"All my bags are packed...."

 "All my bags are packed,
I'm ready to go....." NOT!!!!!

It's midnight or actually the wee hours of Thursday morning and I am NOT packed.  Not even close.  At 5:45 am Friday morning I will drive away from the house in Eureka and on to Seattle (hoping to miss rush hour traffic in Portland, OR).  According to Google maps it will take 10 hours and 56 minutes.  Since I will be traveling with three others (and one is a seven year old) I expect it will take a tad longer.  I guess I should get to it soon!

Saturday  we will be sailing on the Norwegian Jewel up the Alaskan Inside Passage with a passel of quilters (or is that a "gaggle" of quilters???).  Our store, Scottie Dog Quilts/Redwood Sewing Center sponsors quilting cruises.  Sound fun?  It certainly is!  Who comes on a quilting cruise?  If you said "Quilters," you would only be half right.  We are joined by quilter's husbands, mothers, daughters, children, grandparents and grandchildren.  We are joined by friends and friends of friends.  You see, joining a group is a great way to get a discounted price on a cruise.

What do you do on a quilting cruise? "Quilt," you say?  Again, only partially right.....you can swim in a pool, go down the water slide, play a game of chance in the casino, see a show, or join a sing-a-long.  You can read a book, jog around the deck, play basketball or tennis.  You might even play miniature golf!  You can climb a rock wall, see a movie, get a massage or facial, eat sumptuous meals (even pizza and ice cream at midnight).  You can stay up late and sleep in.  You can go shopping right on the ship!  You don't spend all your time quilting (well, I guess you could if you wanted!) so if you bring your family there are plenty of things to keep them happy as a clam while you get to do what you want to do (and you KNOW you want to quilt!).

On ship you can also see a glacier, hear a naturalist talk about the wild life of Alaska and eat some sushi. On this ship there are fancy restaurants as well as the formal dining room and the buffets.  There's a chocolate buffet at midnight.  Remember to take the stairs and avoid the elevators to help work off the lobsters you ate for dinner last night.  How about breakfast in bed?

We now come to the fact that when you cruise to Alaska you have wonderful stops in several ports!  This trip we are going to Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau.  It will be so much fun!  The last day we'll be in Victoria, British Columbia.  Sydney told me she still had her pearls and hoped we could go to tea at the Empress Hotel...I've packed my pearls and a hat so we'll be sure to do that.  Now to get the rest of my things in the suitcase............

Our next cruise will be to the Caribbean...want to come?????

Forty years goes by in a flash!

Forty years ago I was a silly 20 year old and Mr. Scottie Dog was just 23.  We were young, full of ideals and in love.  So much has happened in our lives in 40 years and yet it has gone by in a flash!  We had lots of love back then (still do!) but very little money.  Our honeymoon consisted of driving from Southern CA to Northern CA.  Just two and a half days of on the road.

We've been many places in the world since and wanted to take a fun trip to commemorate our 40th anniversary.  This year we only had a small window of time so Mr. Scottie Dog set out to plan a special trip for us.  Both of us had been to Yosemite as kids and once we had driven through the park when our girls were small.

If you aren't from California you might not realize how big a state it is.  We drove all day Friday and spent the night in Merced, a town two hours away from Yosemite National Park.  Next morning after breakfast it was off to Yosemite.  This is a popular place.  We waited in a line of cars, buses and motor homes for 45 minutes just to get to the entrance gate.  Sheer granite cliffs were peeking through the trees as we wound up the Merced River Valley.  After we drove into the park we turned South towards Wawona and the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequioa trees.  An hour later after climbing to 6,000' and then down to 4,000' elevation we arrive at our lodging...The Wawona Hotel.

The Wawona Hotel was built in 1879 and is certainly a Grand Old Lady.  This building is the third or fourth on the site.  It houses the lobby, dining room, kitchens, and music room downstairs.  A beautiful and wide veranda winds on three sides.  Upstairs are 25 rooms, a couple of suites, shower rooms and shared bathrooms. This is where we thought we were staying.  I certainly thought the charm of staying here was worth the "excuse me, I've got to go to the toilet" down the hall.

Imagine our delight upon being shown to the "Clark Cottage" a few steps from the main hotel.  This is our delightful Victorian corner suite. And it had it's own private bathroom! Two adirondack chairs on our porch were put to good use.  Clark Cottage is the oldest building in the 6 building complex, built in 1876.

Comfy bed (that's the side veranda of the main hotel through the window).

 A little desk, our chairs just outside the windows.  No phones, no TV....we sat and enjoyed the evenings.  One night a large and extended family posed for photos on the lawn outside.  Turns out it was a family from Redlands and surrounding area (where I grew up in So. CA) celebrating mom and dad's 50th anniversary!




Even the bathroom floor seemed made for us....Grandma's Flower Garden Hex Quilt Pattern!

 We took some hikes.  This one was to Yosemite Lower Falls.  The Falls seemed to disappoint many of the hikers...just a trickle of water this year (and Upper Falls was just a damp smear on the rocks).  After all this is a huge drought year.  I still found it beautiful.  In the park we heard so many languages being spoken: German, Spanish, French, Korean, Japanese and more.  At breakfast at the table next to me two young men were speaking French.  Later we observed them speaking an Asian language;  Vietnamese? Cambodian?

We stopped and an Australian couple took our photo with Half Dome barely visible through the trees.

 Another hike with the Fallen Giant in the background this time.  That is the root system of a tree that was on the ground over 150 years ago....looks pretty much the same since it takes redwoods so long to decompose.  This is where the "FAT" Giant Sequoia trees grow.   They like the elevation and the heat in the summer (and they get snow in the winter).  Where we live on the Northern CA coast is where the "TALL" Redwood trees grow.  They are still huge trees, just not quite as "fat" as these.  We found out that BOTH trees are the California State Tree(s).







Up at Glacier Point we could pose again with Half Dome.  We could also look awaaaaay down and see the Ahwahnee Hotel on the valley floor.

Here's a photo I took earlier in the day at the Ahwahnee.  Little did I know that I'd be up there on the top of Glacier Point later in the day.  This photo was taken with my back to the pool which was so clearly seen from up above.

We had the Grand Sunday Brunch at the Ahwahnee Hotel on our Anniversary.  Oh, my!  Every imaginable lovely breakfast item...Mr. Scottie Dog raved about the Eggs Benedict but I must confess I chose more luncheon-type items from the salads, cheese tray...the prawns served in an ice sculpture, poached salmon, some cheese tortaellini, mussels, pesto chicken and more.

 Finally came dessert....I wish we could say we tasted it all, but we just couldn't.  It was all so decadent and delicious.  A meal to remember and the views were spectacular.  The Ahwahnee Hotel was built in 1927 and is impressive and imposing.  It was fun to explore, but I was glad to go back to my more private Victorian Cottage at the Wawona  at the end of the day.






Here's one last photo of one of the giants we saw.  It was a nice and relaxing trip.  We'll remember it fondly.  Drove on to spend another night in Sacramento, swim a little and today drove back home.  It's true what they say, "East, West, Home's Best."

I Promised Pictures!

Yesterday I promised pictures.  Can anyone tell me how to turn photos in Blogger?  These first two photos are saved right side up in my computer but Blogger insists they are to be on their side.  I even tried to save them on their sides so Blogger would turn them correctly, but no deal.  Here they are anyway!  If you can help me please let me know how to turn them correctly.

 Mr. Scottie Dog with Tinkerbelle and another Faerie at Disneyland.

 Mercedes picking a radish from the garden.

 Here's Jakob just before the second front tooth came out!

Adorable Shiloh and her dessert....looks luscious! 

 Look at those eyes!  Anastacia has my mom's blue, oh so blue eyes!

Where have I been?

I have no excuse.  Where have I been, you ask?

Well, let's see.....June 10 (over a month ago!) Mr. Scottie Dog, daughter Liz, granddaughter Sydney and I loaded up the car and went to San Luis Obispo to see our dear friend, Samantha Trehearne graduate with her BS degree in Architectural Engineering.  Quite an accomplishment for an up and coming 20 year old!  We've known Sam from the days she sewed with us at Kid's Camp at Scottie Dog Quilts.  She worked for us occasionally as does her mother, Crystal.  We cheered her on as she tackled Jr. College while still in high school and as she went on to CalPoly.  We salute you, Sammy!

After Graduation we drove to LA for a wonderful trip to Disneyland!  Mr. Scottie Dog and I went for one day.  We had a great time.  Sydney hated loved riding on Indiana Jones...she had to go twice!  Grandma screamed on Splash Mountain and we all cooled off on Pirates of the Caribbean.  It was great to watch the Fantasmic show--a laser show projected on sprays of water with music, fireworks and live action figures too.  As the sun was setting we did my favorite ride...It's a Small World.  The next day Liz and Sydney went back to the park and we drove a bit around LA.  In the afternoon I boarded a plane for Minnesota!

I can't find my photos (maybe tomorrow) but I had a wonderful time with Jakob, Mercedes, Shiloh and Anastacia.  They had colored pictures for me and taped them on my door....I think Mercedes used half a roll of tape putting hers up.  It was a nice welcome.  We did what I love to do....went to the beach at Cleary Lake, walked around Featherstone Lake, went to the playground, ate dinner on the deck, watered the garden, read books, went to the Library and the Zoo...and just hung out together.  It was a glorious 2 weeks.

For the past few weeks I've just done what I usually do.  I taught several classes at our store, I have done a bit of sewing and I've gone to my Aqua Aerobics classes.  We had Sydney over a couple of times and we went to hear Mr. Scottie Dog and the Humboldt Accordioneers play.  It's good to be home.  I've got two trips planned in the next several weeks but I'll wait until next time to tell you about them.  For all of you who have emailed me, I'm fine and well.  I think if you take a little break from blogging it is just too easy to let it slide....I'll do it tomorrow.  And we all know how often tomorrow comes!!!
 

The Secret is out!!!

We've been keeping a secret.  It's been hard.  Liz and I feel as if we've won an Oscar.  In fact, becoming a Better Homes and Gardens Quilt Sampler Featured Shop IS like winning an Oscar, a Grammy or a Pulitzer Prize....in the Quilting World it means you are among the best of the best.  The news was announced at Quilt Market a few weeks back in Kansas City. 

This is the logo we can now display on our website, in our store and on our paperwork.

Here's a picture of some of the Spring Issue, we'll be featured in the Fall Issue (available in September).....I wonder if our quilt will make the cover?  We've known our secret for a long time and were allowed to tell our spouses and our staff.  We got the call from Jennifer Keltner of Better Homes and Gardens letting us know that Scottie Dog Quilts had been selected from over 3000 stores as a Top Ten Shop for Quilt Sampler Magazine. They sent out an awesome team to photograph our shop and staff.  Can't wait to see the photos they took.  Along with the article about our store, they will publish a pattern for an original quilt Liz designed.  The "working title" of the quilt is String Pieced Stars but I am pretty sure they'll change it.  Here we are "visiting" our quilt in Kansas City....we won't get it back until September. At Quilt Market they had a presentation of the 2012 shops and their quilts.  We received a nice certificate to hang at the store and a photo of our staff.

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Here's a close-up.  Angela Davy of All Washed Up quilted it beautifully for us.

 You can be certain that we will have copies of the magazine available when it hits the stands in September.  Stay tuned as we will be pre-selling the magazine in a special zippered vinyl project bag and the special ruler that helps make sewing our quilt a snap. We'll also have kits available to make our quilt in 1930 reproduction fabrics and two different batik versions.

Another surprise at Market was to find us featured in FabShop News, a trade journal for Quilt Shop Owners.  Liz and I are pretty much on top of the world right now!  We are quite proud of the recognition of all the hard work we've done to make our store, Redwood Sewing Center/Scottie Dog Quilts a great place to shop! 

It only took me 60 years!

I was born in Redlands, CA sixty years ago.  My parents were Midwesterners by birth but came to California after World War II to escape the cold winters and to make new lives in the growing Southern California post-war boom economy.  It has taken me 60 years, but last week I visited Kansas and crossed off the last state on my list.  Fifty States; a lifetime of experiences and memories.  I thought I'd take a trip down memory lane and give you a little bit of my impressions of each state.  Many of my memories go back to the summer of 1967 and a trip I took (Y-Tour USA) with 70 or so other high school students around the US and parts of Canada.  I was 15 and spent 6 weeks on a tour bus....and loved it!

 Alabama

I remember only two things from my visit to Alabama.  

One: we visited the White House of the Confederacy.  United States History has always been a passion of mine and I love to look at historical homes and buildings.

Two:   We met George Wallace.  I didn't like him one bit...he was a racist and a staunch segregationist (a view he later recanted).  I couldn't abide by either view.  I remember not wanting to shake his hand.  His Governorship terms of Alabama were up so they just elected his wife governor.

 The other thing that has stayed in my memory is that everyone still called him "Governor Wallace."  That didn't set well with me and I remember asking about it later and that is when I learned that certain titles remain with elected officials: Governor, President, Vice President.  Those titles are for life.

 Alaska

I didn't make it to Alaska until 2004.  I went with two of my dearest friends, Bev & Lynn.  We went on a Quilting Cruise.  It was wonderful! The scenery was breath-taking, the company was spectacular.  I remember when we were in Sitka we watched the Russian Dancers.  I was so excited because my daughter Beka and family were living in Ukraine at the time and I especially loved the Ukrainian dances.   In 2009 our store began sponsoring Quilting Cruises and our first cruise was to Alaska.   I got to take my husband and loved to show him the beauty of Alaska....which became a state on my 7th birthday, January 3, 1959.

 The glaciers were awesome!

 In Skagway I will always remember our trip on the White Pass & Yukon railroad, the quilt shops and my son-in-law Steve who plucked several spawning salmon from the river with his bare hands!  I'm looking forward to my third Alaskan Cruise this summer, again with Scottie Dog Quilt Cruises.

 Arkansas

 I remember eating at a "Stuckies" in Arkansas, the Civil War sites and log cabins.

Arizona

 On the Y-Tour we spent our first night at Northern Arizona University, sleeping in the  gym in sleeping bags.  Only the men's restroom had showers in it so the girls had an allotted hour to use it.  The counselors told us about the "foot washes" (because it was a gym, we needed to wash our feet in them to ward off athlete's foot.  I was pretty naive and had never seen a floor urinal before!!!! Of course I fell for it as well as other indignities!

Then there was the Grand Canyon.  What can you say?  It's Grand!  Even at 15 I was so impressed.  Beautiful, immense, I knew it could put there only by God's hand.

 California

 I was born in Southern California and lived my first twenty years there.

 Here I am shortly after moving into our Los Angeles house.  I'm four and my brother, Pat, is three.  When I was a little girl, we wore dresses most of the time.  I did own a few "pedal pushers" (capri) and shorts but we wore mostly dresses or sunsuits.  My childhood was idylic, very much "Father Knows Best" and "Leave it To Beaver."

At twenty, I married Mr. Scottie Dog and moved over 800 miles away to the Northern California Coast.  To Eureka, home to the Carson Mansion.

 Lots of Victorian homes here...I am a huge lover of interesting architecture.  And redwoods, you can't forget the redwoods!

 We live in the middle of the Redwood Forests.  I know we take them for granted, but it is truly a beautiful place to live.  Green all year long.  Never gets hot, never gets really cold either.  For snow or summer heat we just drive an hour over the mountains!

I have many memories of California: Disneyland, Mt. Shasta, Huntington Beach, Solvang, Yosemite,  all my wonderful family (so many of them gone on now).  Here's a shot of the family home in Redlands.

 Back: me, daughter Liz holding Sydney, daughter Beka holding Jakob, my Dad, nephew Kevin.
Front: Brother Pat & his wife Debbie and Willa Mae, my Dad's second wife (we love her so!).

 Next post I'll give my impression of five more states.  Indulge me, OK?