Last month, we attended the 20th and final Madrona Fiber Arts Retreat in Tacoma, Washington, at the Hotel Murano. We had a great – though bittersweet – time as we bid farewell to Suzanne and Cornie, who spent two decades planning and hosting the premier knitting retreat in the Pacific Northwest.
But first… we had to get there. Winter storm warnings were in effect for just about the whole drive North from Pinole. Luckily, we slid through the passes on Interstate 5 without too much trouble, and even had a little sunshine by the time we stopped at a rest stop outside of Centralia, Washington. Look at how deep that snow is!
By the time we stopped for the night, the temperature was back down to below freezing. The parking lot at our hotel for the evening hadn’t been plowed yet, which made finding a spot to park difficult, to say the least.
When we made it to Tacoma, we were greeted by the Murano’s new parking lot attendant.
By Thursday – Valentine’s Day – we were setup to vend.
As were a few of our favorite fellow vendors:
Saremy from Chicken Boots. Madrona was her last show as she moves onto to her new venture, Sew Sew Live.
Charan from Creative with Clay.
And Brooke from Sincere Sheep.
On Friday, we taught Exploring the Drum Carder to 16 wonderful students. While this was our 5th year vending, it was our first time teaching at Madrona.
Apparently, we were busy on Saturday and Sunday, as I didn’t take any more photos until this scenic view from the passenger seat near Grant’s Pass, Oregon. I’m getting cold just looking at these photos!
While we are sad to see Madrona reach it’s end, we are happy to report that the tradition will continue under new leadership. Under a new name – Red Alder – the Hotel Murano will host hundreds of fiber artists every President’s Day weekend. Head to the Red Alder website to learn more!
