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Home Sweet Home - Kinky Turtle

I'm home! - but not for long! Big shouts and whoo-hoos to everyone I saw in Australia and those who were so involved in making the trip happen, both in Australia and here at home.

Have I ever mentioned I LOVE my iPad? Well, I do! I have a painting app on it called Inspire Pro. I used it to create my very own Aboriginal inspired painting. Check it out!

After posting on Facebook, I promised an explanation of the "Kinky Turtle" phrase. Years ago a friend who knew her way to a destination in NYC was told by her sister to "Lead On!' My friend mumbled "O King Eternal". There's a hymn, Lead On O King Eternal. Anyway, the sister thought she said Kinky Turtle - so, ever since then, the Kinky Turtle is the one in charge - whatever it is - such as navigating, choosing a restaurant, planning a trip, organizing a quilt show, etc. Raise your hand if you get to be the Kinky Turtle sometimes.

Michelle Pierson (third from left) had these t-shirts made for us (Justin, Helen Godden, and myself) that say "Be the Kinky Turtle." She was most definitely the Kinky Turtle of my event in Perth.

It's always crazy coming home after being away. Of course there are tons of things to catch up on, but in this case we are sailing in gale force winds preparing for the arrival of 40 British quilters who are coming to La Veta as part of their Southwestern Tour. Thursday and Friday I'll be giving my two-day seminar to our friends from across the pond.

Major thanks to Bernina in Australia (Otto and Penny too!) for sponsoring my performance at the Gala Dinner during the Australian Machine Quilting Festival. Tracey Browning and Sharon Parkinson (festival organizers) have a great thing going for machine quilters down under. Whoo-hoo!

On Saturday, I fly to New Brunswick, Canada to take a phototograpy workshop. I've wanted to sit in the student's chair and this is my chance. The workshop will be six days and I hope to learn a lot about photography - a hobby I really enjoy.

I think you'll agree - I need to stay a bit busier. No more lazing around - I'm just sayin'...

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Ricky Down Under -Day 19

Here's a big shout out to everyone who came to my seminar yesterday in Adelaide. Over 350 enthusiastic quilters reminded me that I don't speak Aussie as well as I thought I did! Lol

Aussies

One student, Margaret Dunn, surprised me with a fantastic gift - a free-motion thread painting of our dog Katie!! Isn't it amazing? Thanks Margaret!!

gift

I also managed to connect with Michelle from Perth (she organized the first portion of this tour) and Helen Godden, famous Aussie quilter extraordinaire! We ate dinner at a tapas bar called Casablabla. That's tapas, not "topless".... I'm just sayin'...

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Ricky Down Under - Day 17

Hey everyone. I've been in a bit of Internet limbo over the past few days but wanted to catch you up on my travels while I have the chance.

Since my last post I enjoyed a great visit to Brisbane and the Queensland Quilters. Kim Boland was our hostess and it was great fun to see her again since she had organized the Brisbane portion from my previous tour to Oz in 2005.

The first day was spent seeing sights and shopping. Sunday and Monday were master class days. A big Whoo-hoo shout out to all who attended and another Whoo-hoo for the thunder that accompanied my lectures on Monday!

Tuesday Kim drove Justin and I to Bribie Island and then up into the mountains where we took a stroll through the rain forest. I was surprised to see how high we were and really enjoyed hearing the kookaburra.

I've arrived in Adelaide and yesterday my good quilting friend and Adelaide resident, Pam Holland, treated us to some local sights followed by a fantastic Thai food dinner.

I wonder if I'll be talking like an Aussie when I get home next week... I'm just sayin'...

class

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Down Under - Day 8

G'day Mates!

Yesterday (Day 7) we arrived in the vast Red Center of Australia. We left Alice Springs on an early bus to Uluru/Ayers Rock. The ride was about 5 hours and I was surprised to learn that there is nothing - absolutely nothing - between Alice Springs and Ayers Rock. There were two roadhouses along the way, but no towns, villages, or communities.

We passed Attila (Mount Conner) which is often mistaken for Uluru (OO'-loo-roo) because both rise magnificently from the surrounding ground level. Attila is on a private cattle station and is not the same sort of formation as Uluru (Uluru being the largest rock visible on earth). Not far away from Attila is Lake Amadeus, which is usually a dry, salt crust lake. The white salt against the red earth could easily inspire a quilt.

Lake Amadeus, left, Mount Conner, right

Finally we reached Uluru/Ayers Rock. Uluru is one of Australia's most recognisable natural landmarks. The sandstone formation stands 348 m (1,142 ft) high (rising 863 m/2,831 ft above sea level), with most of its bulk lying underground, and has a total circumference of 9.4 km (5.8 mi).

Kata Tjuta (Kah'-tah Joo'-tah), a conglomerate of similar rock formations (also called The Olgas), lies 25 km (16 mi) west of Uluru.

The resort is located about 9 miles or so from Uluru but it is easily viewed from the nearby dunes. We spent the day getting situated and organized and then went out to the dunes to take in Uluru at sunset.

Today (Day 8) I rose at pre-dawn to head to a dune and take a few sunrise photos. Next was another amazing new adventure - a helicopter ride! We flew over the area to get up close to both Uluru and Kata Tjuta. It was exhilarating and you can see photos below.

The next new adventure was renting a car and driving on the "wrong" side of the road. I survived to tell about it. I'm just sayin'...

Tommorw - farewell central Austraila. Up next - Brisbane!

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Down Under - Day 6

Today was a travel day. We flew from Perth to Alice Springs - uneventful. However, I thought I'd share a bit more from our days in Perth and surrounding area.

Michelle Pearson (who I dubbed the Divine Miss M) is the force behind Handcrafter's House in Perth that hosted the master classes. The shop is a quilter's must-see place when visiting Perth and they have a very large selection of fabric. I was able to snag about 25-30 fabrics with Australian/Aboriginal designs to add to my "collection".

Because of the way I teach (lecture style to large audiences), it is a logistical and organizational feat to pull it off. Kudos to Michelle and her amazing staff for pulling out all the stops. Not only was the theater a perfect venue, but the extra effort she put forth to tour Justin and myself around before and after the event made our visit even more memorable. All I can say is, "Whoo-hoo Michelle!"

During the last session of my master class, I felt someone touch my arm from behind. I turned to see who it was, but there was nobody there. It so distracted me that I commented about it to the audience. About 2 minutes later, it happened again. I'm on the stage with nobody else and something/someone touched me. The experience raised the hairs on my neck.

Later, after the seminar was over, I was told the name of the theater. It is the Metcalfe Theater, named after the actor Edgar Metcalfe who, though English born, lived most of his life in Perth. Then I was told that Edgar_Metcalfe had passed away on September 13th - just three days before my classes. I don't know if there is a connection, but I've never had any kind of an experience like it. Was it a ghost? I'm just sayin'...

Here are a few more photos for you to enjoy.