Quilting...and Ultrarunning

Yesterday, I did not run.  Instead, the bride and I made day-long trip to Towson, MD, a suburb of Baltimore, to attend a quilt show.

The show was put on by the Baltimore Heritage Quilters Guild.  I quickly learned that you have "your grandmother's quilt" (traditional)...

...and you have your more modern and expressive quilts (contemporary):

Frankly, this was an art show, using fabric.  These quilts--over 250 on display--were visually stunning.

The connection to Ultrarunning?  In the contemporary category there were any number of quits that featured outdoor themes: animals, nature scapes, the sea,  the heavens, and even a series that featured native American pictographs.  All things that we Ultrarunners see every day in our backcountry excursions.  See and hopefully appreciate.

And the same craft mentality that many of us bring to the sport of Ultrarunning was also there, in spades.  Hours of time invested in an endeavor that many would deem irrelevant and tedious.  A passion for perfection.  Attention to details.

Bottom line: if you EVER get a chance to go to a quilt show, do it.  You will not be disappointed.