Palouse Divide Quilting Retreat - Sanity Seekers Quilt Retreat November 13-16, 2008

Shirley of Palouse Divide Lodge and some scrapbookers admire our quilting work at the evening Show and Tell on Saturday night.  Chocolate Mike and the gang are always willing to tag along to Palouse Divide Lodge; it's one of their favorite places.
Sanity Seekers on the porch of Palouse Divide Lodge on Sunday showing off just some of our work.  Happy but tired faces.  Sleep is not necessarily a priority at a retreat.
Alien: "You meet the most interesting people at these retreats."
Somehow we lucked into the big room all to ourselves for our retreat.  Spoiled forever.

Palouse Divide Quilting Retreat - Yes, We Actually Did Some Quilting

Chocolate Mike admiring some of Mary's work from the retreat: one bag, Treehouse quilt top, multiple neck rolls, baby quilt for Sarah, two Christmas table tops, and pillow cases.  
Obi Wan: "The force is strong in the Bernina."
Chocolate Mike: "What are you crazy?  Pfaff is the only way to go.  Only rotary cutters at 20 paces can solve this eternal question."
Alien: "Can we get one of these treehouses for us?"

Palouse Divide Quilting Retreat - Saturday Night

Chocolate Mike: "Well, one can't really quilt all the time on a retreat."

Carmel Spike: "It is Saturday night.  And there are so many tasty beverages that people brought.  It would be impolite not to taste them."
Chocolate Mike: "Imagine there is fabric of drinking Santas to match our mood.  Those quilters think of everything."
Inquiring dinosaurs want to know how Jenny knows people at the gym that just give her rum.  What was more tasty - the margaritas in a bucket (a retreat classic), the new frozen merlot slushies, or Captain Morgan's Tatoo and diet Coke.  Not to mention the Fiery Buffalo Bagel bits.

Chocolate Mike: "Someone check to see if Lana and Jackie are still quilting."

Palouse Divide Quilting Retreat - Did you say quilting, I meant drinking

What's a dinosaur to do for a little local flavor on a Saturday after two days of hard quilting?  Craft show and new-owners of the local watering hole in nearby Oneida?  We're in.  Such a welcoming sign - if they are into hunters, I'm sure they welcome dinosaurs.
While waiting for our onion rings we made new friends with things out of people's purses.  Why Jackie carries at least 5 Chap Sticks at all times is a little bit of a mystery.  As is the little lady in Constance's purse that took such a shine to Chocolate Mike.
Oh, the tall quilting tales that were told.
The craft show was beyond scary, but we would like to highly recommend the food and service at the Drifters Bar.  It was awesome.

Mike and Alien in Portland Oregon

Mike: The SPains took us on their journey to Portland Oregon.
Alien: They went with David and Jenny Harder to see Dave Ramsey.
Mike: He's that Total Money Makeover guy, right?
Alien: Yes, I'm glad we don't have to worry about that.
Mike: We had a good time. We partied on Halloween and went to this old pizza place aptly named Old Town Pizza.
Alien: It's supposed to be haunted by Nina. See her name carved in the wall?



Alien: Why did you think it was funny to throw me in the H2O chamber?



Mike: Jenny and Molly on Halloween giving us some liquid courage to face the Portland natives.
Alien: I got quite a lot of comments on my costume.