Tonight I am writing to you from Homer Alaska. I have just spent a mind-blowing 4 days at Bear Camp at Lake Clark National Park, among the bears ( and foxes) with no wifi or cell service. I slept in a fancy tent and went out with the NatHab group several times a day to photograph the bears on the homestead property and the adjacent national park land. One of the high points was this morning as we went out for our final bear viewing session. As we tromped single file through the woods behind our guide, I was scanning the forest around us. I saw a dark round shape and immediately called out “Bear on the right in the woods” and at that moment another larger shape stood up and looked us in the eye. It was a huge mama bear who had been nursing her cubs, before we so rudely interrupted. Those moments when you look a wild beast in the eyes, out in the woods, are moments you never forget. She gazed at us for awhile, then laid back down, and we took a hard left on another trail. Phew!
(Natural Habitats is the tour company that has hosted my previous polar bear trips with eQuilter friends and customers.)
We flew back midday in a small prop plane, and when I got back to Homer and turned on my phone, I was inundated with text messages and emails. That is the price you pay for going off the grid for a few days I guess. I have a couple thousand photos and videos to go through, so I can share my favorites with you in the weeks to come. Here is just one that I grabbed off my SD card tonight. It was another younger mama bear running through the river trying to catch a salmon for her yearling cubs.
One of the emails I found this afternoon was a congratulatory notice of an award that I received this week! It was from Vivika Denegre, senior editor at Golden Peak Media.
“Today, Quilting Daily formally announced the Top 20 Award Program and list of the 2023 honorees in our newsletter. Congratulations, once again, for being recognized as an individual who has shaped the quilting industry by your artistry and passion.
As a group, your combined contributions have made an impact that resonates beyond the craft and into the world of design, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy. It is a true pleasure to highlight your accomplishments with this recognition.”
I have posted a link to the article and the awards on our Facebook page. I share this award with my partner and husband Paul, and I am honored to share this award with several other industry luminaries. Congratulations to all of the other winners!
Sharing your love of fabric…
Luana and Paul
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Travel/Quilt Calendar:
August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska (via Homer)
Sept 14 – “Art & Activism” lecture at CU Boulder
Sept 28-30 – AQSG Seminar – Louisville, KY
Oct 27 – Nov 3 – Quilt Market/Festival – Houston TX
