The small city of Sisters, OR, presents an annual quilt festival each July.  This is a dream destination for a lot of quilters and fiber artists.  I was able to go once before on a bus tour, and promised myself that I would come back with Bob on our own schedule, not the tour schedule!  Luckily, we were able to work this destination into our travel this summer.  We didn't know very far ahead, so we didn't have a place to stay.  Even with quite a number of private, city, county and federal camping areas around there, it took us some work to finally find a spot in Redmond, OR, about 20 miles from Sisters and 20 miles from Bend.  It's actually called the Expo Center campground, because it's on the grounds of their outdoor entertainment facility and fairgrounds.  And it's pretty nice, if you don't mind that there are no trees!  We couldn't really be picky, so that's where we landed.  
​I spent one day, Friday, at the Sisters High School for a Sit and Stitch group.  There are classes by internationally known designers for several days prior to the one-day show.  There weren't any class openings on Friday, the only day I could be there, so the chance to sit down, stitch some wool applique, make new friends, and share ideas, was wonderful.  Bob's not really much into stitching, although I have offered many times to teach him!  And I've been missing the chance to do this as my own form of socialization during our trip.
The people in charge of this annual event are the owners of the Stitchin' Post right on the main street of Sisters.  Jean Wells started the store and show quite awhile back, and now her daughter, Valeri, is the owner and leader.  But they work together, along with many other people, to make this happen.  They receive hundreds of quilts from all over the country to be displayed on the streets of Sisters for 1 day.  Mostly they are hung outdoors, but some businesses have room indoors, too.  Volunteers start at 7am to hang the quilts on ropes and lines and walls of buildings.  It is all planned and choreographed in advance.  The firemen volunteer to help hang the highest quilts with their trucks.  Here's an example:

I had seen Mt. Rainier from a distance sometime, but never up close.  So it was great that we could take a whole day to go there and tour around some of the most popular places.  We got up early and started the drive from our campground near Eatonville.  We had heard stories about long lines of people waiting to drive into the park.  But there was not a terribly long line, and we bought some cherries from a roadside stand while we were in line, so that made waiting a little more tolerable!  We were using the entrance in the southwest corner of the park.  We didn't know much about where to go, so we stopped in the Longmire valley area first.  We took a short hike, and I went nuts with the camera and all of the lush foliage and flowers!  I've grouped some of them here for you.  We drove up to the Paradise visitor center and had a little trouble finding parking by that time.  But we persisted, and it paid off because we were in time to view a movie about the history of the park.

I am switching it up from flowers to fibers!  I am always in tune with the towns we pass through and the interesting quilt and yarn shops that I encounter.  So these pictures will tell you a little about that side of this trip.  And pictures of proof that I do more than just support the local economy, because I make good use of my purchases!  When I pick up something from a new shop, it is like a souvenir for me so when I use it in the future, I remember where I was and what was happening there.  Better than knick knacks for me!  First, a shot of a beautiful budding flower that came from our Mt. Rainier trip.  Keep on scrolling for a slideshow!