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One of my other pastimes...

I attended the US Orienteering Team Trials this past weekend... no, I wasn't trying out for the Team (too slow for that; I was going to say too old, but the oldest female member on the team will turn 50 next year--she's superb), but taking part in the orienteering courses offered. We could run the same course(s) as the Team Trialers, after they had all started. I ran the medium and sprint length courses on Saturday, but not the longer course on Sunday.

Here I'm running to the last checkpoint on a sprint orienteering course. Thanks to Clem McGrath for the photo. I have a thumb-mounted compass over my map in my left hand, and my timing chip/recorder attached to a finger of my right hand (the watch on my right wrist tracks my route using GPS signals). I knew someone was taking pictures, so I tried not to grimace!

I may look like I'm running fast, to you, but I'm only about half as fast as the fastest woman there (an 18-year-old Canadian), who took just under 12 minutes on this course (I took just over 20). But I wasn't last!

Next stop, San Francisco?

Maybe the next get-together will be in California, and maybe I'll meet a few more Magpies (I sure hope so!). In any case, I'll be looking forward to the next "Piefest" no matter what we call it.

In the meantime, orienteering calls me back, and I must heed the siren call...

And the party goes on...

Visit Jean's blog for "the further adventures of the Magpies."

And maybe Terri will upload a few of her pictures someday... :-)

Almost settled back into a routine

Now that it's been almost a week since I got back from Chicago, I still don't really have time to do much with this blog, but I've added quilt pictures to my Picasa page, to which I've added quilter and title information.

Back home

Flights were on time both going to Chicago and coming home. Speculation is that fewer flights were going into Chicago because of problems with flights out of Europe (due to ash from the volcano in Iceland); I'm not sure how that would affect Chicago, but who knows. Anyway, I arrived back at Albany airport 7 minutes ahead of schedule. More to come!

Chicago tour and Magpie dinner!

The Aussie 'pies wanted to go downtown to especially visit Millennium Park and "the Bean," a reflective metallic sculpture also called Cloud Gate.  They learned about it from a video called "Where's Matt?"  Nann researched the train schedule from the station nearest the hotel, determining the train we should take into town and the one we needed to catch to get to the planned dinner at Julie's house later that day.  We also thought that going up to the observation deck of Sear's-Tower-now-called-Willis-Tower would be a good idea, to get the overview of the city.  It was a beautiful, clear day, though a bit on the cool side (especially for the Aussies who came from late summer/early fall and are used to warmer climes!) and they were bundled up with scarves and gloves.

Terri still needs to send me the photo she took of me out on one of the Sky Deck bumpout platforms (clear to the ground! -- but I wouldn't let go of the solid part of the building...); here's what one looks like without anyone on it.

The Sky Deck was where Terri decided that Lake Michigan was mis-named, as she told me about lakes in Australia, most of which aren't very deep or wide.  She decided it should be called the Michigan Sea because "you can't see the other side!"  Promotional information said we could see 4 states and a Canadian province on a clear day, and I'd say that was true this day.

On the walk from Willis Tower to Millennium Park I tried to remember where the old Marshall Fields department store was located, but we never found it.  We did stop into a Starbucks to warm up (and get warm drinks!) before braving the brisk breeze again.  I think we only passed 8 different Starbucks stores on the route we took... I wonder how many there actually are downtown!




The Crown Fountain in Millennium Park was our first stop, and many youngsters were having a great time splashing and wading in the water, which was warm from the sun.  The tulips were in full bloom and gorgeous colors (a kind stranger took a photo of the three of us -- with Terri's camera -- so I can't share it here).


And then we finally came upon the Bean, which fascinated us for at least a half-hour.  All three of us snapped multiple images from many different angles, just because it was so cool.

It was before noon when we decided we had seen enough in Millennium Park, and didn't need to catch our train until almost 2:30, so we hiked up the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue as far as the Water Tower (northern extent of the Great Chicago Fire of 1876).  We just happened to pass an Apple Store on the way, and T&G had been in two previous stores (in San Francisco and Seattle) to drool over the newly released iPad (not available in Australia until June 2010).  As we were greeted near the door, their first question was, "Do you have the iPad in stock?" and the answer was "Yes, what size do you need?"  It wasn't long before each of them had their own iPad-containing shopping bag complete with matching protective covers. :-)  The envy of all Australia, indeed!

It was time to start heading back to the train station, but we were getting hungry; we didn't see any good fast-food places near Michigan Avenue but did manage to find some good paninis in another Starbucks to tide us over.  Then we really needed to hoof it to the train station so we didn't miss it.  It was a bit farther than I expected, and I kept speeding up (I would have jogged, but knew Terri couldn't), but we arrived with about 5 minutes to spare!  Hurray!  Terri and I chatted most of the way up to the end of the line (just south of the Wisconsin state line) in Waukegan, while Gilly listened in and sometimes added a comment or two.  And when we arrived and got off the train, there was Nann, who had JUST arrived to pick us up.  Everything went just right.

Julie and Bob were hosting dinner, and we joined the rest of the 'pies who had gone separate ways earlier in the day (some staying at the motel, some revisiting the Show, some seeing other sights in the area, such as the Bahai Temple and the Pyramid House -- fascinating!).  Thank you for sharing your lovely home, and thanks for the wonderful dinner (lasagna, both meat and meatless; spinach-strawberry salad; and various libations)!  Show and tell of Julie's fabulous quilts ensued, before we moved on to Nann's house, a short drive away, for dessert (strawberry-rhubarb crumble) and more show and tell.  I found Nann and Stephens's antiques fascinating, especially the radium water treatment urn from the early 1900s!  (I guess that's not much different than the spring water you might get at fountains at Saratoga Spa State Park in New York.)

After a wonderful evening it was time to head back to the hotel; we loaded into cars for the trek.  I rode in Nann's Honda CR-V (identical to my husband's down to the model year!), and she took us "over the state line for moral purposes" as it was only a few blocks away from her home.  :-)

Sunday morning departure times were staggered, and we took turns staggering into the breakfast room for our last joint meals, our last hugs (for now) and our goodbyes.  The Boston crowd (Verdi, Celia, and Ellie), the Aussies, and I all had departure times near 1 pm so we were able to share the airport shuttle and extend the goodbyes a little longer.  It was a great time!  I can't wait 'til the next one.  What a wonderful group of women we are.  :-)

More quilts, more vendors

On Friday some of got up early and hit the show before the crowds (or attended classes), and some of us slept in, including me.  I traveled with a group, mid-day, via a taxi the hotel rented because their shuttle broke down.  Traffic was heavier at mid-day and it took a bit longer to get there than the day before.  The taxi driver used a GPS to get us to the building the show was in, but wanted to drop us off at a side parking lot until we convinced him to drop us off under the overhang where the other taxis, buses, shuttles, and cars did the same.  It was much easier to unload the wheelchair for Verdi there rather than in the side parking lot!

I took wheelchair duty for the first hour or so, touring the vendors which I hadn't seen Thursday night.  I think we did well, and I only nudged a few ankles.  Verdi had a great time with the little horn RQ had loaned her.  We ate first, sharing a roast beef sandwich from one of the cafeterias, before braving the booths.   A bit of "ooo, shiny!" therapy for me as I bought a pair of purple glass-bead earrings that look like bunches of grapes.

About 2:30 or so Carolyn took over as driver while I went back to a few vendors I'd noted along the way, but I don't think I bought anything else (hardcore, I know).

Then came the "getting back to the hotel" adventure.  Celia, Carolyn, Verdi, and I needed a shuttle back to the Country Inn and called sometime before 3:00...  Whether we didn't see the van drive up, or whether they didn't send it out until after we'd called a couple more times, we finally connected and returned to the hotel around 5 or so.  We had dinner just up the road at a sports bar called Paps (no, we don't know if the other patrons were making jokes about us!).  It was breezy all day, and getting cooler by the minute, so the walk back to the motel was brisk, to say the least.  By the time we returned Gilly was ready for a hot shower or something else to warm her up...

We settled into the breakfast room for the evening and awaited Ronnie's arrival.  Hugs all around, more gift exchanging (Ronnie had printed up coaster tiles for everyone with a twilight Chicago skyline photo -- thanks!), and then Ronnie modeled some of the fabric bowls Diana and Franca sent.

Off to Chicago!

I've been so looking forward to getting together again with the 'pies I've met, and meeting a few new ones -- Terri and Gilly from Australia, Katie from Nebraska, and Ronnie from Ohio.  I'm also renewing acquaintances with a couple I met only briefly, Betty (Anna's friend, who came with her to Lancaster in 1998) and Ellie, Celia's cousin, who I met at the Lowell Piebake in 2006.

I packed light this trip (having practiced the weekend before going orienteering in Ohio), having only two carry-ons, so I didn't have to wait for checked bags. Nann had told me no one was meeting me at the airport; I called her cell from there but didn't get an answer so concluded that was still the case, and called the hotel shuttle to come get me. Actually, it was on its way to the airport to pick up someone else and was at the sidewalk when I stepped outside.

Verdi was sitting and stitching in the lobby when I arrived, and said that Julie had left to go to the airport to try to meet me there... I guess she had a nice ride!  Judy arrived soon, and Julie finally returned, and we all packed into Julie Toyota Prius (no sudden accelerations!) to head out for lunch after swinging by her hubby's place of business to pick up something.  We went to a Greek deli, and being overwhelmed by the menu I ended up ordering a cheeseburger (cheezburger...cheezburger).  Verdi the adventurous ordered Souvlaki without knowing what it was -- turns out it's seasoned pork kabobs served over rice.  Judy had the same, and Julie -- well, I don't remember what Julie had.

We made it safely back to the motel, and as the afternoon went on more 'pies trickled in.  Since Terri and Gilly were arriving between 5 and 6 and the quilt show preview started at 7 one group swung by the airport to pick them up and take them directly to the show while the rest of us took the hotel shuttle (or someone's car).  Judy had borrowed a wheelchair from her apartment complex for Verdi to use, and it was duly loaded into the shuttle. Carolyn took responsibility for wheeling Verdi around the quilts, at least part of the time, while the rest of us scattered to look at the quilts or scout out the vendors (more than 475 in one place!).  I wandered the quilt exhibits by myself to take everything in.  In the O Canada exhibit I ran into Terri and Gilly who had run into Pam Holland, another Australian quilter!  Pam was attending as a teacher/lecturer.  We exchanged hugs, and took pictures, then separated again knowing we'd reunite later.

We "flocked" again when the preview ended, and waited a bit for the shuttle but made it back to the motel. The ones who'd traveled in cars returned and ordered pizza by phone, but we beat it back and waited...and waited...and finally our supper arrived!  Yay, food!

Then off to bed for more adventures on Friday.