Montana was Amazing

So, a few weeks ago I told you about the retreat I held in Montana at Judy's Training Center.....and here are some of the highlights from our day at Glacier National Park. It was a gorgeous day, cool and sunny, and while the Road to the Sun was closed, we still had a great time. I really must get back there in mid-summer to see the weeping walls, and the glaciers themselves, but that will have to be a next trip....

Here are some pics from our adventures....

I was driving, so I took a limited number of pictures to ensure the safety of my passengers.....We started at Lake McDonald, driving along the south side of the lake to the Lodge, and getting a good view of the convertible topped vehicles that they use to ferry park goers between various places....

This little waterfall is right behind the Lodge between the main lodge and the cabins, it was brimming with fast moving and almost freezing water.....the lake itself still had large expanses of floating ice, so that water was near freezing. On the lake front itself I needed my jacket and to stay out of the occasional spray!

This pic is from that same little falls but on the opposite side of the road, before it diverts under the road....the shade here was freezing, and I only stayed long enough to get a quick pic and get out!

After we left Lake McDonald and the Lodge we headed up toward Avalanche Trail head, and stopped several times to get pics of various falls along the Big Fork River which feeds into the lake. There were areas of steep rapids and white water, and areas that were more likely the lazy rivers at the amusement parks....

Once we got to Avalanche we turned around and headed to Polebridge for some sweet Huckleberry treats. Overall, it was a great day in the park......

Montana or Bust 2019

It's the last day of retreat in Montana, and I can't quite believe that it is over....it has been a great week, full of friends, adventures and some sewing...

We had a group of 7, and spent 10 days in Kalispell Montana at Judy's retreat center. We arrived last Saturday, and spend Labor Day Weekend cutting papers and getting started on color selection. The retreat center was full of beautiful inspiration.

Bali Wedding Star

Cactus Rose 

Dinner Plate Dahlia Wall

Jennifer Eubank stopped by for a visit (or four) while we were here, and regailed us with tails of her Alaska adventures. I must admit that I adore her, and wished she could have stayed and sewed, but she has a real job, and a lovely garden to tend.

I got a chance to spend an evening with the lovely Carrie Barone at her new studio in Columbia Falls. We got a chance to do lots of business planning and working through what we have planned for the rest of the year....

We visited the Quilt Gallery at it's new location on Highway 93 on Tuesday! I totally forgot to take pictures, but it was a lovely visit. The staff was amazing and super helpful. And the shop was full of inspiration.

We visited Glacier Park on Wednesday, and went up to Polebridge for Huckleberry Macaroons and visited Lake McDonald (more info on that later). The Avalanche Trail and the Sun Road were still closed due to snow, so we couldn't get to the Weeping Wall, but the park was gorgeous, and the weather splendid for a day spent outside.

We stopped at Glacier Quilts on the way home from the park, and got a little lost in the aisles of batiks. I got to meet Jenny Clark, the local CI in Montana. Her class was working on Dinner Plate Dahlia, and it was great to see several new color combinations. Of course, I didn't take pictures because I wasn't expecting to meet her.

We spent the rest of the week eating, sewing, visiting, and planning out new quilts. Judy stopped by to see us several times and demoed several new techniques, which was a treat. Judel came over and did a demo of Quiltster and showed us some new tricks that have recently been installed.

I'll be writing more about our adventures this week in future posts....until then, Happy June!