For Nicholas

Cars and trucks, boats and trains, fire engines and planes.  Nicholas and I spent many a day racing around the house with anything that moved...often in an effort to "Save the Day".  This was his quilt for his new "big boy" bed for Christmas 2016. 

CSP - Governor's Mansion

Governor's Mansion Circa 1920 -
Center for Sacramento History

Every drive from our home in Fair Oaks to downtown Sacramento included a view of the Governor's Mansion, which stands on the corner of 16th and H Streets.was occupied at the time. After Reagan abandoned the mansion it became a historic park, and I  toured it on at least two occasions over the years. 

The mansion stands three stories and is topped with a cupola.  One of the unusual features is the face of Columbia, the gem of the Ocean, which is found over every doorway.

In 1877 hardware merchant Albert Gallatin built the Victorian Gothic or is it an Second Empire-Italianate, various websites differ.  It was subsequently occupied by the Lincoln Steffens family.

In 1903 the state of California bought it for $32,500 to serve as a home for the governor.  Over the years 13 governors, starting with George Pardee,  and their families occupied the mansion, until after four months, Nancy and Ronald Reagan decided that they needed more modern quarters. In 2015 Jerry and Anne Gust Brown moved back into the renovated mansion, but once again it has been vacated by the governor as Newsom and his family moved to a house in Fair Oaks.

1. Historical Landmark #823
2. Governor's Mansion State Historic Park - Wikipedia
3. Calisphere - Governor's Mansion (173 images)
4. Trail Posts: A Literary Exploration of California's State Parks Read Joan Didion's essay Many Mansions. 

Chess

A cross stitch chess board that provided hours of play for Madi when she was a toddler and held lots of chess games before Greg made his chess table

Duvet Cover

This was the hardest project I ever worked on.  A Duvet cover for Jessica and Scott.  I used an old one as the backing...but unfortunately it was stretchy.  Keeping this in shape was a real challenge!!!

There are pieces of fabric from their wedding in it and additional material bought during the family gathering at Klamath Falls.









When done I used the scraps to make a small quilt which has also gone to the Carbullido house.

NP - Great Smoky Mountains

The dreamy blur haze...that ever hovers over the mountains..softens all outlines, lends a mirage-like effect of great distance to objects that are but a few miles off, while those farther removed grow more and more intangible until finally the sky-line blends with the sky itself."  Horace Kephart circa 1904

A trip to Knoxville for the FGS conference in 2010 provided a great opportunity to see the Great Smoky Mountains.  We enjoyed a drive through the park on our way from Atlanta.  









In Knoxville Greg dropped me at the hotel and went back to the park for a few days of searching for illusive trout!  

Although the fish were scarce the butterflies were not.  He got some magnificent pictures of them and a few other creatures, as well as some great creek shots.  He also brought me back a birthday present... a great fly for the spiderweb on my crazy quilt guitar case.

Located in both Tennessee and North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established in 1934 in an effort to save the rapidly diminishing forests of the Smoky Mountains.  Between 1900 and 1934 nearly 80% of the lumber had been harvested.  With the founding of the park over 1200 people had to move from within the protected boundaries.

The ensuing  years between that and our visit have allowed nature to restore much of that earlier destruction.  It is a gorgeous area. well worth a visit.  The headquarters in Gatlinburg is a little over touristy, but once you are in the park ....!!!!

• More Pictures of the Great Smoky Mountains  
• Other GA KY TN pictures from 2010 
• NPS - Great Smoky Mountains
• Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Wikipedia 
• Trail Map - LOC 

• Light and shadow: The mystery and legacy of George Masa

• George Masa, Legend of the Great Smoky Mountains

Inspire

For Meaghan who is inspiring.  Under the spiderweb is a piece of a letter she wrote me about a cemetery in Massachusetts.