Bound for Squam

(every trip on our farm road involves crossing the creek)

We're on the road to New Hampshire and, oh my, it is difficult to plan on being gone from the farm at this time of year.  The mowing, the garden, the animals, the trying to think of all the possible things that could happen while we're away.  Just before leaving, I was in that stage where I was thinking it's just too much trouble and wondering whatever was I thinking when I planned this trip?  I get that way every time I leave, so you'd think I'd just give up and stay home, but I'm usually fine once we get on the road.  I will say, it makes things a little easier to be able to communicate so easily with the farm sitter.  Being able to text or call anytime helps my peace of mind a lot.

I'm so happy to be returning to Squam Art Workshops for my second session.  This year I'm taking another class from Maya Donenfeld and I'm excited to be spending time with her again.  She's one of the most soulful and inspiring people I've ever met.  I'll be sewing the Squam sling, which is a great multipurpose bag from her book, Reinvention.  I've already cut out my bag and am ready for Maya to show me how to make a fabric stamp to add embellishment to the outside of it.  Pictures to follow for sure!

The other class I'm taking is with Cal Patch.  More sewing for me, which I love because I've been wanting to get back to sewing for so long.  I think I'll be getting much needed inspiration and maybe (hopefully?) a dose of confidence in my own ability to make something that actually fits me.  I'll be making her Squam smock (she also has a book, Design It Yourself Clothes), though I haven't yet decided which length to make.  There may or may not be pictures to follow of me in my smock - we''ll have to see how it actually looks on me!

(9/11 Memorial - it's awe inspiring)

Yesterday we spent the day in New York City.  Talk about contrast between how we live and how others live!  It was hot (92 degrees!) and crowded and exciting, though Mike and I both were happy to head north toward New England at the end of the day.  I got to visit a special yarn store (more about that later) and then we walked miles to see the World Trade Center Memorial.  It's an awe-inspiring place, beautiful and somewhat overwhelming.  I couldn't help but think about all the souls that perished on that site.  I had hoped to visit the Sheep Meadow in Central Park, but though we circled the park for quite a while, there were no parking places to be found.  After walking approximately 3 miles to get to the 9/11 memorial, we decided to drive around and through the park and try to plan better on our next attempt.  We spent Sunday night in Amherst, Massachusetts and most of today in that area. We spent the better part of the afternoon at Emily Dickinson's home, which was a fascinating history lesson.

There's much more to write about, but it's so late now, I need to go to sleep.  I'll continue the "more than you ever wanted to know about road trips in New England" report in the next few days.