Time Flies, I take the Train

Had a great time in Philadelphia in spite of what WC Fields said.  If you get a chance, go.  I got to see my two old friends and they treated me so great dragging me around to show me the latest restaurants and the amazing new Comcast Center.

An entire wall in the lobby is a projection screen, though it looks like a wood paneled wall matching the side walls.  All of a sudden a jazz piano player appears, lifesize, behind the reception desk.  A minute later a tap dancer starts on the far side, leaping and tapping in time and reacting to the piano player.

Then, all of a sudden the dancer appears against his shadow and the shadow grows until it fills the wall, multiplies to three orfour shadows that are doing different routines than the little dancer, and moving across the wall, even jumping over the hole in the wall lading to the elevator banks.  Amazing.

After the tap dancers there were lots of nature shots, with many celestial views that expanded across the whole screen-  you felt like you were also floating along like a star.   My favorite was of a bubbling brook that mesmerizes one listening to the water and watching the leaves move on a sunny day, when all of a sudden a guy on bungee cords drops into the frame dressed in a suit and carrying a to-go coffee cup, and he starts an acrobatic act right above the water.  So unexpected, so funny.  The suit thing was to tie in with the plaster office workers walking along the beams in the huge glass atrium  on the opposite lobby wall

 We also ended up spending an extraordinary amount of time in knit shops which explains my new table full of yarns and my mind now cluttered with plans for it all!  I love spending time with these Philly friends- we seem to really like the same sorts of things.  Both of them have great taste, and a wonderful appreciation for new ideas, sensuous fabrics, and (of course) fabulous food.  And they are shopping queens, even tiring me out on occasion, but always ready for an espresso and a sit-down.  

Of course the purpose of my visit was to attend the opening of the Art Quilt Elements show so I had the dragging rights that night as my friends came with me.  If you can get to Wayne, please know it is worth your while!  The show is so good, and the most amazing thing was I am not completely forgotten along the path of discarded over-the-hill quilters!  Talk about OLD memories-  Robin Schwalb remembered me from the New York Pier show, and I reminded he of all the green labels she had sent out to us for our 'green quilt movement' with Susie Shie.  Teresa Barkley had memories of the BU show in the 80's-  the USIA show that traveled for two years through eastern Europe and brought down every country where it showed!  Well, except Iceland but maybe the volcanoes are the final retribution there.  I found Jude Lazelere while getting our group picture taken but I have seen here here and there over the years.  Sandra Sider came over to give me an update of a little piece of mine she acquired quite some time ago, and I met Wen Redmond and Regina Benson both for the first time.  I was only there a short time and did my best to schmooze my way through, but frankly the whole gestalt is hard for me and I was tired from a full day of schmoozing in yarn shops.  Schmoozing R Not Me.  Whatevah, my piece wasn't hanging in the bathroom as anticipated!  I was happy, though I had hoped a few of my newer friends would have been able to make it too.  Well I might have been a tad happier if I had been able to address the cookie piles.  They had the best gallery opening food table I have ever seen.

Today I took the train up to Boston, freezing all the way.  Meg packed me a few things to eat, which saved my life (thanks yew Meg!) and I read my kindle most of the trip home,  Around New Haven I started to knit but the train was bouncing around so much I had to set it aside.  Nate picked me up from the station and took me to dinner, always good to see him and I enjoy his company and stories so much even if most of his conversation rhapsodizes on about fonts.  We tend to disagree.  Tonight he was doing his rhapsodizing about beers.  I have my feeling there too- mostly revolving around Stella with an occasional Red Stripe.  He's talking Belgian Hoppy something or others.

Tomorrow I see the babies, it's Marathon Day in Boston, and I'm set for dinner with some in-laws-  hope I can get all this stuff I packed up to Goodwill at some point.  But for now it's to bed-  I am cold and tired.  And OK, I am old too.