The engine groans as I proceed to drive uphill, following the finely painted white line thru the Placerville hillside. It's so cold outside that I can see my breath; something I haven't seen since my move to Texas. Highway 49 is a long and windy reminder of my past life, and as long as the highway extends, so is the story that unfurls.
I grew up a California girl, and as the Katy Perry song so cheerfully describes, fun and sun dictate the culture. Northern California can have a harsh winter if one isn't acclamated to the seasonal changes. After twenty two years of living within the same 200 mile radius, and a particularly rough year full of life changes, I decided to go to the Lone Star State. I packed up my then-car, a pitifully pale blue '95 Chevy Cavalier, and prayed that I wouldn't break down in Tuscon. Three years later and an automobile upgrade, Texas had changed me from an emotionally exhausted waif to a promising, prosperous woman.
It is only natural though, as I drive thru the same hillside the made me and broke me, that I felt a twinge of some of those same feelings of aimlessness that I had had before I left. This time around, I know these wandering feelings will come to an end and at the end of the season I will be back in Austin.
Austin. Sigh. My little Oasis, my Fiji. Local businesses. Grassroots. Do. It. Yourself. I couldn't think of another place in the world I'd rather be.
Fun fact about me: I grew up in a long-arm quilting shop that my best friend Leann's mom owned. I call her mom my bonus mom, because in the years I worked for her she became my best friend and loyal confidante. After Bonus Mom retired, I stopped quilting for a number of reasons. One, I didn't have a permanent space to leave my projects, and Two, I really felt oppressed by the entire industry.
You see, the modern movement hadn't really gotten underway just yet, and I was getting tired of visiting quilt shops and being painstakingly followed around. (Not everyone with tattoos is a thief, ladies!) So after careful consideration, market research, a fork in the road, and the demand of our people, we are setting up shop in Austin. remnants:fiber[culture] will be debuting in the spring of 2012 and I can hardly contain myself.
I look forward to this journey together, and your continued support.
This is for our people.