7th Annual MVQR

This year was an especially fun Mountain Valley Quilt Retreat. I've documented this event before, but I've never shown the backdrop or location of this fun yearly get-away. This old barn across the street from my parents' home was renovated into a lodge, and this is where the quilters stay. And I love that playground right there...that's one of the old-school metal slides that is steep and wicked fast!

The actual retreat is Thursday through Sunday morning, and my sisters and I (and usually my aunt, who we missed this year but was busy being a new grandma for the 10th time!) make and serve the food for the meals, help out where we can, and have just a little time to sew before we have to get back home on Monday morning. This year, we decided to stay a few extra days (I stayed an entire week!), and had a superbly fun time sewing, walking, eating, goofing off, going for drives and talking talking talking! Good thing Seth was there to keep my dad from being the only guy amongst 5 women (counting Lydia).

My mom is the most talented sewer I know, and the most patient teacher I know. She comes up with a pattern, gives out the fabric requirements to everyone, and teaches them how to cut and piece together a beautiful project. They sew at the town's civic center where there's lots of room to work, and they love it!

On Saturday night, there's a show-and-tell where whomever wants to can show a project they've completed. My dad would probably be embarassed that I'm posting this, but he made a quilt last year to keep his hands and mind active while enduring chemotherapy. I loved wrapping up in it because it's so warm and because it reminded me how thankful I am that he's still here and healthy! Love you, Dad!

Last January, my mom had the idea for us girls to do a virtual quilt-along. She chose the pattern for this wall hanging, and we finished them in time to show them at retreat. We're planning another for next year too...helps with the January blahs and post-holiday bummers.

Other random shots from the weekend:

On the car ride down to Loa...already had been a long day with a morning flight from Seattle to Salt Lake:

One of my favorites...Lydia (who's NOT a cuddler) cuddling with Grandma:

The weekend entertainment (playing "train" with the tape measure with Seth as the engine and Lydia as the caboose):

Best buddies...can't remember if they're watching the kitties, looking at the sprinklers, or waiting for Grandpa to come back in from the back yard:

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One day we drove the loop around Boulder Mountain to see the Autumn leaves. What a spectacular scene with the bright yellow aspen trees against a clear blue sky. This one area of red is called the aspen heart. Aspens don't usually ever turn red, only yellow, in the fall. Legend says that an American Indian princess died here of a broken heart, causing this cluster to turn red. Kinda hard to see the shape in the photo because we saw it just before the leaves fell.

We had a little early birthday celebration for Seth, complete with a Bob the Builder cake. Can you tell he really turns on the "cheese" when there's a camera around?

Gotta love blue frosting:

Finally, two things I love about small towns, this one in particular:

Endless fields of green alfalfa showered by the chk-chk-chk-ing sprinklers:

And the bike rack at the elementary school...no one bothers to lock up:

I missed my dear husband and home, but was sad to go at the same time, and I'm already getting antsy for next year.