WWQP Bulletin Board Chat

Back from Chicago

I arrived safely home at about 1:30 AM yesterday morning. The QuizBowl team did OK; they won 4 and lost 6 at the national level, putting them just below the middle of the pack. Now that we've been there, we'll be better coaches for the next group with potential. There's a couple of things we could have done to help them to do better. The kids' behavior was super. Don't ever let anyone tell you that American youth don't know how to behave! Some of them behave better than the random adults around them.
If you get a chance to go to Chicago, make a point of getting to the Art Institute. They have an exhibit of miniatures that has to be seen to be believed. We were told that Mrs. Thorne required the craftsmen to use exactly the same kind of wood in creating the miniature that was originally used in the real furniture. Therefore, each piece is an exact duplicate of the original.
"Thorne Miniatures at the Chicago Art Institute:

The 68 Thorne Miniature Rooms enable one to glimpse elements of European interiors from the late 13th century to the 1930s and American furnishings from the 17th century to the 1930s. Painstakingly constructed on a scale of one inch to one foot, these fascinating models were conceived by Mrs. James Ward Thorne of Chicago and constructed between 1932 and 1940 by master craftsmen according to her specifications."

We also got to the Museum of Science and Industry, the Frank Lloyd Wright Home, the Chicago Symphony, the zoo, and did an Architectural boat tour. I could have spent hours more at the museums, but this was a really short trip and we tried to cram in as much as possible.

I have done no quilting since school let out last week (I wonder why? LOL) My machine is still not back from being repaired. I think I might try to do the prep on my drunkard's path blocks. I'm using a freezer paper method, and I could prepare a bunch of blocks and be ready to sew once I get the machine back.

Laura in Alabama

posted by Laura in Alabama @ 7:56 AM