I woke up in Sedona, and the view was amazing from my room. Hot air balloons slowly rose up over the hills, and the colors were breathtaking.
On Tuesday afternoon, after finishing the first day of the workshop for the Verde Valley Weavers in Sedona, AZ, one of the members of the guild drove me around the corner from the workshop to stop and see the house of one of my oldest friends, Candiss Cole, an amazing woman, and designer who lives in Sedona. I stood for Candiss for her wedding in 2004, we go back all the way to 1980 when we were across the aisle from each other at the Gaithersburg Craft Fair in Maryland. We became instant friends, and have shared many amazing adventures together. It was my one regret on this trip that Candiss would be on the east coast while I was in her home town, teaching around the corner from her house.
So we stood in front of her house, listening to her dogs bark, sending big hugs back to the east coast, and that night, I posted on her Facebook page how I missed her and I loved how her house looked.
Turns out, she was home, her trip had been delayed a couple of days, and on Wednesday she ran over to the workshop with her staff, and we had a great little visit. That night, Candiss and I went out to dinner to a wonderful local restaurant, Elote Cafe along with two of the women from the workshop.
I left Sedona after dinner, and we drove the hour and a half to Prescott, over a treacherous mountain in the dark. I’m glad it was dark, I’m not use to mountain passes and javalina pigs running across the road, and cliffs straight down the mountain, and winding roads that seem like you are riding a Tilt a Whirl in an amusement park. I’ll take a NJ interstate anyday. I know I’m a wimp…
When I arrive at a new location in the dark, and it is dark, it is always a treat to wake up and see where I actually am in the daylight.
The house I’m staying in is just a cacophony of colors and artwork, and fibers and books and I felt instantly at home. The house is nestled in a hilly area of Prescott, with a very different terrain than Sedona, and much different views. There were small patches of snow on the patio, and Prescott has more of a winter, with temperatures in the 40’s. The driveway was amazing, a simple dirt drive, but it meandered through the most beautiful rock formations, huge boulders and craggy trees, and made a stark comparison to the magnificent red rock formations of Sedona. I loved it.
I just finished the 2-day workshop for the Mountain Spinners and Weavers in Prescott, AZ. What a wonderful group of women. They worked like Tim Gunn was in the room telling them, designers, you have one hour to complete your look before leaving for the runway.
The workshop was another class, where the students brought their handwoven fabric, and they all made vests from that fabric, custom fit to their bodies. They still have a lot of handwork, but I’m so proud of the fact that all 11 students actually had a vest to try on at the end. There were still some armhole bands and neckbands that needed to be finished, but they all seemed happy and thrilled they had gotten so far.
Tomorrow I lecture to the full guild, and then make my way back to Phoenix, where I will give the same two day vest workshop to their guild. I’m on autopilot, and all my hard work before this trip has paid off, I have everything I need waiting at each stop, and everyone has been so great at feeding me terrific food and putting me up in such wonderful comfortable homes.