Paula Nadelstern

Today I went to New York City with four other members of the quilt guild to see the display of Paula Nadelstern's quilts at the American Folk Art Museum. The show was disappointing since there weren't many quilts on display, and the ones that were there I had already seen in her book. But it was still neat to see them "in person". We had a good lunch at this deli on 53rd between 6th and 7th.

Back to NJ

We drove back to New Jersey today. We'll spend the next couple of weeks with family and getting some last-minute things done here before heading to camp for the summer.

Kayak Trip to Hitchins Pond

We did our first ADK paddle of the season today. Thirteen of us put in above the Lows Lower Dam and paddled up the Bog Riverto Hitchins Pond. Then we hiked up to the ridge above the pond for a great view and neat lunch spot. The black flies are coming out but we weren't too bothered. This was a repeat of the trip we took in 2007. Click here for a map.

Critter Cam

Usually the raccoons wait until dusk to steal the sunflower seeds. This one came to visit while we were eating dinner. Opening the door caused it to get off the deck, but not very far. And it kept returning until all the seed was gone.

More Wildflowers

The blueberries are blooming along the lakeshore. And the woods are full of the flowers of goldthread (Coptis groenlandica) in the Ranunculaceae.

First Paddle of the Season

The weather was so beautiful and still this morning we went for a paddle on the Flow. As you can see, the leaves are not out very far yet. But neither are the bugs, so we are really enjoying the 60+ degree weather. Then this afternoon we went tree shopping, which was the main reason for the trip to camp. We found some nice spruce and fir at Flowering Meadow Nursery in Lake Placid. Their main location is in Jay, but the selection in Lake Placid was quite extensive. We ended up buying smaller plants than I had planned - their larger ones were too big for us to handle. They would have dug some middle-sized ones for us, but I wanted to get them in this week. And the smaller trees meant we got them planted when we got back. We have 3 balsam fir and 3 black spruce. We decided against white pine when the nurseryman said the deer love their succulent tips.

To Camp

We drove to camp today to stay for a few days and get some chores done. The weather is great. And the wildflowers are blooming. Including both painted and red trillium. And the ferns are coming up.

Slave Labor

Well, not really. We actually volunteered. We spent the weekend helping S with her stonework project. It looks really great. We figure we are about 1/3 of the way done.

Trip to Lancaster

Today five of us from the guild went to the Lancaster area to shop for quilt fabric. We had a great day. We enjoyed driving through the picturesque Amish farm country, including this school with the buggies parked alongside.We started at Zooks in Intercourse, PA, which was having a sale (10% off) for Mother's Day. We made a note to come back next year at the same time. Then we went to Sauders, and finished at Burkholder's,where as quilt guild members we got 12% off everything - a pleasant surprise which made up for the fact that they are a bit more expensive. I think we all agreed that Burkholder's was the best. We had an early dinner at the Union Barrel Works in Reamstown, PA, which was recommended by the nice folks at Burkholders.

Trip to Delaware

We had a nice visit with Eric and Maryann in Delaware. We enjoyed watching the bluebirds that live in the birdhouse in their yard.We drove to the wetlands around the St. Jones River and to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge and got to see some neat critters. Including, a muskrat that we got to watch a long time as it swam around in the tidal creek chewing on marsh grass, a fox stalking its prey, and some neat water birds, including this black-necked stilt.