Nebraska adventure

 

My trip to Omaha, Nebraska to see the Cottonwood Quilters Guild turned out to have several adventures in one trip and it was a blast! Right out of the gate, I ran into fellow friend and quilter Mary Kay Davis at the Phoenix airport; how cool is that?

I arrived in Omaha to a big hug and welcome from Dawwn who put up with me for a few days. We instantly bonded and formed a friendship. She and Hubby took me to my hotel…..which had canceled my reservation, without notification.

Long story that I won’t go into. It was President’s Day weekend plus there was a huuuuuuge volleyball tournament going on as evidenced by lots of very tall youth. It was a trick just to get a room, any room; I ended up in a lovely Holiday Inn, phew!

And, in the Hall of Fame for Dumb Moves, when I began to unload my luggage, I had a panic attack – where was my tech bag???? Oh no! I thought through my flights and transfers and realized that I never carried it, it had to be in my car. Much better than being left in the airport!

Ah, but as I began to unpack, lo and behold, there it is inside my 29″ suitcase. I forgot that I hatched a plan to make all this easier by putting my delicate tech (laptop + camcorder) in my tote bag and putting all of the rest in my 29″ suitcase. Great idea, but I forgot I did it. Duh.

After all the panic, I had a good night’s sleep and was ready for class the next day. This group was uber creative! There were at least 4 new-to-me techniques that they came up with that blew me away. All but one student used the kit of sheers that I provided, but look how creative and varied their projects were! These are in-process shots (click on image to see the whole photo):

Oh no, somehow I must have missed someone, sorry!

I had Monday free during the day and Janelle took me to downtown Omaha for a delicious lunch and to see the sights. Two of particular interest were the Pioneer Courage Park and the newly completed Riverfront Park.

Pioneer Courage Park contains the largest installation of bronze sculptures in the world. The sculptures chronicle the westward migration through Omaha. You can see emotion in the figures depicted in the statues; that was pretty cool. What a struggle and a perilous journey it must have been:

And I loved the Riverfront Park, just completed this year. It’s beautiful and spacious with all kinds of structures and lovely seating areas. And a big, long slide beckoned; yes, I was the only adult without a child. It was a perfect day, in the 60’s, on President’s Day. There were families, couples, athletes, all kinds of people.

And a few local sights:

Oh yeah, I did work a little more with a lecture on Monday evening and Tues morning. They are a large guild and turnout was good:

Once I was done with my lecture we headed for the airport. My layover was in Denver this time and I was pleasantly surprised by a quilt exhibit!

I enjoyed an hour in my “ski chair” while waiting for my return flight:

Bayley and Hubby were glad to see me. I’m home for 4 days then off to Empty Spools at Asilomar. Want to come? You can sign up until the last minute. Can’t wait!

I’ll be linking up:

Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday