The Chaos Chronicles: April 2013

Tuesday, 30 April 2013

Checkin out the 'hood

After we picked up Isla at school today, it was so nice out, we decided to go up to the house plot site and walk the path to our neighbour's house (about 1/3 of a mile). In amazing luck, the family is the brother of Isla's wonderful nursery teacher and they have a 5 year old who loves the outdoors. The walk took forever, and there were a lot of tears from Ailsa, (and lots of Baa-ing from Fergus who loved all the sheep and baby lambs wandering about) but Isla was so determined to go visit her "new friend" (and we'd bought some potted flowers to take her, with tomorrow being May Day), she soldiered on, even though she pushed her bike over 3/4s of the way. The people were really nice and let the girls pet some new lambs that were just born in the shed behind their house. Isla and her new friend took off to play "hide-and-seek" in the trees, and the girls mother said she'd had to call a friend to help get the girl unstuck from the barbed wire fence up the hill just before we'd arrived (Isla and her are peas in a pod!) We met the man who is leasing all the ground around our site as well. The walk home was better (much more of it was down hill), and although there were still plenty of tears (from Ailsa), they were separated by her love of filling her pockets with rocks to throw in the next puddle and the occasional find of a feather (always a thrill!)

Charlie at all the sheep poo she could reach on a lead, and Cassie walked in heel perfectly, as always.

Wee man in the backpack.

Exploring the water sources

An amazing view north.

Making reed boats and seeing if they'd float.

Always one more rock to pick up!

Mom's Holiday

To make up for Dad's many business trips and Argentina trip, mom got a WHOLE week off and went to America to "Quilt Week" the largest quilt show in the US, held in Paducah, Kentucky. She flew through Dublin, and despite lots of impatient Americans upset at the lines in immigration, she enjoyed the blissful ability to stand in a hot, crowded hall, and only worry about herself. The flights were smooth, although the one to Paducah was delayed 4 hours, but it was all good as she made friends with the Australian and New Zealand ladies, which proved a serendipitous event, as, being non-Americans, one lady asked for "soda water" on the plane. The stewardess messed up and tried to give her tonic water, which she refused, however the stewardess was looking so harrassed and upset over the delay, mom offered to drink the opened can, well! Amazingly, just like it used to help with sickness when she was pregnant, tonic water cures all mom's motion sickness on flights! A WONDERFUL discovery!! It made the rest of the journey (and flights) SO much nicer.

We went straight from the airport to a place called "Patti's 1880 Settlement". They did flowerpot bread, the waitresses wore pioneer dresses and these were the bathrooms.....(they were closing for the night, and no one else was there, honest!)

Paducah is the Mecca for fabric! This was one shop....

The dogwoods were all out in bloom and there was pink petals in all the gutters. It was beautiful (and warmer than Scotland, so I was happy).

I went to the National Quilt Museum

Saw lots of quilts I'd love to make

Ate some great Mexican food

Saw where the Tennessee River meets the Ohio River

Saw lots of quilts to awe, but know I'll never be at that level!

Had a good laugh at American "environmental" policies.

Saw lots of OLD quilts (this was from a church group in about 1925)

Saw lots of weird-os.....QUILTMAN being probably the strangest.

Lived it up with some very kind (and talented) ladies in our house out at Kentucky Dam Village--who stayed up every night until after midnight working on quilting projects (and teaching me lots), and they made excellent food.

More amazing quilts

The Quilt Show winner (we'd given her--the lady in red--a ride from the airport--our plane was 4 hours late and there were no taxis--she ended up being the show winner, and was from Utah, so small world that it is, Kelly (my friend and tour guide for the week), actually knew this lady's sister in Ohio.

Some quilts were dizzying.

There were some strange ladies (these had covered their hats in fabric "yoyos"

There were lots of "Quilting world" celebrities (Ricky Tims)

The houses in our neighbourhood at the lake

The lake

The marina

Poison Ivy! (to show Isla what it is)

Of course I did get my Taco Bell fix (and we found a Coldstone Ice cream, and I managed to go to Cabelas in Chicago on my layover as well as a Target).