Final Catch Up

In January we went to California to visit one of our very dear friends and take in the CHA show in Anaheim. CHA is a trade show held twice a year, once in Anaheim in winter and then once again in summer in some other part of America. It is a show that is open only to traders, wholesalers, teachers and demonstrators where manufacturers show their latest products and so it is quite exciting to see what is going to be available on the market in the coming months . There is also the opportunity to take workshops with various products and some of these are by well-known people in the craft world such as Tim Holtz, Suze Weinberg, Lisa Pavelka to name but three of my favourites.

We arrived in glorious sunshine to be met by Mary and to be taken to her house just a short ride from LA. It was so good to see her as a whole year had passed with only email for us to keep in touch. On the way to her house we called in to see her sister, Becky, and family, to find that one of Becky’s grandsons was celebrating his birthday. We joined in and had the most delicious barbecued ribs followed by chocolate and strawberry birthday cake. Delicious!

Over the next few days we enjoyed the sunshine, sitting by the pool, eating all my favourite American foods and doing some crafting. We also did lots of shopping taking in Walmarts (a must do) and the obvious trip to Michaels. Mary introduced us to lots of other “foody” things and they too became part of my list of “must haves” when I visit America. I had forgotten how good the “biscuits” tasted, that I was addicted to Buttermilk bread, Monteray Jack Cheese with Peppers and became hooked on Hershey’s Chocolate Brownies, so much so that I brought an enormous pack home to bake myself.

A week later and we were off to Anaheim, picking Mary’s friend, Carol, up on the way and meeting with Maureen when we got there. It was good to renew friendships with them and in the afternoon we all took classes – mine being Encaustic Crafting with Hot Wax.

The other classes I took were “Makins Clay, Exploring the Possibilities, “An Altered Trip to Paris” (as in the photograph) and “Polymer Clay in Patera Jewellery Findings”. I so wish I had signed up for Lisa Pavelka’s class but watching her demonstrate on her stand I learned more than I had in the other two classes combined. She is so nice too, and has come top of my list (so I had to order some of her products and am awaiting them with baited breath).

Returning to Mary’s after four days in Anaheim we spent our days in a whirl of parties, visiting her sons for a Superbowl Party, another party at Becky’s (this time for her grand-daughter), and having one at Mary’s for her grand-daughter who was visiting from Washington DC and just generally having fun.

During our last week we went to Palm Desert - meeting up with Kristy on the way down and having a free breakfast at Denny’s - to stay with Mary’s friend, Bev and her beautiful Maine Coon, Misty, for a few days. We used to sit on her patio for breakfast and watch the humming birds coming to feed but I never got a photograph as they are so darned quick – did manage to catch them on video though.

On our way back it started to rain as we got nearer to LA and you know the song “It Never Rains in California” – well, it rained and rained and rained. It was relentless! I have never seen so much rain and the pool filled up almost to the top.

All too soon our stay in America was at an end, didn’t seem as if we had been there for almost a month and this time it seemed even harder to leave Mary. Tears, accompanied by endless hugs, at the Flyway when we had to say “bye” and before long we were up, up and away winging our way back to dear old England.

So there it is, a kind of “catch up” finished and now to some crafting. More on that tomorrow.