Many of us in Southern Vermont love to take Amtrak to NYC. We drive to Albany and park our cars and ride the the train along the lovely Hudson River. I keep my eyes out for boats and buildings and the famous West Point school where we used to go to football games with my father. My husband and friend Amy always watch for and find Eagles. Pro tip: Ride on the right side on the way in and on the left side on the way out. Even in bad weather it is absolutely gorgeous.
The "Traveling Stitcher"
When daughter Brooke and I sat down to create my business cards I needed a title. That was easy, "traveling stitcher" summed up my dream job. I am totally an avid and dedicated Local Shop shopper. I also often find myself hours from a local shop. I like small islands and lake cottages and any type of boat .... all which happen to be far from civilization. I needed to create kits which have the same standards of quality I was used to, that could be fedexed anywhere in the world.
This photo was taken recently in the Philadelphia Airport on a layover. As you can see, daughter Brooke and I both travel with a LOT of needlepoint. A millennial daughter and a 52 year old mother do not always pick the same favorite canvases. I love that. I love that I can stitch a tropical monkey wearing an orange fez and daughter Brooke will stitch Tupac and Biggie Smalls. Although, I must confess, I am minutes away from choosing that Tupac canvas as well!
I carry all needlepoint with me in carry-on baggage. The black purse goes below the seat in front of me and contains my iPad, beloved Sony camera, wallet, two passports*, noise canceling headphones, and baggies of needlepoint. One of those baggies contains finished projects I wanted to have with me in Florida. I love to stitch on planes while listening to books on tape. For this flight I listened to The Knockoff. (Life hack. If you are a righty try to get a right side aisle seat or left side widow to avoid scaring your neighbor with your needle. Or sit next to your husband, he's used to that!)
The orange camo bag contains more projects for the trip. The other bags are Brooke's projects.
* about the passports....I travel with my passport and my husband's. Sadly, not for quick romantic get aways. Three years ago we were at the family cottage on Lake Michigan when we got a call our youngest son was being evacuated from Machu Picchu to have an emergency appendectomy in Cusco. He was 17 at the time. Our passports were safely locked up in Vermont, and thus we had no way to get to him. We currently have two children in Europe. One is studying and working there and the other is traveling. In fact, at this moment they are in a bar in Munich together! If any of our children are out of the country, you can be assured, I'm carrying my mother sanity device! :)
This one was stitched in an airport while waiting to hear whether our son Colin got his dream job in London. He did!!
PRO TIPS:
1. Bring extra needles. Put them in several spots incase you change out your bag and forget. My change part of my wallet has several. Purse pockets have needles and so does my cosmetic bag. Nothing worse than arriving at the perfect place to stitch with no needle!
2. You can bring scissors on the plane. Read the TSA guidelines. I travel with smaller blades and have never had them taken away.
3. Precut fibers before flying. You can accomplish a lot more when you aren't fussing with your skein on the plane!
4. Ornaments and belts are great in flight projects.
5. Audible is a travelers best friend. Download the app. Buy your favorite books and have a great pair of noise canceling headphones. Listen to wonderful books while stitching for a dreamy flight.
River Cruising: What to pack
Here are a few lessons learned by someone who is a complete and proud packing geek:
1. Weigh your bag. You are allowed to bring 50 pounds in a checked bag. Do not leave for a great trip with 47 pounds of stuff. You are going to want to shop. Even if you think you are not a shopper. You will want to put more than 3 pounds of purchases into your suitcase. Get that weight down. Aim low people!! Don't shlep lots of stuff you don't need. We take advantage of laundry services on the boat and in hotels. It's worth the cost for us to have favorite clothes professional done and carry less. Pinterest has great packing lists for any of you other packing geeks out there.
2. Three or four pairs of shoes. That's it. No more. (They weigh too much!) Bring the most comfortable pair of walking shoes you have. Shoes you can walk for miles in! And yes, they can be sneakers. That story that Europeans don't wear sneakers is not true anymore. Sneakers are everywhere. Bring the most comfortable ones you have. Also bring shoes for bad weather. (Learn from me, on one trip to Italy, I was running through massive puddles in Siena in patent leather ballet flats.) Bring something dressy, loafers for men, ballet flats or strappy sandals for women. The joy of being on a river cruise is that you can wear dressy shoes to dinner and not have to walk far in them! If you leave the ship for a night to go to a nice restaurant, you are going to be thrilled to have them. Author and social media guru Amanda Brooks suggests "Always bring a party dress", I also suggest that men always bring a blazer.
3. Do not bring books. None. You don't want to carry them. Bring your kindle or as I prefer, an iPad with the kindle app. I'm a needlepointer so I also love having audible books and noise canceling headphones. I can stitch away in listening to fabulous books in peace on a noisy plane.
4. Leave big purses at home. A medium cross body bag is what you want. Big enough to hold essentials and a few small purchases. Hands free and pick pocket proof is the way to go.
5. Rain Gear
6. If you use apple products and a camera, bring the little white apple card reader. It's so fun to be able to upload your photos in the evenings. It will inspire you to bring your camera with you the next day.
7. Bring a sampling of the over the counter medications you prefer when you are sick. If you get sick on a trip, you do not want to have to navigate pharmacies with language barriers to purchase medications you have never heard of.
8. Sleeping favorites. I actually travel with my favorite pillow from childhood everywhere I go. It's worth it to me to ensure I have a fabulous night sleep. My husband and I travel with two sleep masks and two small reading lights. This way we can both read or sleep anywhere.
9. Sunglasses, hat, extra camera charger, extra glasses and contacts, headphones. Colorful scarves are a great way to dress up or change outfits you are repeating throughout the trip. A warm wrap is fabulous on a cold plane or for a spontaneous dinner al fresco. I have a favorite black cashmere wrap given to me by a dear childhood friend. I always fly with it and it doubles as a wrap to dress up any outfit.
10. Be prepared for a luggage disaster. Twice while traveling we have known people who have lost their luggage on the way TO the trip. What could be worse than arriving for a dream trip after 12 hours of traveling without any clean clothes?! We carry at least one great outfit in our carry ons (I prefer 2). The other trick some couples do is to pack half of each person's clothes in each of the two suitcases. This way if you loose one suitcase on the way, you each have half your clothes. We have not yet tried this, but have been tempted!
* Do not bring ANY good jewelry. It's so not worth it. Every one of us has heard a story or two about someone we know who was robbed while traveling. Leave it all at home. A wedding band if you are married and a simple pair of earrings are all you need. Simple inexpensive jewelry is fine. Knock off costume jewelry is not the solution. Someone who is going to rob you is not wondering whether or not your sparklers are cubic zirconia. Don't call attention to yourself.
For luggage... We are loyal Tumi users. Love the 4 rotating wheels. Great quality, no flash. We opt for grey because it hides the dirt but still stands out amongst all the black luggage. In addition we have added colorful markers to help identify our bags. We each also use a Tumi carry-on bag. My husband prefers a tote bag and I prefer a small, soft wheelie bag that fits under the seat in front of me. Both of our carry-ons attach on top of our larger bags.
Photos taken on our second day of the trip in Vienna, Austria. A grey, rainy yet beautiful day.
Viking River Cruise 101
Viking ships in Budapest await the arrival of their passengers. Excited guests arrive from around the world on this beautiful sunny day.
My husband and I have had the great pleasure of traveling twice with Viking River Cruises. Two years ago we traveled through France from Marseille to Burgundy and then went on to Paris as a Viking add-on trip. We recently returned from our second river cruise on the Danube, starting in Budapest and traveling through Austria and Germany to Nuremberg. From Nuremberg, we again, traveled on to Prague with some of the other guests for another add-on experience. Both times we have been on river cruises we have traveled with additional adult family members. This is a great way for us to spend quality time and share fun adventures with loved ones that live in other parts of the country.
This trip, for us, was a celebration of our brand new empty nest. The Empty Nest Victory Lap, I jokingly call it. A time to celebrate that our children are right where they should be, and that we have reached a new phase in our lives.
Gorgeous buildings line the rivers in Europe giving passengers of the boats a glorious view
Traveling can be facilitated a variety of ways, as a child I traveled abroad with my parents on lovely business trips. As a young woman I traveled twice on a dime, through Europe with a backpack and a train pass. I believe our Bible was called "Europe on ten dollars a day". As adults we have traveled by our own design or on private tours, from city to city staying in a different hotel every few nights, packing and repacking as we go. Each one of these modes is fun and exhilarating and provides amazing life changing experiences. High Tea at the Dorchester as a child was equally as fascinating as spaghetti dinners with other 20-something travelers in a Salzburg youth hostel in the early 80s. In recent years we have had International travel experiences with our young adult children, and that is perhaps the most wonderful of all. Taking your child to a favorite city is a dream come true. Having your child show you around the European city they live in, is just even more magical.
A look down to the Danube from the castle on the Pest side of the river.
River cruise travel is a lovely luxury that provides many perks in itself. Each boat has less than 200 guests. Spending a week touring and sharing cocktails and meals with other travelers is both entertaining and a great way to meet other travelers and hear about their adventures. On this past trip I was fascinated to hear that some travelers were going from river cruise to river cruise. One lucky group we met were on the go for four months!
Extraordinary church roof
When you travel on a river boat, your state room, your closet and your belongings go with you as you travel from village to village in the same country or from country to country.. Unpack once and you are ready for adventure. Sleeping in the same bed every night after a days full of visual feasts is a great way to feel relaxed and well rested on your trip! On most days you come back to the boat for a lovely lunch. This gives you a chance to change shoes, grab a sweater, pick up your camera, before your next tour.
Early Sunday morning, cafe workers begin to set up for patrons who will be quick to arrive.
Some mornings or afternoons are spent cruising on the river passing beautiful sites you would never see from the road. Some days you will have both a morning and an afternoon tour. Everything is done for you. The ship's crew sees you off with water bottles, umbrellas, and tour information. Tour guides are awaiting on shore to take each group (on very clean, comfortable buses) to see the sights and hear first hand from a local about historical significances, artists' talents, and local customs. Different times during the trip there will be opportunities for shopping, coffee at a local cafe, or independent exploration.
Evenings are spent aboard ship. Cocktail hour is held in the lovely large living room area. Exceptionally professional and gracious staff make sure you have the cocktails you desire as you await the briefing from the Activity Director about the next day's adventures. Meals are served in two different fashions, either a more informal buffet on the top deck or a sit down meal in the formal dining room. Complimentary regional wine and beer are served at meals. After dinner, the living room is the hot spot for cocktails, live piano music, chatty travelers, and dancing. On some evenings there are performances or events. Late night fun on the top deck as the ship travels to the next destination or goes through the locks is particularly entertaining. Our family was fond of late night putting contests on the three small putting areas.
Photos from our first day in Budapest.
If you give a mouse a cookie....
For the past many months my husband and I have been planning a dream trip. We never set out to go on a long journey, this was one of those “if you give a mouse a cookie” scenerios. About a year ago I joined my long time and dear friend Kari on a yoga retreat. She had become a teacher at Sellwood Yoga in Portland, Oregon and had begun teaching with her friend, studio owner, Savonn. Kari and Savonn were bringing a group to Lucca, Italy and invited me to join. As you can imagine it took me all of 4 seconds to decide to go! Many, many years ago I owned a very small yoga studio in Vermont and although I know very well all the ins and outs of yoga, I no longer practice, and am in despicable shape. I marched myself over to Kripalu for a few warm ups and off I went to Lucca to join this extraordinary trip. Little known fact: Many gorgeous villas and estates throughout Europe rent out their spectacular facilities to yoga retreats. Seriously, who makes better guests than yogis??!! Yoga retreats are also a great value and often include meals made on site by local cooks… and there are sure to be visiting masseuses! I had wonderful plans to meet Don after the Italian retreat, and we enjoyed romantic Lake Como and adventuring around Switzerland - even returned to Murren, where I had studied in college. I did however, feel that Don had missed out. There were other men at the yoga retreat and our group had the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy Savonn and Kari’s classes and the chance to see many lovely sites in Tuscany. We had dinners in neighboring villages, went on a wine tour, visited Cinque Terra, and took Italian cooking lessons. (Which have resulted in the purchase of TWO pasta makers and NO homemade pasta to date!)
When another retreat presented itself, I immediately invited Don to join me. This time in France!! And thus, we have the beginning of “if you give a mouse a cookie” or in our case “if you are going to a yoga retreat in France, you might as well….”
If you are going on a yoga retreat in France, you might as well go to Barcelona!! 6 years ago we had the most fantastic International student Patty come and live with our family. For the last 6 years Patty and our Birdie have gone back and forth to spend great amounts of time with each other!! Birdie has completely adopted Patty’s family and vise versa. It was high time we made our way to Spain to see Patty and meet her amazing mother Louisa!! We tore ourselves away from Barcelona this morning after 3 full days and 4 nights of living it up in Spain. We toured the city and museums, we spent time with Patty and Lousia’s family and friends, we saw other girls who had studied in Vermont. We even celebrated Don’s 60th birthday. Because we were traveling with a local family, we often found ourselves in settings where we were the only tourists, which I love. This included the Barcelona Polo Club. It was very hard pulling ourselves out of our friends’ warm and inviting home but we had to continue on our journey.
If you are going to France for a yoga retreat, and you are going to Barcelona, you must take a week between and drive through the Pyrenees. (Marital traveling tip number one: When you plan a trip, have each spouse pick different locations or activities. Each spouse needs to be very enthusiastic for the other’s activities. This creates great travel harmony and a high percentage of future travel!)
Don loves athletic pursuits and adventure. As evident by the photo above, I am very happy sitting on a couch needlepointing. (Extra points if there is auditory enjoyment such as conversation with family or friends, television, or a great audio book.) I absolutely love to travel but my own personal choices might not include steep inclines, maps, undergrounds, or the woods. I also insist on staying far from Alligators. Don takes me way out of my comfort zone…which includes my current packing accoutrements… hiking poles, hiking boots, and scratchy wool socks. Tomorrow I fill my pockets with asthma medicine, grab my favorite travel tool (my beloved camera), and follow my husband through the gorgeous mountain range between Spain and France. I thoroughly expect a gooey cheese and baguette reward!!
Stay tuned for more Pyrenees stories and the other “cookies”, we are adding to this adventure!
Little House in the Big Woods
Dorset, Vermont October 2016
"The great, dark trees of the Big Woods stood all around the house, and beyond them were other trees and beyond them were more trees. As far as a man could go to the north in a day, or a week, or a whole month, there was nothing but woods. There were no houses. There were no roads. There were no people. There were only trees and the wild animals who had their homes among the big woods"
Innisfree Fall 2016
"Walnuts and Hickory nuts were dropping to the ground in the Big Woods, and squirrels were scampering busily everywhere, gathering their winter's store of nuts and hiding them away in hollow trees."
Innisfree Fall 2016
"Wolves lived in the Big Woods, and bears, and huge wild cats. Muskrats and mink and otter lived by the streams. Foxes had dens in the hills and deer roamed everywhere."
Millbrook, New York Fall 2016
"Autumn was great fun. There were so much work to do, so many good things to eat, so many new things to see."
Text by Laura Ingalls Wilder from Little House in the Big Woods. Photos by Tricia Heaton