Our wonderful, uncomplaining bus driver, John from FitzGerald Brothers Limo, loaded our luggage into the undercarriage of the bus in the rain. He couldn’t pull the bus under the hotel’s awning because the bus was too tall or, perhaps, the roof was too low. There was more to load than when we started because of the $22,000.00 in purchases the ladies made in 11 shops in three days. We are fabric addicts.

After each store we visited, Jean passed around a notepad, and we wrote down how much we spent. The total above was figured before our last stop and did not include what we paid for hotels or food. Nor does it include the $1,200.00 for gas. (I wonder how long it took to pump that much gas into the bus.) We helped the area’s economy, and I left wanting to return.

Raffles, handouts, and games continued on our way home. We all felt we got our money’s worth with all the prizes, lunches, water, fruit, and baked goods we enjoyed. I was glad to see all the empty water bottles were being saved to return.

We stopped in Erie, PA, at Wegmans for lunch. They definitely weren’t used to being descended upon by 42 people at once. It was comical to see how people reacted when they went past the deli area and saw the typical crowd, and when they turned around, there was a line of six ladies at each counter. One of the ladies took the opportunity to get a 12-pack of Chocolate Lager. I enjoyed some fresh sushi.

The trip’s highlights for me were traveling with my friend, Nancy P., becoming acquainted with the store Bolts and Quarters, getting the perfect pattern and fabric for a special friend’s quilt at The Fabric Shop, seeing a new part of the USA, and making new friends.

All of us with the quilts we donated to Kentucky flood victims.

And now for a farewell bit of advice. Suppose someone, or yourself, has used the bathroom and left an unpleasant smell wafting. All you need to do is light a match over the toilet, let it burn a second, then blow it out and swish the hot end in the water to ensure it is out before throwing it in the wastebasket. The sulfur burning dispels the smell. Nancy thought the function was remarkable so I shared it.

We arrived back in our local area of New York State at 4:30 PM. I don’t know about the others, but I slept most of Sunday and all Monday morning too. I’m not as young as I used to be and not as active either. Thank you to Jean and her quilt guild for taking many extra ladies along. I will be talking about the trip for a long time.