....Sort of late doing this but I will post pictures of my trip to Minnesota, Iowa and Houston!!
I arrived in Minneapolis Saturday afternoon, here is my rental car, Hotel is not far so off I go.
Walmart ( a big discount store) found on the way so stopped to get a few things that I needed plus a few extras for friends!!
I arrived in Minneapolis Saturday afternoon, here is my rental car, Hotel is not far so off I go.
Walmart ( a big discount store) found on the way so stopped to get a few things that I needed plus a few extras for friends!!
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| wonder who these are for? |
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| Little RED American car, OH my!!! a Chevy!! Hotel was a ....., lots of noise, and I had to go out for ........ |
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| my first American breakfast!! but that's OK I am in Minnesota!!!! Vermont maple syrup? no!! Minnesota maple syrup!! OMG maple syrup is from Vermont not Minnesota have to complain about this!!!! |
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| Sunday, after my super breakfast had time to stop at the biggest shopping center in the states, The Mall of America, I found all the great stuff for the kids, DREAM I didn't have time to go on the rides..... would have been better than shopping in the stores!!! Bob is for that big kid I know!!! |
This is all inside the Mall, a Sunday morning, lots of people buying tickets for the kids, the stores not open yet and....well, I did go in some of them to buy something special for "me"
OK it's time to go, a long ride to Carroll Iowa, but look at
this tree, it seems lost......
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| Indian summer???? Maybe, it is about 26C outside, beautiful, sunny and not many clouds, love it!! OFF INTO THE WILD BLUE YONDER OK, how do you put gas in the car???!!!! How do you open the cover on the tank????!!! How do you make the gas pump work?????!!!! pay inside!! before !!! AFTER TEN MINUTES THOSE PROBLEMS WERE SOLVED and
Sorry no pictures on the drive down, alone, no place to stop on the highway, even the rest area's were off the highway....
Lots of small ponds, wild geese, deer, a flock of white geese or swans, have no idea, but the scenery was beautiful. Minnesota is the state of 10,000 lakes, loads of wildlife around. Someone told me "God's country"
On the barns there were a few quilt panels, sorry no pictures of those, and that's life.....can't have everything....
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six hours later with great music all the way, no country music either, I was worried about that at first, but........
What is the first thing I see as I drive into Carroll? (they had told me "corn fields" everywhere,
but there were none to be seen, Harvest already over!!
someone has been lying to me ) ......................................................
YES!!!!!
APQS
American Professional Quilting Systems
Can't get lost, in the morning I know exactly where I'm going!!
PLUS do you know these?????
I have seen them in pictures but never in REAL LIFE!!!!
WOW
Surprise!! Surprise!!
OK a little way down the road and........
Check in....
my Home away from Home!!
A little dip in the pool and hot tub.....
dinner at the sports bar next door and.....
bed time....
THIS HOTEL IS WONDERFUL
pop corn for the microwave
(that is in the room with a little fridge)
tea and coffee offered 24hrs
a waffle maker for fresh warm breakfast waffles!!!
how could you ask for more
Paradise in Carroll
I AM IN IOWA
APQS Training for four days, a new friend from South Africa, and lots and lots of
new and exciting things to learn and do......
Day one, Homemade chocolate cake, and of course Marc who is
enjoying every bite!!
YES::: We were planned.......
T THE HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE CAKE
THE MACHINES!!!!
My roommate Claire
Dawn on her phone.......
Three days of training with hands on, lunch with everyone, a little funny shopping going to the hardware store to get our tools.... and then going to
the auto body shop to finish our shopping!!!!!
a beautiful quilt shop in the middle of town with lots of nice fabric to dream about and
lots of yarn to make lots of scarves, mittens and sweaters..... the best was there........YES!!!!!
an APQS machine in the shop .... she demonstrates and quilts for others.....
Oh,can't forget shopping to find a costume for Halloween....going to be fun......
A big thank you to AMY
she's the best
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Des Monies
Wednesday afternoon we left for the showroom in
Des Monies, it's not really far from Carroll but going
to a big city, the capital of Iowa.....
Plug in the GPS, turn on the radio and off I go..
I arrive and where is the hotel???? Oh, my on the
other side of the road and really hidden, OK, go down the
road to turn around and what do I see.......Joann's... just have to stop and see what they have.
The costume shop, just around the bend, so I can do all in one outing. Well, it was kinda late for choice, so just picked up some spider earrings and some
lace gloves, that will be a start, I have a black skirt and guess
I will return to the fabric shop and see if there is some
fabric to dress up my skirt, I will be a witch, not using my imagination very much but it will be great.
Left with a big bag of black tulle with spiders on it, great to make a shoulder shawl, plus green and orange tulle to attach to my skirt, thread and needles to sew, plus a pair of scissors.
Off to the hotel to see if my roommate has arrived and then out
to dinner next door. Maybe a glass of wine before.... Yes!!
there is wine for us at the hotel, and it comes from Carroll,
they make wine there..... not bad for being American wine,
living in France it is hard to say that the wine from another
country is better than the wine here!!!!
No comments!!!!
Thursday class in the showroom with Dawn, guess we are
going to be a big group. Lots on new owners and we get to
play with the machines and have an example of what we should
do for our future customers. Going to be fun.
Oh my.....Beautiful a dream!!!!!
Have never seen so many APQS beauties in one place.....
WOW just WOW
I must be in Quilters Heaven
Machines.....Quilts.....Ribbons..... Great people.....
ENJOY!!!!
Quilting designs and ideas........to fill a lifetime
OH my Gosh, Wishing I was ten years younger,
Dream dream and dream.....
Feathers!!!!!!
Reality!!!! Class, lunch with goodies in there, Our names on the bags
with a little play thing, dessert and a great day of
sharing and meeting new friends.....
Of course answers to all of our questions
everyone is a little scared but that's normal
Our lives are about to change......
Before class was over and with regrets I have a seven hour road trip
to make to return to Minnesota. I have a private class with someone
special, I have all of her books.......but at home would like her to sign them ,,maybe, one day she will come to France and well you see
Dreams do come true.....
Bye Bye Iowa
Off to Two Harbors for class with........
TWO HARBORS MN
The trip up was beautiful, a little windy but blue skies all the way,
I saw lots of wild ducks and deer, lots and lots of deer
Guess they are running, hunting season must be close, on the news I heard that
a guy fell off of his deer stand and was taken to the hospital.....
I will make no other comments........
Beautiful Hotel, pool and spa, nice sign on the door
"please leave guns in your car"
well something like that
McDonald's just next door!!! and Pizza Hut on the other side of
the road, so....but there must be a nice resto in town,
off to the sports bar, says all the important people in town go there
so lets give it a try!!!!!
Good drinks, good food, and back to the hotel to rest up for tomorrow.
Friday morning up at dawn, really cold, looks like snow....
My class is just right across the road, lucky I can walk over but
it is freezing out, take the car......
Rudy and Lilly
love em,
Studio
Ribbons
More ribbons
More and more ribbons
WOW This gal is good!! real good!!!
Almost two days in the hands of this super quilter, going to be exceptional.....
Feathers, stencils, rulers, and of course McTavishing!!!!
Me and Karen
OOPS
Karen and I
Classes are over and I will be off to do some sight seeing and
going to Duluth for shopping
I need another suitcase!!!!
OH, I have my hat!!! Karen gave me her witches hat, that will bring me good luck I'm sure...
Water water everywhere, MN is the 10;000 lakes state, it is beautiful but cold
It snowed this morning and hope it stops, I have to drive again to Minneapolis to
get the plane for Houston.......YES !!!! HOUSTON
Meanwhile back in IOWA there are a few trucks getting packed and almost ready to go
GO!!! Where????? YES!!!! HOUSTON!!!!
Some of the beautiful scenery on the way back. I tried to take a picture of the deer but
they didn't come out, can't see them, well, I did, and I am happy for that.....
the lake is huge and seems very inviting even though it is cold out, could take the
boat out and sail around for hours....
Bye Bye!!! Off to Houston......
With an extra suitcase off to the International Quilt Festival
Taxi at the arrival, downtown Houston
Small hotel just two blocks away
this is going to be fun.....
OOPS downtown, note saying please do not wonder in town alone.....
OK, there is a vending machine, tea, and television... wifi that doesn't work
evening should be interesting.....
OK think positive, Class in the morning with Sue Patten, go to bed early and
dream of all the new things that I will learn.....
Dreamy the picture......
Not APQS!!! but that's OK
Here is our helper
One guy that is one to twenty seven
not bad!!!
Problems!!!
Everyone trying the new designs!!!
Sue telling us ................
My machine mate!!!!
Yes!!!! you can stand on chairs......
I look like SH....
Wow, two Sue's together.....
A little run through Market,
Here is Alex at the Aurifil stand
Would love all of those threads.....
Busy, busy
This was beautiful
The world is small, as I was walking around, I saw Gregory from
The Couserie Creative, he is just a half hour from me here in France,
then I saw Ida, the founder of OEQC in Holland, in fact we are at the
same little hotel.....
a little run through Checker Distributors, my favorite place to shop....
Meeting with APQS and Carrefour European de Patchwork....
The Bernina stand is huge, I did get a couple of bags with the Bernina 720....
OK back to the Hotel, pack my bags and changing Hotels, going with the group from
APQS, helping out during the show at the stand, going to be fun, scary, and hope
to learn quite a bit, and OH!!!!!!
SHOPPING for a Halloween costume for someone.....
This is going to be hard, Halloween is tomorrow and where, how, and Oh My!!!
Bags, taxi and off we go to my new home for four days......
Quite a ways out, but looks like a beautiful Hotel,
I will have a roommate from Italy......Hope she makes it,
with the storm ""Sandy" the flights are really messed up...
POOL
Forgot to tell you, went from 0 to 32C in one day, Houston it is very warm,
very very warm.....
Out to the Mall to find a costume, this is going to be fun,
Remember we are in Houston, so.....
The shops in the Mall are beautiful, very high class, very very high
class, where will I find something, What do I do, What do I buy,
Oh my, decisions, decisions, What will they think? What will they say?
I am ................. Well, guess it's Ok, we are the French APQS reps here to help
OH MY..........
OK, have to do it, so here it goes, went into a shop and found a beautiful something
for not much, you see I am in a place where the prices are very high and the
name brands are big, so I think I got away with a steal, now, the accessories to
go with what I bought, earrings, little head band, stocking, gloves, necklace,
make up, of course make up and eyelashes, long beautiful eyelashes....
Someone else is going to find a wig, and this should be great....
I hope........
Back to the hotel, very pleased with my choice, have to do my skirt, and get things ready
for tomorrow..... Halloween......
Oh, I did bring dinner back to the Hotel, stopped at the Cheesecake Factory so
Cheesecake for dinner, I haven't seen anyone around that I know, so sewing and
cheesecake on the board for tonight, maybe a dip in the pool, but ......
October 31......Halloween!!!!
My roommate is still flying around somewhere, hope she arrives....
Found the girls at breakfast so invited to go out shopping and lunch at
a great burger place,
a little last minute shopping for tonight, need a
few things to finish up the costumes for everyone.....
More eyelashes, lip stick, hair spray, and.....whatever we find....
Lucy is ready!!!!
After a long wait, lots of make up, and saying Oh la la!!!!
Here we are the Frenchies.....
Going to be interesting,
BUT FUN!!!!!
You only live once, so live.....SMILE and ENJOY
No comments, I did the best.....
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Here we all are, great "opening" preview evening at the
Houston International Quilt Show
A few are missing, and YES!!! my roommate arrived after
a very long voyage!!!!
November 1......
UP and OUT
Breakfast, waffles, fruit salad, and tea... lots of tea
I have a class this morning with another great quilter, then
to help at the APQS stand... HELP!!! I need help, what do I do???
what do I say???, never did this before, it's not like the shows that I know.........
So many questions....SMILE and pray, things will be OK......
Class
Me and teacher!!!
Going to do this!!!
*
Day is over, off to the hotel and out for dinner
It's raining!!!
Another day, sun is out and beautiful.....
OH!!! the Carpet from the Hotel to the Center
Beautiful......
Houston!! from the bridge that goes to the Hotel
Day is over, out for pizza, dessert and a Happy Birthday !!!
Love birthdays!!! it is a special day when it is your birthday!!!
The specialty "BUTTER CAKE"
OOPS!!!! lost pictures........
Day three and four
Some of the Quilts, this is part of OEQC
This is the quilt of Ines, she is my German quilting friend!!
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| can't read it but it sais "gone quilting" |
IT'S OVER!!!
THANK YOU
WHAT A GREAT FAMILY
THE APQS FAMILYSpread your wings and fly...................going home..............
Last American breakfast, omlette, sausage and toasted muffin!!!
French before lunch surprise Champagne and pop corn
sorry that I could not put all the pictures, I will try and make a smile box with all the quilts and
pictures that would not post..... hope that you enjoyed!!
