..why don't I show you a few photos from our trip to New England?
You've been so patient! My goodness…have you ever!!
On October 2nd, we awoke at dark:thirty…not my most favorite time of day, mind you, but this was the day we would make our way to New England for a long awaited trip of a lifetime. We would be taking a tour of Tasha Tudor's Corgi Cottage and Cottage Gardens!
We traveled by plane to Baltimore, changed aircrafts and continued our journey to Albany, New York. Once there, we rented a car…with a GPS system...
and made our way to Vermont.
It was October, the weather was glorious! After all, it was New England in October…
There were winding roads that led us into a magical place…a bit reminiscent of our familiar East Tennessee, but more.. More trees…More mountains….More roundabouts (we weren't quite sure what a roundabout was until we had traveled through several)
And there were tiny antique shops along the way…and I would squeal and point…
What a dilemma…should we stop or keep going…
Oh lets stop…at just one…
Treasures found:)
On to the Inn…the White House Inn in Wilmington, Vermont. It was beautiful!
We were lead up to our room, opened the curtains, and this was our view…
Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! Never had I seen so many Maple trees…of every shade…
We drove up into town, found supper, did a bit of shopping, and headed back in for a good night's rest, for the next day would be a very big day.
Of course I couldn't sleep….
so I journaled and painted and made sure Eliza's new lavender shawl fit just right. I had just finished it on the flight….
This hydrangea took my breath! I had never seen one as tall as a tree!
…and Eliza was just beside herself when she saw the black cookstove. It is so very much like hers...
You've been so patient! My goodness…have you ever!!
On October 2nd, we awoke at dark:thirty…not my most favorite time of day, mind you, but this was the day we would make our way to New England for a long awaited trip of a lifetime. We would be taking a tour of Tasha Tudor's Corgi Cottage and Cottage Gardens!
We traveled by plane to Baltimore, changed aircrafts and continued our journey to Albany, New York. Once there, we rented a car…with a GPS system...
and made our way to Vermont.
It was October, the weather was glorious! After all, it was New England in October…
There were winding roads that led us into a magical place…a bit reminiscent of our familiar East Tennessee, but more.. More trees…More mountains….More roundabouts (we weren't quite sure what a roundabout was until we had traveled through several)
And there were tiny antique shops along the way…and I would squeal and point…
What a dilemma…should we stop or keep going…
Oh lets stop…at just one…
Treasures found:)
On to the Inn…the White House Inn in Wilmington, Vermont. It was beautiful!
We were lead up to our room, opened the curtains, and this was our view…
Gorgeous! Absolutely gorgeous! Never had I seen so many Maple trees…of every shade…
We drove up into town, found supper, did a bit of shopping, and headed back in for a good night's rest, for the next day would be a very big day.
Of course I couldn't sleep….
so I journaled and painted and made sure Eliza's new lavender shawl fit just right. I had just finished it on the flight….
Two new pens found at Bartelby's Bookstore (in Wilmington)
sleep came….eventually….
and then it was morning...
This hydrangea took my breath! I had never seen one as tall as a tree!
We enjoyed our breakfast.
Eliza was a bit fixated on the Concord Jelly…
Concord…Massachussetts …New England…get it?
Grape..purplish…lavender…the shade of my shawl…get it?
That silly mouse…I can read her like a book;))
We then made our way back upstairs to prepare for the visit to Tasha Tudor's.
Dear kindred, Linnie Nolan (of The Butt'ry and Book'ry blog) and I
had messaged back and forth for several weeks…planning what to wear for this most special occasion.
She helped me find a treasure on-line. Vintage Laura Ashley prairie dresses would be the most fitting attire, and she already owned one, so with my purchase, we would be twins:) ((Yes, we were sickingly giddy. Don't judge...We couldn't help it.))
We would also be meeting for the very first time…in person, that is…
I ironed the miles of ruffles on my lovely pink frock...
donned my soft new socks and new clogs… (Just so you know…I DID bring my purple "Iris" wellies, just in case it was raining:)
…and slid into the front seat of our "carriage"…with my journal and satchel and Hitty Rachel Rose and Eliza Mousie and a pretty handkersniff….and our tickets (don't forget the tickets, Tim said:)
We didn't have to drive very far…just a ways over the river and through the woods…
and we were turning onto a little road..
...commenced squealing.
This was her driveway…the driveway she walked up and down with her Corgi doggies..
"Go, Tim…no wait..stop! okay…go…oh my gosh…"
It went something like that until we spotted the sign….
The Rookery houses the office and gift shop, and this is where we would congregate…where I would meet, not only Linnie…but a new friend..made back in 2013…a twitter, blog, instagram, fb friend.
Karen and I would meet…finally!
The first chokehold went to Linnie…yes, we had quite a grip on each other!
This photo was taken after we had hugged 10 times already. She was exactly how I had imagined. ..and she was just darling in her flowing LA prairie dress and pinafore…
Mine didn't flow…at all…but I sure felt at home in my old-fashioned dress;)
I made my way inside the gift shop to sign in and find Karen. I spotted her right away and round two of hugging-mania commenced. Much squealing, etc.
(between my ecstatic emotions and an issue with my phone battery staying charged, I did not get a photo of the two of us. However…there were cameras clicking and Linnie has promised to share photos when her computer comes back to life;)
This is one of Linnie and Winslow Tudor…a fine young man…the grandson of Tasha...
Linnie and I left Eliza and the Mousiekins to get acquainted and hang out in the satchel (with Hitty in charge, of course) while we began the tour of the cottage and gardens.
3 1/2 years ago…Eliza sent Mildred Mousiekin a knitted shawl with a hydrangea blue ribbon (just like hers) Mildred, then sent the sweetest little thank you note Eliza had ever ever seen.
(I will be knitting these for the Etsy shop, in varying colors. Shhhh…don't want to ruin the surprises:)
These were a few photos I took before leaving the gift shop/office.
This is a photo of a replica of the tin kitchen (reflector oven) Tasha used for cooking turkeys on her hearth…especially on holidays...
And we recognized the paste ware…the dishes Tasha illustrated, that you'll find on her tin of Welsh Breakfast Tea
Before leaving the Rookery, I did a bit of shopping…
I found this book and a bundle of the fabric with the same theme…
along with Corgiville Fair (Sophia has gone off for the day with her stuffed Corgi Puppy she's named Buddy, and she loves this book:)
A Time to Keep is the sweetest treasure of a book.
Here is the month of October..
Do you spy the dried Hollyhock in this photo…
It was a volunteer..growing right out in front of the barn! Yellow…just like in the illustration above.
(It happened to get bent in all the activity of the photo session, and Winslow, being the dear that he was, saw me doting over it and asked if I'd like to have it. Oh, my heart!)
This is the photo I took of my favorite cottage garden bloom, when we had returned to the Inn…
A Settle for Eliza the Mouse, came home with us, and now she and Hitty Rachel Rose have a perfectly perfect view of Grammy's make shift studio in the sunroom and enjoy long conversations of their travels…
And a hand-carved chair (a replica of Tasha's art chair) by Seth Tudor, is such a sweet addition to my sewing table….
*********
As we gathered in front of the barn for a photo…the culminating activity of the tour… we found our places. Some of us stood..some of us lounged on the grass, chatting and hugging …and as Winslow snapped several photos, the images he would not be able to capture were those in my mind.
There are too many to recall, but I suppose the image that struck me the most was the one of her kitchen.
I had poured over every photo and every illustration of that room..and now, to see it in person, I could hardly take it in.
Noting the dried flowers and herbs and baskets and tiny treasures hanging there,
framing her kitchen ..
I noticed they were forming a wreath, of sorts…
I was filled with the wonder and realization that her art matched her life in this way, as well…
her paintings and illustrations are framed, wreathed in fact,
in the intricate and delicate flowers and baskets, etc.,
surrounding the images that depicted her old-fashioned way of life.
I had found comfort, knowing this woman was one after my own heart. She had a passion to create..to grow..to experience life…to make every day count…
In her video, Take Joy, she mentioned that life became even more exciting the older she became.
I had met the kindred spirit, still alive and well in everything she left behind.
It is because of her beautiful knitted shawls that I had to learn to knit…
and seeing her beautiful spinning wheels, I had to learn how to spin…
It will now be up to you, dear friends and admirers of our beloved Tasha, to make your way to this magical place ..to capture images in your own minds.
Tours are scheduled for Spring and Fall.
Next year will be a celebration of her 100th birthday.
Following the tour, we were welcomed under the tents and treated to an array of sandwiches and tiny treats…
…and of course, a cup of Stillwater Iced Tea, as can be found in her beautifully written/illustrated cookbook.
"Would you like to hear a Chicken Story," she asks with such a modest, confident tone.
Having the bluest eyes and most endearing demeanor, we were compelled to sit in front of her little rocker…in the grass…next to a chicken crate. There was a tiny table beside her tiny chair with a tiny sign that read…"Chicken Stories 5 cents" …alongside a tiny cup…
and she began….
She led us through the tale of one forlorn little chick named Injy.
I'm sorry, but I cannot divulge any more of the story, for it was quite worth the money we spent to find out how he/she came to have such a name…and how he/she came to be her very own little chicken.
I will say this. She used the term "foraging" which is an awfully big word for a little girl celebrating her 5th birthday…that very day!
(Thank you, Ellie, for sharing your day with us:)
Her grandmother, Marjorie Tudor had made her darling little dress and apron, and she was quite proud of it…and her very sweet little pink sweater. She noted that "we matched!"
She allowed me to hold her chicken (which was a first for me) so I asked if she would like to hold my Hitty Rachel Rose….
…and my little Eliza Mouse….
Look at that face! Is she not the prettiest little thing? We were fast friends.
She and Hitty and Eliza and I.
I know this, for as the festivities were winding down, she whispered to me,
"Would you like a feather?"
Friendship sealed.
I will continue our journey through New England in the next post.
*****
If you have not left a comment on the previous post, for the giveaway celebrating the upcoming launch of my Etsy shoppe, please scroll back and say hello:)
*****
If you have not left a comment on the previous post, for the giveaway celebrating the upcoming launch of my Etsy shoppe, please scroll back and say hello:)
The giveaway…my handmade ornament inspired by Tasha Tudor's beautiful little book…
(book not included)
Blessings,
Christie