y in the sewing industry. And one of the things I realized early on is that nobody works harder than these women...
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I know Lorraine Torrence from Puyallup. I was delighted to learn that she retired to Madison, Wisconsin. But, apparently, we've gotta put air quotes around the word "retired". Because she still teaches her artistic approach to garment sewing in her online classes.
If you've been missing Lorraine -- be sure to check out her website: Lorraine Torrence. It's like visiting a really elegant art gallery. Lorraine earned a reputation as a gifted textile artist...
She puts together a wonderful Wearable Art Fashion Show for the Wisconsin Quilt Expo
And it was so interesting to see how they interpreted Lorraine's different challenges
Clearly, I still have some camera issues..
This was a "sleeves" challenge.
Then, there was a "pockets" round...
"Details"
"to be revealed"
Alter the fabric surface.
There is nothing more inspiring than seeing REAL women wearing the actual clothes they created. Their thought process, the designs and techniques they came up with.
And with a coach/artist of Lorraine's caliber -- what they made was QUITE REMARKABLE..!!
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