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Where else in the world can you wander down a lovely tree-lined street, eating chocolate thimbles and buttons, view some of the most famous quilts in the world, buy antique quilts at very decent prices, shop at tons of quilt fabric and gadget vendors....And then return to your hotel room to watch a channel dedicated to nothing but quilting shows? Ahhh....Paducah!!!!

Yes, Brothers and Sisters, I have returned from the Holy Land. It was an incredible week, filled with wonderful new friends and terrific experiences. Getting to Paducah is not so easy. A full day of travel (3 planes). In the future, if I had a room mate, I would consider driving. Depending on your class schedule, you need a car (unless you are lucky enough to get a room at the Executive Inn). I was at the Baymont Inn, about 5 miles out of town--A pleasant enough place with a decent Continental Breakfast (free). My classes started Monday...and the busses didn't start until later in the week. So I had to rent a car....a fully loaded Dawoo. I honestly didn't know they were still making them. This particular model had roll-up windows and a ride like you were sitting on a skateboard. But it did get me where I needed to go, when I wanted to go.

My classes with Bobbie Aug and Gerald Roy were fantastic. Wonderfully gracious, entertaining, and knowledgeable. I also had classes with Chris Moline and Carol Butzke--they, too, were a delight. The week went by too fast. Besides the classes, I think what I enjoyed most was looking at the quilts in the Museum of the AQS. Seeing the quilts in magazines is one thing, seeing them "in person" is something else. There was a Hollis exhibit--breathtaking. She came to our Fair Market Value class and talked about her work. I also got to see her at the museum during a break, where she was talking about her art.

During one free afternoon riding on the trolley, I met up with Anyx Mercado...a quilt artist with a studio downtown. She invited me back to her temporary studio. Her permanent location is part of the Artist Relocation Program. This is such a terrific program. The folks who came up with it are to be commended. The guy at Hertz (yes, they were responsible for the Dawoo) told me that 20 years ago, you could buy an empty lot in Paducah for $1500. He said the downtown was a "hole". Paducah has transformed itself to a lovely up and coming tourist spot.

The show itself was great....lots of quilts....lots of vendors. Of particular note....Mary Koval's booth with antique quilts (she was so nice, talking about her quilts and prices, and allowing us to look at anything we wanted...She also helped me pick out a great piece of copperplate and toile). Another great vendor was Xenia and the nice folks at Legacy Quilts (who gave us tips on how to get fabric samples and split them with other appraisal students). AND lastly, I had the opportunity to view Melody Johnson's Triumph of Tulips (one of the winners) in all of it's glory. The pictures don't do it justice.

So that is it for me...I am taking the classes for credit through West KY Tech College and must write a paper for everything I took. I have 4 completed....3 to go by the end of the week. I also will begin quilting the Martin Quilt this week...as it is due in about 2 weeks. Gotta get to work.