Quilty Travel Planning

May 14, 2025

Today was catch up on email day. An announcement in one of the newsletters for a quilt show in Charleston, SC next March caught my eye. Misty Doan will be teaching at this event (Cobblestone 2026 Celebration of Quilts, Textiles & Fiber Arts Show), so this one is definitely on my radar. It’s also within driving distance of Atlanta. On the potential 2026 quilt show/retreat list it goes as I’m looking for events closer to home. I enjoyed my spring retreat in Boise with the JK Quilts girls, but the travel costs associated with attending the retreat were really expensive this year.

How much will it potentially cost to attend the Charleston show for 3 days and 2 nights? I’m going to base my travel budget on what I spent at similar events in TN and NC. Charleston is a 5 hour drive from Atlanta. Gas: $75.00 This event has classes and lectures along with the show, so I’ll allow for two nights of hotel based on current rates at hotels near the venue. Accommodations: $300.00 Food: $100.00 Quilt show attendance, classes, lectures and souvenir shopping (a/k/a hitting the vendor booths): $150.00. My cost: $625.00 max for a 3 day/2 night quilting adventure. Costs can easily be lowered by not taking classes, bringing a friend and/or using credit card reward points to put towards gas, meals and hotel. Mind you, $625.00 is totally in line with fees for a lot of quilt retreats lasting 3-5 days.

Prefer an escorted tour?

Some of the quilt tour companies offer escorted tours of the low country focusing on Georgia and South Carolina. Yep, there’s already a tour advertised to take you to the Charleston show and shop hopping around the Palmetto state. The advertised cost is $1595 double occupancy or $1895 single occupancy. There’s a discount if you book by a certain date. Of course, I downloaded the trip brochure and checked out the quilt shops listed on the itinerary. This is a good way to discover quilt shops you might want to visit on your travels. I added one shop to my list to visit the next time I’m in upstate South Carolina.

Someone asked if I’m planning to attend QuiltCon 2026. No, as I attended the event in Raleigh in 2024

Photo by Sara Free on Pexels.com

Reflecting on a Busy Season: Family, Friends, and Fun

May 11, 2025

Three years after retiring, I still look forward to the end of the school year. This week will be a busy one.

It’s the final hurrah for therapy dog activities this school year. We have the R.E.A.D.er awards ceremony at Park Street Elementary. Once the audience leaves, the four kids we’ve worked with will have brunch with Sadie. They’ll enjoy CFA biscuits while her highness has chicken nuggets.

My niece’s high school graduation is Friday evening. My parents don’t drive at night, so I’ll be their chauffeur. They live an hour east of me. The graduation ceremony is an hour south of them. On a Friday. In Atlanta traffic. Oh joy.

It’s also my turn to host our monthly Book Club. Technically, it should be next week, but May’s calendar is such that stuff that normally happens on 3rd Thursday (book club) also happens to fall the same week as the 2nd Wednesday (library READ). Right now, I have RSVPs for 8 (could be up to 12).

Not much sewing or quilting happening this week. That’s okay. One week from now, we’ll be officially in summer mode. For the first time in five years, it’s shaping up to be a normal summer with a planned vacation, quilt retreat, Quilt Camp @ SQTM, quilt classes I’m taking, plus a couple of really special therapy dog events.

Photo by Ali Kazal on Pexels.com

Just a reminder…

May 8, 2025

Our initial retirement dreams included getting as far away from Atlanta as possible. Not a surprise considering our favorite vacation spots are out west. Every city I visit, I check to see if it could be on our retirement short list. Boise, Idaho is my personal favorite so far and it checks all the boxes except for being reasonably close (within a day’s drive) to our parents.

Three years into retirement, we’re still in the same house. Our volunteer activities, family & friends, plus the current economic uncertainty mean we’ll sit tight for a while. Many homes are listed for sale in our area, but not much is selling. That’s fine. We’ve put down roots and have bloomed where we’ve been planted.

Meanwhile, therapy dog visits with my friends in the counties north of where I currently live have opened my eyes to the possibility that moving 45 minutes – an hour north might be the sweet spot for our retirement area checklist. This falls in line with a recent video from Holy Schmidt! where he mentions moving the next county or two over instead of a total relocation far, far away is often much better for retirees. The express (toll) lanes will make it easier to get to ATL proper when needed. Something to consider.