In my part of the world we say you are a fool if your passion for a pursuit overcomes all practical sense. I am a stitching fool, and I stitch foolishness.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Road Trip! (many pictures . . .many, many pictures)

I love road trips. Love 'em, love 'em, LOVE 'EM!

And Dearly Beloved and I are on one.  We started out at the crack of dawn yesterday, heading, eventually, to Illinois and a class with Ellen Chester and the Lake Michigan Sampler Guild.

We had decided to spend our first night on the road at the Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill in Kentucky. The Inn there puts you up in one of the many buildings scattered about the property, all furnished with simple Shaker furniture (and modern conveniences.)

However, when we arrived--there was no internet access in the building where we were lodged,  the bars on my phone vanished and reappeared with no rhyme or reason, and the TV satellite connection was down.

I almost panicked.

No technology? No phone or email or Big Bang Theory?

And then I looked around:


At this . . .


And this . . .


Such peace and tranquillity.  Who needs technology?

We decided to poke around the Village, and were taken on by a most insistent tour guide.


He accosted us shortly after we left our room, and led us down the path. If we stopped for too long, he sat down and stared at us until we decided to move again.

Of course, I found things of interest in the displays.


Marking stitch and a pincushion and a tiny basket.

Perfect storage for stash (this was close to nine feet tall).


A nineteenth century lady's workbox, which reminded me of the caskets I've been studying.


The perfectly outfitted workbasket.


And, of course, a sampler.

We had dinner at the Trustee's Dining Hall and fell into a heap in our very comfortable bed.  This morning we had to leave for the next leg of our trip.

We very definitely will go back to Pleasant Hill. I kept thinking what a perfect place for a stitching retreat, whether with friends or alone.

(Did I stitch while I was there? Uh . . . no. I was in bed at 8:30, sound asleep, and didn't wake up until the alarm blasted me out of bed at 7. I will admit I didn't sleep much the night before . . .remember Christmas Eve when you were a little kid?  That was me.  I plan to rectify that tonight.)

4 comments:

  1. Which classes are you taking? Both? I really would like to do the Needleworkers Sampler Huswif someday. Have taken the Lady's Worke Box. Love Ellen's classes!

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  2. Thank you for sharing. What an awesome place.

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  3. We were there as a family a couple of years ago. I loved seeing your pictures. I think we saw your tour guide on our trip. I followed him with my camera as he crawled around in the barn--a fond memory. We were in between cats at the time and this meeting was such a special treat.

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  4. What a gorgeous place. This is on my " to be visited" list.

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