Today was a very fun day. A friend picked me up and we went galavanting. Our mission was to go to Henniker, “the only Henniker on earth,” to a fairly new quilt shop there. Quilted Threads has something for everyone’s taste, in fabrics, books, and all the latest gadgets. I happened to spot a “FabriCalc.” This looks like a hand held calculator and is used to estimate yardage when planning a quilt. I would have loved a demonstration of just how it works, before plunking down $40. for one, so decided against the purchase, at least for today.
We headed to an orchard on the top of Gould Hill in Contoocook, one of those sleepy little New England towns that still has a lot of open space that has not yet been gobbled up by developers. I was looking for “Northern Spy,” an apple that is a “good keeper” and which makes the most wonderful pies imaginable. They are hard to find, as they are an old variety and not many orchards still grow them. Since they won’t be picked until mid-October, we both put our names on a waiting list. In the meantime, we tried one of their “Chestnut Crabapples” from a basket that said, “Try me.” The apple was small, a little tart, and had a lot of flavor.
The farm itself overlooks a valley and distant hills. Once the foliage peaks, it will be a grand sight from there, indeed. Information about the orchard and a beautiful photo appear on this site: www.gouldhill.com
I purchased some Japanese fabrics that I may use to finish a quilt I started at least two years ago. It’s sometimes difficult to find nice indigo prints, and that is what I had in mind.
When we returned to Concord, we stopped at “The Golden Gese,” the oldest quilt shop in town, and the one with the most bolts of fabric, and the most room. The shop owner, Nancy Gesen, is a long time quilter who also founded the quilt guild here in Concord, NH. She had a nice selection of 1930s reproduction fabrics with miniscule prints that would be excellent for miniature quilts, so some of those were a must-buy.
All in all, we had a wonderful day. The company was excellent and the weather was gorgeous. All of the waterways that we passed were a deep azure blue, with the sun shining on them. I felt very blessed and happy to have such a good friend who shares some of the same interests.
Tomorrow, I will have to do some serious work after all of this goofing off, but it sure was fun to take a little time just for sake of enjoyment.
Pat from the Spider’s Web
