San Jose: Another Upcoming Pixeladies Adventure

 

Off to San Jose

We’re about to head off on another Pixeladies adventure to the 2019 Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) Conference. Kris and I will be starting our second decade of attending SAQA conferences. Our first one was in Athens, Ohio in 2009. We had just become Regional Representatives for the Northern California/Nevada region, and there was a meeting for all the regional representatives. After pinching our pennies, we hopped a flight or two, rented a car, and found a room at the inn. We didn’t know anyone; so we did what we always do, split up and find people to talk to. When we reconvened in the evening we would share stories of who we met and what we did. I remember telling Kris something like, “OMG! I just talked with [insert name of a “famous” quilt artist]. And she was so nice.”

 

The Bananagram Tradition

We got to know our fellow regional reps while kvetching about organizational issues and made friends over drinks and Bananagrams. Over the years Bananagrams has become a conference tradition for us.

 

You would think we would know when these photos were taken by the glasses we’re wearing. The shirt doesn’t help, Kris says, because she’s still wearing it!

 

 

Yes, sometimes it gets serious. It usually revolves around which words are allowed. Slang or no slang? Kris puts her foot down on proper nouns!

 

Our SAQA “Work”

In the interceding years Kris and I both became more active in SAQA, and the conferences became “work” for both of us. Yvonne Porcella passed the presidential crown to Kris in Alexandria, Virginia, and I took on the chairmanship of the Special Events Committee. But we always made sure to look at art and add in some fun.

 

 

In Denver we went to my first Major League Baseball game. As you can see, Kris was ready for the game. The Giants lost, but it was a fun game.

 

 

In Santa Fe, we visited historical churches. Hmm, Kris thinks we can date the photos by the color of Deb’s hair.

 

 

Please Join Us!

The SAQA conferences are special to us: the speakers are inspirational, the networking is unparalleled, and we return to the studio reinvigorated and full of ideas. And we laugh.

 

 

And laugh.

 

If we don’t see you in San Jose, join us at a future SAQA conference in Toronto, Canada (2020); St. Petersburg, Florida (2021); or Tucson, Arizona (2022). We’d love to share some laughs with you.