We now return to our regularly scheduled blog ...

All I can say is what the heck happened to those lazy crazy days of Winter??  January was stuffed full of events with little chance of blogging!!  But what fun I had!!

For the first time, I was able to go to Road to California in Ontario -it's in the LA area.  I h ad signed up for my favorite teacher.  But it was not to be.  Sue Spargo - sending healing thoughts and prayers your way.  When I heard that you were in chemo, my second thought was - "well, everyone else there and the nursing staff are now embroidering those curtains all over!!"

But that just gave me plenty of time to look over the quilts with an eagle eye!  And of course there were vendor "hazards" galore!!

Our hotel was full of surprises.  Not to mention names (Radisson) they were fighting an uphill battle.  Before all of us quilters arrived someone had hung some clothing on the ceiling sprinkler spout.  Yep, it set those puppies off and took out 40 rooms on 2nd and 1st floor!  The elevator closest to our room was in the construction zone.  We walked about a mile to the room ;) before we discovered the short cut thru the pool area.

There were hot water challenges in the morning; television challenges - shake the cord to get it to turn on!, and even the telephones and wifi had to get into the act!! There was a very funny waiter in the bar, whom we got to know pretty well at dinner times!  "See what I have to put up with??"  But we all muddled through.

We all had our favorites in the show.  The grand prize winner was fascinating.  Based on a photo of the Marrakesh Market - the pillows looked absolutely 3D!

This was a quilt hanging in the hallway - WWW.  I just loved the 'bugs' in the web!!

Our friend Georgia Williams' quilt was accepted into the art quilts category.  Although she didn't receive a ribbon, it held it's own with the others in the category.  And she had perfect placement - he was peeking out from the alcove he was hung in!  Congratulations!!

There were many fragmented project quilts.  A picture is divided up into units and each quilter creates one section.  There is usually some coordination of fabrics; and guidelines where the units will meet again. Then it's put back together to create a whole. Fascinating!

Another Brookings artist was also in the show.  Beth Nufer does awesome work.  Each one is truly a work of art.  These Mariners Compasses had more points than I've ever seen.  The center has 236 points!!  Each one perfect!

Here are the 3 roomies - thanks gals for a fun time!

This quilt surprisingly didn't win any ribbons.  It was fascinating.  Based on the Doppler Radar of a tornado.  Made by an airline employee who flew thru the storm that night!!  Enlarge it for a closeup of the quilting!  It's really something!

This is from the "Graffiti" contest.  They were oh-so-fun!

 Road is the third biggest quilt show in the US.  Paducah is #2 and Houston is the biggest. Paducah takes over the whole town! I hope to go to Houston in 2017 - Jim West has/had? a quilt cruise after Houston with a bus to take you to the port - Western Caribbean islands.  Sounds like heaven to me. 

Well, that was 1/2 my January trip!!  Stay tuned for the next episode of "Great Adventures of January 2016"!!