Yesterday E, ec and I went to the Pacific International Quilt Festival, a huge quilt show down in Santa Clara. We drove through the haze, wondering how people in Beijing survive even worse air quality conditions daily. The fires continue burning in the North Bay, with some 9000 firefighters gradually containing them. I can't imagine how difficult this work must be, how draining. I just went out for a walk, 8:00 AM. Blue sky, 50 degrees, little breeze, nice! But before long I could smell smell smoke even though the sky was pretty clear, so I headed home. Schools are keeping children inside all day, and many athletic events have been cancelled or postponed, since exertion leads to deeper/heavier breathing which brings more of the nasty particulates into your lungs.
On a cheerier note, we enjoyed the quilt exhibit. Although E carried ec briefly, he was generally content in his stroller, looking around, charming some of the other quilters. We met up with Carol and had lunch with her. I took very few pictures this year. The definition of "quilt" seems to be changing. Now many of the pieces use thread painting, embroidery, hand-painted fabrics and details, and other innovations. I tend to be old-fashioned, I guess, thinking of a quilt as a blanket for the bed or back of the couch, whereas many of the show entries are works of art that I couldn't imagine using to stay warm. And that's OK. People are creating, expressing themselves. I have joined the local quilt guild, and at our recent meeting plenty of people showed what I consider traditional quilts. The big show just tends to select more art quilts.
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