MORE TRAVELING

WHEW .............  TGIF and all that jazz.  I am exhausted. Wonder if I can remember what I 've been doing since I last posted. Come take a little journey with me on my adventures in wool land for the past week.

 DF Karen came up last Friday to spend a long weekend with us. She arrived on Friday afternoon and I quickly whisked her off to a not so local yarn shop called The Local Needle in Macclenny FL.  Karen is doing a KAL with this shop and Joan had special ordered some yarn and shipped it to Karen.  It was fun seeing Karen's project in it's final stages.  LN has knit night two fridays a month but we opted not to stay since Karen had already had a long drive up from South Florida.  She treated me to a wonderful evening at a favorite local bistro called Biscotti's near my work.  We had a delicious cheese tray and some lovely reisling and finished with a great spinach cobb salad. 

 On Saturday our annual rug guild hook was held in Jacksonville.  It was a great time had by all.  You'll have to take my word for it since I did not take one single photo. BOO HISSSSS - I know all you closet hookers will be miffed at me for not posting a single photo of the rug exhibit.  I can only say that all I did was talk and eat.  there were many people there from surrounding areas, even as far away as GA and So Fl.  We had visitors who were interested in learning to hook, we had members who we have not seen in years - it was a wonderful but tiring day.  I did not get very much hooking done but I worked on my Peace and Plenty from Not Forgotten Farm.

Sunday was Mothers Day - I thought about posting a photo of my mom and I that Karen took for us but I looked like the great white whale but my mom looks pretty good - Oh what the heck - I'll post it anyway. We went to brunch at a lovely B&B - The Riverdale Inn in the historic area where I work that has an awesome restaurant open to the public.  The history of the mansion and some local history is contained on their website.  It's a wonderful area and I love coming to work every day in the historic Bensel House.

We went back to my house after brunch - my folks stayed and chatted for a while but they were anxious to head  home.  The minute their car left the driveway - Karen and I were plotting our next trip - HANKS YARN in Gainesville.  WHEEEEE - did we have enough time to make it worth the trip - hummm - it takes 1.5 hrs to get there and they are open till 7pm - oh and what excuse are we going to use to get out of the house - hummm - going to visit a sick friend NAH - going to shop at a sale - NOT GOOD ENOUGH - Going to shop at a sale of a store that is closing UMMM - that might work - so out the door we flew.  I am participating in a KAL at Hanks and the group was meeting Sunday afternoon - well by the time we arrived that group was all gone but we still had fun perusing even more yarn.  I failed to get photos of my purchases but I did get some photos of the shop.

Their Shop has two entrances one on each side of the building. This is a shot of the long narrow space leading to the other door.  Full of yarn of course!

On this side of the shop is another seating area, the purchasing area, the yarn winding area, a nice big window and see all the spinning wheels and accessories.  They do some dyeing of their own at this shop and they have a small dye kitchen over behind that swift which by the way is holding some lovely Malabrigo lace weight yarn that I bought.

Karen had to go home on Monday - and I had to go back to work.  Found out Monday I had to go back to Savannah - OH DARN - Savannah is just about one of my favorite places in the whole world and this time I was not leaving without visiting one of my top 5 fave yarn shops Wild Fibre.  So I got up extra early and started my drive to Savannah.  It is about 2.5 hrs from my house to the dealership the company I work for owns there in Savannah.  Our controller is a long time resident of Savannah and he loves to spoil me.  We discussed visiting Mrs Wilkes Boarding House for lunch but he said we'd have to leave early because they pack out.  OK - I was up for that - why work when you can eat and visit yarn shops LOL

Well - was Brian ever right - there must have been 50 people on the sidewalk when we got to Mrs Wilkes - URGHHH- plan B - did we have a plan B??  Brian said he thought I would love Soho Cafe and it was only a block down from the newly relocated Wild Fibre.  MAN - did I LOVE Soho - you bet I did.  Let's go inside and take a look.

Apparently this was once a garage or repair shop of some type.  See the top of the huge roll up bay doors and there was an exposed ceiling with piping and so forth.  Hope I got a photo of the neat chandeliers they had hanging from those rustic pipes.  It was a very ecclectic place and the food and atmosphere was awesome.  Brian can sure pick the place.  There was artwork for sale displayed all around this enormous venue.  Here are a few more shots of the artwork and seating areas.Doesn't that look like Alice in Wonderland or Mary Englebreit meets Alice in Wonderland.  Needless to say - I can NOT wait to go back to Savannah and spend a whole day having lunch at Soho and visiting with my friend Jennifer who owns Wild Fibre.

So after a delicious lunch - we walked a block down to the new space Wild Fibre has secured.  Oh look - here's the stepsAlmost there - can't wait !!!!!!!!!!!!!!OH MY goodness - here is my first glance inside.  What wonderful light coming in from these huge windows.  I did not have time to ask Jennifer about the history of the building but my presumption is that it was once a private residence that has been divided up for retail spaces.  Look at that lovely marble fireplace.

Did I ever have a hard time making a selection from this delectible wall of wool.Another fireplace and a cozy seating area.

Such a lovely space - look at the hard wood floors.  WHHAAAAA - I did not want to leave but I had to make a quick decision and bid farewell to the sweet Savannah.  I'll be back again soon - you can bet that.

I promise in my next post to show you some of the lovely yarns I purchased on this trip and maybe just maybe - a finish of a HUGE project that I have worked on literally for years.

As a reward sticking with me on my journey - I am going to have a giveaway. Not a lot of stipulations - if you are a stitcher, hooker or knitter - just give me your preference of prize and I'll surprise you with a little gift.  Just leave me a comment on "THIS" post and I'll draw for a winner on Memorial Day 5/31. 

I enjoy hearing from you all and reading your blogs.

TRAVELING WOMAN

Hi Friends - I have been away on two different business trips. Have missed reading all your blog posts so I have a lot of catching up to do.

 Last Friday I went to Savannah on business.  Since Savannah is one of my favorite places - I parlayed an overnight stay so I could visit my two of my favorite yarn shops.  Unwind is less than a year old - it is a GREAT shop.  I think it is a shared ownership but most of my contact is with co-owner Leigh who is just the nicest most accommodating person.  Here is a photo of their lovely facade

Here is two shots of the inside of their shop.  LOVELY!  and full of awesome yarn.  They also have a great class area and a full kitchen which is a seperate room in the back of the shop. 

Believe it or not - this is NOT all the yarn - there is another whole wall that I did not photograph - I never even made it out of this one area.  I only had limited time to spend at Unwind - I left Jody at the hotel and had to get back there to check out before noon.  Plus when we got up it was raining and messy so I decided that I would have to forego visiting Wild Fibre's new location down in the historic area.  Parking is such a pain down in that area and plus I did sufficient damage in Unwind and did not really need to be tempted to spend more money at WF. 

I scanned the yarn section quickly - I am looking for unusual things that I can not get at our LYS.  I zero'd in on some lovely Louisa Harding yarn I had not seen before called Willow Tweed.  Fortunately there was a lovely book from last fall called Little Cake that includes designs featuring that yarn.  It is a lovely blend of merino and alpaca with natural silk slubs - yummy! This color is called denim but it looks quite lavendar in this snap. 

 

The book is lovely - beautiful photography - unfortunately in my haste - I picked the wrong yarn for the design I had in mind and now I'm in a quandry about what I will do with this yarn.  Could be something not in this book at all.  Oh well - that's what happens when I have to make rush decisions. 

Another yarn that surprised me a lot was the new Debbie Bliss Amalfi - I typically don't care for summer yarns especially with lots of cotton or linen.  This yarn has gotten a lot of press and is in all the spring/summer mags - It has a very light twist which is going to make it difficult for some people to knit with as it will easily split however it was quite lovely and the color selection at Unwind was great.  I could not leave this yarn behind - it was reasonably priced and has a pattern book to support the yarn line.  I have already cast on a neat summery moss stitch jacket.  The color is a typical "mel" color - a very rich, bright gold with  lots of green - they call it maize.  I love it so far.

I can't believe I did not get a single photo of our lovely Saturday afternoon stop on St Simons Island.  Another of my favorite places - great spot for a day trip or weekend getaway.  I was miffed I had to leave Savannah without visiting Wild Fibre but a visit to the Stitchery of St Simons and lunch at a favorite spot called Gnat's Landing would ease my pain.  It was drizzly and gray and quite cool on the island but Gnat's was packed - I guess everyone had the same idea as we did.  This is a great locally owned place that we have frequented a lot over the years.  They have great seafood but the crabcake sandwich is a favorite of ours.  Can't pass on their fried green tomatoes either!  We moved on in search of the Stitchery after lunch - they had also moved to a new location last year.  I am so mad I did not get any photos of the new location but I didn't - just suffice to say it was packed with great yarn and needlepoint and should not be missed if you are in the area.  I knew I only had limited time here as Jody was waiting in the car and was getting Florida fever - SSI is about 1.5 hrs from our home and he has always been patient about my needlework shopping excursions but I know when to push and when not to. 

 I knew Bo would have the Manos Silk Blend that had been on my mental "must have" list for quite a while.  Just as I suspected she had several colorways to choose from and I only had to make a selection.

Isn't this gorgeous !!!!!!!  Wildflowers is the colorway and I am planning to use this for the Traveling Woman shawl.  DF Kris is just finishing up this lovely shawlette so I am anxious to get mine going.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This past Monday morning I left for Auburn Al on another business trip.  Home of Auburn University - Auburn is a beautiful little city.  The only issue with Auburn is that there is no needlework or yarn shops any where close at all.  There used to be a nice little shop in Opelika but it closed last year so no shopping opportunities of that sort while in town.  They do however have a nice Ravelry group that meets at the Books a Million weekly - I met up with them on Tues night and chatted and knitted a little so that was nice.
 

Here are a couple of photos I shot from my hotel window of the historic AU campus.  Auburn was still all abloom with azaleas.  They were on their way out but still pretty - too bad my photo did not show the beautiful azaleas on the campus grounds.

I was home again for a couple of nights and am leaving again this afternoon for a weekend stay on St Augustine Beach.  I am taking lots of stitching and knitting projects and plan to mostly just sit and relax and stitch.

Next weekend will be busy as it is our annual rug guild hook in here in Jax and DF Karen is coming up to spend the weekend.  Look for lots of adventures in the next post!

GOT STASH?

OK - be honest - I know you have ALL gotten some sort of stash from market in February. Imagine my dismay -  I ordered a few things from two different shops and thru circumstances that were unavoidable I guess - I am just now getting one order and have yet to receive the other order. 

I have been DYING to get Mrs. Waddelows huswif.  I had been dreaming of going into the Olde Green Cupboard and actually having a real excuse to peruse, fondle and drool on all the beautiful fabrics.  When they announced they were closing the store in March  - EGADS - what about my fabric for Mrs Waddelow - I had to scramble around on my IPhone and find Ellen's blog post giving the exact measurements of the amount of fabric needed to complete this project.  I am not a quilter so forgive me if I am not savvy with the lingo but I think what I chose was Moda fabrics from  Kansas Troubles  - in reviewing on line - I think maybe Kansas troubles is a designer for Moda and then there is a certain "line" name - sorry but that is what I don't know.  Whatever it's called - it's beautiful.  I am using Days Gone By linen and I had a special silk from Gloriana  that Anne dyed to match one of her multicolored silks.  I never used it and it seems to be perfect for this project.  It is similiar to Rosewood but not as dark.

I still can't get over the fact that the OGC is closing.  They were my source for BBD (among many other things)  and had even had Alma and Barb for a class two years ago. I also picked up Honeysuckle Manor and Winter Wonderland as final purchases. Here is a link to a huge article that ran on the front page of the business section a few days ago regarding the OGC closing : 

 I forgot to include WW in the photo.  Also in the recent stash enhancement package was Ann Rayner and some vintage basketweave to stitch her on and AMAP Alphabet Noir.  Can't wait to start Ann - after seeing Tanya's gorgeous version - I have been chomping at the bit to start this colorful beauty. I think I'll treat myself and do a birthday start on Ann.  A friend in my sampler guild was stitching Ann but said the overly bright colors bothered her and she had toned them down some.  I will probably do a mix of Belle Soie and AVAS on mine but I do intend to stitch the brights - I am thirsting for some color after a long drab winter here in NE FL.

Speaking of color - I joined an upcoming KAL at one of my favorite LYS - the Local Needle - scroll down and see a good photo of the Jellyfish bag.  How fun - I've never made a bag before and the construction on this one with the pleats intrigued me.  Plus I love Ty Dy cotton yarn but I don't prefer to knit garments with cotton.  In my quest for color - I picked up some beautiful Ty Dy last weekend and the mag needed for this KAL.  I've already started as I am not going to be able to make the KAL kick off next weekend.  Here is my start:

One last photo for today - In my quest for color these past few weeks - I ran across an almost finished project - The Ruffled Finchu shawl.  It was published in one of the knitting magazines several years ago but the design came from the lovely book called Victorian Lace Today.  Mine is done in Malabrigo lace weight yarn in the colorway called BlueLime.  This photo doesn't show much except the color - it is quite large and is a triangular shawl with an optional bell ruffle.  the ruffle was what attracted me to the design in the first place so once the triangular shape is completed - you pick up all around 3 sides and create the bell ruffle.  This was my car project for a couple of years and it finally got too big to drag around so I took it inside and it hit the black hole of UFO's in the wool room.    I was moving around a bunch of WIP's this week trying to make room for the primitive piece I bought from the OGC (I'll show you this soon I promise) and I found this lovely shawl.  So out it came into the knitting pile by my chair and last night I reacquainted myself with it and off I went.  It is a wonderful mindless project which I need at all times.  Not sure how taxing the bell ruffle will be but I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Thanks for all your kind comments on my blog - I love hearing from you all and enjoy reading what you are up to in your needlework pursuits.

EASTER JOY

Happy Good Friday to everyone !

I have a few Easter related photos to show you.

Last weekend I realized that I should have been working on the darling design that Paulette from Plum Street Samplers did last year as a freebie.  Easter Blessings - I have seen a few of them stitched on linen and they are sooooooo cute - however I thought this would be perfect for a small rug so I asked my DF Katie to draw it off for me on rug linen.  Of course I asked Paulette first and she thought it was a great idea.  Most rugs have a border - I thought this rug needed a border to bring up the size a little bit and Katie and I brainstormed on a border.  I did not show the border but it has carrots all around and Easter Blessings at the bottom.  Isn't it darling??  The chocolate bunny boy looks a little ardvarky with his "too pointed" nose - I'll have to fix that next time I work on it.  I had hoped to finish the yellow daisies but I did not have time to hook any this week.  Katie is dyeing a light easter egg dye backround for this and I will probably use a spot dyed green/brown for the border backround which will show the carrots off nicely.  I was determined to pull all my wool from stash for this piece.  We'll see what Katie's backround creation looks like - hope it's what I envisioned - other than that small purchase - I think I can manage the rest from stash!  WHOOOOOOHOOOOOOO!

DF and stitcher extraordinare Henrietta also does beautiful paper crafting - her creations never cease to amaze me.  She always remembers her dear friends birthdays and holidays with her wonderful paper crafting.  Here is the oh so darling Easter card.  thanks Henri for always remembering!

Next up is Harriett on her tuffett - I showed you this lovely little primitive bunny in a previous post but she is nestled in a Longaberger easter basket along with plenty of carrots and some pretty eggs.

This very special lady was made by Jody's grandmother and mother.  They sewed many of these bunnies in the early 90's - If I recall correctly - Jody's mom made the bodies and did the embroidery on the faces and Jody's grandmother who was already in her 80's at the time made all the clothes. She passed away 11 years ago at the age of 92 and we miss her so much.  Sadly Jody's mom is now in a nursing home and has the dreaded Alzheimer's so she is slipping away every day.

 I have not used her for many years but she looks so cute on my couch and she is holding the Easter Joy bag by Shepherds Bush. I think she looks very happy there and who wouldn;t be glad to be "out of the bag"!

I wanted to share with you some more sad news in our world - our wonderful "Olde Green Cupboard" is closing.  How sad is that.  The news came a couple of weeks ago and it was sure a shock.  How awful that another great shop has been so affected by the economic woes of these past two very difficult years.  It was a wonderful respite for all who frequented there.  The retreats, classes, communing with like minded needleworkers - They are clearing out all their inventory at 50% off - I have already spent a bundle there - I'll show you in a future post the wonderful cabinet I got there for my wool room.

I'll end this post with a couple of photos of the beautiful Azaleas in my yard.  We had a very rough winter here in NE FL but the flowering trees seem to be ever so lovely this year. 

I wish for each of you Easter Joy - It is a time for renewal, for spending time with family and enjoying a bit of chocolate and hopefully some time with your needle.  Easter Blessings to you all !

SEBRING BLISS

What can I say - Sebring was total bliss - the weather was cool and refreshing. My mom and I and DF Susan traveled down together on Sunday.  The bad weather was nipping at our heels the whole time.  We stopped for a lovely lunch at a favorite spot in Winter Park and OH WOW did we ever get caught in a torrential downpour.  Once we got back on the road the rain was quite heavy - needless to say I was very glad to arrive at our destination safely.  We checked in and got settled but did not leave the hotel for the next 3 days and you will see why we did not see any need to leave the property.

Come Monday morning - the clouds and rain were all gone away and here was the gorgeous site that greeted us.

The Inn on the Lakes is a privately owned family property.  We sprung for a small upcharge and opted for  lakefront rooms. We opened up the windows and they stayed open for the entire duration of our stay there.  Sleeping with open windows was total bliss.

 Their landscaping is just magnificent - it is truly something to behold.  Take in the sites and enjoy!

This rug camp had 3 national teachers - Mom and I and DF Susan were all in the same class.  We've had Vivily Powers (Colorama) before.  My rug is rather small 24" x 24" and is designed by Bea Brock - a texas artisan - I had given the canvas to mom as a gift several years ago but she never warmed up to it so she suggested I take it and see what I could do with it - here is my progress as of the end of the workshop.

Mom started a darling 18" x 18" canvas by Not Forgotten Farm - we just adore Lori's designs and this one is just so dang cute.

here is DF Susan's progress on her little pastoral scene - she is an awesome hooker.

here are a few of our classmates rugs - sorry I can't show them all and no these egrets were not worked in class - these were ongoing projects.  Same with the rug called Alphapets - many hours have already gone into these rugs.

There was an exhibit held - it was small as the camp was small.  I only snapped a couple of photos and regret to say I did not get a good enough photo of my mom's santa rug and there was a big glare on Susan's Houses rug I showed on the blog last month.  WHAAAAAA - however - here is a few snaps from the exhibit.  enjoy! 

Hope you are all having a good time with your projects.  Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving your comments.  Without them - the blogs would not be as much fun to read.  Happy Springtime Stitching!

MARCH 17TH

I was planning to do a Happy St Patrick's Day post but here is what I see out of the french doors in my office.

Naked trees, gray, drizzly, gloomy, nothing green about today.

!

I was very honored to receive my first blogger award from Margaret - one of my stitching idols. Thanks Margaret !

I am supposed to nominate 7 other blogs but as I have seen several others do I am going to decline with that part because there are SOOOO many talented people out there whose blogs I love and I'm sure dozens more that I have  yet to discover so kudos to all my friends in blog land.

I'm not even sure I can come up with 7 interesting things but I'll try.

1.  I'm an only child and I have no children myself - never minded being an only child except now that my parents are aging (aren't we all) I am a little sad to think that one day I might be very alone.

2.  I exhibited purebred dogs for 25 years (Afghan Hounds) - I owned and bred a number of champions and traveled all over the US to shows.  No I don't have any dogs - my last old champion died about 8 years ago and honestly - if I never pick up a brush again as long as I live - it won't hurt my feelings.

3.  Jody and I have known each other almost all our lives - he is almost 5 years younger than I and he was and still is good friends with my only cousin (my mom's sister's only son) We aren't close but he and Jody keep in touch.  He grew up in the neighborhood and we have been together for 30 years. 

4. I lived in the same house for 50 years - it was a tiny cottage my grandparents built after the depression when they moved to Jacksonville - needless to say it was very traumatic for me to consider and execute a move 20 miles away however we love our home and I'm glad we made the move.

5.  When I was much younger I dated a member of a prominent southern rock band from jacksonville and even went to concerts with them.  I was back stage lots of times and it is just as bizzare and seedy a lifestyle as you could imagine.  Lots of drugs, sex and rock and roll (please god don't let my mom read this!)  Lots of times I would tell her I was going to a dog show and I would go and park my van at a friends house and then get on a plane or meet the tour bus.  My boyfriend bought me lots of extravagant gifts and it was fun for a while but the first time I got slapped and knocked around by a jealous groupie I was ready to give up the rock and roll life style. Another scary thing that happened was that different members of the same band were fighting and feuding and someone crashed a chair thru the windows of the hotel room we were staying in and glass shattered all over the place - needless to say that was the final straw - the last concert I went to with him. I saw the guy in the rock band not long ago at a local concert  and he is even fatter and older looking than I - geez - I wish I just had remembered how he looked in 1979 on the album cover.

6.  I've been in the car business for 30 years as well.  With a Ford dealership for 21 years and now a family owned management company that owns dealerships in 3 states.  I am a network admin and love my job.

I'm afraid I am not a very interesting person since I can't even come up with #7 - sorry !

I'm really excited to be going to another rug workshop this weekend.  We have been going down to Sebring Fl which is below Orlando in the orange grove region for a number of years now.  It will be a welcome vacation and time to spend with mom at a lovely inn on the lake.

Hope the luck of the Irish is with us all !

THE PROOF

Well - I made it thru a difficult week at work but it's FINALLY FRIDAY !  I felt so liberated when I left work -  headed straight for the LYS and knit night with friends.  I thought I was too tired but Jody encouraged me to go and I'm actually glad I did - I finished the back of my Rowan Colorscapes jacket.  The yarn is lovely - the colorways were designed by Kaffe Fassett and it shows - brillant colors - a little out of my comfort zone but unbelievably dramatic.  This would be a fast finish if I just devoted any attention to it but I'm all about what catches my attention at the moment and then poof - I'm off to something else.  So I got the front cast on and I'll try to be a little more attentive to this beauty.

While I'm showing knitting - here is a photo of the yarn I mentioned in my last post - I found the simple capelet pattern and yarn at the yarn shop in St Augustine.  It is easy mindless knitting and enjoyable to watch the color changes - the mohair stranded along with the striping wool gives a lovely halo and it is just the effect I was looking for - so I'm glad that my impulse purchase is turning out so well.  It will always remind me of the bittersweet day I spent in St Augustine and how special my connections are to that place.

Another fun purchase I received in the mail last week is some Spud and Chloe - that is a charming spin off company from Blue Sky Alpaca - one of my fave yarn companies.  They put out this cute pencil bag for accessories and knitting notions with their darling logo on it.  Here are 2 skeins of their "Fine" yarn which is a fingering weight in Clementine and I got a skein of their "sweater" which is a worsted weight cotton/wool blend and also a design by them called Tea Party Cardi - which uses the sweater weight yarn - I wanted to see it in person and swatch it up before I ordered the yarn for the cardi - I don't care for cotton yarn however I love Blue Sky's cotton and this proves to be even nicer with the addition of the wool.

and now to the proof - I do still stitch - I really really do - I just don't get much done - Here is a darling piece I got from the Attic - it is the class piece that the BBD gals did for Jean's retreat in November.  It is an adorable thread pocket with a tiny hornbook charm - on the back you can affix the LHN "schoolgirl lessons" piece which is stitched in one color of Belle Soie.  OK granted - some of my stitching idols (and you all know who you are) could have stitched up this little piece in a week but I just work on it when I feel like it so this is all I have done.  Cute huh?

                                                                                            

Last but certainly not least is an updated progress shot of the SL "Hart" sampler I am doing for my folks anniversary.  I have mostly been working (or not working) on the filling in.  There is tons of fill in work on this sampler and now I am somewhat worried that I don't have enough of the maroon silk for the outer border so I am probably going to continue trying to fill the 4 sides to see if it holds out.  Compared to my last WIP photo of this piece I can see progress so I guess I am pleased enough to show you the progress.

So - no rug hooking updates for this post.  I am however looking so forward to another rug workshop down in Sebring Fl - it is held at a family owned inn on Lake Jackson and is a beautiful place - so lovely so picturesque on the lake - the landscaping is gorgeous.  It is something I look forward to doing with my mom every year.  We have a wonderful teacher with whom we've had great sucess in previous years.  Mom is doing a small Not Forgotten Farm design and I am doing a 24" X 24" design by Bea Brock - the same designer as my Angel Sampler -however this piece is more like an oversized quilt block - I'll show you what I end up with after the workshop.  I did not give my teacher much direction about the color plan so it will be a surprise - I love surprises don't you?

I am so moved by the comments so many people made in regards to the passing of my dear cousin.  I had some new commenters to my blog and I appreciate so much your kindness and I hope you will all come back and visit me.  I read and enjoy all of your messages.  No matter what your chosen handwork - be sure and make time to enjoy it and to stop and smell the roses along the way.

SAD DAY IN ST AUGUSTINE

Yesterday was a truly sad day for me - I attended the funeral of a very dear cousin of mine.  She lived in several different places on the east coast of Florida but I think she spent her happiest years in St Augustine.  She was 82 and had been ill for the past several years so she had moved to assisted living facility in Ponte Vedra Beach about 6 or so years ago.  She had declined pretty rapidly the past year and suffered several stokes in recent months.  Still the news was a shock . I had kept in close touch with her mostly by phone until she was moved to the nursing center and it was hard to get her on the phone. Sadly I had not spoken with her for several months.

 The service was held at the Episcopal church where she was a member for many years - her DD was married there in one of the most gorgeous weddings I have ever attended.  One of  my grandmothers sisters settled in St Augustine and raised her 4 sons there.  I have many cousins there and have spent many happy days and hours in St Augustine.  It holds a lifetime of dear and special memories for me.

It was raining, nasty, blowing and cold yesterday morning.  St Augustine is about an hour from my house.  My folks were supposed to be meeting me on the way and we would go together.  I was horrified when my mom called and said she was not feeling up to going.  I am SO not good with funerals - I knew I would not be strong with this one especially without my mom to hold me up.  So I decided I would not back out - I would be a big girl and go by myself.  I even stopped at Starbucks on the way to try and perk myself up.

The service was very formal as most Catholic/Episcopal services seem to be to me.  there were not many people there - so sad - Tears rolled down my face thru the entire service.  there was a quiet reception held after the service where my cousin (her daugher) had a video rolling of old family photos - OMG - I just lost it - seeing photos my grandmother and all her sisters - cousins - myself as a child - it was more than I could handle.  I just sobbed like a baby - it was rather embarrassing but I could not contain myself.  After the reception - I decided to walk down to the French Bakery where I spent many happy hours with my great Aunt, cousins and grandmother in years past.  Here is a shot of Charlotte St where the bakery is located.

Here is Cadiz St.  If you look closely you might can see the bayfront.  This is considered "old town" in St Augustine with tiny narrow streets which are still open to vehicles.

I just wandered the familiar streets rather aimlessly - the streets were quite deserted - so it was kinda like stepping back in time.  I walked down Palm Row - which I had always meant to do but never had - this is an awesome brick street with houses from the 1800's still in private residence.  that street is only open to residents and foot traffic.  Isn't it beautiful? - where I am standing is just across the street from the Lightner Museum which used to be a hotel.  It was built by the railroad barron Henry Flager and is across the street from Flagler College.   St Augustine is full of history and ghosts.  I must admit several times I felt like someone was watching me or following me on these deserted historic streets.  I chalked it up to too many episodes of Ghost Hunters or Ghost Adventures! 

I did visit a very neat place inside the Lightner Musuem - the Linen Room - it is owned by June an English woman.  I have found several treasures there over there years and always try to stop in if I have time.  It is where I bought my antique sewing table and Mom got a little schoolgirl sampler a few years ago.  I was looking for a homespun linen sheet that will become the base of a primitive applique wool bed cover from the new book Primitive Offerings by Maggie Bonanomi.  Luck was with me - I found one for a great price - I had been perusing Ebay and they were all over $100 plus I prefered to see what I was buying in person.

On the hike back to my car - I passed this sign - It attracted my attention because I live on Fatio Lane on what was once Laurel Grove Plantation on the banks of the St Johns River.  I am now curious about this name and will have to do some research to see if Fatio was somehow connected to Laurel Grove Plantation.  I know at one time Harriet Beecher Stowe's son owned Laurel Grove.  Fatio seems to be Spanish and on the museums website - there is more info about Louisa Fatio who owned and ran the boarding house. http://www.ximenezfatiohouse.org/our_history.html          here is a link if anyone cares to look around.

After leaving the historic area - I decided to go and peruse the LYS - she moved last summer and I had not seen the new shop.  It was pretty unexciting but I did manage to buy a pattern for a capelet and some lovely mohair yarn and some relatively inexpensive wool to make the cape.  I am such a yarn snob - I am now somewhat regretting buying this yarn as I have infinite stash that I could have pulled from to do this capelet.  Had I just bought the mohair and the pattern - I would have come out still under budget for a day in St Aug - instead I have now blown thru my mad money for the next couple of weeks.  Couple that with market purchases and I YAH YAH - I'm broke again.

Thanks for sticking with me thru my sad story and my journey around one of my favorite places in the area.  You can go and spend a day in St Augustine and feel like you were in Europe for a day.  If you have not been there - do put that on your bucket list.  It is a truly unique and beautiful place.  Until we meet again - thanks for stopping by and leaving your comments - I read each and every one and love to hear from you.