Valley Quilter's 31st Annual QShow 02-12-11

I have been traveling out to Hemet/San Jacinto to this quilt show most of the last thirty years, even before I knew my friend Liz.  I think it was the first QShow that Floyd ever went to.  Liz has gone with me almost every year for the last eighteen or so years - it is our Spring ritual.  We usually see lots of wildflowers and baby animals, but this year was a disappointment on both items.  We saw no baby animals, mostly because the area has been built up so much that there aren't the open pastures and farmyards there were even ten years ago.  And we only saw three small clumps of poppies.  I expected masses and masses, but I suppose the rain was too early (December) or maybe the flowers are just later this year for a reason I don't understand. 

I haven't had time to work on the pictures I took of the quilts, so they will wait until next week.  But one thing that we always see at quilt shows are quilty license plates....

 

I guess if you "read" the heart shape that this plate says "Love Quiltin'".

 

Here is a Lexus ES driven by a quilter.

 

Lots of Oregon plates in the parking lot - of course, retirees come down for the winter to get away from all the rain they have up there in God's Country.  The light washed out the license plate frame which says something about the "Sweet Adelines:" organization - I like the bumper sticker that relates.  

This lady drives a Grand Caravan.   I wish I were still driving my Caravan, but it wasn't a Grand because my garage is a little too tight for the length.  However, they no longer make the "Sport" which had a shorter wheel base.  I don't find my Lexus RX very comfortable and I REALLY miss those sliding side doors.

 

There was a small flock of cattle egrets in the grassy area beside the parking lot.  I don't think I have seen them in the Hemet area before and I haven't seen many lately while driving up I-5.  But it is migratory bird season, so maybe these guys were just passing through.  They don't have their apricot colored breeding plumage yet.

Even without wild flowers and baby animals we had a great time together and saw ladies from Surfside Quilters Guild in San Clemente who had made the journey out to see the show.