Around the House and Gardens

My friend Beppi gave me these great pamphlets from the 40's and 50's on crocheting all those awesome doilies you see at garage sales, vintage shops and thrift stores.  Usually they're in pretty crummy condition or expensive.  With the help of the internet and tenacity I am teaching myself to crochet these crazy  feminine little things!  I am refraining from putting them on the arms and backs of the household seating.  I'm sure my husband appreciates!

 These books are in such perfect condition....but so fragile!  I have to be careful turning the pages.  I've thought about copying each pattern so I don't mess up the books.  I'd have to buy ink then....something I always forget of course until I need the printer.

 I did finish this doily.  It really is beautiful, but I brought it to Maryland and gave it to my sister NeeKee and totally forgot to take a finished pic.  Crocheting these old patterns is so much fun, and I feel like I'm channeling a little bit of what it must have been like during that time.  Pretty things were much more precious it seems.  My Mom told me my Grandmother had a friend make her a large table doily in the pineapple pattern for her table.

 So many of them.  I've started a Queen Ann's lace tablecloth since...It's coming along.....maybe pictures soon.

 We did take a little trip this summer....here is the girls walking down the path to the old Oliver homestead in Great Smokey Mountain National Park.

 There were thousands of these little butterflies everywhere!  I took this picture as we waited on the road for a stubborn bear to be removed by the rangers.

 These cute little barn swallows were timidly looking out at us.  Their mother was frantically flying around scolding us.

 Lovely

 When I got back the garden of course was a summer mess.....You don't want to see pics of that do you?  Here is a little of the bounty I've been picking.

 Here's some more....heirloom Cherokee corn and three different types of peppers:  Thai, Fish and Cayenne.  There's also cucumbers in the crock.  I'm hoping to make fermented pickles....we'll see!

Heritage Festival At Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

This past weekend Byron and I traveled to Virginia to attend the Heritage Festival at Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello.  I had been drooling over the advertisements in my Mother Earth magazine when Byron announced, "You want to go?  Let's go!"  Byron made it happen.   We drove straight to Asheville, NC.  The next day we took the Blue Ridge Parkway towards Charlottesville, VA. 

We had to travel up a little winding road called Township Road to get to the Parkway.  When we're looking for them we  never see them, but rounding the bend we saw a mother black bear and her two chubby cubs tussling in the roadway!  Even with my heart beating so fast I manage to get out my camera, stand through the sun roof, and shoot a few pictures!  This was a huge highlight in the trip for me!

The good little mama hurried her cubs into the brush and then stood on her hind legs bobbing slightly up and down and back and forth trying to figure out what we were up to.  Should she run or should she fight.  I was glad I was in a car and not on a bike at that moment!

Finally after winding up the mountain we arrived at the Parkway and headed north.

The parkway is a beautiful winding road.  You rarely can safely go over 40 miles per hour and often only 30 and 35.  So, you really must have time to do the whole thing.  I would like maybe to bike some of it one day.  There were hiking trails crisscrossing the Parkway and the Appalachian trail crossed several times as well.  I will do part or all of the Appalachian trail one day...Lord willin!!!

It was overcast and cold (43 degrees), but the views were still lovely!

We also saw a flock of wild turkeys!

....and highland cattle.  Byron loves cattle.  He quickly pulled over and snapped these shots.  Such funny beautiful critters.  They'd probably keel over and die with all that hair in Louisiana.

Cute!

After a while we realized at the pace we were going we'd reach Charlottesville after midnight, so we made our way back to the interstate.  On the way we saw this field full of drying tobacco.

The next day we went to the festival and started taking in the demos and classes.  We went to a vinegar making class....so I will be making vinegar maybe soon....there was so many things happening at once you couldn't possible take them all in .....so we did as much as possible!

We watched this sheep get sheared....He was all too happy to sit and let it happen.  Almost like a day at the spa....

There was this sweet lady who showed me how to make these awesome rugs from small scraps of fabric....

....I watched her spin for a while....pretty groovy.....

....I gazed at this beautiful cashmere goat for awhile....

...We took a tour of Thomas Jefferson's house....

....and a tour of the garden.  They try to grow as many varieties as possible the Thomas Jefferson grew.  All of those varieties are marked with a TJ.  I bought several varieties that he grew to try in my garden at home.  This is one of them...

...awesome caracalla bean.  The flower is a corkscrew shape!  There wasn't a dry pod left on the plant!  You could tell there was a bunch of gardeners walking around!  ...um ...I did look for one for myself....

This is Peter Hatch.  He gave the tour of the garden.  I had to pay extra to attend this tour....worth it...He has been the head gardener at Monticello since 1977.  His insight was fun and his knowledge of Thomas Jefferson's writings  and happenings at Monticello...which he gave with dates....was amazing.  His newest book will be out in April it is called "Revolutionary Garden".

Byron....Make me these!!!!

This huge old tree is growing on the front lawn of the house...sigh....majestic.

...I'll be sharing some pictures of my loot next!!!...there was a seed exchange!

Looooooooooooong Road Trip!