Wednesday, May 21, 2008

When someone comes to call in Alaska

There are two types of visitors that come to call in Alaska. The locals and then the out-of-staters... I will explain. Sunday we had both of those coming. The first one came just across from my house. We will call her Mrs Moose because being called a Cow doesn't sound as nice even if you are one... Junior was in the bushes not far from Mom but out of my lens allowance. Our neighborhood doesn't get Moose very often. Twice a year in the Spring and in the Fall they will migrate through but never too long.

The second one came in the form of 42 women from New Zealand. Half way around the World from us. The island of the Kiwi close to Australia. So when JoAnn Grueber sent the word out that they were coming through our neighborhood I was sure I was going to be there for welcoming them properly. They were on a cruise from Vancouver to Seward and on their way to Denali and Fairbanks. The usual tourist corridor. After getting lost in Eagle River for 45mn... the bus containing the precious quilters from on the side of down under finally parked in front of Dina's Cozy Cabin quilt shop and the fun began. Such a site to see the shop fill up with smiling happy ladies with gorgeous British accent marveling at the fabric, their prices, the books etc. There was a nice cake and refreshments for everyone. Our guild had made a nice appearance with about 20 of us. So nice. The editor of the New Zealand Quilters Magazine presented our Librarian with copies to add to our Library. We had a little show and tell. So overall it was a very well spent time. Quilting has no frontier.
Sometimes locals blend with out-of-towners...Tonight was "Wed. at Pat's". A gathering of artists at Pat Sims' house. An event that happens every six weeks year round. Always inspiring. You never know who will show up. We enjoy each other's company by sharing food, beverage and conversation, then, a Show and Tell. Tonight was no exception and we had some really tasty food. A blend of vegetarian dishes, homemade almond ice cream, rice pudding and mango sauce for dessert. Fran Reed was there as well as George Taylor who brought a friend visiting from Virginia, Stevii Graves, who had just helped juried quilts for the APNQ show in Seattle. See Jack Dalton fly. He presented his new Raven costume and brought a friend that collaborated on a political art presentation. Deb Hardmann was there showing her fun felted quilts. I had nothing to show and very little to tell. I have not worked since December. Toooooo long...! Anyway it was a very pleasant evening. Linda Weatherwax (what a fabulous name, especially when you do batik...) showed a wonderful reupholstered chair with her own batik fabric. George showed us his very extensive fast pace collection of work he has accumulated from a class he is taking from Gail Harker in Oak Harbor, WA. Nancy who is a weaver asked about ways to reach out to new venues for her yardage pieces that she is working on right now. Janie Smith showed us her new visor(Cincinatti Reds) that she covered with the traditional red, black and white colors of the Haida blankets. She is planning on wearing it to Juneau where a large concentration of Alaskan native communities are coming for a festival. She can wear it proudly.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Cool photos of the moose hope I get to see some when we arrive.
Rick C