Beantown Visit - First 28 hours

At the beginning of May I took a trip to Boston and Maine.   We landed in Boston about 1 in the afternoon  and we were picked up by a friend.   

She took us to our hotel, we passed by Fenway on our way, we parked the car at the hotel, meant up with my daughter, Amy and we were off in an Uber. 

The architecture in Boston was varied and awesome.

The first stop of course, was Cheers.    

After lunch we walked around Boston Gardens and Boston Commons.   Wandering here and there until we  were off down Newbury Street. 

Too bad it was too early for Swan Boats because I would have taken a turn!

Beautiful beds of tulips everywhere.

 Look at these yummy chocolates we found on Newbury Street.  The chocolate mice were the cutest!

Below is the much talked about new statue dedicated to Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King.  I have seen the photo that the sculptor used to create the bronze statue - I think on Sunday Morning.  Once unveiled it has been meet with many negative comments and memes.   You see the embrace in the statue, no race, no cultural background, no color - just an embrace.  It could be an embrace of condolence, an embrace of joy, an embrace of comfort an embrace of love.  Personally, unlike the detractors, I like it.  It’s a hug.  What can be more comforting than a hug?

Wandering here and there until we came across a beer garden.   We say sat and enjoyed the open mic singers and performers until it was time for our ghost tour.    In the background is the Park Street Church, founded in 1804.

The Massachusetts State House, the start of our tour.

This relief work is dedicated to the 54th Massachusetts Regiment lead by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw.  The 54th Massachusetts was an all black regiment in the Civil War.    Matthew Broderick starred as Colonel Shaw in the movie Glory.

This statue is of Mary Dyer.   She arrived in Boston as an American Puritan but then became a Quaker.   After three arrests for having anything to do with the Quakers, she was hanged for her beliefs.  Funny the Puritans came to America for religious freedom but I guess it was only their religion they tolerated.

The State House from another angle.  The night time does bring some spooky views.

Boston Atheneum- a private library - It houses a copy of a book that is bound in skin!   Yuck. 

Park Street Church

No ghosts seen but creepy stories nonetheless.  We were back at the hotel for some beverages at the bar and then to turn in.    Up in the morning and off again by Uber for a tour of the Freedom Trail.

But first - the perfect chair in the lobby of our hotel - a cross stitch chair!   It was a sign.  LOL 

The Freedom Trail is a walk in the footsteps of our founding fathers.   It is a curated walk featuring churches, cemeteries, historic sites, build and homes.     The path is marked by a brick and paver path throughout the city.

The Granary Burying Ground, founded in 1660 located on Tremont Street.

 

The skull on the tombstone was a motif used by 17th century grave markers.   It symbolizes mortality.   When with wings, it means ascension to heaven.  

 

 

This particular cemetery has the grave sites of  John Hancock, Samuel Adams and his wife Dorothy, Paul Revere, Peter Faneuil and fighters from the Boston Tea Party.   At Paul Revere’s monument it is customary to leave a coin as homage to his profession - silversmith.

More of the unique architecture of Boston

I wish I could remember what this building was.   Must be something worth two photos of.  

The Old Corner Bookstore - now a Chipotle - was built in 1718.   It was a residence and an apothecary before it starting operating as a bookstore on 1828.  Books by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Charles Dickens were published here.

A view of the same building from another angle. 

This is inside the Omni Parker House Hotel.   This is where the Boston Cream Pie and Parker House Roll were created.  

The mirror at the end of the hall is said to have the image of a ghost appear when you are just the right vantage point……funny me, I snapped the photo at the INSTANT a workman popped out of the stairwell.   I didn’t stick around to see if he was real or not! 

Boston Latin School with a statue of Benjamin Franklin to the left.

Old South Meeting House

The Old State House

Faneuil Hall with its unique weathervane on the dome.    Often called the cradle of liberty.   This building hosted the first American Town Meeting.

When the grasshopper was taken down for repairs centuries after installation…..it was found to contain a time capsule from the original creator.  

Street dining on a side street

The Bell and Hand Tavern, oldest tavern in America.   First poured - 1795.  It was a gathering place for printer, politicians, sailors and students.

Home of John Hancock’s brother, Ebenezer.   John bought the home for his brother.

Merchant Seaman’s House - Still in operation, although no longer free to sailors. 

Paul Revere’s House

Paul Revere statue

Old North Church Memorial Garden.  Dog tags of serviceman from the Iraq and Afghanistan war.

Famous North Church where legend has it - one if by land, two if be sea - lanterns were light to warn of the British coming.

More of the beautiful architecture.

The skinny house.   The story goes that a father left land to two brothers.   One brother was off in the Civil War so the first brother took the majority of the property and built his home.   The second brother returns home with a mere 10 feet of property left for him to build a home.   Not to be outdone, the second brother constructed his house right against his brother’s and blocked all the light on that side.   It is in the North End across from the Cobbs Hill Burying Ground.

Cobbs Hill Burying Ground

Before heading towards Maine, we had a delicious mid afternoon lunch in style at Lucia Ristorante in the North End.    And that’s what you can do in 28 hours in Boston!   
 

To the rear, March

Let’s see, that could mean that March is behind us, or that I am remembering HS Band drill, or perhaps I have returned to a project I let fall the wayside.   Bingo!  You win the prize.    I was so proud of how well I kept up with the 100 Blocks/100 Days quilt.   I was on target right up to Day 83.   Then came a week in New Hampshire, followed by a week at my son’s and then the holiday season was on us.   If you are not a machine sewer you don’t know that you have to be in the mood to drag out the machine and sew.  I think finishing my hexagon quilt gave me the push I needed to get the last 13 squares cut which I managed to do in short order.   Completing the quilt top is another story. My sister has been encouraging/nagging me.   I was the one that conned her into doing the quilt and she finished hers shortly after the deadline.  

First was to cut the remaining 13 blocks….

I just  needed a rainy day and nowhere to go.  OK, Robin, time to suck it up and git ‘er done.    As of this posting, I have only six left to assemble.   Then comes the making the 20 blocks into a column of ten rows and attaching it to the previously assemble four columns.    The weather is calling for a rain off and on for a couple of days so I am thinking I can get it done post haste!

Here is my second ornament fully finished that completed my March WIPGO assignment.  It is from Lila’s Studio.  

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My WIPGO items for April were to stitch and fully finish two bunny pillows and to start a wool appliqué project.  

   

And here’s my progress on these April WIPGO’s…..the pillows were EZ-PZ

Mission Accomplished.    One of the two pillows is fully finished but the other is soon to follow….the month isn’t over yet.      I am not sure how I will finish the Carrot Patch from Sue Gonzales Designs but my assignment was to only START a wool project.   I don’t know what I put off doing this for so long.   It was super easy and once all the pieces were prepped cut, it only took three days to stitch!   I see more of these in my future!!   The best thing is both pillows and the wool project were completed entirely from stash!   Yay me!

Last weekend I scored a long weekend in OCMD for the Grand Opening Celebration at Salty Yarns.   The store is lovely.  It was a great weekend of good friends, good food, good adult beverages and fun.   We are all so happy for Salty Yarns and their success of their move and the GIANT new store.   It was so nice to be able to have a beach weekend since I will be missing this year’s spring retreat.

Other yard news, we have a problem with our pool.   It is 23 years old so it doesn’t owe us anything.   On top of that it was the showroom model that was set up and filled with water and running at the pool store lot.  In above-ground pool years, it has had a long life.   There is a breach on one of the panels and NO ONE is willing to repair it.  We have gone back and forth on replacing it or taking it down.   I had various contractors come for estimates with both options.   Since I am the only one the uses the pool I don’t feel justified in spending all that money on me; the kids come but just odd weekend here and there; and since pools are not really a plus when selling a house,  it’s another reason to just plant grass and be done.   Decision made, one that I am not exactly pleased with, but it is coming down this weekend and will not be replaced.   I think in protest I will be getting a blow up pool to sit in!

The WIPGO for May resulted in two different samplers being called in the same month.   My assignment was to stitched 15 days on each.    My Board/My Rules.   I rearranged my board to make it a month on one sampler.   I chose Cornwall Cottage Garden by Rosewood Manor.   I hate to say how long ago I started this and how long it has sat in the basket of ignored projects.    I fell in love with everything about this pattern the first time I saw it.   The colors, the border, the basket.   I am stitching this with the called for floss and on 32 count Belfast linen.    WIPGO is really letting me see what can be accomplished in a month so here’s home I can make a big step forward on this sampler. 

All the flower beds have been prepped and mulch is on order.  Fair weather ahead and time to get that vegetable garden in, the patio furniture out and cleaned and do the necessary power washing.    Then it will be sit back and enjoy time for the rest of the season.  Thanks for stopping by and commenting-and keep on stitching!

Marching Along

 I am so punny!   LOL.   It has been another good month.  Daylight lasting longer and temps are edging up and I have been able to get my hands in the dirt!  I know yard work is not for everyone but it feeds my soul like stitching feeds so many of us.   I’ve ordered a bunch of bulbs from Breck’s for summer and fall flowers.     I am anxious to get them in the ground and FINISH up my work on the back 40.    I have been bringing home landscaping blocks and stones my son is removing from his yard to finish up my pathway.  

The first weekend of March I was treated to a mini get away at a friend Vicki’s home.  She is a two hour drive so naturally it was an overnight trip.   Her townhome was lovely and we all enjoyed seeing her stitching pieces as well as enjoyed the delicious food and stitching with friends.

My WIPGO goals for March were the best!   I have been lucky with manageable projects being called.   Being my first time doing WIPGO - I think?? - well at least in recent years.   This month, the assignment was to stitch and fully finish two Christmas ornaments and to work 15 days on my hexagon quilt.    I am finding how beneficial it is to be a monogamous stitcher!   Are changes coming to my habits?  

For my first ornament, I used an EGA pattern for this little wreath.   It was stitched  and finished, except for the ribbon trim and twisted cord hanger,  in a day!   My kind of instant gratification.

My second ornament was also just as easy although it took more than one day to stitch.   I am not quite finished but I have until Friday to do so.  This it from Lila's Studio.

As for my hexagon quilt I made even more progress than I had hoped for.   It just took about 18 days of working on it to get the quilt top finished.  As to when I  assemble the ‘quilt sandwich’ and get it going on my machine, well that's a different challenge.     Finishing this up in one month has left me with two blocks now open on my WIPGO board as I had working the Hexagon quilt on the board three times.

Beginning of the month, and end of the project.   It measures 4 foot by 6 foot.   I nice size to snuggle under while watching TV.

I fully finished all the pieces for the Violets & Verses To Emeline Shaker Sampler.

I did the hem stitched to finish off the sampler after I returned home from Tennessee.   

I stitched this up in not much more than a day when I was in Tennessee.  When I returned home, I fully  finished the July Birthstone Thimble box from Noteworthy Needle.

So here comes, by justifiable rational,  a promise quickly broken....    Earlier in the year I spent an afternoon updating my X-Stitch ap and much to my chagrin I found I had an embarrassing number of  FULLY KITTED projects.  I immediately vowed to ONLY stitch from stash.   Talking to fellow stitchers, so many of us are on the same page.  We all have that STABLE  (Stash Total Available Beyond Life Expectancy!)  supply of kits, floss and fabric.   But when in Tennessee, I finished the thimble box, I finished the stitching the Shaker Sampler, I stitched on my canvas piece until I was tired of it and found working on my Hexie quilt was not the easiest traveling piece.  And what to my wondering eyes did appear..... I found myself  in a small little cross stitch shop.   Am I the only one that feels you HAVE to buy something when you visit a new cross stitch store?    I think it was training from my mother.   She wasn’t a stitcher but always felt the need to buy a little trinket, etc. when visiting a little shop.  Oy!  I have already justified the purchase using the small-store-support-theory, using the memory of the trip excuse, blaming my guild because of the need to stitch a Plum Street this year and any other twisted reason so alas, I found a bag in my hand with a chart and fabric as I left the store.  I bought Goodbye Fall from Plum Street.   I DID use my X-Stitch ap to check what floss I already had - I should get a points for that.   Here is my progress.   

I am stitching this on 36-count parchment with the called for WDW and Crescent colors.   I using this as my Thursday morning stitched group project.     I count myself fully justified for the purchase but plan to return to my vow to stitch from stash for as long as I can!    Pretty good that I lasted 8 weeks into the year before I fell off.  Climbing back on the wagon.     I want to work on reducing my WIPs this year and also start working reducing the number of fully kitted projects I have.  It will likely be a several year process to make a dent.  Geez, imagine that, me, another list.  Shocking!

Starting in April,  my stitching will take a back seat to the yard.  The new WIPGO numbers have me starting a wool applique piece and to stitch and finish two bunny rabbit pillows.    I feel like even with being outside more, that I should be able to accomplish both.  

Thanks for stopping by.   I know commenting is not all that easy anymore.  I love reading them when they are posted.  I am checking all your posts and progress out as well but not always able to comment.   I got inventive and posted my comments on some bloggers instagram pages.  And sew it goes….. Keep on stitching…….