Back from Quilt Bliss!

And back from the blogging grave too! This past month or two have been totally crazy with a big work project that, of course, coincided with the much anticipated Quilt Bliss retreat! My work project included a big trip to DC and I initially worried that I'd have to skip Pamela's retreat in order to meet my work obligations. A little bit of tweaking of the itinerary and I made it work!

As you know, I left Utah mid-summer, relocating to the NYC area. When Pamela first mentioned she was hosting a fabulous luxury retreat along with the Utah County Modern Quilt Guild, I knew I wanted  to go, but I assumed I wouldn't be able to come, given that we're still very much settling into our new jobs and new home. When I discovered a few months ago that there was still room in the retreat AND I realized I had some frequent flier miles piled up, with the support of my honey I decided to make the trip. I knew it'd be a fabulous experience, not to mention a great opportunity to catch up with dear friends.

And what an adventure it was! My dear friend Sue weathered a nasty storm to drive all the way up from Utah County to pick me up late at night at the SLC airport. I settled into her guest room, which included chocolates on my pillow! The next morning, April picked me up and, along with Marion, we wended up our way up to Heber, stopping along the way at several fabulous quilt shops. As I may have mentioned, it has taken some adjustment living in the NY metro area in terms of the shortage of modern fabric stores. There are a few places out on Long Island that have primarily batiks and traditional fabrics, but we have to head into Manhattan to the City Quilter to get some real options. I felt as if I were coming out of the desert into the rich world of Utah fabric stores! Despite the great temptations at Corn Wagon, Gracie Lou's, and American Quilting, I walked away with some fat quarters and some new fabric ideas for my wish list.

We then headed up to the Timber Moose Lodge in Heber. So grateful for Marion's trusty monster truck! A lot of snow had accumulated and only the most robust of 4 wheel drive vehicles were making it up the hill! We actually passed the Dave's Bernina truck, which had gotten stuck going up the hill. After a little backing and forthing up the hill, we finally found the lodge. Funny that you can drive past a 26,000 square foot home and not see it!

Yes, this place is so massive that I could fit my entire house—with room leftover—in the lodge's great room! This incredible place is apparently the largest privately-owned log cabin in the U.S. It has 13 bedrooms, 16 bathrooms, an indoor pool, outdoor hot tub, a game room, and plenty of nooks and crannies, including a gorgeous crow's nest with a nearly 360 degree view!

The lodge overlooks a private lake, which is apparently stocked with fish! I didn't bring my camera (just one thing too many to pack!), so I'm using photos from the lodge rental site (thank you!), but during our stay the lake was frozen over and covered with snow.

I bunked with my friend Sue in the lodge's bunk room, which had six queen-sized bunk beds. I don't think I've bunked down with so many people since sleep-away camp in my teens! There was such an impressive number of bathrooms that despite having almost 60 people sharing facilities, I never once had to wait in line for the shower or potty!

So this is a little glimpse of where I stayed. Stay tuned tomorrow for more about the retreat itself!