August 8th, 2008
What a great weekend in Seattle! I taught 3 classes for APNQ 2008 QuiltFest in Seattle at the Washington State Convention Center. This was the first time the APNQ show offered workshops, and it was lovely to see the other instructors – I crossed paths with Anita Shackelford, Diane Gaudynski, Yvonne Porcella, and Jean Wells. I missed meeting other instructors Daphne Greig, Shar Jorgenson, and Rosalie Dace (from South Africa).
The convention center was a lovely facility! My dear friend Kathy Butler joined me, and we had a nice visit during the QuiltFest. I missed another friend, Charlotte Rogers but did visit with Jane Moxey, the producer of my new DVD. Here are some photos of the weekend in Seattle!
A highlight of the trip was visiting Pike Place Market! (Click on any photo to see it larger. Click the new photo once again to see it full size). Kathy and I treated ourselves to a gigantic specialty dipped apple from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate factory – a Granny Smith with caramel, white chocolate, dark chocolate, peanutbutter & crushed nuts. We would cut off small slices and savor the wedges for dessert!
Tags: APNQ QuiltFest, Pike Place Market, Seattle
Posted in Quilt Show, Seattle, Travel | 4 Comments »
August 3rd, 2008
My friends know that I have moved regularly throughout my lifetime –Â our current home is my 39th! While visiting Omaha recently, I drove past our home where we lived for 6-8 years. Dad worked for the Peter Kiewitt company, and we kids were in our “formative” high school years.
Our home was a ranch style, with a large front and back yard. A couple of weeks prior to my visit, a wind storm had ravaged the Omaha area, and I believe the damaged roof on the garage was possibly due to that storm. Additionally, there is an unexpected open sunny corner in the yard, and a circular pattern of sawdust & wood chips, indicating a large tree had been removed.
PLEASE CLICK ON THE INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS – COMMENTSÂ POSTED FOR MANY IMAGES.
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August 2nd, 2008
This weekend my husband and I flew to Omaha, Nebraska for both a family reunion with his side of the family, and my 35th high school reunion.
Have you ever attended YOUR high school reunion? This is my 2nd time – previously, location, distance, and teaching committments have conflicted with the reunion schedule.
People attend their reunions for different reasons – most hope to meet their friends from long ago and remember the good times together. Others come to impress their old classmates, to prove their current status and worth – thus settling old “scores”.
The safety of bygone years allows classmates to confess old infatuations – and the recipient hearing the confession is both pleased and surprised at their long-ago ignorance of the potential romance!
Our reunion focused upon 4 events – two evening gatherings, a golf outing, and a tour of our old alma-mater – Westside High School.
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The school has really changed! The original structure is still present, but the front entrance has been relocated to the east side of the building. The school is very high-tech inside! Each student is issued an Apple laptop for their use during the years at Westside. The school boasts its own television broadcasting studio which students operate!
The renovated athletic fields and Athletic Pavilion are beautiful – the pool, drained for summer maintenence, brought back fond memories.
Most of the remaining areas had been remodeled or upgraded to the point that we just wandered and marveled at the changes!
Tags: Westside High School
Posted in Omaha NE, Uncategorized | No Comments »
July 30th, 2008
Tags: baskets, Belize, embroidery, hand made, loom, sculpture, stone, weaving, woven
Posted in Artisan, Baskets, Belize, Hand Crafted, Key West FL, Loom Weaving, Mexico, stone carving, Travel | No Comments »
July 9th, 2008
These photos are for my family to enjoy – as we took so many great photos. One of our favorite evenings was the formal night, where we all dressed up and had a lovely dinner together in the dining room. I must say that the dinners were my FAVORITE time of the cruise!
Click on any photo to see a larger view.
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 Courtney, Jan, Kim, Dana & Shruti
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family friend Walter Elliott & Joie
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Joie, Jan & Don at dinner
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Don & Jan

Courtney, Jim & Dana
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Paul & Shruti at dinner
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Joel & Kim at dinnerÂ
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Shruti at dinner
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Kim at dinnerÂ
 
Kiran, Aaron, Jason
 
This is the formal photo taken by the ship’s photographer.   Left to right – (front row): Kim, Courtney, Joie, Dana, Jan, Shruti (middle row): Joel, Walt, Jim, Don, Paul, (back row): Aaron, Jason, Kiran
Tags: family photos
Posted in Cruise, Family, Travel | 2 Comments »
July 8th, 2008
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The first port of call was Key West, Florida. Some of our family members went on “snuba” adventures, snorkeling in the turquoise waters.
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Key West feral chickens and chicken souvenirs
Don and I decided to take it easy and wander around Key West – it was a short port of call, and we’d set sail by 1pm. We walked along tree-lined streets, enjoying the flowering trees and historic homes. The air was steamy and humid. We were thankful it was early in the day!
 
Key West is famed for many things – electric carts and feral chickens, which live wild and free where ever they please. Gift shops sell Chicken souvenirs, too!
Our goal in Key West – to eat a slice of Key Lime Pie. We walked in search of the Blond Giraffe Key Lime Factory. The pie-making operation was not working that morning, so I found an Internet image to see what it WOULD have looked like!
 
 
Once our pie was eaten, we walked back and boarded the ship. It was heavenly to be back in the cool air aboard ship! It must take more than one morning to adjust to the steamy climate!

Tags: Cruise, family reunion, Key West FL
Posted in Cruise, Family, Key West FL, Travel | Comments Off on Family Reunion Day 1 – Key West
July 7th, 2008

This year, my family reunion was held aboard the Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas. What a terrific experience!

All of our family members flew to Fort Lauderdale, FL. We boarded the ship on July 7, and set sail about 5 pm. It was exciting to stand at the rail of the ship’s bow as we pulled away from the pier, and hear the mighty ship’s horn!

The first order of the cruise was the lifeboat drill, as every passenger joins the crew on the deck to learn where the life boats are, and what to do in the unlikely event of evacuation.Â
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Of course, my sisters and I tried on our new swimsuits, sat in the SHADE and drank margaritas!
It was a great day, and the cruise had just begun!
Tags: Cruise, family reunion
Posted in Cruise, Family, Travel | 1 Comment »
July 7th, 2008
The Enchantment of the Seas is a bright, light and airy ship. There are many beautiful areas where passengers can meet, relax, and share conversation over a cool drink. It is like a small floating city!

Pool deck

Upper deck for walking or jogging

Center Prominade – Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas
Tags: Cruise, Enchantment of the Seas, ship
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