How was your event?

Did you mean our honeymoon escape to Shelburne and Burlington or the second doll mural wheat pasting? Both were fabulous, thank you. We were celebrating the history of our beautiful 46-year marriage and recognizing the significant role the sweet cloth dolls have played in our lives.

Going to the Shelburne Museum to see art and find the painted staircase, a replica of the one in our historic stone house, was wonderful. Lew opened the locked stairway under the careful eyes of the docent in Dutton House, and with glee sparked, "It's here!" We have since provided the reference in a classic Early American Decorative book and photos of our staircase. They feel they have a treasure now. The house was moved from Cavendish, north of Chester, and the owner developed the Green Mountain Turnpike (yes, Route 103) that goes through the Stone Village. We topped off the day with an incredible dinner in open air on Church Street in Burlington.

Silvio welcomed us home and helped us ready for the second mural wheat pasting event. Weeding, dealing with critters -- woodchucks, a red fox, chipmunks, and possibly a bear in our compost. We placed the posters and cards up around town. NewsBank again did a perfect job of printing the doll images. Together we removed last year's residue from the garage wall; and Friday, in bright afternoon sun, Lew repainted it in one hour! I cooked treats to be offered as continuous eating, and tidied up. Email reminders and Facebook presentations brought sound response. Mixing the paste in the morning, we were ready.

Julie wanted Destry; Bobbie cherishes Holly; Nancy worships Hope; Christine loves her cuties; Deborah insisted on Missy; and Fred adores Darla. All my fast-growing Chester girls came with their parents again and picked favorites. Marlayna won Camilla and the girls are excited about the doggie companion I want to create. Embroiderer Eileen came to proudly paste Karmen, her granddaughter's creation with two different eyes. While we chatted and munched, we learned that maybe it was because five-year-old Karmen is bilingual, speaking to Nana/US in English and Nana/Mexico in Spanish. The family stories enriched our already 38-year history as fabulous friends. Margie, who as the valedictorian GM graduate received "herself" in cap and gown to add to her collection, so she'll be by to document. So if you missed the weekend, just let us know when we'll see you and your color doll art will be ready for you.

While we waited for guests, we reminisced about which Caribbean Island we were on at this point in the week. Then we turned to historical documentation of our stone house and the other nine structures in the Stone Village in Chester. No wonder our history of doll making is so rich and profound. Think about where they are made, reside and get visited. The quality factors match. We are amused that we can see images of a mask, a buffalo, an alligator or a shark in the stonework as we share a meal on our lovely porch. In conversation we reflect on the perfect choices of this community and especially this house.

This week our first Vermont Bike Tour revisited after more than ten years. Twenty came and they enjoyed the cool house, a tour, the dolls, the art, the stories and the delicious leftover treats. Even in the heat, they visited the new mural. The VBT doll is being created, not quite like the one of the old days with a slightly different logo, but a sport in all his glory.View image

So when did you meet us first? Did you meet Clara Claus at Santa's Land? Have you made a Bundle from a Butterick pattern? Where did the saying, "Your eyes won't believe their eyes" evolve? Who was the first motif doll? Did you come to the Big, Little Wedding? The side of the garage gets painted by mid-July and theHistoryTime Line event is our next focus. The basket of memorabilia is in the dining room fireplace, W A I T I N G!