Day 3 - Danville to Salinas

Sunday morning, we woke up and started packing up our work and sleeping areas.   We weren't obligated to leave until 3 p.m., but I was at a good stopping place with my quilt (half finished!!) and Nicole still wasn't feeling up to snuff, so we planned to leave a little earlier. Plus - we had shopping to do!

We planned a trip to Concord to visit Thimblecreek, so Nicole and I led Connie to the quilt store.  It's in an industrial park - you'd never guess something so fabulous was inside that building, but there it was!   They had so many beautiful fabrics and amazing kits.  I was very, very tempted to buy one of everything, but showed great restraint, I think.   I bought some of this chocolate brown fabric to make this quilt using Dandelion Girl fabrics that I already have with the brown for the alternate blocks and border flying geese.

One thing I couldn't leave without is this beautiful wool appliqued quilt block.  I am going to frame it for my sewing room.  I know I will take a razzing from my quilt buddies at home because I adamently insist that I don't like basket blocks.  But orange sunflowers, who could resist?  Even Nicole commented that I didn't like baskets when I excitedly showed the block to her.  Maybe a leopard *can* change her spots?

After leaving Concord, we drove down to Palo Alto for the big Shyne family Sunday dinner.  I must admit - shy me was seriously fretting meeting this big group of people, but they couldn't have been more warm and welcoming.  I finally got to meet Andrea (white blouse), who I felt like I already knew, and the charming Sara (far left), her hubby Ryan and their dear sweet puffball Remy, as well as many of their other relatives including their beautiful cousin Claudia pictured with us here.  What a fun family - can y'all adopt me?   I always wanted sisters - my parents selfishly never came through for me.

After a scrumptious dinner of chicken with goat cheese and bow-tie pasta salad from the Barefoot Contessa's recipe book, prepared for us by sisters Trish and Andrea, we visited a little while after dinner, then made the drive down to Salinas where Ozzie was clearly missing his Mommy, and Dennis had two perfect Cosmos waiting for us.  Nicole was still feeling punky, so I had to be a proper houseguest and drink her Cosmo, too.  Couldn't let it go to waste, could I?   Dennis and Nicole will probably never have me back, I hope I didn't launch into any really raunchy jokes or say anything else too inappropriate!