I had a fantastic weekend in Oregon, with sister, Sally, and her family. Soon as I got off the airplane, we headed for Ikea–I’ve never been to one before–and met niece Sam for some browsing and a great Mexican meal later on. On Friday, as I predicted, we shopped for crafting supplies (like I need any more of those) and laughed a lot. We celebrated nephew Jesse’s birthday–it was the 8th–with cupcakes baked and decorated by niece Angela and great-nephew, Jaden, who is seven. On Saturday morning, we rose early and headed for Sisters, Oregon, site of the world famous one-day quilt show, ‘we’ being Sally, Angela and myself. The drive itself was an experience–so much beautiful, unspoiled land, a meandering river, the stark landscape a forest fire leaves behind, sad, but poignantly beautiful, too. The journey took a little over two hours. When we arrived, well, friends, I was just blown away–there were so many fabulous handmade quilts on display, carefully hung from walls and storefronts, up and down the streets of Sisters. It was almost too much to take in! There are a few pictures on my Facebook page.
I was inspired, and not just to try quilting myself. The combinations of color, the many, many designs, the amazing creativity of the artists–it was so stimulating on every level. We were absolutely dazzled! The together-time with my sister and my niece, was the best part of all. After walking and walking and looking and looking, we made a quick trip to nearby Bend to meet up with Angela’s fiance, Taylor, and their wonderful, goof-ball of a beagle, Gus. (Need I say how much I love beagles????) Angela treated her mom and me to a special souvenir: a little framed saying that reads, “Do one thing every day that makes you happy.” The words are stitched onto a quilt-like background–very sweet. And good advice, too, don’t you think?
It was a long day, and we were tired when we got back to Sally’s, but we got out our markers and pens out and did some zentangling. (Just Google “zentangles” and you’ll see plenty of examples.) We had to do something to process all that we’d seen and experienced that day–I was on quilt overload and expected to dream in patchwork that night. 🙂 If I did, I don’t remember it–I was really zonked.
Sunday was my day to return home, but we managed a couple of fun stops between Sally’s place and the airport–the famous bookstore, Powell’s, was one of them–man, I could spend DAYS in that place–and a store I’ve been wanting to visit since I read about it somewhere, called “Cargo”. As the name implies, the shop is full of wonderful things, mainly from the Far East. I bought lots of little bits and pieces–things for my artist trading cards and art journals–very exciting. Sally is mailing the stuff I bought on Sunday–my suitcase was already jam-packed, as you can imagine.
The flight home was easy, and niece Jenni was waiting to load up my suitcase and take me home.
Bernice greeted me as joyfully as if I’d been gone for months–:)–the kitties just wanted me to feed them. Chris, the weekend wrangler, had stayed with them while I was away.
Today, it’s back to writing, and I’m so excited to get started!
About Linda
The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West.
Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a horse property outside Spokane.
