Welcome
President’s Message
You do NOT want to miss this year’s convention/retreat! Last Friday, Clare and I went to Charlie Elliott for a visit to see the facilities so that we can plan better for the retreat in August. It was a day full of adventure, so let me start when we met for lunch.
Clare and I met for lunch at the newest restaurant in Rockdale County, the Fish Bone, on Iris Drive. The first thing we noticed when we entered were cakes. Yes, huge, gorgeous, mouth-watering cakes! So we ordered “healthy” lunch items – fish tacos for me and shrimp tacos for her – and planned to come back for cake at the end of our day.
From there we got on I-20 East headed to the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center in Mansfield, but first we stopped at the GQC storage unit off of Salem Road, and I showed Clare (our president-elect) all the quilt racks, files, and quilt signs that the GQC owns. (This is important information for an upcoming president!)
We then got back on I-20 East and when we arrived at the CEW Center we walked around the buildings and got a mental picture of how the rooms are set up so Clare can make room assignments as you send in your registration form. The outside sidewalks and decks are easy to walk and maneuver, so everyone can get around easily.
Next we went into the conference center where we found a group of quilters deeply ensconced into their retreat. The quilters we met were from the Cotton Boll Quilt Guild in Auburn, Alabama. This is their 4th year coming to Charlie Elliott for their retreat, and they love it so much that they won’t go anywhere else. And they drive hours to get there! Cindy and Myra, the retreat coordinators, were so happy with the food that they don’t even pick from the menu because they said that the staff does such a great job they just say, “Feed us!” Myra and Cindy also gave us some great ideas of fun things to do at a retreat. They were extremely helpful and said that their quilting buddies are so happy with the retreat that they have more and more quilters coming each year. The pictures here show how they had their tables set up and the dining area at the end of the room. Clare and I left Charlie Elliott excited about our upcoming retreat in August!
On our way back to the interstate, we made a spontaneous stop at the Fox Vineyards and Winery in Social Circle. We went in for a couple of gifts and ended up having our own wine tasting and wine lesson from Brian. It was very interesting and VERY good! Did you know that if you are from the South, you have a sweeter palate then if you have lived, say, in the North? Ha! I never knew that! We came away with their best wine called Bonnie Blueberry which is made from 100% blueberries! It is fantastic over vanilla ice cream or with a little chocolate after dinner. Yum! This is just one of the interesting places you can visit on the way to or from the retreat. When I mentioned that we were quilters Brian said, “What, more quilters! They are my best customers!”
When we finally made it back to the Fish Bone in Conyers we were hot and tired, but ready for some cake and coffee. However, we didn’t get our first choice, Coconut Cake, but “settled” instead for a huge piece of Death by Chocolate which we devoured!
So instead of just making plans for coming to the retreat in August where you will have lots of fun quilting, meeting with friends, enjoying good food and maybe even some laughs, plan on making it into an adventure along the way!
See you in August!
Pomelia
SEWFEST Retreat
August 15-17, 2013