On our way south, we hit the coast at Crescent City, California.

The views were spectacular.

Bob was really good about pulling over for photo ops.

As you can see, there was quite a bit of cloud cover…

…but it wasn’t raining, and that’s always a good thing!

I always love the haystacks along the coast.

Every stop was amazing.

Can you imagine exploring the coast and trying to come ashore through these rocks???

After a few wonderful days in Eureka, we headed north along the coast again.

This time, we had a gorgeous day!

The water was an amazing shade of blue.

We stayed on the coast all the way north to Oregon…

…and all the way through Oregon…

…from border to border!

Even though I live on the coast, I never tire of the changing views.

This little cove looked so inviting.

And who doesn’t love an arched rock?!?

Even the coastal trees are beautiful.

It was nice that we weren’t in a hurry.

That doesn’t happen very often.

We took our time….

…stopping when we wanted.  We spent the night in Newport.

When we got up the next day to very different weather.  This is the view looking out to the ocean from a park on the beach.  Really.

It did clear up some later in the day.

But even wearing a shroud of fog, there’s still something beautiful about the coast.

Grants Pass welcomed us by telling us, “It’s the climate.”  I’ve got news for them.  Their rain wasn’t any more special than our rain at home.

There were plenty of fine looking places to stay.  Darn, no vacancy at the Crest.

Looks like the Flamingo has gone to monthly rentals only.

The Bunny was tempting.

Almost Heaven–hey, isn’t that West Virginia?

Dining options were also plentiful.

This one tempted me the most.

Although I do like Italian food.

We could have shopped at the Court House Market if we wanted to cook our own dinner.

Or perhaps Spadoni’s.  We could pick up a bottle while we were there.  Must be California!

Easier just to slip into the Wonder Bur for a drink, I think.

However, a martini at the Shanty might be better.

There were lots of choices of movie palaces, like this on in Orick.  I wonder what kind of vacuum they use?

Ah, the Rogue…

…I believe I went to a movie with him once.

Of course, how could on not prefer the Ritz?

Bob’s favorite–a place for doughnuts!

And speaking of Bob…

…we could have picked up a fine used car, either at Bob’s or…

…at A-1 Pre-Owned cars.  I wonder which is better, used or pre-owned?

All that glitz and pretty neon.  Eye candy!

Patriot’s Dream by Barbara Shrout,  The name is inspired by a line from America the Beautiful—“O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years…”  I love the curved edges.

Barn Raising by Lauren Semple.  Isn’t it amazing what can be done with half-square triangles!

Standing Strong by Sharon Dixon.

The Secret Life of Dancing Tulips by Jeanne Brenner.  The title refers to the dancing tulips subtly quilted into the border.

I love the shading achieved by different tones of the same color.

Sunflowers 2 by Charlotte A. Hickman.  I think sunflowers are such happy flowers!

Black-Eyed Susans and Yellow Mexican Hats by Mary Ann Vaca-Lambert.These two flowers grow wild along the roadside in Texas.

Portraits of Flora by Timna Tarr.  What a great use of many, many fabrics!

This next quilts wasn’t at the show in Houston, but there’s a reason I’m showing it here.  It’s called Checkerboard Vortex, maker unknown.  It’s quite famous in the quilting world, appearing in many books and at the recent Red and White quilt exhibit in New York.  This quilt was made around 1920!  In the book Twentieth Century Quilts 1900 – 1950 it’s described as, “Extraordinarily contemporary in its design, this amazing quilt is a triumph of precise design and piecing, and it it an astonishing precursor to the art of Vasarely.”  Like many others, I’m in love with this quilt.

Incredibly, Nora Ronningen has made her own version of the quilt which she calls Vortex in Variation.

I could hardly pull myself away.  It was stunning!

Preserve Nature, Preserve Self by Susie Johnson.  Did you know the gingko tree has been around for 270 million years!?!

Redwork Revisited by Susan Dague.

The maker used old kitchen transfers for the designs on this quilt.

I think the sashings are great, too!  They are just half-square triangles.

One of the exhibits was called Text on Textiles.  In the display area were several old typewriters.  Wow, an orange one!

Ethel’s Diary by Eileen Campbell is a great use of photos and words on a quilt.

I remember pressed tin toy typewriters like this one!

This adorable portable is a lot like the one we have that Bob’s grandfather used in his “Tailoring Parlor” in Libby Montana in the early 1900′s.  The carriage flips forward and the whole thing fits into a case!

Salvaged Words by Jette Clover.  There are pages from vintage books used on this quilt!

I’ve used words and photos on labels, but not as the main focus of the quilt.  This is from my Dearest Brother quilt, which tells the story of Anna Lena’s life.

Hmmm, that might make a good blog post!

But when you go in, it gets even better!  Check out that marble counter.

It was a long narrow space with very high ceilings and a loft.  There was even marble on the stairs going up!

There was a great view of the shop from up there!

Isn’t the millwork around the door beautiful?

The displays were so well done, with kits and patterns hanging near all the samples so I didn’t have to ask.

It was a great shop!

It was interesting but also kind of creepy touring the prison, which was still in use until the late 1970′s.

The prison is in Deer Lodge, Montana, and is now part of a large museum complex, including a fabulous car museum and a doll museum as well as the prison.

Nearby is the Grant Kohs National Historic Site, a part of the National Parks system.  Don’t you love the visitors’ center?

The entrance to this cattle ranch was down a path which took you by this old wagon…

,,,and these teepees.

Fittingly, the public restrooms were in a log building!

At one time, the Kohrs family ranched 10 million acres.  Can you even imagine?  It is still a working ranch, but now there are only 1,000 acres.  Still sounds like a lot to me!

In the beginning, the Kohrs family had a modest home, but they prospered and added on to the house.  The result is a beautiful Victorian farm house.

No photos were allowed inside, but I did find these on the NPS website.  The parlor was lovely.  Mrs Kohrs was born in Germany and made many trips back, bringing lovely things to furnish her home.

The kitchen was quite modern!

The dining room was in the addition and was fabulous.

The tour exited through the back of the house.

I love the old steps….

…and the picket fence…

…and the flower garden.

The most beautiful pink poppies were blooming.  They have been growing there since Augusta Kohrs’ day.  I asked if they sold seeds in the gift shop and our guide said they did not.  Then she said, “Just help yourself!”  I’m so glad we were there when there were mature seed pods.  Next year I should have pink poppies in my garden to go along with the purple ones I already grow!

There was an authentic chuck wagon.

And a pretty authentic looking “Cookie!”  He offered us boiled coffee, which Bob tried.

I loved all the little accoutrements.

And how ingenious is this little basin which hangs over the wagon wheel!?!

They still raise longhorn cattle here.  I tried to get this guy to lift his head for a glamour shot, but he was too interested in the lush grass.

It was a great spot and I highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area.

One last note.  Not all early settlers were as prosperous as the Kohrs family.  This photo was on display in the car museum, of all places.  The reason I like it so much is because of the shelf decoration.  I always say that the thing that differentiates humans from animals (besides the fact that we have a soul) is that humans decorate.  No matter how bleak the surroundings or how difficult the lifestyle, people have always made an attempt to beautify their homes.  I love it!

Our favorite was the Circle T, but even its sign is gone.  The Whispering Palms is closed, too.

As is the old theater.

I think the bar and grill is hanging on!

No gas today.  Most of the business has moved out by the interstate exchange.  Bye, Ritzville.

Well, you know you’re in Montana when the sconces in the restaurant look like cow skulls!

We stayed in Kalispell and had breakfast at Sykes.  Yep, 10 cent coffee!

We went with some of Bob’s family to Glacier Park for a picnic.

There’s a handsome bunch!

We were on the shores of Lake McDonald.  Breathtaking!

I love the tenacity of trees.

I think it’s so cool that they still have the red busses in the park.  (Yellowstone has yellow ones!)

This is the Conrad Mansion in Kalispell.  The grounds were the prettiest I had ever seen them.

Kalispell has some cool old buildings, like the fabulous art deco TV station.

And the very proper City Water Department.

The old theater.

We had lunch with Vernon and Thelma, now both in their late eighties.  On the wall was this picture of Vernon and Pastor Pete.  I think Vernon is as handsome as Marshall Dillon!

We had breakfast one day at Wheat Montana.  Loved the poster.

This is the view from Bob’s cousin Glenn’s house.  Talk about Big Sky Country!

Wheat fields in the front of the house and the Flathead River out the back!  It doesn’t get much better than that!

Another tenacious tree.  It’s a long ways from the river now, but I think spring floods have had a go at it a time or two.

A couple more old signs.

And a Beaverslide!  For those who don’t know, it’s used for stacking hay.

Next, our visit to the state penitentiary!

McKenna and Tamara drove up from Albany to meet us.

It was so fun to see the displays in the store.

What’s this!?!  Julie is from 1974.  Oh, my god!  I’m old enough to be an American Girl Doll!

When I was in high school, my bedroom was hot pink and orange, just like Julie’s!

When I got married in 1974, I got a fondue pot exactly like this, except mine was Harvest Gold, not Avocado Green!  It’s all too much….

I had to move on.  McKenna liked the special doll for this year, Kanani.

We had to swing by the beauty parlor.  Look at all the choices you have for giving your doll a new hairstyle!

Elizabeth had to have a new ‘do.

Doesn’t it look pretty?

We had a lunch reservation.  McKenna and Sally.

Tamara and me.

The dolls each got their own chair!

And their own beverage!

The ceiling was adorable!

Some lucky little girl was having a birthday party.

We topped of lunch with decadent desserts.  McKenna had the brownie sundae (and so did I!).

Sally and Tamara had cake pops.

I have another granddaughter now, so guess who will be getting a Bitty Baby for Christmas?  Yep, Peyton.  And the whole family loves camo, so what could be more perfect than Bitty Baby in a camo outfit?  I’ll tell you what.  I bought a matching outfit for Peyton, too!

Oh, it’s fun to be a grandma!

The finished squares were about 1″ and the quilting stitches were amazing.  The border alone is a work of art!

I’m always pleased to see Redwork.  The vintage cats were adorable.

And Becky Coburn had stitched my Redwork Flower Baskets.

And Yvonne Smith had done the Blue Flower Baskets!

Pat Jones had done the Sunbonnet Sue and Scottie, too quilt.

She also did this charming Christmas mini.

This was the gorgeous raffle quit the guild had made.

This is Prairie Paint by Alice Wells.

Here’s a wonderful quilt for the outdoorsman.  I’m sorry I don’t know who made it.  Note: I received this message today from the quilt show chair and wanted to share it with you.  The outdoor fishing quilt was made by a group of women who were sisters.  Our local sister member is Vivian Edersheim.  One of the sisters, Bertha, decided to make each of her brothers a quilt and had barely gotten started when she was hit with cancer.  After her death, her surviving sisters decided to finish the quilts, and over the completion process the quilts traveled over 2000 miles as each sister took her turn at working on blocks.  Bertha continues to share her love of fabric and quilting with our guild because her sister Vivian has shared her fabrics and scraps with our group, and we pay a small donation to Vivian which in turn she gives to a charity.

Pat Jone’s made the Backyard Birds quilt.

This quilt is called Under the Sea by Arlyn Harris.  Perfect underwater colors!

Oldzii is a Never Ending Knot pattern made by Toni Gwinn.

Yvonne Smith made this Kindred Spirits quilt.

Oh!  This is my Christmas fabric made into a table runner by Helga Schiel.

Here’s the same pattern (which was designed by my friend, Karen Montgomery).  This patriotic version was made by Alice Wells.

I love the name of this cat quilt–Eight Lives Left.  It’s by Toni Gwin.

Lovebird Lane is by Dorothy Gruginski.

Life’s a Journey by Vickie Fenstermacher really caught my eye.

Who wouldn’t love an orange quilt?  Windmill by Marge Habersetzer.

The stitchery work on this quilt,Wild  Flowers by Vickie Fenstermacher, was amazing.

This quilt has a wonderful story.  Margaret Payne gave her nephew, Bruce Hill, the aqua fabric seen in this quilt.  Bruce, a quilter, made this quilt using the aqua fabric and gave it back to Margaret!

This vintage Flower Garden quilt was started over 70 years ago!  It was pieced by Catherine Lorton.

Charlene Phinney was the featured quilter.  Her quilts, like these African Birds, were works of art.

I believe this flowers are her work, also.

She created Rusted Quilt With No Name when she was playing with triangles.

This plaid quilt is the result of a class she took with Roberta Horton.

Another funky bird quilt!

More of Charlene’s work.  She hand dyes many of her fabrics.

I love these houses.

Dorothy Gruginski made this beautiful Out of the Darkness quilt.

The quilting was done by Arlyn Harris and is just beautiful.

The variegated thread was a perfect choice for this quilt.

It was a lovely show and I was delighted when I was asked if I would the featured quilter next year!

Like most people, I tend to forget that the art of quilting–stitching fabric together with tiny stitches, wasn’t always used just for bedding.  I took photos of the descriptions of the articles in the exhibit and will share them with you!

“Petticoat.  Machine quilted white cotton with hand gathered waistband and cotton batting.  C. 1860.”

“Petticoat.  Hand quilted cotton with diamond pattern.  c. 1875.”

“Petticoat.  Calico prints.  c. 1880.”

“Bonnet.  Quilted silk with wool batting.  Used as winter hood.  c. 1860.”

Bed jacket.

“Comfort on the Trail 1841-1868.  Quilts were a much-needed commodity on the Oregon Trail.  Referred to as bedding, quilts could warm bodies, cradle treasures and provide quick cover from the elements.  Guidebooks recommended two or three bedding articles per person to be sufficient.  Quilts were bartered for river passage, supplies, and other necessities.”

“When tragedy hit the Trail, quilts were used in burials to wrap around the body, as no time could be spent to make coffins.”

“‘The bodies were wrapped together in a bed comforter and wound, quite mummified with a few yards of string that we made by tying together torn strips of cotton dress skirt.’  Catherine Haun, 1849 diary of her travels on the Oregon Trail.”

“Princess Feather with Star Pattern.  Quilts like this one were often used in political fundraisers for the Whig’s Party.”

“To achieve green, the fabric was dyed yellow then blue.  c. 1850.”

“Sunflower Quilt. Sunflower patterns are appliqued on.  The densely quilted top has a shell pattern around the border.”

“Red, white and double pink colorings with novelty prints in the Indigo blue.  c. 1850.”

“Silk Fan Quilt. The Centennial International Exhibition of 1876 was held in Philadelphia to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  The Japanese exhibit influenced Americans to adopt Japanese styles and motifs throughout their homes. The Silk Fan Quilts was a popular motif for decades after the exhibition.  c. 1890.”

“Whole Cloth Quilt. This white-on-white cotton quilt was made by Sarah Dibble Conley of Minnesota, 1856-1950.”

“The variety of quilted designs showcase the quilter’s talent.  The quilt’s unique feature is that it was made of one large piece of cotton, which was expensive to buy in the day.  c. 1900.”

A lovely little vignette.

“Women’s Relief Corps Ribbon Quilt. This quilt consists of ribbons of the Womens Relief Corps from the Oregon Pioneer Association Meetings.”

“These meetings were held around the state of Oregon and in other states.”

Participants were given ribbons to wear, showing what year they had crossed the plains.  If you note below, there is also a ribbon that says “GAR.”  That stands for Grand Army of the Republic.  It was also popular to hold reunions for those who served in the Union Army during the Civil War.  This ribbon would have come from one of those gatherings.

c. 1925.

“During the Great Depression, women continued to quilt with renewed enthusiasm.”

“American Legion Auxiliary Quilt. Community quilts like this one were made with bold, original designs and a strong sense of purpose.  The people whose names were embroidered on the quilt were involved with post 9 of the American Legion Auxiliary in Salem, Oregon.”

“Past officers names are designated with titles.  Two of the names also have gold stars.”  I believe those two women lost sons during the war.  c. 1931.

I don’t know why there weren’t individual signs on these quilts.  I know this pattern as Hummingbird or Snowball.

Even a utility quilt like this Nine-Patch was made to look beautiful with its four block setting, green sashing and pink cornerstones.

This darling Noah’s Ark Quilt was undoubtedly a kit quilt.

This Ohio Rose in yellow is absolutely gorgeous.  Both the applique and quilting are exquisite.  I love the swagged border.

If you look closely, you’ll see that this butterfly quilt has yellow sashing, but it has faded to almost whilte.

In another section of the museum was this wagon with another vintage quilt.  I snapped this photo both for the quilt and the canvas that says 1852.  That’s the year my great-grandmother crossed from Missouri to Oregon Territory.

I’m sure you can guess their latest project–Alice in Wonderland!

Even the Mad Hatter was there.

And the Hookah smoking character.

And the Cheshire Cat.

Oh no!  Alice goes down the rabbit hole!

Most of my knowledge of Alice comes from the Jefferson Airplane Song!

The Cheshire Cat.

“I’m late, I’m late, for a very important date!” (Actually, I am, but I wanted to get this post up before I leave!)

Another great exhibit that I enjoyed was this one, sponsored by Greenbaum’s Quilted Forest from Salem.

Fiber Artists were asked to make their interpretation of a tree.

They were amazing.