Soul Mates

So many areas of Vermont and New Hampshire have wonderful walking trails. Grandma Moses Schoolhouse did not let us down. We had planned to go up on the trail with Shiloh after seeing the museum. There was an ancient graveyard on the other side of the hill. But, it was raining and foggy when we got done with the Paintings and the FANTASTIC Bennington Museum.
So much history.
In one room there was a fantastic Wasp...it was made in Bennington. You could buy it for $10,000 in many styles. I want to learn more about it. This model is the only one they know of that is left and it was rebuilt by Dodge in Toledo, in the 50's. All he started with was the chasis and from there he had several people work on it, including woodworking men. It was something to behold. Gary looked it over well...but then the man came in to check on us...it was rather strange!! but we had a good time.
On the way back, I ran in to the grocery store and got an apple pie and ice cream with a small candle in cinnamon scent to celebrate! Hamburgers and coleslaw with chips...he is easy peasy to please!!
Our little family of Shiloh and kitties had to inspect the candle and Shi gave him an unprompted hug on his lap! It gave us a laugh!
I am so glad that God chose Gary to be my soulmate for life. He never lets me down. He is a kind and humble man, loves to laugh at a good joke. When he speaks, he has something to say.. He keeps himself in shape mentally and physically for me too. He searches for God and loves his Maker and Son.. He was the most loving father I have ever known, always true and loyal. I am the one most blessed..and I rejoice in his 61 years on earth....my blue-eyed dreamboat!! (now he will be embarrassed, but I mean it!) Quilted LOVE!!! Kari Sue

School Day!

We went to School today! Grandma Moses School House of her works. The Bennington Museum owns the copyrights to her paintings so you can not at any cost take a picture of them....they do watch you carefully!! We were watched by one man most of our time there. Actually, we were about ready to say something to him...we were just taking our time and enjoying it.....but he was just doing this job.
My Gary posed as the teacher and I sat in the classroom as his "student"....we were just having fun but I guess we "broke the rules!"....the Man started following us after I sat in the desk...OPPS!!!!!.... we always like to add some drama to otherwise a grey and maybe dull day.

On the way there was another water way....it was part of Molly Stakes National Forest...all things between Battleboro and Bennington has been named in her honor, General Starkes of the Revolutionary War. While in Wilmington, we came to a cross section on the Route 9, there was this HUGE old hotel, that now houses shops....we noticed it was called Hotel Putnam....that reminds us of our home back in Ohio, Before we left Brattleboro, we noticed a bunch of cute little kids across from the Post Office,where we had stopped to pick up our mail,....the building was Aiken Center...haha....then our Route was named after Molly Starke...and Dad had worked at Starke Memorial in Indiana...so we had reminders of home today.. Just some Molly Starke trivia...she had 11 children on the pioneer frontier! What a model of strength and endurance!!
We enjoyed seeing Grandma Moses history and talents, awesome, Andrew was born on her birthday September 7th, she lived to be 101 and died in 1961, I remember talking of her in elementary school in Art Class...Then, later I was so very disappointed that the Dear Jane Quilt was not on display. It is only shown to the public from Labor Day until mid Oct...I had no idea!! and would have ran over to see it...yikes!!...why would they not have it encased so it could be enjoyed year round??....OH WELL!!...poor Jane... over 2000 pieces of hard work needs to be enjoyed EVERYDAY!!!....So, I bought a 2.50 cents magnetic bookmark in the replica of part of her quilt....
I will enjoy it with all my reading I do!!....Excuse me for my Quilted Vent!!.....all other trips have worked out really well.
More personal pics of my Birhday Man.. 61 year old... Gary in next post...... Just Lovin' Gary! Kari

Are You Here?

Where do I want to send my wonderful sons?..... they work so extremely hard in whatever they are doing....One works 100% plus for our Case For Freedom and Soccer and Redoing their kitchen. The younger son is working fulltime at home along with going to college to pursue his degree in computers...plus his music.....they are both into music....and then I have to mention their research into history and plans to write a book based on letters of their Great Great Great Grandfather during the Civil War..... and then there is family...all their kids, their babies...their wives.....and us weee parents too... did I say the word AWESOME!!...YES, that is the word... We praise God for our sons.....


But I am here....doing what I do 100% plus! sewing quilting.....but then I LOVE my sons, their wives, my grandables, and then there is my daughter....ok! I will cover her next....did I say the word AWESOME!!....ok! going downunder! sewing..... the lady that KNOWS how to fill up and carry any kind of TOTE!! Quilted Love!! Kari.......Mom to my sons! I heart you!!!! and if I could I would send my sons to this Plymouth Mass seaside!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SPLASH!! as I use to close Mama Surf

John Adams

He lived a humble life. Our country would never have been birthed like it is without Him!! We did go by this little home near the John Adams National Park. We realized it after we got home. We actually went past it twice but as I shared the town of Quincy is one that you might want to hire a tour guide for!...they are available May through Oct... Just transplant me back in to that period of History...Amazing men and women!! Maybe, we could have helped to sew that first flag with Betsy!!...Old Glory!! Kari

Birthing Liberty

The French King Bridge....is an awesome bridge, we believe by looking at it dedicated to our soldiers. So, it was cool to go over with my Veteran on His day, November 11th. He does not talk of what he experienced much in war time, his war was despised and most soldiers knew that when they came "home"...we had our first baby born while he was there and he came home on emergency leave when she was 4 months old to bury his sister...and then return...he can not watch We Were Soldiers without having to stop it to release his emotional response. We visited the Wall in DC a few years ago, he looked up friends that were lost there...he saluted them...so Veterans have deep thoughts and most do not bring attention to their own service at all. We are so thankful for their sacrifice and no whining service for us and our freedom to live and to choose.
So, the Bridge brought a feeling of pride...of our past..of our own personal sacrifices...and joyful that we were blessed with life in America where we could raise our kids to also love their country and to serve it. We thank our son Steve that served 11 years and is still serving in a dedicated, disciplined life to keep those freedoms for us all.
The bay near the Mayflower is gorgeous; full of clipper ships, paddle boats and we noticed a lobster trap boat also. It was just so neat to be in the areas of our birth place of "liberty"!! Awesome!
The water was too choppy yesterday for the ships to be out on the sea. I stood and heard the voices of the first settlers that came here...to the cold, the wind, the rain and soon snow...and then our first Thanksgiving here.... there is a museum in the village where you can attend a Thanksgiving Dinner on Thanksgiving Day if you get your reserved place setting paid for ahead of time. That would be fun!!
We tried to get around Quincy and Braintree Mass also yesterday. It was a knot thread of streets and round abouts and streets going in every direction. The train also came up in several areas with construction teams abounding!! We think we may have driven past John Adams Birth Place but there was no signs to guide us. We did get to the park that is near his birthplace on our map. It was a beautiful park with a few mansions and gardens. No signs again. So, we laughed! and got our thoughts together and ventured out onto the snarled streets again...we wanted to get to the coast line there but we kept getting in the wrong lane to get onto the street that me "thought" led to the coast. We do know that Gallup Island is still called Gallup Island and is in Boston Harbor with a lighthouse near by. Garys' has many bloodlines that started in Braintree and Boston area. His GGGGG Grandfather in the 1600 named the Island Gallup and ran a business helping to guide other vessels in the Harbor through the shallow areas and rocky points that would destroy a mans' day if hit!!! History is amazing to study and then to see where your roots really started is just a neat experience together!! I can not imagine coming across the vast deep ocean on those wooded ships such as the Mayflower. Amazing!!.....we heard the whining of the people that were "trapped" on the Carnival Cruise Ship on the West Coast as one of the boys interviewed that it was upsetting to him because he had to celebrate his birthday in such a fashion!!....Gary and I just shook our heads at each other as we compared what our forefathers had chosen to endure in their lives!! Amazing! Salty Cape Cod Hugs!! Fun!! Kari

Plymouth Rock

Cape Cod was full of fury yesterday on our trip to see the infamous Plymouth Rock. We traveled through the village of Plymouth, Mass; a long narrow town along the shoreline of our land. The sun was shining but the wind was blowing terrifically. We stopped at an Italian Resturant by the seashore and shot some wonderful photos of the waves. They were coming above the sea wall and filling the parking lot with water. I rolled down the window of our truck and immediately got sprayed with salt water from the foamy wave in the picture. We laughed and decided not to park there but to drive back into the village and find some hot pizza for lunch.
The pizza was hot but not our favorite, we admitted to each other today, potatoes on even a cheesy pizza is not what we are use too but I think it is good to stretch our likes and dislikes. My Gary begged me NOT to try it on our pizza I make at home. I agreed.
We asked the folks in the pizza parlor where the "rock" was, because we did not see any signs or info along the way. They said it was right behind main street along the coast. Oh, Ok! So, we are flatlanders!! haha!! When I saw the marble pillars surrounding the Rock below I remember seeing it as a child of 7 when Dad brought a station wagon full of noicy kids to see this bit of history. I stood there and remembered how I felt at that age looking at that rock...all tne wonderful pilgrim stories ringing in my ears...and the rock did not disappoint me, it just seemed smaller now!
The Mayflower 11 bounced around in the bay there, but the wind and cold made it an unfriendly exploration for yesterday, but we enjoyed seeing it and took photos.
We ended the afternoon buying up some t shirts for some grandkids for the holiday gift giving and headed to a Borders' Books in Marlboro, Mass on our way back to our RV. It was a fun day....a quick journey to the sight but lots of talk and laughing as always along the way...we think this would be a great vacation for the families to meet at someday and let the kids enjoy the history too. Quilted Hugs! Kari

Nostalgia Joy!

Rain makes me want to bake chocolate chip cookies.... random..
Nostalgia... Garys' close friends growing up were Allen,Tracy, Lester...and __all__ the boys in the High School that we attended together. He was known and liked by everyone. He camped out every friday eve after our dates with the guys, rain, snow, all year round...and they just had clean fun together!!
I was his "girl"..we would eat lunch together if we had the same schedule and also walk the "halls" if we had time. I wore cashmere sweaters and plaid woolen skirts to school. No jeans were allowed, only on casual day during exams in May. We grew up in the same hometown. And as we grew up our friends changed, due to some moving and others just found different interests. We always hunted down guys playing football on Sunday afternoons in the parks and I would sit and watch my Gary play his heart out! He loved it! Or our youth group in his country church would get together for baseball in one of the families barnyards. Gary loved handball and the Y and racket ball. He was good at it. He still lifts weights and we plan to do a walk out west or bike ride in the next couple years on maybe the Discovery Trail. Get in shape Mama Grizzly!! (me) Papa Bear is doing it fine!! Looking really good!!! Man, today is random if you are still with me!! haha
Gw has brought me so many joys in my life. He is constant. He is loyal and faithful. He is a hardworker. He loves his God with his whole heart and wants to serve him that way too. He will tell you the truth if you really want to hear it!..He is a dream come true in my life! I love my Main Man!!
My close friends were Joy, Barb, Kay, Sandy....and I also knew everyone in our school, even if there were 375 in our graduation class. We started Kindergarden together with our friends and graduated with them. All the good and all the bad and yes, sometimes, ugly!! Brownies, Girl Scouts, 4-H, Sports, Church friends and groups....parades, fairs, birthday parties church camp, family vacations, bike rides, just being silly in junior high with our friends. Joy.... my really good friend.....
Random again... We moved our RV to a new campground. The leaves are falling fast with the below 30 at night and then rain and fog all day today. My favorite church steeple behind the post office all in fog. The deep red oak tree, the bright yellow maple. It is just JOY....Gary and I have truly have had so much Joy in our lives....3 children....9 grandkids....family....friends... what is that old kid song..I have the Joy Joy Joy Joy Down in My Heart...where?....down in my heart!!.... may kids today have joy!!!
My pictures are just random because our week is just that... Gary is finishing up working tonight and I am continuing to find so much Joy in sewing....others would go crazy sewing so much, I just get more excited with new things to make up. Boston is postponed I think until Wednesday so Grandma Moses and Dear Jane here we come!!!
God is faithful and He gives us Joy....!!! Quilted Love! and may you be so blessed!!! Kari