222nd Aviation Battalion Reunion - Gettysburg, PA

Wayne and I went from one reunion to the other. First we went to Iowa for my class reunion, and then on to Pennsylvania for his Army reunion with the guys he was stationed in Viet Nam with in the late 1960's.





We visited Gettysburg, and had a great guide on our bus tour. He almost had us believing the soldiers would be marching through the trees. Then there was a walking tour where everyone heard all about Sadie...I'm still waiting for the rest of that story. Herb, you didn't finish the story. GRIN



This is the Army Vets with their spouses who attended the reunion.



These fellows were in the 222nd Aviation Battalion stationed in Vung Tau, Viet Nam; Col. Louise Terrell (center of front row) was the commander of the 222nd in Ft. Eustis, VA.

46th Class Reunion - Saturday Evening Dinner

Here are more photos using Smilebox. I didn't know who all of the spouses or significant others were...so in some places I just named our classmate. Sorry that I didn't meet everyone to include all of the names. Hope you enjoy it!

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Saturday Night Dinner at my Class Reunion

The class of 1963 who attended the 46th Class Reunion at the Holiday Inn, Muscatine, Iowa.


Bernita stops to say hello to Wayne Browning.


Bernita...aka Bernie Coder, our DJ opened the evening by visiting with some of our classmates and spouses. This was his best side. How about those boots?

I have a lot more photos and will share them when I have more time to play with the photos and get them on my Blog.

I hope everyone enjoyed being together again like Wayne and I did. Keep those e-mails coming; it was certainly fun to read what everyone has been doing. Hope to see you all at our 50th reunion, schedule for September 14, 2013.

Saturday Lunch at the Button Factory with Friends

A lunch with classmates at the Button Factory was followed by a trip around town to take photos on the riverfront by the Clamdigger statute, in front of our Muscatine High School (now Central Middle School), and at the Weed Park lagoon.

I don't have time right now to add all of the names...but will come back and do that when I get back home.


The island at Week Park lagoon.



Left, standing: Bonnie Kirkland, Martha Beveridge
Seated: Pat Alternbernd, Penny Fuhlman, Chris Godeke, Barbara Thomas, Sussan Schuessler
Right, standing: Janet Day



Our Muscatine High School, now Central Middle School



In front of the Clamdigger statute on the riverfront:
Bonnie Kirkland, Pat Altenbernd, Martha Beveridge, Chris Godeke, Penny Fuhlman, Janet Day, Barbara Thomas



In front of The Button Factory Restaurant where we enjoyed lunch together:
Janet Day, Sussan Schuessler, Barbara Thomas, Pat Alternbernd, Bonnie Kirkland, Penny Fuhlman, Martha Beveridge, Chris Godeke

The Reunion Begins...

The 46th reunion of the Muscatine High School of 1963 began last night with a drop-in gathering in the bar at the Holiday Inn. It was easy to recognize some of our classmates...others we had to ask "who are you?"

Here are a few snapshots. I was able to get a photo of most of those who were there.

Watch for more photos after tonight's main event.



L to R: Martha Beveridge, Kathy TeStrake, Mike Rogers



L ro R: Doug Buchele, Carol Bunn, Diana Collins, Kathy Holtz, Gini VanZandt, Dottie Beranek, Mike Rogers



L to R: Julia Barnard, Maggie Teraberry, Carol Bunn, Barb Haveman Felton, Doug Felton



L to R: Nancy Peters, Tom Schauland, Gini VanZandt, Doug Buchele



L t R: Kathy TeStrake, Ron Miller, Karen Buekenhorst


Watch for more to come.

Hi Deanna!

Today I had an e-mail from one of my closest high school buddies, Deanna Tumey. She was maid of honor at our wedding. We had lost touch over the years.

We are having our 46th class reunion next month so some of our classmates are busy trying to track down those they haven't heard from. So now we are reconnected. Deanna has retired to Cape Cod - now I have a really good excuse for a fall vacation out that direction.... And she didn't know that we are living in Paducah, Kentucky, and that I was a quilter. But she does now.

We talked more than an hour and I can't wait for our next phone call.

Deanna, I bet you never thought you would be subject of one of my Blogs.

Bonnie B

The Squirrel Chase

We have a lot of baby squirrels in our yard now...so Tuffy is busy patrolling our property. He knows what belongs and what doesn't, and he tries to keep the "invaders" away.

Yesterday, he was letting the young squirrels know that this was his territory.


Okay, so where did he go?


I know he went this way...


And the chase was on, and Tuffy took off up the tree after the squirrel. Of course the squirrel got away - went to a higher branch and sat and chattered to Tuffy for several minutes. Don't you wonder if Tuffy understood that message?

Red, White and Blue Quilts

I had no idea that I had so many red, white, and blue quilts until I decided to show some of them to you. Several of these quilts came from quilts that were auctioned after 9/11 and AQS asked quilters to make blocks and quilts to be auctioned off to raise funds for those affected in New York. I purchased several on eBay at that auction.

I hope you enjoy seeing my quilts and I've sprinkled in some of the patriotic designs that I included in my pattern book called Designs on Freedom, published by the American Quilter's Society.

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Happy 4th of July from Paducah, Kentucky!

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Baby Wrens...and Peaches..Oh, My...for the 4th of July

The wrens are eating like little pigs and they are starting to flap their wings in the nest...so it won't be long before they fly off. I thought you would enjoy a few closeup photos of them before they leave.

The Southern Illinois peaches are starting...and I made the first fresh peach shortcake (the kind with the thin batter, spread the peaches over the top, and cover with boiling water with 1 cup sugar dissolved in it. Yummy!

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Exhibits at The National Quilt Museum

Wow...yesterday after work I stopped at the National Quilt Museum to see the quilt exhibits. If you have not see these exhibits...you need to. I think these three exhibits are some of the best ever displayed at the museum.

The current exhibits are:
Best of Show: 25 Years of Excellence - this is an exhibit of all of the past Best of Show winners from the AQS Quilt Shows. What a great tribute to the quilters from 1985 through 2009. You have to be in awe of this workmanship.

New Winds from Asia - quilts from China, Korea, Japan and Taiwan
This is the only showing of these quilts in the United States. You have to marvel at how successfully these quiltmakers have been in using what I would call difficult fabrics to work with - kimonos, obis, and other fabrics that tend to move around. Wonderful color and creative designs in this exhibit.

European Art Quilts V - a juried exhibition by some of the best art quilters from across Europe. This exhibit is meant to initiate discussions on current affairs around the world. The ingredients for these quilts include materials determined by the availability and traditions in the different countries. I saw lots of slicing and dicing in these quilts, and especially enjoyed one that included fabric beads that formed a circle.

You can get more information from the quilt museum's Web site: http://www.quiltmuseum.org/exhibits_current.htm . Don't delay in seeing these exhibits - the first two are on exhibit until July 6 and 7. The European Art Quilts will be there until August 10.

These exhibits are worth a trip to Paducah to see.

Bonnie B

Baby Wrens and Other Visitors

Our wrens have a nest of little ones now and are busy feeding them. And I've snapped a few photos of other birds which have visited our backyard.

We're still having temperatures in the mid-90's so we've not done much outside. Wayne put new blades on the lawn tractor. Even in the early morning, it was warm out there.

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Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, Alabama

I just returned home from teaching at the Alabama Quilt Symposium that was held at St. Bernard Abbey, in Cullman, Alabama.

The students in my classes were great and I hope they picked up some tips for borders and edges for their quilt projects, and the Fun with Nine-Patch class was just that...fun. Most of those quilters had half of their quilt sewn together, and a couple had their whole top done. One quilter said she had never accomplished that much in a class before. Hooray! Our classes were held in the Retreat and Prep School buildings at the Abbey.

Also on the grounds is the Ave Maria Grotto. After driving past it a couple of times I knew I needed to find some time to go see the whole thing. I did, and here are some photos so you can see it too. These 125 miniature stone and cement structures are the handiwork of Brother Joseph Zoetl, a monk of the Abbey for almost 70 years. His monastic life was spent at the Abbey in daily hours of prayer and in laboring in the Abbey power house. When not busy shoveling coal into the furnaces, he took time to construct some miniature buildings, using stone, concrete, and unwanted donated materials, broken plates, costume jewelry, ceramic tile, beads, marbles, seashells, etc.

He gathered his ideas for his creations from extensive readings of history and the Bible. Of all the replcas constructed, he had seen only about six of them; all of the others were constrcted from photos or from printed descriptions.

They are amazing. He even included the Statue of Liberty as a tribute to his adopted country; Hansel and Gretel visit the Temple of the Fairies - note its beautiful little children and the awful dragon, which is bound by a heavy chain!

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Paducah Murals

The murals on the Paducah floodwall tell the history of this community. They provide a pictorial view of the city way back when.

Once in a while we go down to snap some photos in front of some of the murals. Don't miss seeing them when you stop in Paducah. Just head downtown to the river - you can't miss them!

Bonnie B

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The Nest Building Saga Continues...

Today is Memorial Day and it has been raining off and on, so I took advantage of the weather to do a bit of birdwatching from my favorite swing on the back porch. The wrens were very active today...even during the rain. Here's a pictorial view for you to enjoy.

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Gluing Things Together

I just found this site that gives you a variety of options for using the right glue to attach one thing to another.

Here is the site: www.thistothat.com

You just put in the two types of items that you want to glue and it will give you a variety of options of glues to use.

Neat site. I've added it to my Favorites. You never know when I'll need the answer to a glue question...

Hope you are enjoying your Memorial Day holiday. My sister Marcia was born on the "real" Memorial Day - May 30, so this is odd to be celebrating on the 25th.

Bonnie B

Nesting

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Today we are burning more piles of sticks in our backyard. I shot a couple of photos of my fire tending. My time in the Girl Scouts indeed is serving me well in how to stack those logs up to get them to burn good. While I sat there tending the fire piles, I enjoyed listening to and watching the frolic of the birds in our backyard. So you know me, I grabbed my camera and shot some new photos.

We have already had one hatching of baby bluebirds in our bluebird house. Once they left, Wayne cleaned it out so they can use it again. When he did, the structure of the nest is amazing. It is mostly made with pine needles that are all interwoven to hold it together.

Today the bluebirds have been stopping by the house to set up housekeeping again. Our bluebirds stay all year long.

The wrens have been building in the wren house too. They aren't as neat as the bluebirds though - look at how the sticks hang out under the roof. Maybe those are just draft dodgers from a crack between the side wall and the roof. Isn't it interesting how they can find those gaps?

I caught a photo of one of the wrens stopping by, and then quickly flying into their house. This house hangs on the clothesline pole so we can watch first hand from the deck all of their comings and goings.

And then I snapped some of the other birds that stopped by for a bite to eat this morning...mourning doves, blue jays, indigo buntings, cardinals, brown thrasher, chickadee,American robin, Eastern bluebird,tufted titmouse, house finches (momma was teaching her little ones to forage for food in the grass), American Goldfinch, and red-bellied woodpecker....and I saw all of those different kinds just this morning.

Mother Nature at her finest!

Interview on Sew-a-Quilt.com

Gloria Massard of www.sew-a-quilt.com just posted this interview she did with me. She talks about the many things that I'm involved in -- as a teacher, author, quilter, traveler, photographer...and the list goes on.

Here is the link:
http://www.sewaquilt.com/bonnie-browning-interview.html

Thanks Gloria. Good job!

Something New Has Been Added

I am using a new way to share my photos - Smilebox. Hope you enjoy the photos...and the music too.

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Take a Look at our Backyard Visitors

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Azaleas in full bloom and animals are picnicing in our back yard

The azaleas are in full bloom - the hummingbirds love to land and check out the nectar of their blossoms.

To view any of these photos larger, just click on the photo.

Tuffy is the resident cat. His favorite window on the backyard is one of the chairs or the floor on the back porch. From there, he can see all the comings and goings of the birds and squirrels at the feeders. There is a new puppy next door - they haven't met nose to nose yet!

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We feed our birds year round, but it is always fun in the spring when those that fly south return for the summer...or even for just a little while as they head farther north.

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The squirrels share the squirrel feeder pretty well. One can go upstairs to the sunflower seeds and one can stay downstairs with the corn.

The hummingbirds are back and drinking like they haven't had any nectar for a while. This one let me get pretty close with my camera.

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The grosbeak come in the spring and then head out. While they are here we certainly enjoy their color. Look at how big their beaks are - makes it easy for them to crack into corn and seeds.

Here is a photo with a couple of male grosbeaks (the colored ones) and a female (the brown one). They are about the same size - just different coloring.

We don't see many blue jays here, but this year we've had several at our feeders nearly every day.

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We have lots of goldfinches now too. The wrens are back and starting to set up house in our two wren houses that hang on the clothesline. And, we finally have a pair of bluebirds that have taken up residence in our bluebird house. It was new and I understand that they don't like new wood for their homes. This is the first year they have taken up residence in the Brownings backyard.

25th AQS Quilt Show is Now History

Wow...what a busy week we had. The 25th Anniversary Quilt Show closed at 5 p.m. last night. And Wayne and I were able to sleep in past 6 a.m. this morning. My feet and knees still hurt but I'm taking it easy today.

We began on Friday, April 17, as we moved into the newly-renovated Julian Carroll Convention Center (thank to the City of Paducah) to prepare for judging the quilts. The judging was done on Saturday and Sunday as Libby Lehman, Yvonne Porcella, and Mary Sorensen viewed and judged all 16 categories in the contest. Mariya Waters from Australia won Best of Show and she arrived at the show on Wednesday morning. What a delight, as she accepted the honor of winning this top award, talked with visitors about making her quilt, and enjoyed visiting Paducah. Wait until you see the photo of this quilt in the next issue of American Quilter magazine - you'll see the miles and miles of hand couched thread around every applique piece in her quilt!

Monday and Tuesday were set up days - getting the quilts all hung and vendors set up. Did you all visit all of the vendor areas, from the Expo Center, to both levels of the Convention Center, the Galleria near the Patio Dining Room in the hotel, and of course, the Vendors on Kentucky (Finkel Building) where we had even more vendors and the AQS/Collector Books "hurt book" sale? I bet you didn't buy just one book!

The show officially opened on Wednesday morning at 9 a.m. Thousands of quilters were waiting to view the winning quilts. Congratulations to all of the winners in this year's contest. Wednesday afternoon, Nancy Zieman hosted the afternoon tea and shared tips for making landscape quilts and some other quick projects. The evening program, the 25th Anniversary Celebration, sponsored by Janome, included Keith Harrell as the keynote speaker, introduction of the past Best of Show winners, presentation of the awards to this year's winners, followed by a reception for all who attended.

Thursday was the Quilt Auction at the Four Rivers Center in the Afternoon. That evening Eleanor Burns regaled the audience with a look back at her past 30 years of Quilt in a Day - she even admitted when there were patterns that took more than one day. GRIN

On Friday afternoon, the AQS/Hobbs Bonded Fibers Fashion Show included both the models wearing their fashions in the contest, and the Quilted Elegance Fashions by Rami Kim during the judging intermission. All were a feast for the eyes! The Ricky Tims Concert, sponsored by Ken's Sewing Center, featured Ricky playing the piano, his mini piano, a recorder, flute, and a trumpet. We are lucky to have all of this talent wrapped in one of our quilters. We already have him scheduled for next year...so if you weren't here this year, put Friday evening on your calendar for next year.

The Brunch & Fun with Helen Squire on Saturday morning was like something from outer space - you should have seen Helen's GREEN hair. She shared tips for getting all of our UFO's quilted.

And, so now, we move on to finalizing our plans for the Knoxville (July 22 - 25) and Des Moines (October 28 - 31) shows later this year. The Knoxville registration is open online (http://www.americanquilter.com/) and we are working on the registration materials for Des Moines so they'll be available soon.

Dogwoods are Starting to Bloom

This week the first of the dogwoods started to bloom. Look at how pristine these blossoms are. The redbud trees are all in full bloom now too, which means that they will probably be finished by the time the quilters arrive for the quilt show. Hopefully the azaleas will be showing off their color for the quilters then. The AQS Quilt Show is only 18 days away now. Do you have your plans made to be here to help us celebrate our 25th anniversary, April 22 - 25?


Look at this beautiful peppermint striped dogwood that I found today. It was at a home in the Downtown Artist area. I've never seen one that looked like this. I am calling it Peppermint Patty - have no idea what it's real name is.