Dick and I are finally home from our 12 day, 3,200 mile trek around the Midwest. We hit the Fall colors at their peak in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and especially, Ohio. What lovely views we had as we chugged down the many roads.

Our first stop was to visit Anita Schackleford in Bucyrus, Ohio, to discuss our upcoming article and cover story in March 2010. Anita's two, yes two, workrooms were wonderful to see, and she and her husband were most gracious hosts. We then headed to the Quilting With Machines show in Aurora, Ohio. The Bertram Conference Center was very nice.The show promoters certainly worked very hard to be sure the vendors, sponsors and teachers were well attended to. And the students all looked like they were having a blast as well! This is still a small event, but has the potential to become a strong regional venue in the very near future.

We left the show to visit with my Mom and other family, almost all of whom live in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. My sister and BIL, Freda and Rick, showed us their newly purchased wooded acres (with a pond, no less) where I was able to take a leisurly, peaceful walk amongst the beautiful trees and just enjoy the company of my sister. A nice break in our hectic schedule.

Off we were to Indiana and a stop in Carmel to visit with Cathy Franks, one of our favorite quilters and writers. Look for her new article in the January issue! What a lovely home she has. And her studio, like Anita's, was to die for. Cathy fixed us a great lunch and we chatted and laughed as long as we could. It's so good to have such great friends who enjoy the same things we do! Cathy's husband is also an airplane nut, so Dick was pleased to make that connection. We then stopped in Illinois to visit our farm that we sold when we moved to Colorado. The memories were too strong, and I miss it all so much still (11 years!) so we didn't stay long. We saw a few friends and Dick's family, and prepared to move on.

Next stop was Des Moines for the AQS Quilt Expo. This was the second year for this show, and it looks like a winner. We managed to visit a lot of vendors/friends (sorry Dick, my wallet finally opened!) and see some great quilts. We also heard rumblings of a blizzard back in Colorado, but we weren't worried. After all, it was 60 degrees in Des Moines.

Now we headed home. We made it to York, Nebraska and stopped for the night. Truckers and other travelers started telling us that the blizzard was moving into Nebraska now. Oops! As it turned out, we stayed in York two nights, working from the hotel room. I-80 was closed, as were the side routes we planned. Darn! I could have stayed in Des Moines for another day with the quilters! Finally the roads opened and we headed for Colorado, where we found that the 18" of snow dumped in our front yard had all but disappeared by then. Thank you for the Colorado SUN!

It was so nice to visit with many of our readers along the way. Thanks to all of you that introduced yourselves to us and made us feel so welcome.

Vicki Anderson   Executive Editor

Comments

• finally!!!!! A site just for the machine quilter. You were very hard to find. Make it easier for everyone to find (advertise)on other sites and add links to youy site. can't wait to get my first issue. hang in there girls, and give us quilting bees something to buzz about.
  by Anna on 12 August 2010 at 9:47 a.m.

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