It is impossible to LOVE Salvage Material (vintage, architectural, even recycling) without a love of our past. So when we had a wedding in Virginia, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to travel with my daughter and do a bit of an "All-American Road Trip." We had a lovely time, as well as learned a lot about our country. Here are a few of the highlights from the trip including the picture above. Gabrielle bought her dad this book at Independence Hall visitors' center (since he couldn't do the first part of the trip with us) and these sunglasses. We poised in a black and white photo booth -- so All American!
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| I know this seems creepy to some but it is moving and amazing to think about where and how people lived in our country when they first began to settle here. Streetroad Cemetery is one of the first common burying grounds in historic Ticonderoga. First settlers, Revolutionary and Civil War soldiers, plus the area's first State Senator, were buried here. I believe respecting how hard it must have been makes me respect what I have now. |
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| Gabrielle (and Gibbs the lion-our mascot) napping during the trip. Gabrielle made her own DIY travel pillow -- wonder were she gets that? Complete with pocket for sleeping in :) |
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| The Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York, was truly spectacular and I only show you a shoe! But not any old shoe -- one on a spectacular historic statue placed in the formal gardens. Fancy! |
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| Okay -- how cool is this! The kitchen in Franklin D. Roosevelt's Manor House in Hyde Park. Love the tile work around the stove and the farmhouse table they used to prep the food on. |
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| A flower from Sara Roosevelt's Garden (Franklin's mother). It is in this garden that President Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt are buried. All 28 varieties of roses were blooming when we visited. Incredible! I love this picture, I may have to blow it up. |
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| The tile work at El Vez, a Mexican Restaurant in Philadelphia is just one of the cool salvaged design pieces in this place. Loved it! The food and atmosphere was lively and fun! |
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| More creative tile work, just somewhere else in Philly--South Street area to be exact. I had not heard about the Magic Gardens until we walked by this house on our way to get a cheese steak sandwich at Pat's. There are numerous places in this area that display this amazing artwork, now a non-project organization: Philadelphia's Magic Gardens is a folk art environment, gallery space, and nonprofit organization that showcases the work of mosaicist Isaiah Zagar. I love the use of all the salvaged tile and bric-a-brac. |
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| This is a photo in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in D.C. It's part of a huge wall collage of animals framed and back lit -- between the sun hitting the sheep and the lighting beyond the picture -- there is an aura about it that is hard to explain. I feel a DIY project coming on! |
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| All the monuments and memorials and museums in Washington D.C. are moving but what touched me the most were the personal messages and pictures left by families at the different sites. We truly are blessed to have so many men and women protecting us. Thank you from my family to yours. |
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| You can't have a road trip (from a self-proclaimed salvage guru) without stopping at a salvage or antique shop. I had this one on my map before we even left Vermont. Finally on Friday we arrived--to find that it is only open on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. You can feel my disappointment I'm sure. Next time -- Squashapenny Junction -- Next time! |
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| Just in case you got lost on the amazing property. A DIY wedding directional sign. A girl after my own heart! |
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| Westover Plantation in Virginia, on the James River built in the 1700's. Filled with history -- including secret passage ways and more. It is also a beautiful spot for a wedding. Once Civil War soldiers camped on this lawn but today we are celebrating a loving union of two friends on it. Oh...how the world turns. |
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| Gabrielle and I sat at the kitchen counter at Barbuzzo in Philadelphia. This Mediterranean kitchen and bar was Dynamite! I loved all the salvage decor, including dessert that was served in recycled jam jars on recycled menus. The food was out of this world and the dessert -- one of the best since my chocolate souffle in Bermuda in 2001. |
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| The friendly chefs, Brendan and Chris. Thanks for the amazing food and making Gabrielle and I feel at home in Philly! |
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| No road trip down the historic eastern shore of the United States is complete without Fife and Drum. Thankfully, our clever friends who wed, thought to have one entertain us before the ceremony. To all the states we visited -- thanks for the memories! My Best, Joanne |
