August 31, 2008

The Train they Call the City of New Orleans

Like a lot of people, I'm watching the news of the storm headed for New Orleans tonight and hoping fervently that no one is harmed--that somehow the storm misses everyone. We went to N.O. in 2005, a few months before Katrina; BF's company paid for the trip. We went because we were expected to and hadn't planned to like it much, especially since it was already steamy. It was an incredibly interesting and charming and dangerous place. Even back before the flood, it was an unsafe place to be; I'm comfortable, if aware, in cities--New York and DC in particular (notwithstanding the dead body they found in the parking garage of my office building last week)--but there are some small cities like N.O. and Providence in particular, that raise the hair on the back of my neck. But good heavens, the art galleries, and the music and the food. Oh, the food...

This has been a spectacularly unproductive weekend for pretty much everything but needlework. I woke up yesterday realizing that I'd forgotten a small but crucial task at work, so we dashed into DC so I could complete it. I tried to talk BF into hitting a museum or a good restaurant, but it was hot, so we headed back to VA, stopping at the new Wegmans. Wegmans is an amazing store--more food court than grocery store. They had Wianno Cape Cod oysters at the oyster bar (I mostly don't take a chance with oysters on the half shell--if you've ever gotten a bad piece of raw seafood I don't have to tell you about the violence of that particular sickness. Besides, there's no "r" in August.) There was Indian food and Thai food and every kind of seafood, baked good and pizza by the slice. It was crowded, and we were overwhelmed, so we limited ourselves to a few treats: some good bagels and cream cheese and nova for me; some sake and ale for BF.
Other than those things, we've stayed indoors mostly and puttered in the house. I've entertained myself by vacuuming under the sofa where Little Friend seems to live and retiring to the bedroom to stitch and nap. Little Friend sheds like a bear.

Lemon Tree is coming along.

And I stitched until 3 a.m. on this last night.

I also placed an order with Attic Needlework in Arizona for Scarlet Letter's "Country Life." I've been meaning to buy it for years. I think I will plan to start it at Christmas. Or Thanksgiving. Or maybe my vacation in October. It's only 9 inches high, but it's 36 inches long. How cool would it be to have the 4-foot vertical ATS and the 3-foot horizontal Country Life? Yeah, I should live so long.

Happy Labor Day, all!

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your stitching is looking splendid. I love just staying in the house and stitching but getting out for some culture is nice too.

Anonymous said...

Lemon tree is looking lovely - but the buns are the cutest!

mainely stitching said...

I'm laughing at your cross stitch ideas of having ATS and this lovely design ... I've been resisting temptation from the HAED sale. If only it were possible to actually stitch EVERYTHING we like!

Anonymous said...

Country Life looks very nice and intricate!

Anonymous said...

Lemon Tree looks great. I wish I had a just a little of your motivation to stay up and stitch until 3AM. Go you!
Ohhhh Country Life has nice looking horses in it....a rarity in the stitching world...I might have to indulge.
Isn't Wegman's great? Now you understand why I avoid the place on Saturdays and during the lunch hour. It's a zoo!

Anna van Schurman said...

I would be unemployed if not for Wegman's...when we first moved here, I used the free wifi and Wegman's was my office! If they make Victory cheese soup (like fondue with Victory ale in it) have it in the bread bowl. I've eaten just about everything they make if you are looking for other recs! And I do hope you live that long. I want to see this!

Jennifer said...

Wegmans is amazing...it is like stepping into another world, with all they have to offer. Congrats on your new purchase, can't wait to see your progress pics.

Jennifer said...

I love, love, love Wegmans. I'm so excited they're building one 20 minutes from us.

RG said...

Nope - no Wegmans here - no hurricanes or hot muggy weather either. But too cold :<(((

Felt the same about N.O. too .. great place to visit - scary to get to far from the main area! But I kinda like their music!

staci said...

Your WIP's look wonderful. And love the new design you're going to be starting soon...and yes it would look fab with ATS ;)

d. moll, l.ac. said...

I see two rabbits on Lemon tree. Up until 3 a.m., stitching, wow, it must be an awful lot of fun. What do you do with all the pieces you have finished?

Jan said...

Love your stitching! Everything is looking great.
I know what you mean about N.O. Between the girls with their naked boobs hanging out over balconies and the guy who almost threw up on us, it's not a place I would visit again.
I haven't been to the new Wegman's yet, but would love to go.

The Scarlett House said...

Hi Glenna, your comment on my blog made me laugh. So glad that I could be an enabler for a fellow stitcher! You must buy Red House Sampler. I ordered directly from her and got it right away. The photo does not do it justice. It is stunning. And yes, I have seen "Over The Hills". I love that one, too. She is my favorite designer by far.

Joy said...

I love this sampler! Thanks for posting it, as I started it last year, but due to an unfortunate frogging episode, I set it aside for awhile. I may just be ready to pick it up again. . . In fact, I have a lot of the same stash as you, including ATS! Yikes! Kitted up and everything. What am I thinking?
It's so nice to see your beautiful work and progress on samplers that I love and hope to stitch myself.