Happy to be Home!

I think everyone should travel. The planning is loads of fun, choosing what you want to see and what you have time to fit in. Travel in itself can be quite stressful. Even with careful planning, things can go weird.

Karen and I left on Wednesday April 22nd at about 2:00PM and with the 9 hours time difference, arrived in Amsterdam on Thursday the 23rd.  We got on a train and went to Groningen where my daughter Jennifer, her husband Hugo and grand baby Nora live. He met us at the station and we were oh so glad to see him.

There are lots of canals in The Netherlands and we stayed on an old fishing boat that had been updated a bit. Airbnb is a fun way to go if you are willing to take a chance that all might not be as it is at your home! The water in the shower went from hot to ice cold without warning. We didn't have wifi......I know....a few years that wouldn't have mattered. It wasn't wonderful , but it was an adventure.

There is a wonderful park close to where Jennifer lives and we walked by it several times. We did massive amounts of walking every where we went!

We flew to London from Groningen Monday evening, caught another train and then a cab to our next home. London was wonderful. It is very crowded with people in a huge hurry. We rode cabs, trains, boats, double decker buses all over the city. We saw lots of things that everyone sees, and probably some that they don't.

I did ride the Eye. I was so afraid of doing so and got myself into quite a state! It wasn't scary at All. Beautiful view of the city and you can see it was a perfect day. We had gone on a train earlier in the day to meet Janet Bolton. Many of you may know her work. She doesn't consider herself a quilter but a maker of fabric pictures. She has a new book coming out very soon. She picked us up and took us to her home to see her studio. She is an inspiration. She gave us tea and cookies and then drove us to a beautiful park that has the Meridian line and a huge old sailing ship. There we boarded a big boat and down the Thames we went. After that ride was when we walked across a bridge and went on the Eye. Full and fun day.

Very beautiful city. We saw the Phantom of the Opera in Her Majesty's Theatre, ate fish and chips and drank beer in a pub. We went to the Victoria and Albert Museum and rode the Hop On and Off bus to get a view of the whole city.

New building and very Old buildings.

From there we rode the Chunnel to Paris. You couldn't even tell that you went underwater! 

I love Paris.

I found lots of old doors to take pictures of. They are huge and old and beautiful.

Behind similar doors was our place to stay in Paris. We walked through this pretty garden and through 2 more doors to our flat.

This cafe was a great people watching place to refresh ourselves.

No title needed! It was a really nice day until we decided to leave and then the heavens opened up and poured. The wind blew and we stood in a doorway to keep ourselves dry until it lightened up a bit.

Bridge by Notre Dame.

We spent a week walking in Paris. Got very lost one day and walked it seemed forever. Finally found our way to the Metro. Exhausting, but we were at it again the next day.

On Sunday we left on a train to Amsterdam. Hugo and Jennifer and Nora greeted us the station and off we went on more adventures. These are shiny pipes at a pub. 

We rode on a canal boat all around the city. Before we got on the boat we went to the Canal Museum. I thought it would be dull but it was one of the most interesting and novel museums I've ever been to. 

It was wonderful spending time with my family at the beginning and at the end of our trip. It was difficult to leave them  but I was ready to come home. We had a great time and I hope I haven't given you too many pictures.

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Class updates.

This Thursday May 21 is Maggie B day. 10-4 with lunch served...and if I get them right we will have custard tarts.  $10.00

Saturday May 23 10-4 is Spargonian day. Lunch and $10.00

Sunday May 24 11-4 is Open Sew. Lunch and $10.00

Thursday June 4 is our class where we work on Fall projects. 10-4  lunch and $10.00

Friday June 5 10-4 is First Friday, bring whatever project you want and we offer free advice. Lunch and $10.00

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I did work on this while on my trip. Thanks to Sandra E. who showed me how to do hexagons without papers, this was a fun project to make for our doll quilt class. The next picture is of the back.

Looks cool.

I have a friend who is making doll beds for us. If you are interested in having one made, get in touch with me.  $25.00 and you paint and string the bottom.

The inside opening is about 12 3/4" X 6 3/4".

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you soon.

Betty  thequiltingb1947@gmail.com     cell 503.680.7436

Wisdom Words

The secret of life isn’t what happens to you, but what you do with what happens to you.

Joy increases as you give it, and diminishes as you try to keep it for yourself. In giving it, you will accumulate a deposit of joy greater than you ever believed possible.