A Weekend Away

I am writing from my sister's house in the Denver area. This weekend, we have taken a little trip to visit, mainly to get out of town, have a change of scenery, do something different, see my sister and her husband. Over the years, I have learned that this kind of get-away helps my mental health. It's something like exercise for the psyche.

We arrived yesterday via a short, uneventful flight, to the massive Denver airport. We met our ride and went out for some brunch immediately. It was just about lunchtime anyway. The restaurant my sister and brother-in-law suggested was The Original Pancake House. Massive amounts of breakfast style food. Very satisfying.

In the afternoon my sister and I went to some fabric and quilt shops. I really wanted to see The Great American Quilt Factory, which is the home shop of Possibilities designers Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith. I like their designs, and it was exciting to see their shop! I have made three quilts from their book "P.S. I Love You 3" for my nieces and nephews. Unfortunately, they weren't there yesterday. Just as well. I wouldn't know what to say to them anyway.

I only found out about the shop earlier this week, when I mentioned my trip while at quilting bee.

I bought a cute little kit for a wrist pincushion using a felted wool ball on a bracelet. I also found a nice collection of applique threads by Aurifil. This brand is a fine weight cotton thread imported from Italy, and it was recommended for applique when I took an applique class about a year and a half ago. It is not the easiest thread to find. I am working on a fine applique work called "Aunt Millie's Garden" by Piece o' Cake designs. Here is the pattern.

Ambitious, yes? It's a long term project. Nice for travel, in fact.

That was a fun little trip. Next we went to Denver Fabrics, which primarily has fashion fabrics. Excellent selection of fabrics, notions, and trim, even though my sister remarked that it wasn't as good as it used to be. We tried another quilt shop, but it had closed for the day. We visited for a while at their home, then had a nice dinner at a local Italian place. I had some excellent grilled eggplant, portabello mushroom and fresh mozzarella for dinner. That and some Merlot made for a cheery evening.

Today we will go to the zoo. We really lucked out for the weather - clear and mild for January - so we will enjoy the outdoors a bit. We will do some walking and see something different. We willl see a bit of downtown Denver this afternoon and evening, including dinner. We will go home on Monday.

I would like to travel about once a month, but it's not looking very promising for February. In March, we will spend spring break in Orlando, Florida, enjoying Walt Disney World. (We go there about once a year.) I am considering a trip to see my parents in April or early May, then see my brother in the early summer.

By then, the sun will be out more, I'll be starting my garden, and my winter mood will subside.