Catching Up

It's been a busy two weeks. I can't believe it's September already, and really almost the middle of the month. Two weekends ago was the big regional quilt show, Pacific West, in Tacoma. I had asked a few friends if they wanted to go, but it seemed everyone was busy. So I went by myself on Sunday. It was very good, but overwhelming. Fantastic quilts, but now that I've been admiring the simplicity and usability of modern quilts, they seem a bit over-done. I did take pictures of the ones I liked best, but I haven't had time to go through them and identify the photos.

Because the next day, I was getting ready to fly to Wisconsin and visit my mom in Door County. After a long day traveling, I was picked up at the Green Bay airport by sister Ann and her son Martin, who had driven up from Chicago. We had a good time catching up, and then a day or two later, my other sister Jill came up from Iowa with her daughter Annie. And then later Bob came. So we had a good group for activities, including playing Mexican Train Game in the evenings.

The view at the cabin. The light rocks at the water's edge are normally under water. The lake's water level has been going down for several years, and even more so this year. A combination of the drought conditions and communities using Lake Michigan water as though it's an inexhaustible resource.

We were there for the full moon rising over the lake, but I only had a camera phone with me that night. So you have to take my word for it, that is the full moon, with a nice reflection.

The next night I brought over my other camera, with good zoom.

I think it was Saturday that Jill, Ann and I went to galleries: Fine Line, Hardy Gallery and Edgewood Orchard. This piece at Fine Line definitely caught our attention, in a 'oh my, what was he thinking' way. It's made of one or more old braided rugs, reshaped and laced together over a form. Since we all grew up with braided rugs our Grandma Denker made, we recognized that the fabrics were of that era, and showed the same kind of wear in places. 

Also at the Fine Line, the current exhibit featured quilt/textile art by Sue Benner. Among a number of pieces featuring her trademark layered florals (now more simplistic with paint creating some of the layers), was this larger, more abstract piece.