You know when someone tells you, “I have good news and bad news…which do you want to hear first?” I always want to get the bad news out of the way.  So here goes with the bad news: I had earthquake damage on my recently purchased Napa property where I am planning my new business next year.

The good news (actually the GREAT news): It is not that bad in the scheme of things, can be fixed, and it is not going to set me back time-wise for construction and renovations.

What didn’t fare so well were some of the historic buildings downtown (mostly with brick and stone facades) that hadn’t been retrofitted to withstand a quake of this size. After I flew out to Napa and assessed my place, I drove downtown and saw that one of my favorite older buildings that houses The Vintner’s Collective withstood a lot of damage and was red tagged.

The above picture looks bad, but they are rebuilding and will be back in business, just like most every other business that was hit. Napans (or as some refer to as “Napkins”) are resilient!

Having lived in California, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Texas, I have learned that Mother Nature can morph into many forms, whether it be a snow blizzard, a flooding, a hurricane, a tornado watch, a hail storm, or an earthquake. You just have to take your pick!

Besides feeling all shook up, the nascent stage of launching a new business has been an exciting project to take on, and I was very happy this summer to host a few sets of moms and daughters to show them my vision:

Above is my best friend from high school, Cindy with her two girls, Maggie and Lily. I thought it was just my adult friends who would ask me when my place is ready so they can come stay, but nope…Maggie wanted to know if she could have her birthday slumber party at my place next month. Sorry, Mags…next year!

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You may recognize these two former Quilting Arts blondes above: my sister-in-law Sally and my niece Lindsey who came all the way from Massachusetts to visit me. We had a fun time together and they were very excited to go the Kendall-Jackson winery, the “Mothership” as Lindsey affectionately refers to it.

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And lastly, Judy Perez and her daughter Indigo (taking pictures in the distance) came to check out my digs too. Indigo, an amazing artist like her mom, is helping me with artwork for the business.

Judy also proved to me that if her art quilt gig doesn’t work out, she is a very gifted pool cleaner…

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While I prepare to relocate next year, I am paring down my art supplies, including a sizable box of fabric:

This lot includes hand-dyed and screened fabric, some really adorable prints, and upholstery fabric that would be GREAT for over-dyeing. Just answer the following question by midnight this Friday, September 12, and I will randomly select a winner. (I am very sorry to all my international friends, but this box is sizable, and because of the weight, I can only ship to a U.S. resident.)

Question:

A part of Crafting a Life, LLC, will include retreats. What would your dream retreat be?