Bark Fest, The Sequel...

 

Say hello to Emmitt. He stopped by the Carolina Real Food for Dogs booth at Bark Fest for a sample, even though he eats this food daily. I get a kick out of Emmitt- a small dog with big personality. He's often at the center of every activity. I think I referred to him as The Rabble Rouser in last year's post.

This year is the second Bark Fest event held in the Charlotte, NC, area and organized by our son Lee, who founded Carolina Real. This is Bender, another happy customer, posing in front of the pop-up sign featuring Winston, the "spokesdog" of Carolina Real. Winston was quite a sick boy as a puppy and wound up with digestive problems that were a problem for the whole family. Lee began to research and came up with a home-made food recipe that resolved the problems and helped Winston to thrive. When some friends asked if he'd make food for their dogs, the idea for his new company was born. More education and working with food scientists allowed him to formulate and refine his recipes further to meet government standards so he could sell the food. Last year's Bark Fest was the launch of the company and he gave out samples. This year his larger kitchen facility is up and running. We were offering samples and selling the food, which is fresh-made and then frozen so he can ship it to customers in the Carolinas. The feeding amounts and recommendations for transitioning to human-grade food are on the website.

It was a beautiful day and there were lots of meet-and-greets happening on the grounds. Vendors included a dog photography tent (proceeds going to Carolina Boxer Rescue organization), Muddy Dog mobile tread mill, a mobile groomer, a poop-scooper lawn service, a dog treat baker, a veterinary clinic, dog walking service, dog-themed gifts and t-shirts, a food truck, a brew truck, and more. Our daughter-in-law Carin had her own booth, too. As a nutritional consultant and coach, she offered a line of dog support supplements for sale. Just as last year, there were no incidents of doggy "turf wars" and the whole day was uplifting and fun. In the words of one attendee, "I wish Bark Fest could happen every weekend!" Good vibes.

The opportunity for me to travel and be part of Bark Fest is truly a highlight of the year. I just loved meeting all the dogs and seeing how much their families love and enjoy them and provide good care for them.

This is Riley, a German Shorthaired Pointer. He's getting ready for a sample of Carolina Real. Most dogs readily chow down on it, but some were too stimulated by the goings on to focus on food, while a few hesitate because they aren't just sure what to do with real food. They figure it out quickly though.

This beautiful standard Poodle was so well behaved and her coloring is quite unusual. Her ears were a dark chocolate brown contrasting with the rest of her lighter coat. 

This pair of Mastiffs were in attendance. They were not as large as the pair in last year's post (if you want more dog photos, click this link- the larger Mastiffs are pictured there along with a cute Pomeranian in a Caribbean hat!). But I think these two are young with some growing to do. Imagine the food bill for these two! Some people with  large dogs or multiple dogs add Carolina Real as a topper  or mix it in with the less expensive dry kibble they feed to add nutrition and appeal to the meals. You can see the mobile dog spa van in the background.

And this one!! We got to meet 12-week-old Ruby, a dappled Miniature Dachshund. Her owner carried her through the grounds because she has not completed her course of innoculations yet. She's a candidate for Carolina Real when she gets to about 6 months of age and she lives in the same apartment complex as Lee, so delivery will be an easy thing. I'm sorry granddaughter Brooke was traveling and unable to attend with her miniature Dachsund Gisele to meet Ruby. All in all, it was another wonderful festival of dogs and I loved every minute!

An in other animal news, on Mother's Day our daughter Joanna and I attended The Gala of the Royal Horses, a performance showcasing Friesian horses, Andalusians, Arabs, and Lippizaners. Majestic indeed.

Quickest Quilt of All Time...

 

When visiting our local Cowboy Church recently, I learned that a group of members were planning a mission trip to Alaska this summer and were doing some fundraising. My impulsive response was to say, "If I can get my act together and make a quilt, would you want to use it in your fundraising?" They responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes!". I gulped and began thinking of what I could make that would be quick enough to get to them in time. The answer came in a look through my fabric stash. I'd had this Riley Blake fabric panel called Back of the Chutes for some time. Plus I had an entire storage tote containing these completed blocks. So it was a simple matter of a little bit of math, choosing some complimentary blocks and bordering the panel with them. The quilt went out to longarm quilter Debra Johnston who turned it around in record time, and Voila!- the quilt I titled "Rodeo Days" was done. The panel itself does the design work, and of course it was very appealing to the members of a Cowboy Church, among others! 

I thought I'd show you the easy blocks used in the border. Several years ago Emily Schaefer, a now-late member of a local quilt guild, presented a program on using up scraps in a fabric stash. She encouraged us to cut and sort scraps by size and color so they are ready to use in a quilt project. She was the Scrap Quilt Queen.  I took her words to heart and spent a happy afternoon sorting, pressing and cutting fabrics into 2 1/2" x 6 1/2" strips. 

I then organized the strips into groups- four of one print, and one of a second print- so they were ready to sew into rectangular blocks. I was not overly careful about colors, but there is an innate sense of making things look somewhat cohesive.

I kept a zippered tote of the pieces next to the sewing machine. Then, in the manner of notable quilter Bonnie Hunter who developed the concept of "leaders and enders", I sewed a seam on these strips each time I completed a seam on another project. It's helpful to have something "under the needle" to chain sew and prevent an abundance of thread ends. It also keeps the machine from chewing up the beginning or end of a seam, so it worked very smoothly. And the bonus is that I was completing blocks periodically. Here's a pile of blocks ready for another project. Having them on hand really added to the speed with which I was able to assemble "Rodeo Days". So there's a scrappy idea for you if you have plentiful fabric scraps. There are so many pretty panels available now, that a quick baby quilt or holiday project can be done on a moment's notice! It was just what I needed.