As we approach the Fourth of July holiday here in the US, I thought it would be fun to do a collage of Cowgirls and Americana. Between these 3 categories – Americana, Old West and Horses – there are enough flags, cowgirl boots and galloping horses to keep you busy sewing until Thanksgiving!
When I was a girl growing up in Longmont Colorado, on the 4th of July we would pack a picnic, stake out a spot for our blanket at Roosevelt Park, eat watermelon and wait for dusk to watch the fireworks overhead. A month later I would ride my pinto Quarter Horse at the Boulder County Fair, barrel racing in my boots and cowgirl hat. Do you have special memories of summer and Independence Day?
I have a very special memory from my visit to the Carter Center Retreat in Vail last week. A friend who is part of their Ambassador Circle invited me as her guest, and I then received a special invite to a semi-private breakfast with President Jimmy Carter and Rossalyn Carter. (About 20 people got to introduce themselves to the Carters in a private room, and listen to him speak informally over breakfast.)
Very quickly I realized that I have had a lot of misconceptions about the Carters' post-presidency work. Politics aside, they have dedicated their later years to eradicating disease, waging peace by monitoring democratic elections, and more recently focusing on ending violence against women and girls. I thought Habitat for Humanity was their organization, but it is not. The Carter Center is their foundation doing this good work around the globe. They have worked in 145 countries and that includes many places I would not want to visit.
Anyway, I wanted to share some of my photos from the retreat, which included a visit to the Betty Ford Alpine Garden, and the Beaver Creek Rodeo. The collage above has a variety of fabrics from eQuilter, and the photo in the center is the Rodeo Queen carrying the American flag while galloping around the arena. Jimmy Carter was sitting a few rows in front of me when I snapped this photo.
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