Here Birdy, Birdy

Tuffy on guard under the wren house. He has the most beautiful markings on his face, doesn't he? We're not partial or anything though. Grin

Nesting

Here is mama wren sitting on her nest. How about this for a bird's eye view?

Kitty Lust

We have wrens nesting in the birdhouse on the clothesline. Tonight Tuffy saw one of them fly into the house and he took up this position under it. He says - come on out and play....

Whitesocks goes to Kitty Heaven Today

Whitesocks, age 15 (that's 76 in people years) went to be our kitty angel today as a result of kidney failure. Socks adopted Wayne when we first moved to Paducah in 1994, and she had just had her first litter of kittens at the home we were renting. When the owners moved her to their home (just a few doors away), every day Socks would bring all of the kittens back to our house. After a few days, the kittens would stay at the new house, but not Socks. So Wayne and Socks were partners. She would come to his whistle and walk to the mailbox with him like a puppy would.

She could be a little dickens. After we moved into our home on Finley Court in 1995, something chased her up a tree...not just any tree, but one that was about 50 feet tall. A call to the fire department told us that when she was hungry, she would come down. After two days of sitting up in the tree, Wayne rented a 40 foot ladder, our neighbor Huel and I held the ladder while Wayne climbed up after Socks. After that she did a little tree climbing, but not anything that tall.

She didn't welcome Tuffy much when he joined our family a couple of years ago. They settled into Tuffy trying to play with her, and Socks hissing at him. Today Tuffy is looking for her.

Whitesocks was a good kitty and we will miss her.

The National Quilt Museum

So here is how the front of the building looks now. When the sun isn't so bright, I'll go take a better photo of the museum with its new signage.

The National Quilt Museum

After the unveiling of the new sign on the outside of the museum, Meredith Schroeder, Congressman Whitefield, and Bill Schroeder posed for a photo to mark the occasion.

MAQS recognized as The National Quilt Museum

Yesterday, May 17, Congressman Whitfield presented quilt museum founders Bill and Meredith Schroeder with the Congressional Record proclaiming the Museum of the American Quilter's Society as The National Quilt Museum.

The ceremony was attended by staff members of Senator Mitch McConnell and Congressman Whitefield, city and county officials, present and past MAQS Board members, Friends of MAQS, Paducah Ambassadors, quilters, and others interested in quilting and the quilt museum.

Armadillo - born dead along side the road GRIN

After I taught in Chicago, Wayne and I drove to the Ozarks for a few days. I quit counting how many dead armadillos we saw along the road, but it was a bunch of them. Finally decided I should stop and take a photo of one of them. I swear they must be born dead along side the road because I've never seen a live one. Here's a bit of information about the armadillo:

In the U.S., the sole resident armadillo is the Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), which is most common in the central southernmost states, particularly Texas. Their range is as far east as Florida and as far north as Kansas, and while cold winters have slowed the expansion of their range (due to a lack of sufficient body fat), they have been consistently expanding their range over the last century due to a lack of natural predators and have been found as far as western Kentucky, and are expected to eventually reach Ohio before the cold winters inhibit their expansion.

Armadillos are prolific diggers. Many species use their sharp claws to dig for food, such as grubs, and to dig dens. The Nine-banded Armadillo prefers to build burrows in moist soil near the creeks, streams, and arroyos near which it lives and feeds. The diet of different armadillo species varies, but consists mainly of insects, grubs, and other invertebrates. Some species, however, are almost entirely formicivorous (feeding mainly on ants).
Armadillos have poor vision but are not blind.

This armor-like skin appears to be the main defense of many armadillos, although most escape predators by fleeing (often into thorny patches, from which their armor protects them) or digging to safety. The North American Nine-banded Armadillo tends to jump straight in the air when surprised, and consequently often collides with the undercarriage or fenders of passing vehicles -- guess that explains why there are so many along the road.

Amish Planting

Another farmer was busy planting his field near Arcola, IL. He has five horses pulling his equipment.

Amish Plowing, Arcola, IL

Wayne and I stayed in Arcola, IL, on our way to Chicago. The Amish men were busy in the fields. This one is plowing with a team of nine horses.

Don't you just love the pastoral nature of this photo? Bright white fences, cows grazing, and the horses working the field.

Anothe version of Whacky Nine Patches

This was the barn raising version of the Whacky Nine Patches class. Penny used very similar values in the reds for her half-squares. Look at the texture that adds to her quilt - using several fabrics of similar value instead of one fabric.

Salt Creek Quilt Guild, Chicago

Last week I taught for the Salt Creek Quilters in Chicago. What a great group. Here is Bobbie showing off her Whacky Nine Patch quilt. This class lets you set the blocks a variety of ways. Bobbie used some fun yellow and orange fabrics. Do you see the Nine Patch blocks?

Jenny Wren

From my swing on the back porch, I can look right into the wren house. This one was busy making a new nest in the house - see the twigs sticking out under the eaves. That's how high the twigs are piled inside it.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Here's a pair of Rose-breasted Grosbeak - male on the left in front of a female cardinal, and the female grosbeak is on the right.

Did you ever wonder why the male birds get all of the color?

Hairy and Downy Woodpeckers

We have four kinds of woodpeckers that frequent our feeders. Here is a female hairy woodpecker on the left, and a male downy woodpecker on the right. They both landed just as I was ready to take this photo.

We also get a few pileated woodpecker sightings, and lots of red-bellied woodpeckers (larger than either of these).

Indigo Buntings

The indigo buntings are some of my favorite birds. Here two of them are eating under the big feeders, where the cardinals knock feed off.

Hummers are back

Our backyard is humming with birds. The hummers always come back about a week before the quilt show and this year was no exception. Wayne only has two feeders out now, but that will increase to four when more of them arrive. We usually have 15 to 20 that live between our feeders and Lorraine's next door.

Delta Queen at Port of Paducah

On Sunday, the Delta Queen stopped at the Port of Paducah. It doesn't look like Congress is going to give the old beauty a stay this time. If you want to see the Delta Queen stay afloat, contact your congressmen and tell them to keep the Delta Queen cruising the U.S. waterways.

Don't you just love these old paddle boats?

Red Dogwoods

The red dogwoods are my favorite. Look at these beautiful blossoms.

Several people asked for my Flowering Dogwood Patterns book at the show. The book is out of print from AQS, but I still have several copies for sale. Just send me an e-mail if you want to buy a copy.

Along the Dogwood Trail

This is the view of just one street lined with dogwood trees.

Wayne and I enjoy driving the trail every year. The trees are just loaded with blossoms this year.

Whitehaven

Here is the front of Whitehaven, with dogwoods and azaleas blooming. This porch is a favorite for prom photos - which was held this week too.

If you haven't taken a photo of your quilt group on this porch, put it on your agenda for next year. Beautiful spot for group photos.

Bonnie at Whitehaven

What does a show director do on the day after the quilt show? She (and her husband Wayne) sleep in a bit longer than normal, go out to breakfast (where they see several vendors who are getting ready to head home), drive the Dogwood Trail to take photos of dogwoods to use in next year's quilt show brochures, and then comes home to put her feet up (oh, my, do they hurt!).

This photo was taken on the back porch at Whitehaven, the antebellum mansion used as a Rest Area along Interstate 24. The grounds are covered with beautiful blooming trees.

The dogwoods were so late in blooming that I didn't get to take many photos before the show. They are still blooming beautifully so we'll have plenty of new photos to choose from for next year's printed materials.

Saturday afternoon - Christian Music Concert

A bright sunny afternoon on the banks of the Ohio River in Paducah was the site of the final event during this year's AQS Quilt Show. Musicians and singers from two churches, the Crossroads Christian Church, Newburgh, Indiana, and the Nazarene Missionary Baptist Church, Evansville, Indiana. A special addition to the concert was artist Gretchen Smith, Paducah, who paints Christian art inspired by music (left side of photo).

Ricky Tims - Live on Stage - Friday night

If you missed the Ricky Tims concert on Friday night at the Four Rivers Center, you missed a real treat. In this picture you see the Harley-Davidson motorcycle (courtesy of Four Rivers Harley-Davidson, Paducah) that he came riding in on...complete with flashing lights, smoke, the roar of the engine. his cap turned backwards, and black sunglasses.

And that wasn't even the best part of the evening. Ricky performed some of his music and favorites from his albums, and then he was joined by his long-time friend, Kat Bowser, who lives in Nashville, Tennessee. She has a cabaret style of singing, and has a great voice.

Ricky never fails to surprise us with his program. You may repeat a song or two, but there is always a new twist to the program.

Alex and Bonnie

Alex Anderson was the featured speaker on Wednesday evening. Lynda Smith shot this photo of Alex and me after her lecture - we're still smiling after a long first day of the show.

AQS Quilt Show - Opening Day

Today is Wednesday, April 23 - the opening day of the AQS Quilt Show...and this is the crowd waiting for the doors to open.

It was 85 degrees here today and it is supposed to stay warm for the next couple of days. Unusually warm for April here in Paducah.

The dogwoods are still beautiful so don't miss the Dogwood Trail drive through the city.

Nancy Prince demos at All-Star Review

One of the most popular events at the AQS Quilt Show is the All-Star Review. Here Nancy Prince demonstrates techniques for thread painting.

Pink Dogwoods - Paducah, KY

I saved the best photo for last today. Here are some of the beautiful dogwoods waiting for you when you get to Paducah. I stopped along the Dogwood Trail to shoot this photo.

See you next week in Paducah. We begin with the judging of the quilts tomorrow - by Monday we'll have them all judged. Safe travels on your trip to Paducah.

AQS Vendors on Park Avenue

AQS has a new location with 52 vendor booths and three great quilt exhibits. You'll find the Almost-Ever-Shady-Glades - animal quilts by Sue Van Wassenhove; Stitched Applique by Margaret Cusack; and Black & White Plus One Challenge by the Sun Prairie Heritage Quilters.

You won't want to miss the great vendors at this location either. You can ride the bus - the buses will stop here as they head back down to the convention center.

There is parking behind the building or at the church next door too.

Paducah is full of blooms

This evening Wayne and I had dinner with Klaudeen and Mervin Hansen from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Afterward we drove part of the Dogwood Trail. This was a corner full of blooming tulips, pansies, and a beautiful dogwood tree, and even a pretty Red bud tree in the background.

If you are coming to the quilt show next week. the dogwoods are just starting to bloom so there will be plenty of them for you to see. Don't forget to drive the dogwood trail...and when you see all of those signs marking the trail attached to stop signs - think of me, that's my Paducah dogwood block design that is used on those signs. It's also on the banners downtown.

See you next week at the show!

Levee behind Executive Inn

April 17 - At sunset we drove down by the river and this photo shows how far the river has dropped - compare it to the photo I took on Tuesday.

Schultz Park - Ohio River continues to drop

It's April 17 and the water in the Ohio River continues to drop. Check our my bench in Schultz Park today.

Levee Behind the Executive Inn

April 15 -- taxes are done and sent off today.

Here is another photos of the earthen levee behind the Executive Inn, showing how the water levels of the Ohio River are dropping.

We begin judging the quilts on Saturday, in preparation for the AQS Quilt Show next week. It's going to be a realllllllyyyy gooooood show.

See y'all here in Paducah.

Water Level Going Down - April 15....tax day

Today is April 15...and you can see that the water level is going down around the bench in Schultz Park. It looks to have dropped a couple of feet since my last photo of the bench.

Rumors continue to circulate that Paducah is flooded. They are just that - rumors. Paducah is dry and the flood gates have not needed to be installed at all this year.

Did you know that Paducah has 12 miles of flood walls to protect the city from flood waters? The city watches the water levels very carefully so the gates can be installed in necessary. Thankfully, this year they have not been needed.

See you all at the quilt show next week.

AQS Quilt Show & Paducah in Wall Street Journal

Yesterday (April 12), the AQS Quilt Show and Paducah were featured in the Wall Street Journal. Here's the link to read the article and see some photos.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120794966336508795.html?mod=weekend_journal_primary_hs

The writer, Meg Cox, has written a book called The Quilter's Catalog that is a history of quilting today and features many quilters and happenings in the world of quilting. You'll find some nice kudos to yours truly in the Introduction. I was a resource for Meg as she was developing her book. Meg will be at the AQS Quilt Show signing her book in The Craftsman's Touch booth in the Pool Annex vendor area.

Paducah Riverfront - April 12

A family from Murray was down on the riverfront checking out the water levels when I was there. These girls were interested in the water... As you can see the Wilson Stage is still covered with water. Hopefully the Ohio River will start dropping -- we plan to use that stage for the Christian Music Concert on the last day of the quilt show.

Levee Behind the Executive Inn

This is the view behind the Executive Inn. You can see that the water would have to raise several feet to create any havoc here. We've had calls in the office that the Executive Inn is flooded - NOT TRUE. There has been no water around the Executive Inn.

The city has not had to install the flood gates in the flood wall that surrounds Paducah to protect it from the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers.

April 12 - Schultz Park Bench

With all of the rain we've had this week, the Ohio River is up a little bit - see my bench mark (no pun intended) in Schultz Park. It is up half way on the legs of the bench again. Still no worry about flooding in Paducah.

Welcome to Paducah for the AQS Quilt Show

Here is the billboard that welcomes visitors to Paducah for the AQS Quilt Show. This one is on Wayne Sullivan Drive if you are coming from Highway 62 from the south side of town. There is also another one located on Park Avenue not far from Hancock's of Paducah - you can see it on the left as you drive toward downtown.

It looks like the cool weather is going to keep the dogwoods from blooming too early this year. We want them to put on a grand show of blossoms during the show.

See you soon in Paducah. We begin the judging on the 18th...not too long to wait now until Paducah becomes Quilt City USA once again.

Spring has Sprung in Paducah!

The gazebo is a favorite gathering spot in downtown Paducah. It is located at the corner of Broadway and Second Streets. Wayne and I stopped to take some photos of the pretty flowering trees that surround the gazebo.

Here I am and you'll notice that I've dug out my Birkenstocks already - but it's a bit too cool yet to go barefooted in them. My Birks are what save my feet during the quilt show -- I have several pairs so I can wear different ones every day.

The dogwoods haven't started blooming yet. We hope the cool weather will keep them from blooming a while longer so the dogwood trees can put on their show for the quilters during the quilt show, April 23 - 26.

Pansies welcome you to the Paducah Visitors Bureau

These pretty pansies are sitting outside the Paducah Visitors Bureau. Don't they just say, "come on it."

I visited with Gayle McDermott at the Visitors Bureau this morning when I stopped downtown to take some photos of the pretty flowering trees near the gazebo.

Ohio River Water Level Falling

Saturday, April 5Even though we had 4.5 inches of rain overnight Thursday through Friday, the water level of the Ohio River is falling. Check out the bench in Schultz Park in the photo above - it has been totally surrounded by water. That's a Coast Guard cutter that you see patrolling the water. There were a lot of barges out in the river today.

AQS Qult Show Delays High Profile Murder Trial

Who would ever think that a quilt show would postpone a murder trial? That is just what happened in Paducah this week. An ex-soldier accused of raping a 14-year old girl and murdering her and her family in Iraq was postponed two weeks because there are not enough hotel rooms available for the trial participants. The trial, previously scheduled to begin April 13, will now begin April 27, after the quilt show closes.

I guess the world outside of quilting is now learning what a big show the AQS Quilt Show really is! Go quilters. Some of those reporter who will be coming to cover the trial should come a day early and see how talented today's quiltmakers are, and see how 35,000 quilters take over a town with a population of 26,000.

For those of you who don't know about the AQS Quilt Show - the show fills every hotel room in the city of Paducah and all of the hotels for about 50 miles in every direction. This quilt show is a very big deal for the economy of western Kentucky and southern Illinois.

This is reporter Bonnie bringing you the news from Paducah....

Schultz Park Covered by Flood Waters

Schultz park is the small city park along the Ohio River in Paducah. Today it is covered with flood waters. See the park benches surrounded by the water?

We often drive down along the river at this park. Officials have asked the barge companies to reduce the number of barges they are carrying to give them better control in the high water. This one was pushing 15 barges loaded with coal.

Ohio River Crests today

Here is how high the water is now. Flood stage is 39 feet. Today the water was at 45.6 ft.
If you have ever been on the Paducah riverfront, you know that the concrete things you see along the water's edge are really planters and that 3/4 of the riverfront is underwater. Fortunately is doesn't seem to be getting so high that the flood gates need to be installed. More rain is predicted for the weekend.

On April 26, we will be having a Christian Musical Concert as the final event for our AQS Quilt Show, presented by 200 members of the Crossroads Christian Church, Newburgh, Indiana, and the Nazarene Missionary Baptist Church, Evansville, Indiana, on the Wilson Stage on the riverfront -- it is totally under water now. This is part of the annual music ministry program of these two churches. Bring your lawn chair. Admission is free.

High Water in Paducah - March 21, 2008

I shot this photo yesterday evening on the Paducah riverfront. The band stage is completely covered except for the tops of the posts of the railing around it. Both roads and the boat ramp area on the riverfront are under water. The Ohio River is expected to crest on Tuesday or Wednesday of this next week. City officials are watching it closely, but right now they don't think they will need to install the flood gates.

Dazed Chickadee

This little bird flew into our sliding glass door and knocked himself out. To protect it from our cats, Wayne picked it up and held it until the cobwebs were gone. Then Wayne placed him on the railing on the porch and he flew away. Sorry Tuffy, he's not your toy this time.

National Quilting Day -- March 15

How did this day of quilting come about? In the early 90's, the National Qulting Association sought to have Congress designate one day as a day to celebrate quiltmaking. Congress never did pass that legislation so NQA designated the 3rd Saturday of March each year as National Quilting Day. I was serving on the NQA board at that time and the day was patterned after Kentucky's Quilter's Day Out that has been held for many years. Now quilters all across the globe celebrate National Quilting Day with a variety of quilting events, from small gatherings of quilters, to shows and classes.

I attended the Quilter's Day Out event held at the Museum of the American Quilter's Society... and of course, I also stopped by some of our local quilt shops to see what's new and make some purchases of quilting supplies. It was after all a day about the art of quiltmaking.

On Friday, our office received this beautiful bouquet of flowers from the Knoxville Convention Center to celebrate National Quilting Day. AQS will be holding our summer shows in Knoxville, starting in 2009. The Convention Center already knows all about quilting from the large guilds in that area. Many of the members of their guilds are national prizewinning quilters. I just had to share this beautiful bouquet with you. It has a variety of purple flowers, red roses, and pussy willows - a sure sign that spring is here.

One thing about the weather here in Paducah...if you don't like it, just wait a day and you'll get something different. Today it was 70 degrees and the birds are starting to come back. A pair of Eastern Bluebirds came looking for a nest today. Look at this beauty. His breast was so bright in the late afternoon sun.

Snow Girl

Four inches of snow on Friday here in Paducah gave us enough snow to make a snowman....or should I say snowgirl at this home on Jefferson Street. I guess they were thinking of warmer weather when they dressed her in the hula skirt, lei, and hat. Wayne and I were driving across town on Saturday afternoon and spotted several snowmen. We thought this one was especially well put together. With temps in the 40's, you can see that most of the snow had already melted.

Happy Monday...this is what the weather is doing here tonight. I shot this photo in our backyard just as the sun was starting to set. A little snow i s okay - it is supposed to get into 40's again tomorrow so it won't last long. Won't even need to lift a shovel. Yesterday we had over 3.3 inches of rain. sure glad that wasn't snow.

Knoxville, TN is site chosen for 2009 AQS Quilt Expo

Here I am in Knoxville, Tennessee, signing the contract for AQS to hold its summer show in Knoxville, starting in July 2009. To spread out our shows, we needed to move the summer show that we've been holding in Nashville in August to a July date. Gaylord Opryland did not have July dates for us in either 2009 or 2010. We found a great facility in Knoxville. The convention center is really beautiful - it has excellent exhibit hall space, and wait until you see the classrooms! The lobby areas are full of artwork of all kinds - sculptures, mosaics that cover an entire wall, paintings and wallhangings of all kinds, including a few quilts. Artwork was included in their budget for building the convention center, and it certainly makes this facility unique and shows their appreciation for the arts. Now I know you are all excited and want more information, but we are really just in the planning stages for this show. The registration materials will be ready in January 2009. Hotels will not take reservations until July 2008. This is a great spot for you to plan a family holiday in July - the Smoky Mountains are very close - I'll have to figure out how many minutes away they are.