Update

We are just a couple of hours from leaving for the long drive to Houston. Kate is coming out soon to help pack the van - hope it all fits! John is teaching three classes so we have his teaching kits along with our booth supplies. We look forward to Houston, the quilt show is breathtaking but it is a lot of work and a long, long drive. Big tankers of Diet Coke for John and naps for Brooke.

An early October snow storm surprised all of us two weekends ago. Billings had 15 inches of snow and John dug out the whole driveway so we could leave for Santa Clara. We lost power for a while but our pump burned up and we had no plumbing until Monday when John could get the part. We almost went to a motel but we decided it was a lot like camping and toughed it out. After all, we could still make popcorn and watch TV!

The scenery is from the beautiful Gallatin Canyon which is between Bozeman Montana and West Yellowstone. The Gallatin River is loved by rafters and kayakers and fly fishers. There wasn't nearly as much snow there as down in Billings. Their turn will come.

So I hope to have pictures from Houston for the next blog. Unfortunately, sometimes I forget about the camera though.

Brooke

Wildlife

A few years ago, I worked for a fellow who said "You have to remember where you live". He meant that if you live in Chicago or New York City or London, you should take advantage of the museums and theatre and opera and if you live in Montana, you should enjoy the outdoors.

We don't see bald eagles too often, although much more frequently than 20 years ago. I wish I had taken this with John's new camera, it has a much better ZOOM.

I woke up last night to the sound of a bear tearing our barbecue apart. The barbecue is a modified 55 gallon barrel, so not a flimsy deal at all. We have used it and left it outside for 30 years, and this is the first time a bear has come for a taste.

We turned on the outside lights, thinking that would scare him away. When John and I looked out the bedroom window, we could see that the light was just helping him find all the ancient crispy bits. So, we just went back to bed and eventually fell back to sleep; John tells me that the bear came back about quarter to 6 although I didn't hear him. He was a black bear, getting ready for winter and was pretty darn big. And with a shiny coat, somewhat ashy.

Brooke

Road Trip

Well, one show down and two more to go for 2008. We are going to have to really be organized the next few weeks. Important things to remember are absentee ballots and flu shots!

We always enjoy the Quilt Affair Show in Longmont, Colorado. It is small, but nicely run and nicely attended. The volunteers bring ice water around for the vendors 2 or 3 times during the day to stave off altitude sickness, I guess. It is welcome anyway. The new Janome worked really well for demonstrating the Multi-Frame.

The drive through Wyoming is long but pretty and there are always hillsides full of antelope. We followed, passed and then followed again a convoy of brand new fire trucks and haz mat trucks on the way back. We think they were headed for Lewistown, but they made a stop in Billings to have a bite at McDonalds.

Brooke

IQA Silent Auction

Well, Kate was done on time and John was done on time, but Brooke really scrambled to get her auction quilt done in time to ship today.

John's quilt is on the left, a 12" x 14 1/2" Storm at Sea. Brooke's quilt is in the middle, 10" x 20" Dresden Plate variation. Kate's quilt is on the right, a 14 1/2" square original variation of her Fifty-Four Forty or Fly series.

We are done and now it is time to pack for Quilt Affair in Longmont, Colorado. Oh, and we are having John's birthday party tonight, pizza!

Brooke

Chokecherries

It is time to pick the chokecherries in Red Lodge. John and his sisters already picked the cherries in Billings at least 3 weeks ago but Red Lodge is at a lot higher elevation so the cherries were finally ripe last week. A bear had also been snacking on the chokecherries and left some evidence.

We had a big dinner on Sunday and it was a beautiful day.

Our next show is in Longmont Colorado. It is always a pretty drive down there and it will be nice to be "back to work". We have been cutting and boxing Double Wedding Ring kits for Benartex like mad the last few weeks and still have more to go.

Brooke

Goodbye Old Stove

The stove is over 30 years old. We think the trouble started when we had it converted from propane to natural gas. The pilot light no longer works so we have to light it with kitchen matches - I realized a few mornings ago that the smell of sulphur matches reminds me of camping, pleasant memories, but not enough to redeem this stove.

The oven is an entity all its own. We haven't been able to bake in it for years; partially because a friend helping clean one afternoon scrubbed all the numbers off the oven's temperature dial with an SOS pad. But that isn't really what is wrong - we can't turn the oven on to bake but it is still on all the time at a very low temperature. Well, this is perfect for warming plates before dinner or our cocoa cups but I'm sure it isn't energy efficient. And lately, I have noticed the temperature is getting warmer. I have been worrying that one day I'll open the oven and it will be 400 degrees in there. So I will miss the warming oven, but not too much.

Because we are getting a new "range" this week. I will celebrate by baking - something. Maybe cookies. Or something wholesome like acorn squash. Probably a just a casserole, it is getting to be that kind of weather. Good bye, old stove.

Brooke

Cutting Edge

Did you love your Cutting Edge and wish we still made them? Someone is auctioning off miscellaneous rulers and a Cutting Edge on Ebay. Here is the link Ebay

Good luck

Brooke