We got out of Dodge for awhile, having gotten into the BAV for the journey up to visit friends in Vancouver, Washington before setting up for Sock Summit at the Portland Convention Center. It was a lovely journey but one where the usual demarcation from California to Oregon was quite blurred. Yes, the Rogue River Valley looked very much like a lot of places in my neck of the woods because the grasses were golden, instead of green. Oregon had come off of one of the worst heat waves in forever and so the look of the place was just like home, unfortunately.
We had a lovely visit with our friends, Bill and Linda Fleischer. Rod has been friends with Bill forever and really misses the regular Friday nights with the Boys that he spent at Bill's Concord home, working on and running trains on the big model railroad layout. Bill and Linda are slowly but surely letting go of the Concord home, which means that the layout, which was featured in a magazine, will have to be torn up, like a sand mandala. Sad. When our son, Erik, was here he took copious photos to document everything. What more can you do.
On Tuesday, we went out for a tourist day in the region. I am not so much of a city girl these days and so the trip to the Columbia Gorge was right up my alley. Yes, it was a bit hazy but you can get the idea of what a beautiful place this is. Water water water.
We stopped at all of the waterfalls along the Oregon side of the river and had a proper tourist lunch at the Multnomah Falls. Linda was bummed that the trees had grown up so much that you could not see the falls from the deck but Bill was happy to see TRAINS go by while he had his sammich. :o) We ran into Sock Summiteers as we ogled the falls after lunch. It really is a beautiful place. Just two old tourists out for a great day!
Our first actual stop of the day was a treasure. When Linda heard that we were going to the Kennedy School in Portland, she decided that it would be very cool to take us to another of the McMenamin properties, Edgefield in Troutdale. This place used to be the Poor Farm and now it is rich with art.
I kept saying that I would love to come up for a concert and to stay in one of the trippy rooms there. As I said, there is ART everywhere. A little out building becomes a tiny Bar.
No surface is left undecorated. I just loved the place.
Ok, so back to the journey. We got to visit the Bonneville Dam, on the Columbia and I was thrilled to get a view of the fish ladder that allows all of those beautiful brave salmon to head back up river for The Big Party. I fell in love with a plush Sockeye Salmon from the gift store and stroked that silly fish like he was my comfort blanket from that time on. I bought him with the excuse of giving it to the Schnickle and told myself that if he did not love it as much as I did, I would keep it. Hmmm, he LOVED it and can't wait to share it with his Bonus Dad, the Fisherman. LOVE IT.
Our last stop on the Tourist Day was the Pendleton factory store. I had all that I could do to keep from buying a blanket because as we all know, I am a FAN of the wool. I did get a shot of the itty bitty antique carding machine, for your viewing pleasure.
Wednesday was set-up day for us at the Convention Center and it was a pleasure to go to a facility where they provide you with BIG carts to haul your stuff in. No TEAMSTERS to bar the door or load a cart the size of a postage stamp. Whoopee! We had a great time at the dinner gathering at the aforementioned Kennedy School and want to thank our hosts, Lantern Moon, for subsedizing the event. It was relaxing and we were able to treat our pal, Brenda Patipa, to a little time away from the hotel.
All in all, the Sock Summit was a well run affair. All of the participants were giddy with happiness over their classes and events and I think that the team deserves as many kudo's for this as they have been given. We had a lovely time and although the attendance in the market was kind of iffy, the way that vendors and teachers were thought of made a world of difference to old-timers like me.
We had so much fun getting to know one of our long-time design contributors, Judy Sumner. Judy has a BEAUTIFUL new book that came out just in time for the Summit. I am proud to say that we sold every last autographed copy and look forward to buying some more to bring with us to our next shows. I gave Judy yarn a couple of years ago and there is a beautiful pair of socks in the book and on the back cover!
Here is our girl keeping busy.
It was such a pleasure to get to know Judy, after all of these years of internet friendship!
So, here's to Portland and the Sock Summiteers. Thanks for such a good time. We will be back up I 5 in no time, for one of my favorite small shows, the Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival in Canby, September 26 & 27. I look forward to the sheep and other animals and the special people that come down to this terrific fiber event. I wouldn't miss it.
Oh, one last thing...the new sock yarn, the Bluefaced Leicester Sock, was a big hit at SS09. It is all that I hoped that it would be! Little by little, I am getting more colors dyed and this was yesterday's run, good old Jonquil. I got to Feel Up some socks made from this yarn and it is silky and fabulous. I just wish that I was not PERSONALLY allergic to size 0 needles. :o)
Alright, talk amongst yourselves.
