Road to California

Yesterday, two friends and I took a road trip to Road to CA.

It was particularly exciting this time because, not only did we have a quilt hanging a quilt in the show, the quilt had a ribbon hanging on it!!  Another friend sent this picture to me on Wednesday, during Preview Night.

 Will you look at that?!!  Best Group Quilt!  Congratulations, Sew Eclectic!!

 When I arrived on Sunday, I was a bit disappointed by the quilt's presentation.  It was hung about thigh level, and the signage almost blocked it from view.  I am grateful that Linda was able to get such a good shot for me!

I hadn't been to Road in several years.  This year was the best presentation of quilts that I have ever seen there.  As the years went by, the vendors grew in prominence, and the quilts?  Well, I often had to work to see them.  But not this year.  This year, the quilts were set apart, with decent lighting, good signage, room for viewing, and piano music playing in the background.  It made viewing them pleasurable, rather than some sort of athletic competition to swim past other attendees to see the quilts.  oh yes.  This year's show was wonderful.  I am certain that we will be returning next year.

I did a bit of shopping, but just a bit.  My big purchase was perle cotton, to work on that little roses piece that I've been giving you glimpses of.

We drove down to Ontario and back yesterday.  As we came over the mountain, my friend commented on the "smog."  I told her it wasn't smog, it was fog.  This is what fog is like in SoCal.  They rarely have the clouds-on-the-ground type of fog that we experience in the Central Valley.  Instead they have "haze" and "overcast" and "marine layer," which are all ways to refer to that above ground fog.  We spent about 15 minutes talking about fog.

Imagine our absolute shock a few hours later, when we learned that the fog that we had been discussing and debating played an active part in the loss of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and the others aboard his helicopter.  While we thought we were just commenting on the weather, the lives of others were ending because of it.  

Every day I remind myself that every day is a gift.  The events of yesterday illustrate that more than any words I could come up with to underscore that truth.

Every day is a gift.

Live your best life.