Zoom, Zoom

Well, Blogland, I missed a day with you, but wow. I have to say that I had a great time. There's nothing better than being a fly on the wall in a judging arena, especially if you are NOT in the competition. It's a chance to hear the judges think out loud, and see (and touch - with gloves) some amazing quilts. I cannot believe how blessed I am to have had the opportunity!!!

Where did I go? Well...

I got behind the wheel of my car and headed south..

This is the view to the west, as we approach the Grapevine. It was very clear in the valley, which is unusual for January. We enjoyed every minute of it.

We checked into the hotel and spent the night. The next morning, before 7am, this was the view out of our window. Everything is so clear. Where is the fog? I almost felt uncomfortable...isn't this supposed to be January? By the end of the day, it was almost 80!!

This is where we spent Tuesday. We weren't outside, we were inside, hidden behind a door of the building where magical mysteries were taking place.

Have you guessed yet? We were here. I can't tell you what I saw, but if you head to Ontario tomorrow, you can see for yourself. Wonders of wonders will be on display from Th-Sun, January 14-17. Enjoy!!! I keep toying with the idea of trying to squeeze in one more trip (4 hours, one way) on Friday. A girl can dream!

As I was leaving, I had to take this picture. Why would anyone live in Southern California? They don't have winter.

That must be it. They live there BECAUSE they don't have winter. (I was born in Santa Monica and spent the first 17 years of my life in Escondido.) The trees in the foreground may be pretending that it's January, but I didn't believe them. They were NOT cold.

As we drove back and headed back down into the valley, we wondered, "Will there or won't there be fog?" It was getting dark. It was 4pm. Was it the shadow of the mountains? Or the presence of lurking fog?

It was the mountains! You can see in the far distance that the sun is SHINING and visibility is excellent. There must be a storm on the way...

Finally, I asked my trip photographer to grab my camera and get a shot of the cropduster. We just missed having him fly over us. Can you see him? On the left, just above the green? He was coming right at us and had to clear the wires before flying over the freeway. My heart jumps in my throat every time I see them. They are fabulous. (For a bigger image, click on the picture.)

So. There you go. I've had a taste of this weekend's Road to CA show, and I want more.

Many thanks to Dyanne, for being a good sport and scrambling for my camera every time I said, "Oh! I need a picture of that!!" See, Barbara, I don't ALWAYS photograph while I'm driving. (There's a difference between 25 in the fog and 70 on the freeway!!!)

P.S. I took the pictures of Ontario. Dyanne took the rest.