Lisa, Nicole and the adorable Miss Lily
Sometimes you just know you are going to like someone. That is how I felt about meeting my friend Lisa in person on my trip to Washington last week. Lisa and I met on-line last February. I didn't even have a blog at that time, and one day while I was browsing quilting sites on the Internet, I came upon her blog (Stashmaster), where she had posted a picture of her Zuzu's Petals quilt. I had to comment on her blog posting, because I had made the exact same quilt and it was one of my favorites. One thing led to another, and we started corresponding by email regularly. We found that we shared many interests in common and had very similar tastes in fabric and quilting projects. I was encouraged to start my own blog and have not looked back since.
Lisa and I share a great admiration for Carrie Nelson, of Miss Rosie's Quilt Company. When Lisa heard that Carrie would be teaching two classes at The Buggy Barn, in Reardan, WA, she emailed me to see if I would be interested in taking the classes with her. There was no need for me to think twice about that, and I responded that I would be there with bells on.
We were extremely fortunate that Lisa's lovely mom Dorothy was willing to put us up for the duration of my five day visit to Washington. Imagine trusting that a complete stranger (me) would be a reasonable house guest! I promised to behave myself and not eat her out of house and home. I made no such promises regarding consuming her wine however, and think I may owe her a couple of bottles....
I arrived in Spokane on Saturday and with a rental car equipped with a navigation system, easily found my way to Lisa's mom's house. As I pulled into the driveway, Lisa came bounding out of the house to give me a great big hug. After a few surreal moments of gaping and staring at each other, we slipped into comfortable conversation, as if we had known each other forever. Whatever people might say, it is possible to get to know someone on the Internet, and have a pretty good feeling for what they are like in person. Lisa did not disappoint in any way, and in fact she surpassed all my expectations in terms of friendliness, generosity, good humor and graciousness.
Shortly after my arrival, her mom Dorothy came home and we made a plan to drive out into the country to Lisa's Aunt Claudia's farm, where Lisa's daughter Lily was playing with some cousins. After a drive through pine forests and gentle hills, we arrived at Claudia's house, where the four little girls were frolicking around the barns, chicken coop, play set, and open meadows. What a peaceful, ideal place it was for children to explore and have a great time with each other. Each one of those little girls (age 3 through 7) was as cute as a bug---and well mannered too! We made plans to meet up the following day to visit some peach farms in the countryside.
Luckily Lisa did not have her camera with her, because on the way back to Dorothy's house that first evening, I was pulled over by the police for driving my rental car with the lights not all the way on. I had had a funny feeling that something wasn't quite right with the lights, as the dash board lights didn't seem to be fully on either. The rental car I was issued could not have been more out of character for me. They gave me a huge muscle car--a silver Dodge Charger. I looked like the wife of some Mob Boss, driving around in that ridiculous vehicle. When I gasped in horror at the assigned car, the rental clerk assured me he could upgrade me to an SUV at no extra cost. I just didn't know what to say about that, except to protest that I really would prefer something smaller and less flashy. No such luck. So of course I stood out like a sore thumb out in the pastoral little town that Dorothy lives in, and to my embarassment, got pulled over within my first six hours of arrival. I hopped out of the car full of hope that the police officer could provide some assistance with the head light confusion, but am sorry to say his sense of humor and good will left much to be desired. Lisa level headedly handed over my rental agreement and driver's licence and also figured out the head lights while my background was being checked. We were on our way shortly, and headed back to Dorothy's for a glass of wine strictly for medicinal purposes of course.
The next day, Sunday, was a cool and rainy one, but we proceeded with the plan to visit some peach farms in the locale, as they were all having open houses for folks to picnic and pick and taste fresh peaches. Let me tell you, folks who live in Washington State are definitely not afraid of a bit of rain. We went to a couple of farms, before settling on the one we thought would provide the best experience. This place had musicians playing under a tent, food for sale, a dough-nut making exhibition, and a fabulous peach tasting going on. We tasted eight different types of peaches, each one more delicious than the next. The woman providing the peach slices for us to taste was endlessly patient with us, making sure each of our four little girls had a slice right along with us grown ups. After purchasing three boxes of peaches, a peach pie, and pumpkin dough-nuts, we headed on our way. It was a perfect day in every way!
We sat up late visiting and drinking Dorothy's wine, all keyed up and excited about our visit to the Buggy Barn first thing the next day, and of course wildly excited about taking our class with Carrie Nelson. More on that experience tomorrow!