Family Fun!

Even though the winter storm seige was fun to watch, it was a little crazy making as we had a little family reunion slated for last weekend. 

Despite some squeekers with airline connections, everyone arrived as expected--woo-hoo!--& the great thaw commenced. The Seattle twenty-somethings weren't all here at the same time--kind of like a progressive gathering. 

Aren't we a fun bunch?!

I so appreciate everyone making the effort to get here--we had the easy end of the celebration. 

Thanks, you guys! It was too brief!

PS Amy posted some great pictures, too--check it out!

Merry Christmas to All!

Best wishes from our house to yours!

Richard joined us--what fun!

23 Skidoo!

Have the greatest birthday, Dev! 

Blow out the candles & may all the wishes come true--

including the ones from  the Physics GRE fairy!

Here's to the next 365-day adventure,   

Love you! XXOO

Pennsylvania Holiday - Part IV

One of the locations we visited prompted the most photos--not sure why, except to say it's lovely & intriguing, too.  The Ephrata Cloister was created as a religious colony of sorts by charismatic, German-born Conrad Beissel in 1732 when he broke away from the Anabaptist group he was leading. (It's pronounced 'EFF-ru-tuh'--rather than our Washington state version of 'e-FRATE-uh''.) 

It started as a singular, contemplative haven but more & more followers joined him in the celibate community--and many non-celibate families gathered nearby, supporting the community. It was an austere life but also a learned one. Among other things, they were known for the wonderful calligraphy work they produced.

 At it's peak there were several hundred people connected to Beissel's community. Several buildings were constructed to house the celibates & also allow for worship gatherings.

The community declined after Beissel died in the late 1700's but continued until the 1930's when the church charter was finally revoked.

The Pennsylvania Commonwealth assumed ownership of the property in the 1940's & surprisingly didn't raze the remaining buildings.

It's now an impressive historic park with a great tour. A fun day with Bill & Julie!

Intent on the tour guide discussion... check out
the sink next to Bill with the drain through the outside wall!

Pennsylvania Holiday - Part III

Okay--are you tired of the Pennsylvania tour yet?! If you are, might want to skip the next few posts as there's more to tell about!
As with most of the eastern seaboard, there is such a wealth of  'old, cool stuff' compared to our western, newer world. We were staying more local to our Gretna home base & getting the opportunity to see places new to us.

One of those was the Cornwall Ironworks, one of many iron works in the area at the time, but one of the few that survived relatively intact. It started operation in the early 1700's & continued until the late 1800's--with some modifications made to convert to steam. We learned a lot during the tour--including a renewed appreciation for the difficult, hot & often dangerous work.

We also toured the Wright's Ferry Mansion in Columbia, built in 1738 by John Wright, a Quaker taking an entrepreneurial risk of settling early in a remote location with the intent of establishing a ferry crossing at the Susquehanna River. A bold move!
Susanna Wright, his daughter, was the consistent resident & an amazing woman--a friend & contemporary of Ben Franklin--well educated, fluent in several languages, with a great business sense.
The modest mansion by today's terms is wondrously intact & filled with furniture, art & utensils of life from that period. It's such a rich collection of period pieces that a two-volume catalog of the collection has just been published. The home stayed 'in the family' until the 1920's or so--and during the next 30 years before being taken up as a historic location, was changed very little. Definitely worth the tour...

Getting My Kitty Fix

 One of the many great treats at Julie & Bill's was having a week with a cat back in the household! Snape tolerated us--and actually was enticed to play a time or two. He has several key window perches to keep track of the birds, squirrels, chipmunks & feral out-of-state visitors...


Thanks. Snape!

Pennsylvania Holiday - Part II

What's a tour of central PA without food & fabric?  8-)
So many townships & burroughs have that wonderful look: very old homes with classic porches right up to the sidewalk. We had a meandering day to several nearby quilt shops, two quilt museums, with local food & an earthquake thrown in just for grins!

Walking in Mannheim

...notice the quilt shop just ahead!

No trip to Lancaster is complete without a trip to the Market: in operation since 1730--the oldest in the country in continuous operation. It's such a grand old building & regardless of the day of the week (we were there on a Tuesday...) it's a bustle of activity--and a great place to pick out your favorite lunch!

my picture doesn't let you appreciate the great old wooden ceiling

the Central Market from outside

It's just a brief stroll from the Market courtyard to the Quilt & Textile Museum.  It seems fairly 'normal' on the outside but stepping into the building is breathtaking.  

It's a grand restored building that was initially a bank. In an effort to make financial ends meet now, the museum rents out areas for events (weddings, etc.) in addition to the main focus of impressive quilt exhibits. Currently showcased: one of the largest collections of vintage Amish quilts, previously owned & collected by the CEO of Espirit clothiers. They nicely drew the parallel of how the simple, traditional patterns & colors influenced designers that looked at those quilts in their offices daily. Definitely worth the time to explore--I think even if you're not a quilter, right Julie? (...or maybe you were just being kind!)

Not far from Lancaster, is Intercourse, PA--the heart of Amish country. (Remember 'Witness"?--town scenes from there. Kinda fitting since we'd been in the Philly train station at the outset!) The Old Country Store is not only a sales location for new Amish quilts, they have a well-known, well-stocked fabric store, with a quilt museum upstairs. The exhibits change but it's always worth the time to see...

Pennsylvania Holiday - Part I

Okay--it's taken waaaaay too long to get our August vacation photos organized--and sit down for a few quiet moments to write some posts about our Pennsylvania vacation. Sorry 'bout that! So here goes!
One unexpected parentheses on our trip was weather.  I think I jinxed it; I'd been talking for weeks about finally getting somewhere with summer heat (which we've sorely lacked this year...) Although it was pleasantly warm, the locals were talking about this 'break' in the heat & enjoying some cooler days with accompanying showers. Those thundershowers accompanied us into Philadelphia--planes getting in, but none allowed out. We were two of many hundreds of travelers getting to stay the night unexpectedly in the terminal, while scrambling for other arrangements.

No point in being in a hurry when you're on the road!

We were luckier than most because we could take an early train out the next morning & not have to wait for a flight to open up.  That turned out to be a much better arrangement anyway, as we enjoyed a lovely scenic tour of points west as we aimed at the Lancaster train station & then on to our final destination of Mt Gretna--our magical home port for the week with Julie & Bill.

Mt Gretna is tucked into the woods with a wonderful, colorful past as a long-standing Chautauqua community that thrives today with many of the values & activities and true sense of community intact.  What a great place for Julie & Bill--it's perfect! (For more about Chautauqua history & locations go to this site).  I remember my dad getting very animated when he described the Chautauqua coming to their little rural Washington community when he was a boy--much later I'm now learning there have been many year-round settings for the same wonderful culture all along! We arrived just in time for the annual Mt Gretna Art Show--a well known, juried show attracting artists from near & far.

Hall of Philosophy, then...

Gretna is charming, refreshing & impossible to describe in a brief post--except maybe to ask: when was the last time you visited a place that has a Hall of Philosophy as one of it's central buildings?!

...and now

With a fairy garden nearby?
Kids (& adults too!) can play, arrange & imagine to their heart's content....

Isn't this the coolest gate? So inviting!

Very old despite the new roof;
holds hundreds of viewers...

With the outdoor tabernacle that is not only wonderful to see but also to experience the variety of events that take place there?! (the New Christy Minstrels performed there while we were in town...)

night time view of the inside, looking up...

So I'm sharing a few photos of this wonderful getaway place--but my meager skills will never do it justice.  For a great photo tour through Mt. Gretna by a local artist take a minute to go this site--it's worth it!
Gretna served as a launch spot for many great tourist outings--that in many ways felt like a trip 'home', after having lived nearby long ago.

Julie & Bill were the greatest, most gracious hosts we could have wished for--thanks you guys!  I'll be doing more posts about places we went in the next few days.

When I said the weather was a major bracket on our trip, it was no joke.  We were there for the earthquake, which caused quite the excitement.  Turns out something that can be 'business as usual' in our part of the country is a scary novelty there.
Lucky for us--our return was perfectly timed to avoid the wrath of Irene plus all of the grounded flights she caused.  As we headed west we saw many weary travelers that were stranded until the worst was over. Although there was plenty of clean-up, Gretna seems to have come through it okay--although there will be stories to tell for some time to come, I think!
Stay tuned for some additional Pennsylvania posts...

Farewell...

In Memoriam

Cassie

February 2,1998 - August 4, 2011

a puppy to the end--thanks, sweet girl!

It's a Family Thing...

This last weekend was the annual family gathering at my cousin's in Pt. Ludlow. We were only able to go on Sunday, and despite a very misty, foggy morning, it finally blew clear in the afternoon.  Much food, fun, gab, hugs & howls! Always time out for the family photos--at least those that are there at that moment.  It's kind of a moving target, as the arrivals & departures go on for days. Karen & daughter Lindsey arrived from Florida early with sweet little Jack--the newest member of the clan at 7 months.

Polly, the matriarch, with the cousins,

the cousins' kids,

the cousins' grand-kids (the point & shoot is very brief for this set!),

...and, of course, the folks who have chosen to be part of this zany crowd!

Kathy is so incredible to host the event--so much work! But we all reap such precious benefit from those hours together--reminiscing & story-telling while making new memories all the while. Doesn't get much better: wonderful water view, renewing close ties & getting the endorphin levels up!

Family Fun

We made a day-trip-escape to Seattle last week to celebrate Nick's 27th birthday (really?!) & have an oh-so-brief, but fun, afternoon together.  Once again we took the light rail down & back--which makes for a stress free & full day, all the while missing the commute & $4/gallon gas! 

Turns out, the trick to not getting poured on all day is to carry an umbrella everywhere (something Puget Sounders are loathe to do...) & never have to open it!   8-)    Who knew?

Isn't this mural great? It's painted on a particle board temporary wall, so it won't be around long, but the colors are just wonderful! (this is just a small corner of a huge painting...) It's near the famous little hole-in-the-wall, Salumi Restaurant, that's been on the 'gotta do' list for years. We started our progressive lunch there--being amazed at the variety of handcrafted salami. Yum!!
Jim & I also had an early morning walk-through of the amazing exhibit of the Seattle Metals Guild at the Convention Center  (they have such great free art exhibits there). This exhibit runs to July--go check it out if you're in the neighborhood.
Happy Birthday, Nick!

Spring Break

the train view

It takes a long time to get here--and not much time to use up, right?!
Jim & I went to Seattle for a very brief--but very fun!--visit with 'the kids'.  Took the train both ways--such a lovely water view!

And the sun was unexpectedly our friend.  And also, suddenly, the flowers have popped with the little bit of sun warmth.  The market is so lovely with it's overhead row of daffs greeting us all.  Of course we had to get a family shot with the pig! (how much like tourists can we be!)

Market flowers...

and more market flowers!

Today I'm off for the spring guild retreat at Warm Beach.  Four days of gabbing, laughing, sewing like mad, sleeping little & enjoying the grounds.  Back on Sunday night--and school starts again on Monday. Whew!

I don't know who Frank is, but I love his truck!

Just Had to Share...

...the valentine I'm enjoying from my valentine!

Two Christmas Delights in One

There are always many thoughtful & humorous items that change hands in our household for the holidays.  This year, even more than normal, there were obvious personalized, well thought out gifts that were not costly but very special.
One gift, though, deserves special acknowledgement.  Special friend Julie (now in Pennsylvania) and I have fairly consistently exchanged gifts at the holidays.  The often humorous, always heartfelt, & sometimes late items (if I'm the sender!) are special, even sentimental, items.

I can't peg exactly when we sent a particular box to Pennsylvania (can you, Jules?) but I think either 2002 or 2003. Next year, here came the same box back with different contents. So we dutifully recharged the interior & off it went.
By our count, the box has crossed the nation at least six times now--but it could be eight.  It's looking a little dog-eared but it's almost waterproof now with the layers of tape. It's especially perfect as the addresses are always at the ready depending on which flaps you fold in first. Now it's Washington or--presto chango--now it's Pennsylvania.
Besides just reappearing once again, the box always makes us laugh as it passes through local 'customs'. The original sender (not Julie) incorrectly sent it to our street address rather than our PO Box & the post office staff make a big 'her-umph' every time an item shows up without our box number. You know, they 'have to look it up'! (this is the moment you place your hand to your forehead with a big sigh!) By now, our PO Box number has been written in large magic marker on almost every face of the box so it no longer delays the delivery & as Jim told the post office staff this year, 'just give it up!'


This year the contents were especially wonderful:  a great little balancing monkey.
It's a Brass Monkey!!
Too hard to explain, but suffice it to say there are Brass Monkeys residing in Pennsylvania & Washington that have been "members" for nearly 35 years!
How perfect!  Isn't he just the cutest?! (Maybe it's a she!?)
I think he'll go with me to my office as a daily smile-maker.

Thanks, Julie!
The box is resting now, awaiting the next season ahead...