Chattanooga quilt show

I woke up in the middle of the night shivering. I checked the thermostat and it read 80 as usual. I put my quilt back on the bed and curled up under it. I never quite went back to sleep before the alarm went off at 5:45. I took a hot shower to warm up. Initially I dressed in shorts, but checked the weather for Chattanooga and saw that it would be mid-70's. Add to that being inside an airconditioned space, and pants seemed more logical. I grabbed my lunch bag from the fridge and put it in my backpack. I thought of a few other things which I quickly grabbed. I ate some cashews and put the rest in my sack. I jumped in the car and drove to the church. What should have taken 20 minutes, only took 15 at that time of morning. The bus was idling and people were on it. I checked in with the supervisor and boarded the bus. By 6:55 we were all there and the bus departed. We made two stops to pick up other ladies on the way. We made one rest stop, and the bus driver got turned around. I would not want to be a bus driver with a load of women with smart phones. They all told him he was going the wrong way. When we got to Chattanooga, he passed the convention center and kept going. I guess he saw it but could not stop to let us off because we were on the other side of the street. Eventually he got the bus turned the right way and idled in the loading zone. Our supervisor went inside to get the tickets, and then handed them to us as we disembarked. We went inside to turn in our tickets whereupon our hands were stamped to enter the quilt show. At first all I could see were vendor booths. But eventually I found the quilt displays. I took pics as I went up and down the rows. That did not take long because it was a small show. The National Quilt Museum had two displays, but we were not allowed to take photos there. Then I wandered through the vendor spaces. I bought two fat quarters and a book. We had hours left before boarding the bus, so I went to the other exhibition hall. There were cow quilts, patriotic quilts, island quilts, and 'bad-ass' quilt. Sorry, but that is the word that was used. I took a few pics there too, and had to delete some from my camera to make room. I went out front to eat the rest of the cashews and two apples. Then I went up to the rotunda for some peace and quiet. I could smell barbeque, baked beans, and cole slaw from the buffet being served below. I tried to drift off. I did doze, but the chair just wasn't very comfortable. After more than an hour, I got up and walked around. I explored the terrace outside. I went through the quilt show again, in case I had missed something. My attention was caught by one labeled “Money really does grow on trees”. I could not find anything in the pictorial quilt to make sense of the title. Then I walked through the vendor section again, thinking that they might have reduced their prices so late on the last day. But no. I did buy some blue fabric in a panel and a print. I looked for light reds, but did not find what I wanted. Then I noticed that it was 10 minutes until the bus left. This group likes to meet early and leave early, so I went out. I was one of the last people, but then we waited for two others. When they came on board, we went to a shop called Spool. It was not in a good place for a tour bus. He drove us around the block looking for a place to park. Then we had to walk back to the store. Inside I met ladies from the modern guild. We had a nice chat before they left and I perused the store. Sadly it was too dim in there to really see colors and I did not want to buy reds that were not right for my project. So I ended up sitting outside with a nice lady who has lived in Huntsville all her life. When we boarded the bus, we waited for the same two people. Then we were off to Cracker Barrel. I still had two apples left, but did not see how I could easily get out of eating with the others. So we lined up at the Cracker Barrel counter, and were seated in sets of 4. Everyone at my table got the chicken salad. I ate all of mine except for the croutons and cheese. The others did not finish their salads. We paid and waited outside for the bus. I took the chance to visit the restroom, and when I got back, they were lined up and boarding. I sat with my seatmate, and we talked on the way back. She got off at the second stop. At the third, we all got off. I realized that I had prepared a great deal for getting there, but not at all for getting back. The last part was one-way. So the lady across the aisle called it up on her phone and showed me how to get back to the street I started from. When I drove it, it looked different, but somehow I did make it. I was glad to get home. It was after dark and I forgot to leave a light on. I checked the mail, and brought my stuff in. I opened my laptop to check e-mail. I downloaded and sent Dad the files he asked for. I had a headache, so I sat in the dark waiting for Chris to call. Since he and Michele were gaming, I did not want to miss the chance to speak with Michele. However, when he called, she was gone already. So we spoke briefly, I told him I had spent lots of money and he said I was worth it. Gee, I could have spent more! Then he hung up so I could go to bed.