So, my husband and I took a road trip from Nashville to Massachusetts. We went through Virginia, Pennsylvania, spent a couple of days in New York. It was a vacation, I suppose, but it didn't turn out particularly relaxing. Our timing just seemed to be off. We got started a day late, it rained the entire first day. The second day we decided to take the Blue Ridge Parkway - you know, the scenic route. We saw trees. Just trees. When we did finally come to a break, we hopped out of the car to take a photo of the beautiful view and this happened.
Yep, a massive fog bank rolled in and completely blocked the view. We decided that we would cut over and get back on the interstate since we could see trees just as easy from the interstate and it was faster. OMG! Downhill, through massive banks of fog, banked hairpin curves all the way off the parkway. We both needed a drink by the time we got off that thing.
Spent the night in Lancaster, PA and had a great dinner. The weather was significantly better and it was cool enough to eat on the patio. Next day we wandered through downtown Lancaster, found some really great shops, bought quite a few prints from local artists (we always try to find something from a local artist everywhere we go) but it started to get hot so we headed off looking for the Amish and quilts. Well, we ended up in Intercourse and they had a few neat shops. Quite a nice quilt shop and a lovely little yarn shop. Unfortunately, it really was tourist central and all that entails. In short, Intercourse is for the Amish what Pigeon Forge is for southerners. Not quite the experience I had hoped for although I did manage to shop, LOL! This is my fabric and yarn splurge from Pennsylvania.
On to New York!
Our daughter Tessa was taking the train from Massachusetts to Grand Central Station and we were going to meet her there. Long drive on really expensive toll roads and then the GPS decides to reroute us through Brooklyn. Honestly, I don't know why anyone would drive in NY. That was the craziest experience. Does anyone else clench up when you're car is being squished between two larger vehicles? You know, to help the car be skinnier? Sort of like raising off the seat when you drive over a big bump? Man, I should have buns of steel after that trip.
We managed to find our hotel. We stayed in Long Island, it was advertised as five minutes from Manhattan by subway and it was hundreds cheaper per night than staying in the city. We got to the hotel just as Tessa's train arrived at Grand Central. Lord, I LOVE smartphones! The hotel concierge was able to tell me what subway line Tessa had to take and I was texting her directions as we were walking to the subway station to meet her. She arrived just as we got there. Yes, our timing was good when it mattered most.
Anyway, spent the next couple of days riding the subway, walking - A LOT - sweating - A LOT- of course, it was two of the hottest days they had had in months. We saw a phenomenal play, "Vania and Sonia and Masha and Spike", seriously, we laughed till we cried. We had the most amazing food everywhere we went. If you get off the main tourist roads you will find fabulous little restaurants and every type of food you can think of.
We did some of the obligatory tourist stuff such as the Empire State Building. Our New Zealand daughters bought us express tickets so we were able to avoid the lines and we went up higher than the standard tour. Unfortunately, the timing thing reared it's ugly head again because this is what we saw.
And that was the best of them. Overcast and drizzling. Alan took tons of photos but honestly they all look just like this. Just as we get back to street level and step onto the sidewalk, the clouds parted and out comes the sun. Unbelievable. We did manage to wander through Central Park, Times Square, saw the Naked Cowboy, and really knew our way around the Subway system by the time we left. Honestly, the subway system is an adventure in and of itself. We did find Mood- the fabric store that the designers go to on Project Runway. Let me tell you, if that store doesn't have it, it doesn't exist. 3 floors of fabric that is so packed, you have to have help to pull a bolt out. I didn't buy a thing as I was totally overwhelmed. Neat experience though. Then it was on to Massachusetts.
My daughter had an internship at an off-Broadway theater in the Berkshires over the summer and the point of the trip was to escort her back home. That area of the country is just beautiful and, again, the food was amazing. We met up with Tess, saw Much Ado About Nothing (Alan's first Shakespeare) ate great food, wandered aimlessly around the countryside and tried to relax. Honestly, by this point I was just ready to go home. Then it was a mad dash to get back to Nashville. Tessa had to work through Sunday night but she wanted to be back, moved in to her dorm and ready for class Wednesday morning (she had already missed the first week). No time for sightseeing! So I crocheted an afghan.
Well, I got it started and got pretty far along before we got home. My points look much better. Apparently, I just couldn't be bothered to straighten them out for the photo....sigh.
We are obviously back home, but school events, holidays, and life, in general, is keeping us busy. Here are a few projects, some completed, some in progress.
This is the yarn and my start on a new afghan for my living room. I'm actually quite a bit farther along but I don't have new photos yet.
Our front door. I LOVE this color. Notice how I couldn't be bothered to move the flippin' ladder before I took the photo.....sigh. I need to work on that. I also need to work on the alignment for this blog. I can't ever get my pictures and text to go where I want them.
I saw something similar to this at Kirkland's and I loved them. I didn't want to put out $17 each for them so I made my own. I used styrofoam balls and I bought 4 bunches of hydrangeas. I just cut the stems short and poked them in the styrofoam. I think they turned out well!
My latest messy project is papier mache. At the beginning of the season (sales season so that means July not October, ugh) I saw floral arrangements in these gigantic pumpkins. I looked everywhere but couldn't find just the pumpkins so I decided to make my own. Remember the pumpkin in the cubby over the tv? Well that was just the base.
Again, I'm a bit farther along but I had to bring it inside because the humidity was too high and I haven't taken more photos. And since I was making a mess anyway, I decided to make a top hat.
Again, I saw a floral arrangement in a top hat at Kirkland's but geez, it's $129. I can't justify paying that so I'm doing my own version.
Well, now I think I'm caught up a bit. Time to go work on more projects!
As always, thanks for stopping by!
Wow Sandie, sounds like a momentus trip :-) It's good to hear how it all went. Your front door is stunning!! Love how your 'yarn work' is looking too :-) and your talents show no end....your papier mache work is cool, looking forward to seeing the outcome!
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