So Happy to Meet You!

Friday morning at 8:15 a.m., a line began to form outside the Alamo Women's Club, despite the fact that the attendees had been asked not to arrive until 8:45 a.m. for Verna Mosquera's retreat. But none of us could wait any longer, so we jockeyed for position to be among the first to claim our tables. Finally the doors opened and there, dressed in a white eyelet dress, a little pink sweater, and killer cute wedge shoes, stood Verna with a warm welcoming smile. The retreat had officially begun!

The room was decorated in pinks and greens--it felt a little like we mostly middle aged quilters had stepped right into a princess birthday party. I took a few photos of the room. In the first photo, Verna is still at the door greeting new arrivals, on the far right side of the photo.

Pam and her daughter, Verna's helpers, appear in the back of the crowd, behind the pink tulle "rope" separating off the mini shop until it was officially open for business a little later, after everyone had checked in.

The next photo is looking down the length of the room toward the table where Verna was set up and where demonstrations were held throughout the retreat.

I took two candid photos of Verna. One turned out blurry and in the other, she's pointing and looking at this woman's chest for some reason. Not my finest photography efforts. All I can say is it's a good thing I never aspired to become a wedding photographer. Can you imagine how many lives I could have messed up?

Besides all the creative inspiration around us, we were also surrounded by delicious foods. The next two photos are of the table that was kept supplied with beverages and treats. These are our morning snacks; we were also given ice cream on Friday, tea on Saturday, and all of the other snacks and leftovers throughout the day on Sunday.

Finally, right next to our table, atop a cloth covered piano, was the candy bar, stocked with a tempting array of sweet treats.

I took all these photos on the first day of the retreat, and at the time, I didn't know any of the women in the photos. Now, looking back at these images, I realize that during the retreat, I got to meet and talk with many of them. I know I've said it before, but I really DO believe that quilters are the nicest, warmest, friendliest people you could ever hope to spend time with!