Still Stitching

Hi, Everyone! In spite of my long silence, I have been stitching steadily, as you'll see below. I have lost a lot of my blogging mojo because it just seems harder to post pictures, especially since I have used up my "free" Picasa photo storage and have moved on to Photobucket (where I have used a fair percentage of that free storage as well). I'm contemplating what to do next but haven't seen anything that's not somewhat cumbersome, and frankly, my free time is limited; do I want to spend it uploading and shepherding photos, or do I want to spend it stitching? Then again, I have blogged for so long--since 2005--that it seems a shame to abandon it. I spent a week on the Cape a few weeks ago. Here's a shot from one of my meals. These were most excellent clams, steamed, dipped in clam broth and then butter.

Here are a couple of shots of Fall River, where I stopped to pick up pierogies from Patti's Pierogies on the way to the Cape. They were fabulous, and the shop/bar that makes them up is worth a visit, where, road weary and hungry (and increasingly there is nothing but McDonalds or food courts at the rest stops along the interstates), I polished off a most incredible ground kielbasa meatloaf sandwich on thick rye bread. My dad was looking at these photos over my shoulder on the computer and said of the below: "Where were you? Russia?" Sorry for the fence. I took this photo from the car.

I have an increasing homesickness for Southern Massachusetts, which is not something that those who are near and dear to me understand or support. There are some lovely old homes for sale in Fall River and New Bedford. The area has been distressed/depressed since I don't know--the 20s or 30s when the cotton trade moved to the southern states. Or maybe since the decline of the whaling industry after the civil war. The areas suffer urban problems, but I prefer it all to the manicured suburban wasteland I occupy. Not a battle I plan to fight today, but soon... I'm in my 50s, and in the taking-stock that one tends to do at this age as parents and even friends die, I'm looking at my life and thinking I'd like to live differently.

Here's a little shot of the tidal estuary near my dad's house right after the snowfall I woke up to one morning.

Now to the stitching! I am ever so close to being done on Catharine McNeal.

I spent time this weekend working on this little over-one basket of fruit.

Liz Easdon is coming along nicely also--I have put in a lot of time with her lately. I am actually working on 3-4 others that I have been lazy about photographing, but these two are the most likely projects for a finish by May.

I've started working on Ann Anthony again, because I couldn't justify buying the newest Rhode Island sampler from the Essamplaire until it's done (or nearly done):

I plan to get this when I've finished a few of my others--I just love RI samplers. Cynthia Burr (and yes, I know it comes with transfer sheets because there's significant freehand stitching): Cynthia isn't the only project in the wings this year: I've purchased the re-released Scarlet Letter Christmas sampler and I have my eye on the newest large Shakespeare's Peddler design (Sarah Chapple) and a few others. (Photo of Cynthia Burr borrowed from The Essamplaire's website.)

Elvis says this post has worn him out, so he's catching a little nap.

Happy week ahead!