quiltersmuse.com Blog

This is a bird’s eye view of a few sights we saw on our mini-vacation yesterday and this morning. We traveled almost clear to the Canadian border last night, visually searching “Moose Alley” for moose at dusk. Jim had scoped out this trip, way ahead of time, and was determined to take a few photos of covered bridges (3) and to see a few scenic areas. We have more photos than are shown here, but these are some of the highlights.

Pat liked the tall yellow flowers just outside of the “Columbia Bridge.”

View of river from inside one of the bridges

Jim standing at base of Beaver Brook Falls. A man who was picnicking with his family told us that the falls are a “mere trickle” of what they had been a few weeks ago.

We actually saw two signs that mark the spot of the 45th parallel. The sign is self-explanatory.

This lone duck moseyed up to our car, thinking we might have something to feed her. We saw many ducks and geese at the First and Second Connecticut Lakes in Pittsburgh, New Hampshire.

We had a wonderful touring the area, and went back to the place we were staying which had an outdoor swimming pool. The water was “refreshing” and we both enjoyed swimming and relaxing in the sun by the pool, with nary a soul in sight.

We had intended to stay another day, for the Moose Festival, as they always have a nice little quilt show, and we enjoy so much about this annual celebration (the town of Colebrook’s 18th year in celebrating the event).

However, it wasn’t meant to be. We ended up making the hasty decision to return to Concord, leaving at 7:15 a.m. Here is another covered bridge at Groveton, NH, on the way home, seen in the mist of the morning, with vapors lifting off the river canal’s water.

Notice the bridge’s reflection in the water.

On the way home, we stopped at a rest area and discovered there was a 20 minute hiking trail, just enough to stretch our legs in this old growth forest. Underneath, the canopy of all trees, there were a number of species of mushrooms. This one caught our attention:

Beautiful orange mushroom we spotted along the trail.

At the end of the hike, this huge glacial boulder greeted us.

Glacial boulders

It is always fun to get-away, but I always enjoy coming home for that is truly where my heart lies. With bad weather predicted for the entire weekend, I feel that we were blessed to have perfect weather, fresh air, and cool night temperatures in the North Country of New Hampshire, where life is slow, and everyone seems to get up with the rooster’s call. Hope you enjoyed sharing our minute of bliss.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

We just returned from an all day trip, part of a quest to track down some information and partly a “let’s fly the coop today” day. We beat over the roads to find a tiny town in Maine where a quilter and her family once lived. I had never been to that area of Maine before. Although she has long since gone to her reward, she left behind a quilt that must speak for itself, via the clues in its construction, its colors, and its pattern.

Elusive genealogical tidbits of data, are beginning to fall into place. How wonderful that a descendant recalls some circumstances that no one else would be able to tell. First hand information serves well, in terms of understanding what may have happened.

You know, all of us are witnesses to the deeds of other living souls. When someone is gone, all that is left are examples of their work, if they created art, or potholders, or quilts, wrote a poem, or left other extant works.

Unless there is a written record of our life and work, somewhere, then when we pass on, no proof, except perhaps a grave marker, will signal that we were here at all. Of course, there are loved ones and friends who will remember us, until they reckon with the same fate as all mankind.

Today was an adventure! Just this morning, Jim and I were discussing yellow lady slippers, (as seen in my e-book about Ellen Webster), and pink lady slippers (wildflowers). We were saying that neither of us have seen them lately. Riding along a Maine road I spotted some pink lady slippers. They are delicate and do not do well if transplanted. In fact, I believe it is against the law to disturb them.

I saw one deer, from the Maine turnpike, along a little riverlet. On a back road, there was a flock of newly-shorn sheep in a wooded pasture. It was a cold, rainy day and they looked rather cold. We saw many miniature horses in a big field, and Swiss cows, those black and white bovines that are marked in a very unusual way, in wide vertical stripes. We passed a horse farm, Christmas tree plantations, and too many antique shops that we simply did not have time to stop at!

I’m always on the lookout for wildlife, birds, and animals. Before leaving Concord, I saw five Great Blue Heron standing in a low bog, down the hill from the turnpike. There were 9 of them together, yesterday. I do not see any signs of a rookery there, and they usually nest atop dead swamp trees. They look so awkward while trying to feed their young in these huge treetop nests which I’ve seen just off the turnpike near Londonderry, NH and again, near Grantham, NH. Never before have I ever seen more than one Heron, at a time, unless one was feeding its young.

We stopped for lunch at Governor’s in Waterville, Maine. The Haddock Chowder there is “to die for.” Jim had breakfast (at 2 p.m.) and I had a shrimp roll. Around the perimeter of the restaurant, a train set runs along an extended shelf, for ambience.

This was a rare “vacation day,” so we splurged and had a dessert (I’m so glad we decided to share it, as the Apple Fritter with vanilla ice cream was huge!). We did not bother eating supper, and at 11:37 p.m., I am not sure I want anything else to eat today!

All in all, when we got to our destination, we found the town to have no signs of visible life, except for a country store and a post office. I was able to find someone to ask a few questions and her answers will be helpful, I believe.

I have much more to do in tracking down some additional information, but this was a fun, but exhausting trip. Sitting for about 14 hours is more tiring than anything I can imagine. Yet it is for a good cause: quilt history, my passion. Much more to follow …

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Today, Jim and I had some business to do at the seacoast so we thought we would include a little ride along the beach from Rye, through Hampton, and to the dividing line between New Hampshire and Salisbury, Massachusetts. We stopped at one of the pull off points, and I asked Jim to take a photo of the Isles of Shoals, barely visible, even on a clear day. The shoals were a favorite gathering place of poets and artists in the nineteenth century. Celia Thaxter is perhaps one of the more famous ones.

As I looked out on the Atlantic Ocean, I thought of all the ships that made their way across those waters, bringing cargo to Portsmouth Harbor. Portsmouth was once a thriving port city, at one time.

I remembered the time that my mother and I helped to chaperone a field trip for my son’s school class who wanted to go on a Whale Watch. I fondly thought of the whales we saw that day, including baby whales swimming alongside their mothers. The big mammals are amazing, and so friendly!

I thought about the cruises they have out to the Isles of Shoals and how much fun it might be to do that sometime.
http://www.islesofshoals.com/

The errand that we went to do could not be done. The shop had moved and we did not know that, assuming it had just gone out of business, until we checked the internet at home. We stopped at a needlework shop. As luck would have it, bad luck that is, it is closed on Monday. We did stop to have lunch at Ixtapa. Their pollo yucatan, arroz, y refritos , with flan for dessert cannot be beat. We needed some time away from home. When one works from home, one works all the time, so to relax, it is necessary to leave. It’s good to have a change of scenery.

I came home to a barage of phone calls to return, e-mails to answer, and things to do, but in the meantime, it was fun riding around in a special area of the state. There are many changes, some not for the better. Yoken’s Restaurant, a favorite of many, for years, is no longer there. A parking lot stands in its place. A hotel inn at the Portsmouth traffic circle has been torn down, and there is a lot of industrial land for lease in the whole seacoast area, as well as homes for sale, including some of the seacoast’s stately mansions.

Mostly, the attractions for turistas have not opened yet. The seagulls kept us company, while the crash of waves on the rocks had a soothing effect. I was glad that I wore a sweater and had a windbreaker, as it was so chilly!

New Hampshire is varied in topography. The instructor for the class we just took in early New Hampshire history stated that it took settlers 200 years to reach the northernmost points of New Hampshire. Parts of New Hampshire are on the Canadian border! We learned a lot from the class, and appreciate our home state even more, if that is possible.

Those are my ramblings. From the “Live Free or Die” state …

Until next time,

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

I have been searching for a week now for a specific photo requested by a family member and have yet to find it. What I am seeing, in looking through old photo albums, are images that I have been compelled to scan and add to our website. That task has been partially occupying my days.

I did come across the photo, seen above, that I took in Spain. My memory of taking the picture is non-existent, although I would have to say that it is representative of some of the streets in the older section of Pamplona. The first thing I considered when viewing this photo was the “vanishing point.” That is an art term that usually refers to the distant point at which lines converge. The second consideration was the recollection of the wonderful overlays, the ghost layers, that are the mark of Katie Pasquini-Masopust’s work.

The street is so close, that if across the street neighbors stood on their balconies, they could almost reach out and shake hands. I find the photo to be charming, rustic, and as well as a point to ponder. To me, the photo could represent the narrow viewpoints of individuals. At some point, in the distance, their thoughts may converge. To be simplistic in my thinking, perhaps all it would take would be a handshake. I continue to hope for peace in the world, and try to keep reminding myself that peace begins with me, and you, too. Have a great Sunday!

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

Today, we took a ride up I-93 to the north country of New Hampshire and Jim took along his camera, in case he saw anything interesting to capture on film. Here are two of his photos:

From this photo, you can see that, right now, we are in the midst of the colors of white, black, and grey – the standard main colors of winter here, except for the evergreen trees. These colors have a kind of peaceful, hypnotic quality to them. The photo below was taken somewhere close to a town called “Waterville Valley,” famous for its ski resort. I particularly favor the Birch trees and always remember Robert Frost’s poem, “Birches” that you can read here:

Birches

Jim spotted a sign for a covered bridge, one of our favorite sightings, so we made a little detour and found the Smith Millennium Bridge in or near Rumney, New Hampshire, on a back road.

If you enjoy seeing covered bridges, we have a whole file of them, here:

Covered Bridges

We hope you have enjoyed seeing a few more glimpses of the place we call “home,” our beloved New Hampshire.

Patricia and James Cummings, Quilter’s Muse Publications and Virtual Museum