The Nebby Needle: September 2015

My visit to Alexandria focused more on people this time instead of sightseeing which I did three years ago. The sights were still pretty fresh in my mind and there are friends and family in the area that I haven't seen in years. I got to visit with my niece Sarah and meet her husband Aaron and precious daughter Chloe . . . a really fun dinner!

(My rotten camera doesn't focus too well in low light.)

Chloe is 19 months now and full of energy . . . that is, after she woke up from a deep sleep!

A fun dinner with Lucy & Susie.

An afternoon with my Aunt June and Uncle Ecky (who just turned 90), my cousin Gary and his wife Sethe (who got away before picture taking time) and my cousin Cindy.

I did spend a day in Old Town . . . had lunch down by the river.

Love walking around The Torpedo Factory which is a building that really used to be a torpedo factory and is now art studios. I used to fantasize about having a studio there . . . so much creativity in that building!

Did a little shopping as well.

Another dinner with friends Susie and Lucy (Le Chatelaine) and Lucy's daughter Tanya (The Sampler Girl). Lucy doesn't design or teach anymore and Tanya is concentrating on knitting designs these days.

Susie's son has started a side business of helping "downsizers" sell off their lifetime of collections. With little or no known history of some quilts and crocheted items, he graciously passed them along to me. Wow, what a score! I'm sure I could sell them . . . but, why?! I LOVE THEM!

Most of them are in rough shape. I'm guessing they were made from the 30's to 50's

There are crocheted tablecloths, a bedspread, doilies, napkins and cloth baby dresses. Guessing they are from Germany (as the owner's grandmother was German . . perhaps she made them)

Anyone know what these "sashes" are for? There are two of each of them.

This is an interesting piece stitched in wool . . . guessing it's a table topper.

On my return trip home I was able to stop in Amherst at Notforgotten Farm for their Gathering of Primitive Friends. Unfortunately, I had only had 4 hours of sleep the night before . . . late night packing up to go home and for some unknown reason . . . maybe excited to get home . . . woke up at 5:00 a.m.! It was a 3 hour drive from Alexandria and another 4 hours to home. I made two rounds to each vendor and the shop at Notforgotten Farm and managed to restrain myself somewhat and am only adding to my stash the following:

It was a beautiful day and nice to run into some friends and see so many of the Prim Stitchers Society members there. Wish I had had the time to sit down and get to know them better . . . was so exhausted that I wasn't feeling very social . . . I just wanted to get home!

It was a fun two weeks!

Just spent a little over 2 weeks turtle sitting for my brother and sister-in-law's turtle Mookie in my childhood town of Alexandria, VA while they went out to Utah to hike. Yes, turtle sitting. Several years ago I did this for their (now deceased) dog and this same turtle while they went to Hawaii on vacation. Mookie's a 4 inch in diameter box turtle that has the personality of a rock . . . don't tell them that! He eats very little, moves very little and requires only slightly more care than a houseplant.

Here he is taking his morning swim. His daily rations are on the feeding rock . . . I will scoop them up at the end of the day and, most likely, throw them all out. In the two weeks that I was there, I only noticed that he took a small bite out of a strawberry . . . how does he survive?

I had much more fun visiting with friends and relatives while I was there!

Crashed a wedding in Chesapeake