Happy December!
It is the holiday season, and whether you celebrate Christmas, Hunukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice or Chinese New Year…or all of the above! ….it is a busy time of year full of love and food, music and inspiration, gifts and family gatherings.
We cannot pretend it is a normal holiday season, but we can make the most of what we DO have. I go by my Swedish Great-Grandma’s motto – to just “keep a’goin’…” – which is pretty much take it one day at a time, don’t give up, and keep a positive outlook no matter what. My mom is in a nursing home and the pandemic has been really rough for her, but she still carries that optimistic spirit even on the worst days. We have a courage and strength that gets us through these unprecedented times that may be passed down from our ancestors, along with family recipes and in our case, the beloved Swedish potato masher with the red and white painted handle. (They just don’t make them like that anymore.)
Today I finished painting my 54″ fiberglass bear, and now I am putting on several coats of clear protective finish. On Friday I’ll drop it off at Chautauqua Park where it will go on display outdoors with 14 other bears. They will all be on public outdoor display through May, and will be auctioned off for a fundraiser in April. It has been very therapeutic to work on this project while my studio was packed up in boxes and covered with plastic tarps during construction. I am praying to the Art Angels that I will get my space back next week!
You may have noticed I have a thing for Bears. I don’t know how that happened. I guess it started the first time I went to Churchill to photograph the Polar Bears, or maybe when I met a baby bear at the trash dumpster late at night at summer mountain camp when I was 11 years old.
You can see new Grizzly Bear and Polar Bear photos from my photography trips on this page. I still have a few seats open for next year’s Polar Bear trip if you’d like to join us.
To our friends in Canada – please join me this Saturday afternoon when I give a special virtual ‘International Quilt Trends’ power point lecture for Quilt Canada.
I just learned that I lost another close friend to Covid. Be careful out there!
…sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul
Quilt/Travel Calendar:
Dec 4 – Zoom lecture “Intl Quilt Trends” – Quilt Canada
Jan 12 – Apr 9, 2022 – New England Quilt Museum (NEQM) “For the Love of Gaia” exhibit
Feb 16-19 – QuiltCon – Phoenix Arizona
Sat, April 9 – “International Quilt Trends” lecture – NEQM Closing Reception
October 2022 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Canada – Call now to Register!
