My husband and I just got home from three weeks in the US southwest. We flew to Tucson, AZ, rented a car, visited National Parks and other sites in Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico, and then took the Amtrak Southwest Chief (train) from Albuquerque, NM to Chicago. The next train, the Pere Marquette, took us from Chicago to Grand Rapids, where we picked up our car and drove home. I will share pictures of the highlights of our trip over the next few weeks--I have not had time to go through all of my pictures (over 4000!) yet. We had a wonderful time and now we need a few days to rest and get back into our regular routines. Our daughter and Finn are here for the weekend for Canadian Thanksgiving.
I took my winter cross stitch project with me to work on in the car and train. Most of the time, the scenery was so spectacular that I did not take it out of my bag. That being said, I did get a good start on the next quadrant of the picture. I will continue to work on it this week as my slow stitching project.
We went to a local conservation area to go for a fall walk in the woods with Finn this afternoon, followed by ice cream at Shaws--the local place to go for ice cream. Finn had a small amount of vanilla ice cream--he indicated that it was very yummy.
My daughter brought her cross stitch home with her and we might be able to do some stitching together before she goes home. This is the second of five in the series of mystery cross stitch pictures she is making. There are clues in each picture to help solve the mystery. The patterns are by Dana Watters Handmade.
While in Santa Fe, New Mexico, my husband and I visited the State Capitol Building--it is a round building and the walls throughout the building are filled with art by local artists. The tour guide on our walking tour of Santa Fe recommended visiting to see all of the wonderful art. After going through security, the first thing we saw was a special exhibit of quilts featuring Southwest landmarks and themes, presented by SAQA--the Studio Art Quilt Association of New Mexico. I am sharing a few of my favourites. You should be able to read the cards with the title and maker of each quilt by clicking on each picture.
Here are a couple of pictures of the outside of the building.
The quilts will be on display until December 13th, 2024. If you are in the area, I recommend that you go to see them!
That's all for now. I hope to get back to my sewing machine this week as I have some projects I want to finish soon. I will be linking up with Kathy and the Slow Sunday Stitchers in the morning and with Frederique now.
it sounds like you enjoyed your vacation - we might have almost crossed tracks as we were in the southwest too and got home 2 weeks ago - I hope you had a fun time
ReplyDeleteIt sounds the most amazing trip. How wonderful to journey on a train taking in all the majestic scenery as the train hurried by. I'm not at all surprised very little hand stitching was done. Stunning quilts at the SAQA. I rather love those mules.
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat to see those quilts!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous trip!!! I am so envious. One day I'll be able to travel to heart's content too. I'm really looking forward to seeing all the pictures you'll be sharing of your escapades. Those quilts look amazing. How wonderful that you happened to be there to see them! Enjoy your weekend! Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!!
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving, Gail! Your trip to the southwest sounds wonderful! Isn't that landscape different, but also beautiful? We live in Northern Colorado, almost to Wyoming, but have been to southern Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona many times - I love those areas. The art quilts at the state capitol are wonderful! I hope you'll share more photos from your trip. Enjoy your time with your daughter and also your stitching today!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good holiday. Great quilts on display in an interesting building. Sarah quilting by the sea
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving! Sounds like an amazing trip. My grandson who was home this week goes to college at University of New Mexico. Those were some gorgeous quilts you saw.
ReplyDeleteCute little embroidered bear, and it's great to have your daughter - and Finn - playing with you. Enjoy the rest after the grand tour, and thank you so much for sharing these gorgeous quilts, and linking up.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful time you had, looking forward to seeing your holiday pics shortly. The quilts are amazing, all those wonderful desert colours, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous vacation. NM is one of my favorite states. I will have to check out what is on exhibit in a few months when we return. The quilts are gorgeous and really speaks to the beauty of the state.
ReplyDeleteThat was quite the vacation. You did a lot of traveling. I can understand not stitching and enjoying the scenery of new places. The quilts are very pretty. I look forward to seeing more photos of your trip. I like your stitching and your daughter's.
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