Wednesday, July 21, 2021

A Little Trip to Houston

 I recently wrote about the challenge of getting 20 of my best quilts, and a few early, more humble ones, to Houston, TX for the big Special Exhibit of my work, called My Joyful Journey this Fall. They had to be in Houston by July 2.  See that post here: Things You Don't Think About

Shipping would have been expensive and there is always a bit of worry about things getting lost in transit. My husband was adamant he could, should, and would drive them to Houston himself. Long rides in a vehicle are not my cup of tea and this involved 15 hours total driving time, each way. So all I had to do was plan his hotel stays when he knew how far he would go each night and worry about him.

Packed and loaded and ready to go--as soon as the cover was closed on the truck:


The next day he arrived at the Quilts Inc. office where Becky Navarro, head of Special Exhibits met him:

They transported the 3 large boxes, containing a total of 20 quilts, up to the 5th floor: 


Success! The boxes are now safely at their destination. Will met a few of the employees working that day--much work is still being done at home:


He quickly said his good-byes and turned the truck toward home. The day before he had driven through the hardest rain he had ever seen, along I-10, before he got to Beaumont, TX to rest for the night. With lots of construction and traffic. So he decided to take a more northerly route home, going toward Shreveport. He got as far as Monroe, LA the second night where I had another decent hotel room waiting for him. 

All in all, it was a long, hard trip for him but he proved he could do it and was pleased with himself, I think. But the quilts will be shipped BACK to me, much later this year.

You would think having 20 quilts out of my house would be noticeable but not really. Four of the best ones are stored in a big closet so they were out of sight. The two that came down off walls, in the living room and master bedroom, were quickly replaced with others. And the bookcase still looks full. I really need to get rid of some of these.

If you haven't been to International Quilt Festival in Houston, this is the year to go. Besides my exciting exhibit, there will be more than 25 others as well as an awesome judged show with some of the finest quilts you will ever see. And this year, there might not be 60,000 people there. But, then again, quilters are eager to be back in Houston. I really hope to see you there--most of my best friends are coming! For information go here: Quilts Inc.

Let's quilt.

Barbara

15 comments:

  1. How sweet of your husband to deliver the boxes. I won't be able to get to Houston but I do hope I do manage to catch a glimpse of your exhibit in photos. Congratulations on your Special Exhibit!

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    1. You can be sure there will be a blog about it! To see all the quilts now, go back on this blog to December 2020--I showed each one in posts that ran for a few months.

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  2. What a great guy! It's really the kind of thing my dear late hubby would have done. Such a blessing to have such a husband. I am so happy you are going to get this exhibit shown this year. Congratulations on the exhibit and your life's work. Cheers, Betty Jo

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  3. So sorry I did nto know he was traveing through Beaumnot--we could have met him and had supper together; husband is a Viet Nam vet and while he doesn't talk a lot about it--enjoys reminiscing about some of the odd things the Army has about things. And some of the goofy things he did that weren't exactly according to the rules.

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  4. Kudos to your husband! The Houston quilt market is such a great event and am sure after missing 2020 everyone will be more than ready to attend the 2021 market

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    1. A little correction—Quilt Festival is the huge quilt show open to the public. It includes thousands of quilts/vendors/classes.

      Quilt Market is a professional event, open only to those with proper credentials who do business in the industry. Fall Quilt Market precedes Festival. Spring Quilt Market is held in different cities each year.

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  5. Your husband is diffidently a keeper.

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  6. I can hardly wait to see yourself and the exhibit.

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  7. You definitely have an awesome husband. I'm not for long rides but my husband is like yours.
    We've had one of the wettest summers here in south central Texas of my life time. I'm glad your quilts made it safely and can't wait to see them and you in Houston!

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  8. What a sweetie! Probably a nice break and change of pace for both of you. Of course the safe delivery of your quilts was a priority too.

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  9. Congrats again on the exhibit. I can’t wait to see it. This will be my first time and I got in early and got a couple of classes.

    My husband and I have a rule on road trips. No more that 6 hours a day driving and not in the dark. It makes the trip more fun

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