Summer's end

It's always a bittersweet time of year, isn't it, the end of summer.  Time for school to start again, sweaters at the ready, and leaves beginning to turn color and fall.  Here in Vermont, RVs head south and tour busses galore roam the state.  Road construction seems to speed up, and pumpkins and mums appear on doorsteps.  

My impatiens, which bloomed profusely this year due to all the rain look a bit out of control and spent.  I'll be taking the window boxes and planters in for the winter soon.  Will there be time to plant some more bulbs?

This summer was odd due to the flood and its continuing clean up.  Roads are being fixed and a second Green Up Day has already been held.  We are looking forward to delayed Heritage Days at the end of September, and there are several more big events to look forward to.  What are the highlights of this summer?

- my little On the Patio quilt won an honorable mention at the Gypsy Moth Quilt Shop.  I sold a quilt (Hunter's Star) and finished at least five others, including a little house medallion mini (above).  I have just a few lines to quilt on a white-on-white piece that I've been working on (and mostly off!) for 20 years.

- quilters around Vermont mourned the end of the Vermont Quilt Festival and wondered if it can be resuscitated.

- we attended a few plays:  The Addams Family musical, Popcorn Falls, and Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson:  Apt. 2B, all at different venues.  We made plans for a few more fall activities with our friends Pauline and Bob.

- I celebrated my 75th birthday with an open house for neighbors and friends, along with dinner with my two dearest men.

- we grilled between frequent rains on a new-to-us grill we got at a yard sale, and I tried to master a new artisanal bread recipe with mixed results so far

We are looking forward to our Colorado trip (here's Mom at age 98 - three years ago!) and, then, in mid-winter a return to Alabama for a few weeks.

Drizzly drive

Yesterday, Paul and I drove through a persistent drizzle to the southern part of the state, about 2.5 hours each way, to meet friends for lunch and go to a play.  We had an old banjo to take to a luthier along the way and did some driving over back (dirt) roads to get to his house/workshop.  We'll have to return sometime to pick the banjo up, but at least now we know the way.  Had to make a few turnarounds in strangers' driveways, unfortunately.

Dorset is an historic town that just oozes New England charm.  Too much charm for me, but it is nice to visit anyway.  The bakery was delicious and had both inside and outside seating.  I had a panini with brie, turkey and bacon while Paul had a curried chicken wrap.  Both came with the best home made potato chips ever.  After lunch, we gals went across the street to wander in a pottery shop while the guys headed up the street to the historical society (closed) and the library (open and having a book sale).

The Dorset Playhouse is just a block from the town Green and has a reputation for excellent theater with professional actors.   Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson - Apt. 2B turned out to be a fast-moving, comedic take off on the old Sherlock Holmes mysteries with women featured in the major roles.  While we've seen better plays, this was a nice way to while away a summer afternoon.

We'll need to return when the banjo is finished, and I hope we can visit Hildene, Robert Todd Lincoln's house and gardens, at that time.  After over 40 years of living in Vermont, this is one major site I have never visited.  It's located in Manchester, VT, the town just south of Dorset, and an even bigger tourist destination.   I like driving down in this part of the state.  It's very cozy between the mountains, even on a drizzly day (hence the lack of photos - sorry).