Pennies from Poppy

Las Vegas is such a vibrant crazy place!  We really enjoyed our visit. There is nothing quite like Vegas with its lights, shows, casinos, hotels, shopping and restaurants. There is never a dull moment.  We saw O, the wonderful Cirque du Soleil water show at the Bellagio and Terry Fator (ventriloquist who won America Has Talent a few years ago ) in his headline show at the Mirage. Next week I will tell you about a couple places you might not have thought about visiting while on vacation out there.

Here is the view from the Bellagio with the moon over Las Vegas.

Moon over Las Vegas strip and fountains at the Bellagio

And of course, there is nothing like the magnificent ceiling of glass flowers by Dale Chihuly in the lobby of the Bellagio.  If you are a quilter, you will not be able to stop staring at the artistry of this profusion of color and light. It is truly inspiring.

Beautiful Chihuly ceiling at the Bellagio hotel

While Sherry and I walked along the Las Vegas strip, we kept thinking about our visit there with my mom, dad and our kids when they were little.  Poppy and Mema took the kids to see Siegfried and Roy, still the unbeaten best show ever in Las Vegas. Poppy would take them on the roller coaster over and over at New York New York and over to Circus Circus for the lights and shows. He never seemed to tire when it came to the kids.

After their Poppy died in 2001, the kids would find pennies on the ground and we came to call them pennies from Poppy.  The weird thing is that we found them all the time, sometimes in shiny clusters of four, often when we were talking about him or just needing a little pick up. 

Believe it or not, while walking in Vegas and talking about the fun we all had with Poppy, I looked down and there was a bright shiny penny. I picked it up of course and as I always do, I thought, "Thanks Poppy."

A penny from Poppy in Las Vegas

Who leaves you pennies?

Mark

Unbelievable Utah

Sherry and I are back from a wonderful week starting with the IQA at Houston. We then flew to Las Vegas, driving to Cedar City. Utah on Saturday, November 3. The drive took us about three hours northeast of Las Vegas through beautiful mountainous and desert country. We drove through Dixie National Forest and Zion National Park in Utah, arriving at Southern Utah University. 

Beautiful rocks and mountains in Utah

As I mentioned a few months ago, I was honored to have been asked to send one of my quilts for an exhibition at SUU’s Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery called Everything in Between: Art Quilts, Fabric Collage and Embroidery. The exhibit featured work by Ricky Tims, Caryl Bryer Fallert, Hollis Chatelain and many other accomplished quilters and artists.  In addition, I gave a lecture to an enthusiastic audience on being a man quilter. 

Man Quilter lecture at SUU

The exhibit was curated by Deborah K Snider, Assistant Professor of art education at SUU. Deb is also an accomplished and renowned art quilter whose quilts have been exhibited nationally and internationally She is a member of The Art Quilt Association (www.theartquiltassociation.com).  Deb was a gracious and welcoming host and we had a wonderful time meeting everyone at the lecture, giving door prizes and learning about the Cedar City area and SUU.

Professor Deb Snider, curator and me at Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery, SUU, Cedar City, Utah

It was a wonderful trip including seeing so many old friends and beautiful quilts both in Houston and the Braithwaite Gallery exhibit. We also enjoyed making new friends and seeing this beautiful part of the country.

Thanks again to Deb Snider and SUU!!!