We Had a Quilt Retreat and Fire broke out...

All three of the Flynns (well, two Flynns and one Flynn Nichols) look forward to the Quilt Retreat here in beautiful Red Lodge, Montana.  We plan and plan and try to make the days that quilters are here special and hope that we can make their experience educational and relaxing and enjoyable in our little mountain corner of the world.  That is all fine until someone STARTS A FIRE right across the highway from the Resort where classes are being held.  

Alarms, fire trucks, firefighters, emergency vehicles, EVACUATION, NO you can't take your sewing machine with you, everyone meet at Flynns' house to regroup, off to dinner as planned, new hotels, no toothbrushes, nightgowns or clean undies, no place for class the next day - oh, wait, we find a nice place for class, go ahead and get your stuff out of your old room, and your machines and sewing supplies, peaceful new spot for class and quilters are so adaptable - isn't that part of quilting?  Making the best out of what you have and what you can find to add to it?  

We all survived and so appreciate the good nature and calm spirit of our quilter friends this year  Wow, what can we do to top it in 2014!

Here are some pictures from last week.  The first ones are from the team that is fighting the Rock Creek fire, aren't they great pictures?  I copied them from inciweb which is a really useful website if you live in wildfire prone areas.  The Rock Creek fire is not out and probably won't be until we have snow, but we are so grateful for the professionals here working the fire and that we don't have a huge and devastating fire like the one in Yosemite. 

 

Make a photo slideshow

Well, that's all the news for this week except John has been asked to teach at the International Quilting Festival of Ireland in June 2014.  Wouldn't you love to tour Ireland with John Flynn and take in a great quilt show?  We promise there won't be a forest fire!  

Take care, and don't throw anything that is burning out of your car window!  Brooke

MS Bike Ride 2013

It is that time of year; John has been faithfully churning his way up the hills to get in shape for the bike ride to raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis research. He gets up really early in the morning to ride; shh, please don't make so much noise!

Anyway, he loves riding his bike, it is such good exercise, he gets to see wonderful scenery and he enjoys the other bikers and travelers up and down the Beartooth Highway. He had an interesting encounter with a cow moose a few days ago. She was ahead of him, running uphill, right in front of him. He was afraid to pass her because, even though she was moving slowly at the time, he was pretty sure he couldn't pedal faster than she could run. A car came by just in time and she veered off in to the trees.

To make it more interesting this year, John is offering a prize to a lucky contributor to his MS effort. If you contribute to John's effort, your name will go in a drawing and you could win a beautiful original John Flynn wallhanging. The quilt is about 32" in diameter and is heavily quilted with all kinds of Montana creatures and other wildlife. It is really a nice quilt!  Click here to contribute

Thank you for helping: this is such a worthwhile cause.  Hope your summer is going swell; we only have a few more days until the quilters come for our 2013 Quilt Retreat here in Montana.  Thanks again and take care!

Brooke