New England Vacation--Day Two--July 22,2010

What an adventurous day!  First of all we met Miss Mary at the Crackerbarrel in Frederick.  She looked just like I pictured she would!  We had a nice breakfast and then went to see her condo.  It is such a cute little place!  She still had so many of the things there that I remember from visiting her house out in the country so many years ago.  We talked about the times we visited her with the kids and looked at all the things she had collected from her travels.  It was such a sweet time of fellowship and remembrances.  I did feel the loss of Mr. Otis, however. He was there, though, in his pictures scattered around and in our hearts.

Then it was on to Hershey, PA.  The traffic on the other side of DC stopped us in our tracks for awhile.  It took us much longer to get there than anticipated due to the snails pace we encountered for several miles. We did get to the Quilt Odyssey and saw some absolutely gorgeous quilts, some antiques as well as modern works of art.  Quilting has definitely evolved from functional necessities to intricate wall art.  But the best part of the quilt show was meeting a friend of mine that I know only through a quilting website.  We "just happened" to be at the same place at the same time.  We had never met in person until today, but we knew we "connected" with one another by our conversations via the internet.  Once we met in person, it was obvious why.  We shared some of the same qualities, including our striving toward intricate detail and perfectionism in our work.  It was such a blessing to meet another sister in Christ and a fellow quilter.  This meeting was truly organized by God to bring a blessing to my life.
Then on to Bird-in-Hand.  My first view of an Amish buggy and rider brought a huge smile to my face.  I so admire the Amish.  I've told Paul before that I believe I could have been Amish. He asked me if I was ready to move up here.  It is a temptation, but there are too many heart strings at home for it to actually take place.
We visited Zook's Fabric Shop (yes, I bought MORE fabric).  So many fabrics in that little Amish store!  It was too hard to choose quilting fabrics, so I bought some pretty flannel to make blankets out of that they had on sale.  So soft and cuddly.  Across and down the street a ways was the Old Country Store.  They had some beautiful things, including quilts, and more FABRIC!  I loved it!  I did buy a couple half yards to make yo-yos out of for the yo-yo comforter I'm making.  I tucked my quilting supplies in my bag in hopes I would have a few minutes to stitch up a few while we're away.  We'll see.

We got to our Bed and Breakfast about 5:00, and I promptly fell on the bed and went fast asleep.  I don't know if it was a combination of my allergy medicine and Dramamine or the fact that I was dead tired, but I was OUT!  I woke up in time to go to dinner with Paul at the Bird-in-Hand restaurant.  We rode through the countryside after dinner.  Such beauty all around us.  We saw an Amish man and his son bringing a load of hay in from the fields.  We saw Amish children riding their bikes and scooters.  We saw so many Amish farms, horses, and wagons. Everything was so neat and clean and beautiful.  We could all learn something from the Amish.  They certainly are an inspiration for me!  As it got darker, I also noticed there were very few lights on in their houses.  Remember the Amish don't use electricity.   Their way of life seems so simple and serene.  I know they work hard, but I've never seen an Amish person overweight.  Maybe that's also a lesson for us. 

Until tomorrow...
Jackie

Miss Mary