On the Road: Schulenberg, TX

Clap clap clap clap. Deep in the heaaaart of Texas.

That’s where I was last week, down in the German immigrant enclave of Schulenberg, between San Antonio and Houston. Spring is in full swing in Texas. Bluebonnets, the iconic flower of the Lone Star State, are in bloom as are the Indian Paintbrush. Birds were in full throat every morning as dawn broke.

flowers2 — Texas Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush.

flowers1 — On my morning walk at Jordan Ranch.

Thanks to the mother-daughter team, Deborah Walters and Kim Buchmann, who have been running Quilting Adventures for five years, for inviting me to be their teacher for a short week at Jordan Ranch in the foothills of the hill country.

Bon Appétit

For a vegan such as myself, food while traveling is sometimes challenging. Not at Jordan Ranch. Thanks to Chef Mark, I had wonderful dining. Since I forgot to mention my dietary needs ahead of time, I was prepared for slim pickings. Instead, Mark sprang into action and even that first night was able to give me a scrumptious dinner. The next day, he went shopping for ingredients to make vegan entrees. He’s a keeper. Everyone raved about the food, not just me.

food2 — Chef Mark kept me well fed with his tasty vegan creations.

food1 — “Haute cuisine” is more than “hot food.”

Travel for teaching takes me places I would probably never go on my own. Jordan Ranch is such a place. It’s idyllic with walking trails, pool, luxurious grounds, and even a pond stocked with fish ready to catch and release.

kaye — Kaye Martingale, who is not a “bird person,” shows off her flamingo and starling collages.

Student Work

But the whole reason for me being there was the students, of course. They were a dedicated and attentive bunch who made great progress in only three and a half days!

They came prepared with good subjects and, in many cases, patterns already made. Some mentioned that reading this blog helped prepare them for the class. I had sent an email to the attendees outlining the class as well as giving links to blog posts that I thought would give them a head start. They took me at my word and followed through in style.

Here are the links I sent them:

Some also said they were inspired by seeing other student’s work in the gallery slide shows from previous “On the Road” blog posts. Here’s a list.

Below is a slide show of my Quilting Adventures students’ work, of which I am very proud. I love to see how each one progresses, from pattern, through the tense and trying “messy-scary” stage, to something unique and special.

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NEXT WEEK: Stevie the Croc visits her homeland when I travel to Melbourne, Australia for the Australasian Quilt Convention. She has her own page there!

For now, here’s a teaser image. You can visit my Facebook page for updates on the exhibition and my teaching.

Stevie and me down under at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne. No, the orange vest is not my idea of high fashion. The show was still being set up when I visited. I had to wear one.