This morning I cruised over to Lynn's (after Marilyn and Frannie left for today's competition at the dog show) to see if her ink jet printer would work for my quilt label fabric sheets, and it did!  So I have one less crisis in my life.  Two of the labels are already sewn onto their quilts, and I plan to sew the third one on tomorrow.

Lynn also printed up a sheet of hot springs pix that will eventually make it into a raffle quilt for this summer's big weekend at Valley View.  She wants to learn to quilt, so one of these weekends she's going to come over for a lesson; we'll make a baby quilt for the granddaughter she's expecting.

When Marilyn and Frannie returned (the weather did affect her performance) we picked LOTS of grapefruit and lemons for them to take back to Texas; the truck is now loaded with citrus and should smell really good tomorrow!  Alex was a little worried when he saw the number of bags we were filling, but there are still plenty on the tree.

Alex played with Frannie before he headed off to Flagstaff for a day of snowboarding tomorrow; with this big storm we've got blowing in they are expecting more snow up there tomorrow.  Hard to tell who's had more fun playing, Alex or Frannie.

Dinner was yummy - Marilyn whipped up a batch of her delicious chicken tortilla soup.  It was perfect for a chilly evening.

We had both!

Another beautiful day at the dog show.  Frannie had a good time, plus now she has another day of experience competing.

Here she is admiring my "dalmation" flip flops...

 After her event, when staying clean was no longer a priority, she got to roll around in the grass with a 6-month-old puppy. Aries.

Today there were Aussies and Cocker Spaniels in attendance,

which I enjoyed.

No surprise I liked this guy....

And over by the agility events, always fun to watch, we met this cutie.  

Who could resist a 3-pound charmer like this?

Even with ice cream on her face!

The dog show was a lot of fun yesterday, though it wasn't the easiest place to find.  Although the address is on Pima, "you can't get there from here."  

So I had to turn around, go back to the 101, and continue on to Bell.  Once on Bell I figured it would be a left turn (back towards Pima) so I was in the wrong lane, and had to make a U-turn.  Since I had the green arrow, it seemed like it was my turn to go.  But I saw a vehicle barreling toward the intersection, and he sure didn't look like he was going to stop.  And he didn't, flying through the intersection at a very high rate of speed.  If I'd taken my turn I would certainly not be blogging today... and maybe never!  

A poem Dad used to recite comes to mind...

Here lies John Jay. who died protesting his right of way.

He was right, dead right, as he sped along...

But he couldn't have been deader if he'd been dead wrong.

Once at the dog show, my day improved.  It is a huge show, and there were at least 15 different venues although all of Frannie's events (4 yesterday) were at Ring 9. The Dalmation Club, like most of the others, were holding raffles.  This painting already had a bid of $200 on it.

Frannie showed well, although she was consistently beaten by two Texas pups (siblings from a litter) that had already beaten her back in Texas.  Still, now she has another show under her belt and has gotten more experience and exposure.  Frannie's a sweet, friendly dog, and made lots of friends yesterday.

At one point I did wander around the polo grounds, looking for Australian Shepherds - but they didn't seem to be entered in this particular show, and the same held true for cocker spaniels.  But I did get to meet and greet a number of adorable puppies.  Yes, as a matter of fact I do realize that puppies only come in cute! 

The poodles were in the ring next to us, and when I commented to Marilyn, "Who designed that ridiculous haircut for them?" I learned the reason behind it. 

  

Poodles were originally used as retrievers and if they went into the water with all their fur it would drag them down.  Thus they needed to be clipped.  But hair was left around certain joints and other areas (like the heart/lungs) to keep them warm.  Who knew?

In a bit we're off to the show again, although it will be a much shorter day.  From here on out (the show ends on Monday) she only has one event each day.  And there should be agility events each day (there weren't any yesterday.)  

Wednesday was a very full day.  In the morning I started off at Busy Bees; I missed the January meeting (and some the ones at the end of last year) so I really wanted to show up for this one.  It was good to see the ladies, although I was very sad to hear from one friend that she's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  (Since I don't know if this is common knowledge yet she will remained unnamed at the moment.)  

Melissa gave an informative demo on squaring up blocks, and then it was time for Show & Tell.  I went first, showing 3 quilts and the Children of the World wall hanging, then left (missing the rest of the goodies) and zoomed home. Marilyn and Frannie had just arrived, and Frannie was investigating Pokey trying to figure out what she is.  I grabbed a quick lunch, then zoomed off to the Make A Face class at Foothills. 

We watched the instruction video Carlyn had brought (pretty ingenious method!) and I found out I'll need to find a different photo; the ones I'd selected as possibilities just didn't have enough contrast.

While Frannie was off on a walk exploring the neighborhood I whipped up a half gallon of OJ (and yes, still have lots more oranges waiting their turn) and Marilyn deemed it the best OJ she'd ever had.  Always glad to hear people enjoy my "cooking"....  Then we relaxed in the yard with our drinks while Frannie tried her best to get Pokey to play with her, though she never could get Pokey to get with the program.  

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard were back at the pool for a brief swim.  Of course Frannie wanted to visit with them, too, though we kept her in and allowed the ducks their preening and relaxation time.  

 This is their third visit here, and it could be they've approved this location and have decided to move in and raise a family here.  

Though with Frannie here for the week they could change their minds...

Then Alex and Ahmed came over and played catch with her.  Frannie seems quite happy here, with the exception of not being allowed on the furniture.  

I whipped up grilled salmon, asparagus, and rice for dinner (I had made a lot of everything so there was plenty and I invited Ahmed to join us), but Alex made sure we weren't burdened with leftovers.

This morning Marilyn and Frannie are off to the big dog show at Westworld, where Frannie is entered in 4 events.  By the time I get myself organized and meet them over there I will be able to catch her afternoon events at least; don't think I'll make it in time for the morning two.  The rest of the time I "might" watch some of the agility competitions.

My appointment with Matt, our tax preparer, went well this morning.  For a change I had virtually all the information I needed for him to complete our tax returns... though Alex is missing a crucial W-2, and there isn't anything yet from  Lisa.

Then it was off to North Scottsdale for the Maverick  exhibition.

So sit back and relax, and enjoy my pix of some of their beautiful quilts.  (I apologize in advance for the quality of some of the photos, and many of the information shots.)

tree detail 

leaf detail

The flowers were created with lots of itsy-bitsy scraps.

embellishment detail 

hair detail

specialty yarn for the waterfall effect 

rows of bead embellishments added to the visual effect

I seem to be missing Mr. Owl's quilt.... but he's ready for his close up!