Day 1 - We traveled from home (Knoxville) to Boston. We had a very short layover at Dulles in DC. Fortunately we got in 30 minutes early. So off we went to Boston. The flight was uneventful except Marian's classes broke just as we arrived in DC. She had to wear her sunglasses on the trip to Boston. The problem started once we got our luggage and tried to find the Uber/Lyft area for pick-up. It was impossible to find. It literally took us an hour. Our hotel (Hotel AKA Back Bay) was cool. It use to be the Police Precinct. We walked up to our room and then headed right out to find someone to fix Marian's classes. We found See Optical and they fixed her right up. Then we came back to our hotel, ate a meal at the hotel restaurant. We watched the UT/Florida game while we ate. (UT won!!!!) At 7:30 we meet in a hotel conference room with our group. Scott Brodsky, the owner of the tour group is our leader. He lives in New Hampshire, so he really knows this area. Most of the group are from Fayetteville, Arkansas. They all live in a retirement village together. And most of them are not quilters. Strange for a quilt tour.
Day 2 - We had breakfast at the hotel. We ate with two of the ladies in the group who are quilters. One use to own a quilt shop in South Dakota. Then we all headed to the bus. We headed to Lowell. Lowell is the town that started the Industrial Revolution with fabric mills. They have turned the town into a National Park, which is amazing. They New England Quilt Museum was our first stop.
I was a little disappointed. They had an exhibit of quilts by Caryl Bryer Fallert-Gentry, and exhibit of quilts made using a block of the month by Barbara Brackman and then a small room with some older quilts. The whole bottom floor was a shop. It was small and just okay. Then we walked down to the National Park Museum and watched a film about Lowell and the fabric factories. I purchased some toweling that was made just down the street at the mill that used the old machines.
After leaving Lowell, we traveled to Pickity Place for lunch. This small garden and herb farm makes a 5-course meal 3 times a day at lunch. They change the menu monthly. The food was not great.
Not my cup of tea at all. The farm was sweet. I picked up some scissors for the quilting group, and a cute towel for my friend Kathy. They had a fabulous old ash tree that was 176 years old before a limb fell on the house. Instead of just cutting it down, they made it into a beautiful Free Library. Amazing!
Then we traveled to Fryes Measuring Mill. They use to make measuring cups. Now they make Shaker Boxes. They sell them to the Shakers to sell so they are a little cheaper. I purchased a small round black/brown box and a brown tray. Our last stop of day was at Lull Farm stand. We tasted some yummy Cider doughnuts and purchased some Braeburn apples. (my favorite) We are sleeping in Manchester, NH. After a quick dinner in the hotel restaurant (it was cold and rainy outside) we headed up to sleep. So tired. Tomorrow we head to Vermont.
He told us their history and answered all our questions. Then we headed to the Chapel which was attached to the building they lived in. The building was expanded on and the chapel added. It was used when it was too cold to walk to the meeting house and for entertainment. It had a huge organ, an old gramophone by Edison, and 2 pianos. Then we headed to the laundry. They had huge washing machines in the basement along with wringers and ironing machines. The wet laundry was sent upstairs by a pully system to be dried using heat from the steam used to run the machines downstairs. We finished the tour in the school.
Day 4 – Burlington, Vermont. Today we visited the Shelburne Museum. An amazing Museum set on over 45 acres. The original developer of the Museum purchased buildings to put on the land to fill with her collections. There are 39 distinct structures, each filled with beautiful, fascinating, and whimsical objects. Electra Havemeyer Webb of the founder. Her collections range from quilts, rugs, band boxes, duck decoys, glass wear, French Impressionist paintings and many more things. There is too much to visit in one day. We started with the Quilts. There was an exhibit of the quilts of Maria Shell. Amazing work. Very modern and bright improv quilts. She is from Alaska. Then we visited the glasses, pottery, glass canes. We saw the schoolhouse, the steam Boat (the Ticondaroga) and visited the folk art house and the French paintings. It contained the first Impression painting every brought to the USA. There were some Degas, Monet, Manet and Mary Cassatt. One of the Mary Cassatt is a picture of Electra as a child with her Mother. Her Mother and Cassatt were friends. She encouraged her to purchase the Manet, the first Impressionist painting brought to the US. We road a 100 year old carousel and saw a miniature circus parade. They build a special horseshoe building to house the entire parade.
We had a group dinner at a local steak house. The meal was great and Scott purchased our drink and sat with us and we laughed and had a great time.
Day 5 – We left Burlington, Vermont today and headed to the Morse Farm Maple Syrup farm. They showed us how they made the syrup. The nephew of the owner told us and showed us pictures. He was so funny. Then we went into the gift shop, had maple ice cream and purchased a small bottle of maple syrup to share with Mom when we get home.
Then we drove to Woodstock, Vermont. It is a beautiful little town we reached after driving through Montpelier and saw the capitol. We had some lunch at a deli which was just okay, not great. Then we wandered around town and shopped. Marian purchased a quilt kit from the Vermont Flannel shop. We drove then to Ogunquit, Maine. We got to our hotel, Anchorage By the Sea, which it is – right on the Atlantic Ocean.
It is located at the beginning at the Marginal Way. The Marginal Way is a paved 1.2 mile walk-way along the Maine Shore. We will walk it tomorrow. Tonight we walked down Shore Street to find a place to eat. We had dinner at a nice place named Crew, with a horse tied up outside. Food was good.
Day 6 – Today we got to sleep in. We started with breakfast at 8 in the hotel restaurant. Scott brought some maple syrup and most of us had pancakes. Then I did a little shop hopping around downtown because we were not leaving until 11. We spent a little time sitting in Adirondack chairs right on the coast line and watched the waves and enjoyed the sun. Then we left for Kennebuck and Kennebunkport.
We spent a couple of hours wandering around this sweet town shopping. Then we drove by the Bush compound. Amazing! After getting back to the hotel, I walked the Marginal Way.
It was a beautiful walk along the coastline. Then we did some more shopping downtown. At 5:30 we left for our lobster dinner. (we had chicken). It was a fun dinner with lots of laughter. Tomorrow we head back to Boston. On the way to the dinner, we stopped at the Cape Neddick Nubble Lighthouse and had a group picture made.
Day 7 – After a sunrise breakfast at the hotel, we headed toward Boston. Once we got into Boston we stopped at the Quincy Market to go to the bathroom. Then we went to the Old North Church.
It was amazing. Then we drove around Boston – saw the gardens, Boston Common, tons of things. After lunch at Quincy Market, we jumped off the bus and headed to our hotel. Tonight, it is off to Fenway Park. Fenway was awesome. Seeing the Green Wall in person. WOW! We got to go into the Press Room and all over and our guide told lots of stories.
Day 8 – Today we were supposed to meet Scott, our tour
guide from Country Heritage for breakfast at Mike’s pastries. He changed it to
lunch and I cancelled because I’m feeling under the weather and I didn’t want
to get him sick. We road around on the free trolley and Mr. Kelley, our very
Irish tour guide was so funny. He worked for the airlines for 30 years, and has
driven a trolley for 18. A Boston native, who winters in Florida, he had
everyone laughing. It was fun driving around listening to his tales. We saw the
apartment where JFK lived while he was a
state rep for Massachusetts. We also saw where he and Jackie voted. We decided
after driving around we would head back to the hotel. But we ended up eating at
the Black Rose, a true Irish pub established in 1976. Best surprise of all…our
waitress was from Ireland. She had only been here three months. She came for
the adventure and try something new. Then we walked over to Mike’s Pastries in
the North End. Picked up some brownies and cream brulee. Back home tomorrow and
very happy to get home.
