I’m Back... and Still In Awe of the Determination of Stitchers...

We’re back from Myrtle Beach feeling rested, ready to take on our routine again.... and surrounded by piles of laundry and e-mail!! I shivered most of the day after the nice weather last week and the chance to wear a t-shirt and shorts most days.

It didn’t start out that way. We left Bangor on the 26 of February not knowing that we were flying into some pretty fierce “weather”. Luckily our flight path took us through Atlanta that got 3 inches or so of snow instead of Charlotte that got over a foot!! We know how to deal with that up here in Canada... but they just aren’t equipped to handle Mother Nature dumping that much white stuff on them. One flight out of Cincinnati was “scrubbed” but we made it on a later flight and still managed to hook up with my Mom and John in Atlanta then just had to get through a bit of wicked wind to land in Myrtle Beach. All of our bags arrived safely and we checked into the resort.

Sarah from the Lazy Daisy, our host for the event, and Teresa Wentzler made it down by supper time, but Teresa’s luggage did not. I also learned that Karen Weaver from Black Swan had had to turn back in the horrid weather... so it began to look as if I would be teaching FIRST instead of last... and my voice was showing the strain of the past month’s workload. Would it hold out?? I also began to worry how many stitchers would make it to the event... but I never should have doubted!!

The next morning as we gathered and shared our storm stories of convoys through the snow and sleet or arriving early and sleeping in cars until check-in time, I was humbled and amazed to discover that all but one stitcher had made it... and she showed up by noon!!

A more tenacious, dedicated bunch of stitchers I have yet to meet... and they were such darn fun to spend time with too. I doubt that all of us would have tried so hard, or faced such traveling conditions for any other event. Friends and colleagues couldn’t understand the determination to drive through all that icky stuff “just to sit and stitch”.. but it is so much more than that!! (Isn’t it??)

This was the chance for fellowship and fiber fondling... for restoring creative batteries and sharing a love of a craft that remains hard to put into words.

To the women of Myrtle Beach 2004... thank you for all the memories, the laughter, the hugs, the feedback and the fun. When “Summer’s Magic” comes out in print, your heroic efforts to get to this event will be remembered in my dedication... because you inspire me!!