We went today deep, deep into Nebraska. Only about half an hour from our house, but in terms of tradition and land and How Things Are Done... it was amazing. We went to a local summer camp, beautiful and much-beloved, which has a fundraiser every year. All year, women quilt (and occasionally crochet and knit) projects, and then they donate them to the camp, and they're auctioned off. The camp counselors, several of whom were my students (including the young woman carrying the quilt in the photo below - it was next up to be auctioned), help with the auction and then open the pool and the waterfront. Thrown in barbecue lunch and a couple dozen horses to see, and we had a very family-friendly event. 
Grace was most impressed by the horses, and Peter was most impressed with the possibility that the fence surrounding them was electric. He was very, very serious about the possibility of any of us, or any horse, being electrocuted, and we all stayed very clear while watching the horses.
But the real fun for me was the quilts - several hundred were auctioned off, and another hundred were sold by silent auction. They were absolutely gorgeous. Dozens of different patterns, and such a wide range of aesthetic approaches... it was so interesting to compare one quilt with another; even though they were all beautiful quilts, made presumably by women working with the same basic materials, they varied widely in style, colors, patterns, size, etc. Many of the quilts sold for upwards of $600-700; we only watched a bit of the actual auction, but the crowd got really into the action. Mike attended this event a few years ago and saw a quilt sold for 11K. In that instance, and several times today, the winning bidder offered the quilt to the person whom they'd just outbid, for the amount of that person's last bid, and then donated his or her own winning bid to the camp. So the camp gets nearly twice the winning bid, and the person who lost the auction gets the quilt after all. Win, win, win.
What surpised me was how many people we knew. Some folks from church, some students, a Lutheran here and a Lutheran there. Someone from our church bought several quilts, and another woman from church made a gorgeous crochet bedspread which sold for around $500. We didn't buy any quilts this time, but I think I'll tuck some money away this year to buy one at next year's auction.
What surpised me was how many people we knew. Some folks from church, some students, a Lutheran here and a Lutheran there. Someone from our church bought several quilts, and another woman from church made a gorgeous crochet bedspread which sold for around $500. We didn't buy any quilts this time, but I think I'll tuck some money away this year to buy one at next year's auction.
Next up, re: our tomatos... wowza. They're coming in.
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