Just a quick trip to start the year!

I didn’t stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve. That’s probably not a shock to anyone who knows me well, but this year I had a good reason to get to bed at a reasonable hour… We had a 9.25 a.m. flight from Midway on January 1st which means we were in the car at 7.15 🙂

There was not a lot of traffic on the road that early on New Year’s Day and we made good time getting to the airport. We were able to park in the remote lot and buy breakfast before we boarded our flight to Washington D.C. From past experience I knew we wanted to sit on the left hand side to get the best view landing at Reagan. No problem, we settled in for the short trip. Unfortunately the gusty winds out east meant we took a different flight path and there were no views across the river and down the National Mall.

It was still quite early so we took our overnight bag with us to  our first destination, The Renwick Gallery for Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women. You can read more about the exhibit on the website. It finished on the 5th so we got in just under the wire!

Here’s a detail of Faith Ringgold’s quilt, The Bitter Nest, Part II: The Harlem Renaissance Party 1988

There was not a lot of choice for lunch, but we did find a coffee shop open and, suitably nourished, made our way to our hotel, over in the Wharf District.

We could see the Washington Monument from our (upgraded!) room with a view.

With not too early a start the next morning we were at the National Gallery of Art by eleven.

A brisk walking pace helped us cope with the cold. We made a very quick stop for a closer shot of the Monument,

and looked in the other direction for the Capital Building.

And yes, that is a white squirrel on that tree…

(Lab rat with a fluffy tail?)

But there’s our destination, just a few steps up to the front door.

The whole reason for our trip was a visit to Paris 1874: the Impressionist Moment, the special exhibit designed to teach us how impressionism began.  In the words of the museum “Discover the origins of the French art movement in a new look at the radical 1874 exhibition considered the birth of modern painting.”

We joined the line next to a sign that told us we would be waiting for 90 minutes… and promptly made friends with the newly engaged couple from California and their dad be that were just behind us! The time passed quickly and 75 minutes later we entered the exhibit. It took over an hour to look at everything so really the wait was nothing compared to waiting for a 5 minute ride at Disney? Anyway, it was an excellent exhibition and we came away very educated and inspired.

Boulevard des Capucines by Claude Monet (1873-4)

Time for lunch? I decided a slice of Opera Cake from the french inspired menu in the museum restaurant was just what I needed!

Excellent choice.

We downloaded a list of must sees at the Museum and embarked on a quick scavenger hunt, rushing through the galleries before we needed to head back to the hotel to pick up our bags and return to the airport.

It was a very good start to 2025!!

Home and back to work. You might be glad to know I got my book manuscript submitted in time. I mailed class supplies to Road to California, and samples to Ohio for my workshops at Sue Spargo’s store in May. I have made kits for the cruise in February and a small sampler quilt for my class (Contemporary Improv Piecing and Walking Foot Quilting: Let’s take the Scenic Route together!) at the SEAM retreat in Paducah in September.

And don’t forget class registration for Quilt Week itself opened this week!

Find the details here.

And, I gave a couple of lectures and a workshop on Zoom.

Seventeen of the Champlain Valley Quilt Guild’s members and friends joined me last Saturday for Walking Foot Quilting- Beyond the Ditch.

I fly to Ontario tomorrow with two full suitcases and my hand luggage for nine days. I’m looking forward to seeing some old friends and, as always, making new ones too! Ever onwards, always an adventure.