Epic Road Trip

In any review of MY GIRLFRIEND ROAD TRIPS...I have to write about the Epic Road Trip (ERT) of 2013. I met Marion in New York City, and we drove all the way to Florida.

The VERY best part of the ERT was that Marion and I honestly did NOT have a master plan. On Day Two -- we arrived at Syracuse, picked up Marion's car -- and headed down the road. We had no idea where we'd spend the night.

The theme for this trip was:  WE CAN DO WHATEVER WE WANT....and WE MIGHT NEVER BE IN THIS PLACE AGAIN....

A flight delay, combined with rainy weather and a short winter day -- meant we only got as far as Hershey, Pennsylvania. I told Marion about the Milton Hershey School for Boys. 30 years ago, I lived next door to a young man who was a student there. When he graduated from the Milton Hershey School -- they paid his tuition to the college of his choice.

Milton Hershey and his wife Catherine never had children of their own. At the turn of the century they started a residential school for local orphan boys. Marion had never heard of the school -- so, of course, in the spirit of the ERT -- she said -- "let's go see it!"

The original Hersey homestead. Milton was not an overnight success.  He went bankrupt many times before he figured out the KEY TO MAKING MILK CHOCOLATE....

The medallion in the center of Founders Hall....honoring Catherine and Milton Hershey, who founded the school in 1909.

Originally for local, white orphan boys -- now 1800+ boys and girls from all over the world live here and attend school.

When we pulled into the parking lot --  we saw this trolley parked outside of Chocolate World!

AND -- YES -- even though it is off-season -- THERE IS A TOUR. You know how much we love an interesting slice of history.  AND a man in uniform -- who keeps handing out chocolate!

The outside of Founders Hall...

On the steps, leading up to Founders Hall.

The view from the inside -- looking up. The flags represent the various countries of students.  The only qualifying factor today is the student must show economic need...

The floor is inlaid with marble art -- showing scenes about the school.  For decades, the students were required to take care of a dairy herd. The milk was an important part of manufacturing the chocolate.

More of the marble inlay.

When students were drafted, they wrote"Milton Hershey" in the place asking for their father's name. During WW II, Mr. Hershey received 37 letters telling him a boy was killed...

It was a STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL Fall day in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Milton Hershey was even more remarkable when you consider the times he lived in. When he started making chocolate -- wealthy men were building empires on the backs of their workers. During the industrial age -- coal miners were forced to live in company houses, get paid with company script, and buy their groceries and pay the inflated prices at the company store. Child labor was the order of the day in the coal mines and the textile factories of Pennsylvania.

But Milton Hershey marched to a different drummer. He built sturdy modest homes (many from Sears and Roebuck) for his workers  -- and charged them only the cost of the construction. He extended attractive mortgage terms.  The employee owned the home, and they were free to sell at any time for the increased market value. THAT's how you build a beautiful, productive town, people..

The street lamps are chocolate kisses!!

The campus of the school is HUGE, beautiful -- modern and amazing.....

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Tomorrow, I hope to blog about my MOST RECENT ROAD TRIP...and you'll get a report on Beaver Dam, Wisconsin and the 2017 Sewing Weekend.

MMWI:  247.6  (maybe the pizza wasn't such a good idea?!)  Not to worry -- I'M BACK ON TRACK.

BEST Sisters Trip EVER.

In 2012, my sisters Ronda, Deb and faux-sister Barb CAME TO SEW EXPO in Puyallup, Washington. I blogged about it. A lot. And this week of trips-in-review would not be complete if I didn't include this...

*************************from 2012:

Here's the thing -- prepare yourself. You are going to get SICK TO DEATH of hearing about our Sew Expo sisters trip. I guarantee it. We had the best time EVER -- and I'm pretty sure I could write about it for days...or weeks...or months...

AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT!!

Sunday night -- after the show was over -- we went out for our first nice dinner. This is us at Harbor Lights restaurant with Joanne Ross -- a lifetime member of our honorary Sewing Sister Society. She's the Director of Sew Expo and I always stay at her house BEFORE the show. She was probably relieved when I moved my big mess to a hotel room (after my sisters arrived). Deb and Ronda can hardly wipe the smile off their faces...they had SUCH A GREAT TIME at the show...

This is a big building in Tacoma. We didn't actually go in...we just took pictures...

Monday was our Seattle day. OMG. Pike Place Market fish guy, me, Barb, Deb and Ronda...

You can't see it in this picture -- but there is a big brass pig right in front of us. Don't worry -- you'll see the pig. Plenty.

I just want to say there is NO TIME LIKE girlfriend time. We laughed, we cried...okay -- mostly we laughed. As a matter of fact -- we laughed hysterically -- like we'd been let out of a cage.

No -- wait -- mostly that was Barb...

That girl is OFF THE CHAIN...

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Local Restaurant Trippin

This post is from five years ago.  WOW.  TIME FLIES, PEOPLE!!  Get out there and PLAN A ROAD TRIP!!

And, hey -- you don't necessarily have to leave town!!  I love the idea of getting your friends together once a month to try out different local restaurants.  GREAT IDEA, PAT!!

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I am the luckiest girl in the world. I've ALWAYS believed that. If you're doing it right -- life is a delicious, rich adventure. I love meeting new people -- going places and doing things. One person leads to another...

Many years ago -- my friend Mary Mulari recommended me to be a speaker at the Sewing and Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, Washington.



That's when I met Joanne Ross, the Chair of the show -- and her husband Ron. Of course, at some point in time, that led to a wonderful job doing the PR and marketing for Sew Expo -- and I cannot even begin to count the number of new friends I made... (of course, many of you are reading this blog...)



Joanne introduced me to one of her best friends -- Pat Leslie. They both worked at and retired from Extension. Joanne was the textile girl, and Pat was the Foodie. Pat LOVES to cook...in retirement, she attends cooking schools -- here and in Europe. She LOVES to travel, and she was a guest at Julia Childs' birthday parties!! So this picture of me and Pat EATING should come as no surprise...

Pat introduced me to one of her best friends, Dana. Remember last year when I blogged about her visit to Iowa? We went out to dinner at the Iowa Machine Shed and ate the biggest pork chop known to man...

Pat and Dana have a big circle of Foodie Friends in Olympia and they get together once a month to try out a different restaurant!! WHAT A GREAT IDEA...I was lucky enough to join them one night last year -- and we ate Vietnamese!!

After dinner, they go to one person's house (taking turns) to eat dessert. On this night, the desserts looked like something different than what they really were..(it is a very competitive Foodie Group)

Last year, when my sisters came to Sew Expo -- we spent one day in Olympia and Pat was an incredible tour guide. I never was able to get my pictures from that year off the darn camera card...so I only have the wonderful memories...

Pat spent the entire day with us -- taking us all over Olympia and touring her part of the world. Pat is like that. She is a GIVER. And holy cow -- is she a BUSY WOMAN. Always doing something for a neighbor or a friend...and ALWAYS cooking...she has a large family and hundreds of friends. If somebody is sick, Pat is making a casserole or baking a pie. For years, she taught cooking classes and many of my new recipes (in the last ten years) are from Pat. She babysits her 4-year old great-granddaughter once a week...Pat is a gift in many people's lives...
And her TRAVEL SCHEDULE....well -- it's amazing...

Day Trip with Sue

Sometimes, it's fun to mix up your girlfriends.  For this day trip, I brought together my high school friend Sue, and my young friend Anne who lives in Cedar Rapids.  It was perfect. 

From the Fall of 2014:

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My friend Anne suggested I come to her fair city, Cedar Rapids, to see some of the unique Grant Wood art they have there. It was, after all, his home town....

Also, before the good weather is completely GONE -- I want to spend a day with my friend Sue. A day trip to Cedar Rapids seemed like the very best idea. We need a coupla hours in the car just to catch up on each others lives...PERFECT.

So -- off we went! And, of course, Anne lined up a terrific Cedar Rapids Grant Wood tour!!

First Stop:  We started off at the Veteran's Memorial Building.

Cedar Rapids has many, many bridges -- and several rivers....this building sits in the middle of the river, and used to serve as sort of a local "Switzerland" local government building, separating the East and West sides...

The most remarkable thing about this building is the 16' tall Memorial Window, created by Grant Wood in 1928. (WHO KNEW, RIGHT??)

From the outside -- you get NO SENSE of what this window is...

The three of us sat in a row of chairs while the young guy with the local VA spent about 40 minutes telling us all about the history of the window, the 2009 flood, the restoration, the controversy when it was first installed in 1928...OMG...I cannot remember when I ever had a better time. Sue (like me) is not much of a museum person. But I think she enjoyed every minute of what felt like an up close and personal story of Grant Wood and the most incredible piece of art I've ever been that close to. It was amazing -- the story behind the making of the window, how it affected Grant Wood and his family -- the controversy in Cedar Rapids at the time....

Our handsome young docent acted like he had all the time in the world to spend with us...

The way the light came in, through the window, and hit us, sitting in our chairs. It felt like the very best kind of church...as though we were the only people in the world who were hearing this story...

There are six soldiers in the window -- one for every war America had been in up until that time...

Anne did a GREAT job of setting up our Grant Wood Tour!!

Cedar Rapids had a devastating flood in 2009 -- and at first, they thought the window had survived. But, the truth was the wood frame wicked up water -- and mold and mildew was destroying the lead that held the 9,000 pieces of glass together. It took a year and a half of arguments before they came up with a plan for restoration of the window.

IT IS BEAUTIFUL...a stunning work of art. I felt so humbled, sitting there, bathed in the light coming through the colorful glass. We learned about the struggles Grant Wood had during his life. The lack of support from his hometown.  How he lived in one large room with his mother and his sister, how hard it was for him to follow his dream, make a living with his art...

Humm.  Maybe nothing worthwhile is easy.  Maybe it's the struggle that brings the value...

Happy Birthday, Ronda!!

Gee...taking the time to look back at some road trips makes me think IT'S TIME TO PLAN for 2017. And, surely, we've GOT TO DO THIS AGAIN..!!

Last summer, our very first SISTERS SEWING WEEKEND...we hooked up at my sister Ronda's fishing cabin in Missouri.  This is the week my sisters all got Featherweight Fever...!!

It seems only fitting to repost this on Ronda's birthday!!

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2016 was the best summer ever. Obviously, it was jam packed with two little kids I adore. And, every week I had some special ADULT girlfriend activity planned. IT WAS WONDERFUL.

I'm sure you are tired of hearing about the Featherweight Workshop at MSQC...but do you remember the part where, on my way back to Iowa, I stopped at Ronda's Missouri house? Well -- I was doing recon because that was to be the location for our first-annual-sisters-sewing-weekend!!

Ronda and Dean's house has three bedrooms and a large yard.

Our first stop was the fabulous Dutchman's Store!!

Attendees: Deena, Ronda, Rita, Deborah and Barb (our faux sister)

At Dutchman's -- WE ALL BOUGHT FABRIC.

And lots of other stuff...

They have a huge collection of odd things...cookware, utensils, fabric, food, spices...

Cutlery...

We filled our giant coolers. (Ronda has a chest freezer at her house -- usually full of fish...)

After our initial meet-up and shopping -- it was time to GET DOWN TO BUSINESS.  This was Deena, sewing on my Featherweight. She did not have one of her own. (YET)...

There were two machines set up on Ronda's kitchen table.

We set up a cutting station in the living room, and an ironing station in the bedroom...then we got down to the serious business of sewing. And visiting. And laughing. OMG...

What made our weekend so wonderful is that it was JUST US. We could do what we wanted, when we wanted. Our husbands weren't there telling us what to do, nor our children telling us everything we did was wrong. There were no grandkids to worry about or entertain.  Nobody in the house was trying to stick a marble up their nostril -- it was JUST US. Wow.

It's hard to know when it happened or how it happened...but after being together for just a few hours, we were girls again. The very best of ourselves.

It was magic...and I am not kidding...

My Road Trip Review...

Getting ready for my BIG ROAD TRIP TO BEAVER DAM, Wisconsin for Nancy's Sewing Weekend, I have some last minute sewing to do -- and, then -- CLEANING MY CAR will take a whole day!!

So, to honor the theme of our new Ya  Ya Sister Show -- GIRLFRIEND ROAD TRIPPIN -- I'll be posting some of my own past road trips...

One of my most frequent road trip buddies is Rhonda Pierce.  She's the Marketing Director for Schmetz Needles, and we do a lot of work together.  Because she lives in Chicago, and I'm 3 hours away -- we often meet in the middle for our planning meetings.  Then, too, there are those twice-a-year Quilt Market adventures.  (we've got one coming up in St. Louis this month).

Here are some random shots...of some random cities...

Kansas City? (that great chicken place?)

Salt Lake City.  WHAT A VIEW FROM THE LIBRARY, EH?

At a Botanical Center.  Me, taking a picture of Rhonda, taking a picture of me...

At a Pop Up Dinner...Spring Quilt Market...

Rhonda loves to research the restaurants for her dinners.  ALWAYS AMAZING...You can only HOPE you get an invitation, eh?

Because she has an amazing ability to turn work into a party!

One year, we had our planning meeting in Dixon, Illinois.

We had a beautiful, sunny room all to ourselves...

Speaking of the sun!!  My biggest Girlfriend trip last year -- Maderia Beach, Florida!!

If I could put a song with this photo -- it would be WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS...!!

GIRLFRIEND TRAVEL WEEK!!

So, it's official.  I am declaring this GIRLFRIEND TRAVEL WEEK!!  And, because I'm off on a Girlfriend Trip of my own -- to Nancy's Notions annual Sewing Weekend in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin (I hope to see you there) -- I have selected a week's worth of some of my favorite trips to relive with you.

SUMMER IS HERE.  START MAKING PLANS.  Call you sister, cousin, or old college roommate -- and plan a little road trip!!  Go to the library to get a good book on tape, buy some BBQ chips, and HIT THE ROAD...!!

******************* Here's what's generally happening in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin:

 This was written in 2011:

You already know that no matter where I go -- I enjoy checking out the OLD HOUSE TOURS -- the mansion tours, the Victorian B and B's, etc. If you're ever in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin -- be sure to visit the Seippel Homestead and Center for the Arts, 1605 N. Spring Street, Beaver Dam, WI.

During my recent visit, the art exhibit was "Hello Again -- Recycled Art". With their permission, I took lots of photographs. This exhibit was so much fun...do you know what this is? It's a room size mural made out of scrunched up plastic garbage bags....no kidding...



This beautiful little picture is made entirely out of used zippers...

And who would have thought about this? The artist drilled holes in small squares of tile samples -- then wove the chair back & seat. HOW CREATIVE IS THAT??
EVEN THE SIDEWALK becomes an art project at a place like this!! I always try to zoom into the Sieppel Art Center when I am in Beaver Dam because there is always something inspiring to see.

No matter WHERE YOU GO this summer -- whether you're in a big city or a small town -- check out the local galleries or art museums...because somebody worked REALLY HARD to put together an interesting exhibit for you. AND THAT'S WHAT ART IS ALL ABOUT, EH?? Inspiration...you never know where it's gonna come from...!

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Here's a link to their current exhibit, called "Text, Texture and Textile"...WHICH I CAN HARDLY WAIT TO SEE...

Yes, I am a lucky girl!!
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 MMWI:  246.8.  I did pretty good with the no-late-night-snacking.  I started to work jigsaw puzzles instead...And, once or twice, I just went to bed before I started munching...