Forgot to mention that at dinner last night Betsy was admiring my ring.  When I mentioned that the sapphires are my birthstone, she said it's hers also.  Turns out that we share the same birthday, Carolyn!

I got the car packed yesterday (except for last minute toiletries, etc.) and then Yolanda called and said she wants to drive after all.  That means we'll be transferring everything when she gets here later, but on the plus side I won't have to do the driving.

While I was tired all afternoon (and pretty much vegged in front of the TV) I did manage to stay awake.  For dinner I treated Betsy to Carrabba's, where we both had the tilapia that I'd been raving about.  She agreed that it was delish.  After we got home it was a quick walk for Tilly, and by 8:00 I was in my jammies reading in bed.  I did take something so I'd be sure to sleep, but of course going to bed that early meant I was also up early.  Oh well...

I don't expect to have Wi-Fi up at camp,
so I won't be able to post until my return on Sunday.

I've been up since 3:00 am so <sigh> I expect to fade early today.  Tom, Ken, and Steve left at dark:30 this morning, heading up to Ashfork for a day of rock collecting.  Betsy has gone to the Desert Botanical Garden, and between needing to pack, being tired, and not wanting to stress my back I decided not to go with her.  Though Colleen gave me a handy packing list for camp, I have no doubt I will forget something <g> but just hope it isn't anything crucial!  (Like the time Wanda got to Quilt Camp in Flagstaff only to discover that her machine cords were still back home in Phoenix!)

Alex will not be returning home today as originally thought because bad weather caused a postponement of last night's scheduled activities until tonight.  Of course I'll be off to Quilt Camp tomorrow, so will have to wait until Sunday to hear all about his Spring Break adventures.

It's been cool here so the mud from Friday's irrigation still hasn't dried out completely.  However as of this morning I've decided to let Tilly back out into the backyard, with a foot-washing station set up by the door.  She's much happier not having to be chained up outside the fence, and that makes me much happier!  This little guy has taken some time to smell the flowers, and looks pretty happy to me.

A cold front has moved in; yesterday it got quite windy (so glad I just cleaned the pool in the morning....) and today's temp is going to be about 20 degrees cooler.  My plan (after I get back from the gym later) is to start packing for Thursday's trip: I'm not sure if Betsy is going rock collecting with the guys tomorrow, and if not I may be doing something with her.

Sandy just called to thank me for her placemats (today is her birthday) and to tell me how much she likes them.  I thought she might when I found that 'perfect' fabric!

Now for some more pix from the show.  Enjoy!

Pictorial quilts from photographs (this was from an old B&W snapshot) are often quite impressive.  Obviously the judges agreed!

Looks at the tiny scraps she used for the reflection in the water!

This one from a photo of the artist's parents

 captured a sweet 'ordinary' moment while raking leaves.

Color has always been important to me... 

as most of the quilts I snapped will demonstrate!

There was not enough room in the aisles to get back far enough to take pix head-on of many of the quilts (which is why so many of them are angled) and I could not get all of this cute wall-hanging into one pic.

This whimsical one had 3D greens in the bowl, with wooden utensils attached.

A couple of 'guy' quilts?

Loved all the sentiments in this quilt, but the center panel says it best:

This one is simple, just a gaggle of flying geese -

but has a very effective result.

I knew Tom would enjoy this quilt of the rocks.

Also thought Tom would enjoy this quilt of Antelope Canyon.  I'm still trying to decide which of my (100+) photographs from our visit there I should use for my AC quilt - there just aren't any 'bad' ones so the decision is quite difficult!

I enjoy reading the backstory on each quilt.

For example, this small quilt was nice (though I'm not a big fan of the 40s fabrics), but once I read the blurb it became more special.

This cute elephant quilt, with the braided tails, was the backdrop of one the vendor's booths and she graciously allowed me to snap this pic - for ANDY.

Unlike most years there were very few raffle quilts (from the various AQG chapters around the state) on display this year.  This was my favorite and I did buy a ticket.  Since the drawing isn't until December I'm pretty sure that I will have forgotten all about it by then.  And should I get "the" call no doubt you will hear my cries of delight wherever you are!

  

And that's pretty much all I'm going to post of the show.  

Hope you enjoyed your visit; come again next year!