Still Acadia. People were leaving the campground in droves Sunday night, when it rained two inches overnight. Russ’s sister Debbie and her husband Lyn arrived Monday, just in time for the clouds to part briefly. It took until today (Wednesday) for the sun to actually appear.
Not all is doom and gloom. The new camper battery seems to be holding its own after charging off the idling car nearly all day. Water still isn’t running properly, but as we have plenty of containers and a tap nearby, that hasn’t been a big problem.
While Russ and the Bixbys are out riding bicycles, the dogs and I go hiking. Twice we’ve headed to the ocean, following trails that skirt the cliffs.
We got as far as Thunder Hole, a natural hollow in the cliffs that makes a satisfying BOOM when the waves hit it right:
And today (Wednesday) I climbed Eagle’s Crag, one of the minor summits, but a good two mile hike out and two miles back. I wasn’t sure Scooby would make it, so I brought the emergency dog carrying backpack, but he made it to the summit and was his usual scampery self on the return trip. He’s slowed down this past year (he IS fifteen, after all), but still a trooper. And he loves the wild blueberries which are starting to ripen.
Not, perhaps,the weather we were hoping for. Arrived on Thursday and we may see sun by this coming Wednesday. I did hike out to the ocean the afternoon we arrived, and then took the boys for an extended hike the next day, while the weather was overcast but reasonable. Did I bring my phone and take pictures of this spectacularly picturesque coastline? Of course not!
Saturday I took the free shuttle bus into Bar Harbor to get supplies (you always forget something) and to sneak in some lobster, which Russ dislikes. I found a lobster grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup (actually more like a spicy tomato bisque) combo with which I was extremely happy. Spent some time nosing around the Bar Harbor shopping district before heading back. The shuttles are very convenient—the Blackwoods Campground bus runs every hour between the campground, the Acadia Nature Center, and town. You can request the driver to let you off at other points like trailheads, too. There are several different routes that stop at points all around Mount Desert Island and Acadia.
Beyond the weather, there are other problems: our expensive new lithium ion battery seems to be draining awfully fast, and we can’t get the water lines cleared of air. After two days we woke to find ourselves without electricity. The (also new) solar panels are of little help in the rain. I’m more than a bit peeved that, after spending a great deal of money for equipment, we are in worse shape than before. Extensive testing is going on to discover the cause of our problem.
Meanwhile, I downloaded the Merlin app and am happily identifying the many birds who are chirping, twittering, whistling and cackling around our campsite. Russ is happily complaining about the many trash trucks who constantly pass our campsite. A note: site 32 in A Loop of Blackwoods Campground is excellent for privacy, but not so great for noise, as it sits near the entrance to the entire A Loop (hence the trash truck traffic).
Our first stop of the trip was at ‘base camp Bix’, the home of Russ’s sister Debra and her husband Lyn Bixby. The farmhouse dates to 1790, there is an old sugar house, now converted to a guesthouse, a spacious horse barn, a pond, and some 90+ acres of woods and meadows.
We’ve been warmly received by Lyn and Debby, and I’ve even been treated to a tour of St. Johnsbury, complete with a visit to the beautiful St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, home to an impressive collection of art, including a massive Bierstadt painting of the Domes of the Yosemite, recently restored to its original glory.
Tomorrow will be a trek across the White Mountains to Maine, and our campsite at Blackwoods Campground in Acadia National Park. Last time I was in Acadia was when my family and the Saylors took a two-week camping trip through New England. I was 12. Need I say I’m excited to see Acadia again?
The bright blue ones might even have been the color inspiration for this new top, made from a rayon shawl with fringes:
So cool and comfy for summer!
Forgive the messy studio: I have several projects underway, including a wedding quilt and the dress I plan to wear to that same wedding, not to mention repair/alteration projects for my clients.
Making dresses for two friends after I showed off the one I made for me. So comfy and flowy!
Short dress in cotton gauzeCollar detail
I really like the ruffly little collar, made from an irregular strip of the fabric’s selvedge.
These two are for one friend. The white dress has shorter sleeves, but is longer, so it can be layered. Both have inseam pockets, at the wearer’s request. The coral dress has a three-layered ruffle, which I managed to sew to the wrong side on my first try!
Ignore the mess on my layout table. The green and yellow fabric with dragonflies is an old tablecloth I cut into strips to make a bathroom rug (still in progress).
Good activities for the very snowy weather we’re having. (Not my house.)
noun: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. “a fortunate stroke of serendipity”
Russ always asks why I need so many fabrics. Here’s why—two fabrics (the Ikat and the embroidered handkerchief) found the same day at my favorite shop, Swanson’s Fabrics in downtown Turners Falls, MA. (How can you not love $5/yd for ALL fabrics, plus thread, notions, and sewing/embroidery supplies super cheap? Check it out: swansonsfabrics.com)
Plus a couple of yards of a fabric found months ago (I love the texture). Boom! Serendipity! The color matching cannot be denied.
Haven’t yet decided what I’ll make of this, but I could envision a jacket or tunic with color blocking and the handkerchief placed at a focal point; maybe on the back.
Then, a friend and I visited the open studios event at the Arts and Industry Building (aka The Brushworks) in Florence, MA. This place is HUGE, with all kinds of artists and craftsmen, from painters and printers to potters, weavers and fiber artists of all kinds. We spent a few happy hours exploring and talking to lots of other artists. I spotted these fimo clay buttons that an artist was selling very inexpensively, because she wasn’t pursuing that line of creativity anymore. I grabbed these, and my friend bought everything else she had!
Again, not sure where these will be used, but I’m sure going to be glad I have them when just the right combination of fabrics comes along!
I’m still organizing my workspace and catching up on projects with some very patient customers who waited for me to come back from our long trip across the United States, but keep an eye on this blog for new creations soon.
Sorry this took so long to write: I may be having a harder time dealing with the end of the trip than Russ (friends warned Russ that he would feel depressed after finishing the tour, but nobody warned me).
Anyway, after leaving Waterford, we headed to Dalton, MA where we stayed one final night with a good friend (thanks, Bill!). His stepson, an executive chef, was in town and eager to meet us and hear about our trip. He cooked us a gourmet dinner, and even made breakfast the next morning with eggs and french toast, before heading off to work!
On the way to Bill’s I had some time to kill, so I stopped at Hancock Shaker Village just outside of Pittsfield, MA. I’d been there before, but as Russ’s helper at an art and crafts show, so had never really explored the place. The whole history and culture of the Shakers is fascinating to me, as is their very spare aesthetic, and I was lucky to catch an interactive talk on their music.
The day was beautiful:
Dairy and weaving houseBrick meeting houseRound barn
I could not resist the picture of the dairy house and matching tree in fall foliage!
There are presently three art installations by contemporary Asian artists at Hancock, part of an annual program where Hancock invites artists to make new work in response to the historic site. One in particular, a series of large murals and some smaller works incorporating reproductions of Shaker gift drawings, drew me in. The artist, Yusuke Asai of Japan, created all of his pigments from nearby natural sources, and drew on the biocentric spirituality of the Shakers and of Asian cultures for his imagery. His works were visually stunning and deeply moving.
I urge anyone who can to see these installations, on view through November 14, and to read the excellent article about them by Chadd Scott in the July 18, 2022 issue of Forbes Magazine (“Hancock Shaker Village Welcomes Artists From Asia”).
The next day, we returned home to an overgrown lawn and an intact (but mouse-infested) house. I took off the next weekend to retrieve my cat, Inky. My brother and sister very generously cared for him while we were gone. They did a great job, as you can see!
My big boi!
One last look at the flowers of 2022: these were blooming amongst the overgrown weeds in our yard (on Nov. 1st, no less!):
So ends the Tentist and the Teapot Tour. Russ actually broke down and cried when he rode into our driveway on the last day. ”It’s over,” he sobbed. ”Now what?” I urged him to think of us as gardeners: we have reaped this year’s crop, and now we will dream and plan for next year. There will be future trips; we are already discussing them. Next year will be different, as Russ’s son is getting married in Massachusetts in July. Perhaps two shorter trips in spring and later summer; perhaps a very different adventure, like kayaking along the Erie Canal. Like the horizons in Montana, the possibilities are endless.
FOR ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED: when we’re not touring, this website hosts my upcycled clothing business, Hermie Feyanna. Check future posts under the Hermie Feyanna heading to see what I’m up to.
After a quick overnight at the Rivers Crossing Campground, we headed east along the Erie Canalway. Our first stop was Lock 21, in Fort Plain:
Still plenty . . .of color!Aack! Lock 21 parkThe Lock worksCanal below the locksLooking into the lock
The next morning was clear and crisp (nights are really getting chilly). Scooby inspected Russ’s bike, Moe protested his leaving, and he was off for our next stop, Lock 15 in Fort Plain.
The scenery was very pretty, especially when I climbed above the canal on a road that followed a high ridge.
Historic churchMarshmallows and foliage
We reached Lock 15 just before a troop of boy scouts, who had bicycled 30 miles to set up camp at the same place. They enjoyed meeting Scooby and Moe, and Russ was properly complimentary about their long bicycle ride. We even got to meet the tame peacock who visits the campground on a regular basis (in fact, I found him roosting in the tree right above the camper the next morning). The campground late in the day:
Early morning fog:
And then it was off to Waterford, our last stop on the Erie Canal. There was some confusion about whether we would be able to stay at the Waterford Harbor Visitors Center; our online searches seemed to indicate that there was camping allowed, but I was unable to reach anyone at the phone number given to confirm this. We finally decided that I would drive to Waterford and check out the situation. If I had to, I’d find other accommodations for the night. After a fruitless search for someone who could answer my questions, I drove across the bridge to Peebles Island Park, where I luckily met a park security guard who assured me that people do park campers overnight at the Visitors Center. With time to kill, I took the dogs out for a hke around one of the many trails on Peebles Island.
The Waterford waterfrontPeriphery Trail around Peebles IslandLots of little islands in this stretchJuvenile bald eagleVery freaky tree rootsVery freaky tree rootsPotholes below the damThe fallsGreat Blue Heron fishing below the fallsView from my parking space
This will be our last night along the canal, as we head east to Massachusetts and home (finally!) after this.
My old friend Jay Saylor and his wife Joanne generously offered to put us up for two nights at their home in Pittsford, just outside of Rochester. We had a great time, enjoyed talking to them, and even got to take them out for a whiskey tasting at the Iron Smoke Distillery (I purchased a bottle of the crowd favorite: maple and bacon flavored whiskey, a delicious, well balanced blend of sweet and savory flavors). Then we headed out for dinner at a local eatery.
The next day, undaunted, Russ headed off in a pouring rain for the Erie Canal Trail, and I set off a bit later to meet him at the Rivers Crossing Campground in Montezuma.
