This weekend, June 12-13, 2009, Tom and I celebrated 35 years of friendship with two of our best friends, Bill and Lynda. We lived next door to each other in Upper Marlboro, Maryland in the 70′s where we shared dinners, weekend camping trips and just plain being good neighbors

We stayed at the Morgan Samuels Inn Canandaigua NY. What a beautiful B&B! A couple of years ago, Tom and I spent a fantastic winter get-away weekend and knew that our friends would enjoy it as much as we did then. So Friday, although the day started out rather cloudy it ended up a beautiful sunny spring day with light fluffy clouds dotting a perfectly blue sky, we headed to the B&B.

The day was spent traveling from our home in Marietta to Canandaigua – a trip that should take about and hour and an half – but actually took us 5 hours. Obviously we made a few stops along the way.

The first was in Skaneateles (about 10 miles from our home) at the Ace Hardware Store. Yes I said the hardware store. This is a hardware store like none other. Not only does it have the usual display of basic hardware and garden items, but it also has a full line of housewares and a flower shop – all displayed so that you can’t help but want to browse. The two-floor store is bright, airy, entirely floored in hardwood as well as being beautifully decorated. Not your average hardware store with narrow, crowded aisles!

By the time we had finished at the hardware store at Town Square – it was time for lunch. We stopped at Creekside Book and Coffee Shop for a light lunch and did some more browsing and shopping at the bookstore. Both the coffee shop and bookstore embody Skaneateles’ unique atmosphere, “a village for the senses” with it’s store-roasted coffee and variety of books.

On our way we stopped at two Seneca Lake wineries; Hermann

J.Wiemer (Lynda and Bill’s favorite) and Anthony Road (one of ours). We both left with an ample supply of our favorites.

We arrived at Morgan Samuels around 5:00 Our room – the Evies Chamber.

Sheet Music: Good Night

The room is decorated with old love letters and music sheets, complementing the Victorian atmosphere of the B&B.

After a relaxing a bit on the Victorian Porch we ended the daywith a great dinner at the Inn on the Lake.Saturday we have scheduled a wine paring with lunch at the NY Wine and Culinary Center.

Saturday we have scheduled a wine and lunch paring at the NY Culinary Institute.

Yes there really is a quilt tool called The Binding Thingy. And I have one!

That Binding Thingy

My husband is always looking for neat gadgets that I can use while quilting. When I came across this one in the Keepsake Quilting Catalog – I was sure that it would be one of my Christmas presents – I knew that he would buy it just because of it’s name. I wasn’t sure that it would be such a great tool, though.

The Thingy eliminates slip stitching mitered corners of the quilt binding. In addition there is no need to “walk” the continuous binding strip around the quilt to make sure that the miters fall anyplace except in the quilt’s corners. Four binding strips are cut 3-4” longer than each of the sides of the quilt. The corners are sewed on the machine and turned to make perfect mitered corners.

Now if someone can only come up with an easy way to attach the binding to the back side of the quilt – I’d be ever so happy.

The perfect mitered corner

Quilting from Home!

Here we are traveling again. Though it’s only for a long weekend. This is our second trip to the Albany area in as many months.

We’re trying to promote Tom’s photography (Natural Images) at local art shows. We’re learning fast just what the public looks for when they go to a summer art show. Our first show was at the Albany Tulip Festival on Mother’s Day weekend. The tulips on in full bloom at Washington Street Park. Tulips as far as the eye can see. What a beautiful place for an art fair. The show this weekend was Art on Lark. The city closes down about 5 blocks of Lark Street in downtown Albany and more than 100 vendors line both the street. One of the area residents told me that this festival began when Lark Street residents would gather every weekend during the summer to display and sell their crafts and art. It has evolved into today’s art fair of 120 vendors from many areas of the country. Our booth was featured in the Around the Region section of the Albany Times Union.

As an added bonus, one of my favorite ways to pass the time while traveling is to do some sort of hand work. I was hoping that I would be able to work on my Celtic quilt on the 2-1/2 hour trip here. Unfortunately this quilt is king-size – just too big to manipulate in the truck – so I had to put it off until today when we were in the campground. I spent a very pleasant day outside the trailer – just sewing.

The temperature cooperated as well. It was in the low 70′s all day. I don’t know how I would have been able to work on this quilt if the weather was warmer. As a matter of fact last year it was in the 90′s this weekend. One couple announced at Sunday Mass that they were celebrating their first anniversary and were thankful that the temperature wasn’t in the 90′s as it was last year. Boy am I glad too! – I’m not a fan of the 90′s even when I’m not working on a quilt!

Many quilters put away their quilting in the summer because they want to spend time outside. – My solution: take the quilting along with you. I always carry a small project with me when we go for a hike. Being a nature photographer, Tom is always stopping to take a picture (or maybe 20) and it’s a perfect opportunity for me to stop and quilt. I also really like quilting in the campgrounds. I’m always having people stop by to see what I’m working on. It certainly is a conversation starter!

Quilting on the Road!