On the Road Again...
Beginning last Monday morning at 7:45 a.m., that catchy Willie Nelson song "On the road again..." was my theme of the week. APQS Director of Education Dawn Cavanaugh and I were slated for a trip to Texas. The plan--I would be doing three Road Shows and Dawn would be teach long-arm quilting classes at Quilt Country in Lewisville, Texas. Sounds simple enough, right? When I arrived at APQS offices in Des Moines to pick up Dawn, the snow was flying.
We struck out at 40 miles an hour in the loaded Dodge Sprinter (then Fedex Ground delivery truck). Once we hit the Missouri state line we left behind the snow and only had wind. After a quick stop at a customer's house in Edmond, Oklahoma, we headed into Dallas for our first stop. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday all went as planned. I greeted and talked to nearly 40 prospective APQS owners in Dallas, Austin, and Houston, while Dawn taught her classes in Dallas.
When the trip should have been winding down and we should have been pointing the Sprinter North, the rain storms came and Oklahoma was being hit by ice and sleet. Then mix in that during the last leg of my trip from Houston to Dallas that the oil light came on in the Sprinter. We checked it before pulling out Friday morning, only to find we needed an oil change and some oil!! My heart sank as I was ready to head home, but I knew we were safe and better to be late than to have problems along some country road.
Our gracious host Connie got Dawn and me to the Dodge dealer and when we found out it could take 2 hours, she took us back to Quilt Country for a warm, dry, place to hang out. This was really the first time in five days that I had taken a break. So, how wonderful to be hanging out here....
where the fabric colors are sure to brighten your day and your spirits.
A little retail therapy was in order for our day. That's Dawn on the left, and Connie helping her!
Once the Sprinter was done we headed for home. The trip was not fun because of the weather, but we made it home safe and sound...just a day later than planned.
We struck out at 40 miles an hour in the loaded Dodge Sprinter (then Fedex Ground delivery truck). Once we hit the Missouri state line we left behind the snow and only had wind. After a quick stop at a customer's house in Edmond, Oklahoma, we headed into Dallas for our first stop. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday all went as planned. I greeted and talked to nearly 40 prospective APQS owners in Dallas, Austin, and Houston, while Dawn taught her classes in Dallas.
When the trip should have been winding down and we should have been pointing the Sprinter North, the rain storms came and Oklahoma was being hit by ice and sleet. Then mix in that during the last leg of my trip from Houston to Dallas that the oil light came on in the Sprinter. We checked it before pulling out Friday morning, only to find we needed an oil change and some oil!! My heart sank as I was ready to head home, but I knew we were safe and better to be late than to have problems along some country road.
Our gracious host Connie got Dawn and me to the Dodge dealer and when we found out it could take 2 hours, she took us back to Quilt Country for a warm, dry, place to hang out. This was really the first time in five days that I had taken a break. So, how wonderful to be hanging out here....
where the fabric colors are sure to brighten your day and your spirits.
A little retail therapy was in order for our day. That's Dawn on the left, and Connie helping her!
Once the Sprinter was done we headed for home. The trip was not fun because of the weather, but we made it home safe and sound...just a day later than planned.
What a trip. 700 miles in that weather is daunting. I think that I would have dumped the Sprinter and flown home. LOL.
Reply to this
Oh, my, I was following your journey on Facebook and thinking "oh, ugh, snow and ice!" However, now that I see where you ended up because of car troubles, I would say that the unexpected trip to Quilt Country was worth it! It is good to be home, though, when one has driven through ice and snow. Been there, done that too many times.
Reply to this
Oh rats, getting stuck and forced to hang out in a quilt shop ... almost as bad as the time we locked our keys in the car at a winery and had to wait and wait for help to come. ;D
Reply to this