quiltersmuse.com Blog

“ixtapa Mexican Restaurant & Cantina”

Today, we had to go on an errand to the seacoast. We had eaten breakfast, as we customarily do each day, but by 1:30 p.m., we were both feeling hungry. We passed our usual “haunts,” along the way, but somehow, we were not in the mood for the food offered there. Then, I remembered that Newington had a Mexican restaurant. Jim’s powers of memory surpass mine, and he recalled that that one had gone out of business, or was perhaps renamed. We found the new restaurant and all I can say is, this place would be worth moving to New Hampshire, if you like Mexican food.

This was not just “food.” This was cultural ambience!

After being greeted cordially, we were ushered to a booth where the waitress immediately brought two large glasses of ice water, a basket of newly made “chips,” and a chilled bottle of “homemade” salsa that, among other delights, had slices of tomato in it.

We looked over the menu and everything sounded delicious. I ordered the “pollo yucatan” (Yucatán chicken). This consisted of thinly sliced chicken breasts that were extremely tasty. Side dishes were a flavorful rice, refried beans with cheese, hot, fresh flour tortillas, a fresh tomato slice, lettuce pieces, and a large dob of sour cream.

Jim decided to choose a vegetarian entreé: “veggie ixtapa,” described as “A fiesta combo of spinach enchilada, chili releno, and green cheese enchilada. Served with whole black beans.” He loved it!

Meanwhile, Mexican music was playing, and the restaurant is decorated with Mexican paintings, sculptures, weavings, etc. that made this a “total” experience.

The restaurant has a full service menu that includes appetizers, salads, soups, quezadillas, combinations, burritos, enchiladas, chimichangas, seafood, vegetarian, sandwiches, and burgers, sizzling fajitas, steak dishes, chicken dishes, and pork dishes, as well as desserts. If only I’d left room for “flan!”- It’s one of my favorite desserts, after having eaten it so often when I lived in Spain.

Last but not least, the bathrooms were clean, spacious, nicely decorated, and well supplied.

We were thrilled with the attentiveness of the staff and their friendliness, and the fresh quality of the food. We will definitely make a return visit there soon, even though it is located about an hour from our home. I cannot remember a time that I have been more pleased when dining out, and I feel that it is worth a mention here.

This restaurant leaves all others in the dust! (Just my humble opinion, of course!)

Patricia

Yesterday, we took a walk near the water’s edge in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. There is no snow at all, and the grass that is growing, along the street where we walked, was long, green, and straggly. The first sign of life were birds moving quickly within the underbrush and entangled vines. I heard and then saw a male Cardinal, and then we noticed that there were pairs of Cardinals on the other side of the street.

The thrill of the day was spotting five swans flying low over the water. They landed, as a group. Swans frequent the Narragansett Bay area, and there are some photos in a previously written article on our website called, “Goddard Park.”

http://www.quiltersmuse.com/Goddardpark.htm

I had the privilege of pushing the baby buggy containing my grandson. One couple and their little girl stopped us, to ooh and aah. There was only a slight breeze blowing and the temperature was temperate. The lobster traps were sitting near a dock, closed down for the winter. We passed two seafood restaurants along our way.

Whenever I travel, I always enjoy seeing the things of nature the best: the symmetry or non-symmetry of the naked trees, the bird life, and the flowers. There were no outdoor flowers blooming this time around, but a beautiful spray of Siberian Iris and Lilies had just been delivered, in honor of the new baby. I am always amazed at how florists can grow plants, out of season.

Best wishes.

Patricia

Since we are technically still on vacation, we decided to fly the coop today and take a little trip to Vermont. We thought that there was still a quilt show on, in Newport, NH, but we had run across some faulty information.

We took all the back roads, no hurry on this day, and crossed over to Vermont to ride along the other side of the Connecticut River, farm country. We reached a smaller version of the main Vermont Country Store, a wonderful place to sample VT made cheese, to buy old time candies of all kinds, and to find warm gloves, hats, flannel nightgowns, toys, soaps, decorative candles, bedding, jams, and so much more.

We lingered there for a long time and came away with some goodies, my favorite being my new mascot, a stuffed loon (not a real one) that makes the sound of a loon when pressed on the top. I see a pattern developing here, as I also have “loon” fabric curtains at my front door.

We stopped to take a photo of a wonderful waterfall, right by the side of the road. The landscape is rapidly changing as winter approaches. The cornfields are a collection of short, yellow spikes, with an occasional stalk left standing with its yellowed leaves blown by the wind and looking like a flag.

Many of the trees are naked, and are flanked by birch trees, and the rust- colored leaves of the oaks, and a few beech trees still sporting their yellow leaves. We passed some bogs that were bright with bushes that have large orange-red berries that resemble cranberries, except for the coloration. At first, we both thought that these bushes were high bush cranberries, but after investigating further, Jim believes them to be a variety of “Shad.”

We stopped at one antique shop and I found some beautiful handkerchiefs. The checkout girls were probably wondering what I was going to do with ten hankies, but the price was right, and who knows when inspiration will strike to make another quilt.

As usual, Jim and I just had fun being together. We are quite the inseparable pair and it is a good thing that we enjoy each other’s company so much, after all these years.

So, it was a good day. We will buckle down to more work, soon enough, but this recent vacation was much needed, and we are both feeling refreshed.

Jim has not processed today’s photos yet, but when he does we will probably post a few here. So, stay tuned.

Have a good Friday!

Pat

Today, we put the finishing touches on an article about our trip to the north country (northern Maine, and Canada). I purposely left out certain details of our trip like a description of the “haddock swam through it” chowder, or as the natives say, “chowdah.” Though there were few ingredients to be found, it was very tasty and also very welcome on the cold, rainy day it was consumed.

I hope that you will enjoy the account of our adventure. Being people watchers, that is always half the fun of going anywhere. The human race is an interesting assortment of creatures and is infinitely amusing.

The link to the article is this: http://www.quiltersmuse.com/our_trip_to_the_north_country.htm

Pat from the Spider’s Web

Due to a glitch in the system, my previous post got wiped out. So, I will try again to describe a bit about our recent trip.

Below is an Old Fisherman of the Sea monument that is located in Eastport, Maine, the easternmost city in the United States.

This past week, we traveled north as far as St. John’s, Canada. The further north we drove, the more distantly spaced were the houses, and the more wildlife and birds could be seen. We were very excited to spot our first Bald Eagle, in the wild, near Eastport, Maine, the easternmost city in the United States.

We also saw two moose, both of them in Maine. One of them was walking across a field, and the other, a 400-450 lb. young, male moose, was lying on a carry trailer. He had been hit by a truck and was being taken home by people who live in the Bridgton, Maine area, to provide food for the winter. We saw groups of deer in fields, and one large buck that crossed the road just two cars ahead of us, near Calais, Maine, a border town. We very much enjoyed Calais and found several antique shops there.

Except for the topography, Canada seems a lot like the United States. Restaurant chains, like KFC and McDonald’s provide food that is somewhat equivalent to their American counterparts. One difference is that the road signs and historic landmarks are in both English and French. Everyone was warm and welcoming.

We were able to visit the Ross Memorial Museum in Canada, a Georgian style home that is decorated with material culture from its owners’ world travels. The place was closed, but we were allowed to look around because the curator happened to be there, preparing for the designers to decorate for Christmas. She told us that more than eight hundred children visited the house at Christmas time last year and each was given a homemade cookie. Choral groups and a harpist were on hand to make the season truly festive.

Of course, while we had hoped to find an open quilt shop or possibly antique shops, the real reason for traveling to the north was to see the landscape and to visit the ocean areas. We saw some lighthouses, the large Bay of Fundy, and Irving Park, an amazing natural area that was worth the trip, in itself.

We enjoyed the intoxicating and fragrant smell of Balsam Fir trees, and especially liked the moss-lined floors of some of the forest areas. The moss was so thick, it looked like a green carpet. A narrow, one-way dirt road took us around Irving Park, an island from which there were wonderful ocean views, from on high.

We are so happy to be home. While traveling is fun, we really enjoy the comforts of home and are more than thrilled to get back to home cooked meals, our snail mail, and our computer!

Pat

Yesterday afternoon, Jim and I decided to take a stroll down a wooded trail that runs alongside the Merrimack River. This hiking trail is part of the “Heritage Trail.” We met a few fellow travelers, all with dogs, some with mandated “baggies” to keep the area clean. The chipmunks were alarmed, and skittered about, not wanting to stand still long enough to have their pictures taken.

Witch Hazel with its yellow fall leaves is seen below.

One plant Jim pointed out is Witch Hazel, which has medicinal properties. Another was Yellow Beech, the stems one source of the substance, Wintergreen. Yet another plant, with red berries, is Barberry. I asked him to take a photo of some of these and the Sweet Fern, a plant that is a natural insect repellent when the leaves are picked and crushed and rubbed over the surface of one’s skin.

Barberry, with its delicate red berries, is seen in the photo below.

In traipsing through the woods, I thought of the many plants that man has discovered to have some use. Digitalis, formerly used to treat heart conditions, comes from the beautiful Foxglove. Over the centuries we have relied on so many additional plants to feed us, to dye cloth, to provide medicine, and to spice our foods.

The other line of thought I had yesterday was a literary one about “woods.” In “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening,” Robert Frost says, “The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep…” An old song I learned in grade school says, “Over the river, and through the woods, to grandmother’s house we go.” We always sang this song at Thanksgiving time. Of course, there is also, “Little Red Riding Hood,” and “Hansel and Gretel,” both woods-based tales children.

While we didn’t see any wolves, nor even foxes, we felt alone with nature, enjoying the hemlocks, the pines, the deciduous trees (turning to red and yellow), the sound of rushing waters, and the occasional pooch who would happen by, without a leash on.

A Mallard Duck flaps his wings while his lady friends look for fish.

We heard some ducks, long before we saw them. There was only one male among them, his green Mallard’s head, glimmering in the sun. Most of the time, the ducks’ heads were underwater, as they must have found a school of small fish hiding behind a little banking of rocks. Just the other day I was pondering the fact that of all the other kinds of ducks that supposedly inhabit New England waterways, Mallard ducks are the only kind I have ever seen.

Just as Jim was absorbed in taking a photo of them, I spotted a low flying Great Blue Heron, and also a hawk overhead. (Eagles are known to frequent the Merrimack River area, too.) I love to see Herons. They are usually spotted in marshes and swamps where they nest in adjoining trees, in huge nests atop of them. They are gangly birds and can often be seen standing completely still in water, waiting for a fish to swim by. The Green Heron seems to be not as common and has much shorter legs.

On this day, the woods smelled…well…”woodsy.” I suppose some of that smell was decaying leaves, something I tried not to think about lest my allergies flair even worse. I had fun asking Jim the names of some unfamiliar plants and trees. When he had started his university career, he had been a botany/forestry major, and he has always loved the woods, and plant identification.

We enjoyed our mini-trip, a brief respite from work on that autumn afternoon.

Pat

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

We decided to fly the coop today and head for Maine, the place where life is “as it should be.” After all, winter is coming and we will be shut in enough. We expected to see more foliage, but the leaves are not really turning very much yet. The ferns are changing to yellow and rust, by the side of the road, a beautiful sight, and bunches of (lavender) New England wild asters are blooming there, too, right beside the yellow goldenrod. It seems that nature knows how to pick her colors well.

A beautiful New England Aster, growing in our backyard, is seen below. Underneath that photo is another one of Goldenrod, also in our yard.

Since today was a vacation day, we were determined to have “fun,” in our own inimitable way. We stopped at a few antique stores, but the pickings were slim in the textiles department, so we came home with nothing.

We pulled up at a second hand store and I found a couple of cute needlework patterns. I have found some neat quilt history books there, in the past. People often don’t know what they are discarding when “grandma” dies, or goes to a nursing home.

For a quarter, I found a pattern for a tooth fairy pillow (I don’t know when that will come in handy!), and an appliqué pattern of square dancers that just struck my fancy. That was also 25 cents.

Call us sticks in the mud. An outing for us usually includes bookstores, antique stores, and some place to eat. The Trailside Restaurant in Bridgton, Maine was a great place to dine. This time, we also stopped at the Country Store in Moultonboro, NH, a stone’s throw from Keepsake Quilting. Alas, the latter closes at 5 p.m. so we settled for poking around the country store. I bought a bottle of Sasparilla, a beverage that is a lot like root beer and hard to find around here. The store is loaded with everything from penny candy to notecards to stuffed animals, coffee mugs, postcards, moccasins, iron goods, welcome signs, cheese, and so much more.

They also have “new” cheese boxes that could be stained and stencilled and have a decorative fabric cover made for the top, as I once did. The unfinished boxes were $39.50. In the one I’d made, I created a fabric covered lining and used it to save sewing-related items. I took a class for the project ages ago from Diana Gallagher, who is now back in NH.

Jim took a photo of a wild turkey who was part of a group of hen turkeys, lurking by the side of the road. We parked, and watched this turkey as she kept continually going into the middle of the road. Her deceased sister was in a flattened position, up the road a piece, (as New Englanders say), proving that this kind of behavior does not always pay off. I’m sure Jim will share a picture or two with you a little later. (Of the LIVE bird, of course!) What were you thinking?

Ah, and here is the young hen turkey. The male turkeys are more stunning in appearance but they don’t “hang out” with the females until breeding season. Recently, New England has been overrun with wild turkeys. Like the deer, they probably “hide” during hunting season.

Best,

Pat from the Spider’s Web