The Champions

It was a beautiful day in Kasatchie National Forest in Louisiana for SERA dirt bike racing in the Legendary Cajun Classic National Enduro. We were there to cheer on our almost 7 year old grand in the peewee beginner division and his older cousin on his mom’s side and their two dads who were competing in the adults Sunday race.

Let me give you a little picture of this event. This is the 39th annual National for this association. There were the pro national winners from the past in attendance. There were racers from all over the US and Canada and from across the seas like England and Australia and other countries.  We only stayed for Saturday’s kids racing and awards, which was a big event in itself. There were campers and motor homes parked everywhere The adults race on Sunday had over 400 competitors that had signed up by Saturday and racers would still be able to enter until 8am Sunday. The race is 60 miles long. It’s a huge event.

Back to Saturday. Cohen took 3rd place. He did awesome and was in and out of first and second place during the race. But 3rd is good and the season isn’t over yet so he has a chance to move up. The 9 races of the season will give him a final score and we’ll see where he places. So far he has a 1st place and a 3rd place in this SERA group (Southeast Endurance Racing Association).

Cousin Seth took 4th in his 12 year old group. I forget the actual group division name.
We watched six kids groups (under 16 years old) race Saturday afternoon. There was a lot of excitement, a lot wipeouts and spills in the sand and dirt and mud, girls and boys competing against each other, a lot of spectators, a lot of cheering on, and a lot of noise. It was a fun day.

So the big boys (16-70+years old) race today with more than 400 entries in a 60 mile race through the  Kasatchie National Forest. I’m anxiously awaiting to hear from the 2 dads about their experience. They said they just doing it for fun. I’m hoping for them to get in the top 100th finishing. Their place in the lineup is 83c and 83b. Which means they are on row 83 and the 2nd and 3rd bikes in that row. Each row has 5 or so places and each row has a start time every 1 minute. That’s how it was explained to me. But I don’t really get how it’s going to work out.

All the competitors are champions. Having the courage and determination to do your best and experience something you like makes you a winner.

Gin

Be A Diamond Bloghop

Thank you Carol at Just Let Me Quilt for hosting Be A Diamond.

 I was thinking maybe a baseball diamond ball field/ball game themed quilt. And wondered how I could make a diamond ring quilt. Either would have been a good idea. But I did neither. I went with big huge diamond shapes sewn in rows. They’re just big triangles sewn together to create a huge diamond.

The best thing about this, including the Be A Diamond Bloghop, is the batik fabrics used for the diamonds. I’ve had a small set of batiks sitting around waiting for their debut. And I think they show off pretty well in these big diamonds. There was just enough to squeeze in these 13 huge diamonds.

It's made from a triangle template and side triangles to make it into a rectangle block. Then put a matching block end to end to make the diamond look. I just cut and placed in order as I went along. My template size was determined by the batik fabric sizes, which I think were just a little bigger than a fat quarter. Each finished huge diamond is 9” at its center and 26” long from point to point. Here’s a basic rundown of the idea of the huge diamond look.

I did say they were huge diamonds. A blue minky back and just straight line quilting to finish it.

I made the huge diamond quilt especially for the Be A Diamond Bloghop. And since it was a quick sew with the huge blocks, it was not easy but it was quick, I had time to make another quilt. So here’s an Easter treat for you to see. It’s a hopping bunny row quilt just finished and was ready for the Easter holiday.

This was made with fabric I already had. For the hopping bunnies, I drew a template then appliquéd  them on the white. And cut squares from a lot of bright prints and solids to make the other rows.  No actual pattern was used, it just went together row by row.

Diamonds and bunnies have been my projects the last few weeks.  They are definitely bright and different.

Thank you for visiting from the Be A Diamond Bloghop. Visit the other participants at Just Let Me Quilt Be A Diamond Bloghop  this week to see all the other diamonds.

Gin