Rhonda Bracey: At Random

Daylight saving switchover meant the alarm went off at 6:00 am (5:00 am in real time; 3:00 am in Seattle time!). It was pitch black outside when I loaded up the car. I had breakfast downstairs (it’s provided free at Hampton Inns, as is the WiFi, and a dreamily comfortable bed!!!) and was on the road south (I-35E) by 7:45. I had to be in New Braunfels by 11:30 to meet a friend from San Antonio for lunch.

Three observations from the drive: oh how I’ve missed the smell of dead skunk in the morning! (NOT…); there is road construction going on for miles and miles between Dallas and Austin; there’s nothing quite like pumping up Bon Scott (AC/DC) on ‘Highway to hell’ and singing along while passing numerous churches 😉

I ended up running a tad early, so I stopped in at the HUGE outlet mall in San Marcos to pick up some stuff on my list. After getting a bit lost, I eventually found the Huisache Grill in New Braunfels (it’s hidden behind other shops/buildings) and I found my friend. We both had the grilled blackened catfish, which included the sides PLUS a cup of chicken tortilla soup and a hot sourdough dinner roll, all for $13.95! Compared to Australian prices, that was an absolute bargain. It was really delicious too.

After we said our goodbyes, I went on to the resort where the quilting retreat is being held all this week. My room was ready, and it is a much bigger and nicer than the room I had last year. The room air conditioner is much quieter than last year’s too, so I shouldn’t need to wear my ear plugs 😉

I caught up with Kim (the organiser) and another lady (Cherrie) I sat next to last year — we’re going to sit next to each other again this year too. She’s here with her husband and 86-year-old father — they will be exploring this area while Cherrie is quilting. Another person I met at drinks was Rayna Gillman, one of tutors (the other tutors this week are Robbi Joy Eklow and Velda Newman.

After drinks and dinner, we had a general info session with Kim, then all went to our respective classrooms with our tutors. I’m in Velda’s class, and she got us to sit close to her and we introduced ourselves one by one, which was good — we didn’t do that last year. There are a few people I remember from last year, and they all remembered me (being the only Australian, and all 😉 ) It looks like a good group, with a real mix of talents and interests and backgrounds. Most are from Texas, with one from Oklahoma and one from Georgia. Another lady I met at drinks is from Colorado.

This year I’m going to try to take photos of all the processes and techniques we learn/try out — last year, I didn’t start to take photos until close to the end so hope to redeem myself this year.