Near the Bridge of Flowers

On the other side of the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, one can find another wondrous site: the glacial potholes. They are circular recesses in rocks beneath the falls. Over time, rocks have burrowed holes into the larger rocks ranging from 6 inches to 39 feet in diameter. In many case, one can still see the loose rocks hidden deeply in those recesses. Click on the photos to see some of the wonderful detail and color in the rocks. You can read about them here.

The water is not dirty or spoiled there. It had been raining a lot lately and mud is being carried over the falls just as it has been for centuries. There is a hydroelectric plant at the falls that can be seen in the photo.

For a few block around the bridge and the falls, there are quaint shops and restaurants. It is a good example of New England mill town that has been able to stay alive when so many towns lie in disrepair and disintegration while big box stores and strip mall abound a few miles away. It is a sad thing to see these once vibrant towns looking like ghost towns. One can imagine the thriving towns of one hundred years ago and how nice they once were. I am so thankful for towns that have been preserved and the hard working historical societies that keep New England's past alive and beautiful. We look forward to returning to this area some time soon and exploring a little more.

For now, daily duties around here are calling so there will be no waterfalls today.

Enjoy your day!

The Bridge of Flowers, Shelburne, MA

Imagine a bridge covered with perennial flowers! Imagine walking across the river surrounded by these beautiful flowers.

It is along side this bridge at Shelburne falls and was once a trolley bridge. Despite the very humid weather, it was still a wonderful walk. I cannot wait to return in the fall when the leaves begin to turn.



I will let the photos speak for themselves. Click on them for larger photos. There are other special things there that I will share another day.

Enjoy your day!

Summer Bleues....

My Bleuettes enjoy the summer and wearing summer clothes. These reproduction dolls were made by Anne Luree Leonard. For those who don't know, they are around 11 inches tall. Bleuette has recently enjoyed her 100th anniversary and the Internet is rich with places and on-line doll lists where you meet and greet this very popular doll. If you love to sew, there are hundreds of authentic vintage and antique patterns available. The doll with the short dark hair is a Robert Raikes Bobette, made of wood.

These photos make me smile and hopeful for better weather. So far, this summer has been mostly unpleasant-- unlike the cheery photos above which I took last summer. The sky is a soupy gray every day due to the high humidity and smog. Sunshine has been fleeting...maybe a few minutes here and there.

I have been waiting for a clear, sunny day with blue skies in order to take some photos outdoors, but that hasn't happened since late spring. Right now we are having the weather associated with the hurricane that has headed out to sea. It is like sub- tropics here in New England today! Hopefully, we will have some rain later because it has not rained here for several weeks and we have just finished six days with daily temperatures over 90 degrees. Getting a little crunchy under foot out there like autumn but we are only a third of the way through the summer.

Enjoy your day...be as carefree as these Bleuettes...whatever the weather!

Those Helpful Hannahs!

Those "Helpful Hannahs" are at it again. I thought they had slowed down, but they are back like bad pennies!

Picture this:

You are at an auction and waiting to bid on item that you have previewed for a few days. Just as you are about to raise your card to bid, somebody jumps out of his/her chair and yells, "wait......let me identify this item for you before anyone bids!"

Security would be there in a blink of an eye and that person would be banned from an auction house for life while being escorted off the premises. Every potential bidder would be infuriated and the auctioneer would have to stop that auction due to interference by the "helpful one."

Unfortunately, there is no such security on eBay and other online auctions. As a result, Helpful Hannahs " helpfully identify" Edith Flack Ackley pattern dolls on a regular basis, therefore not allowing an auction to proceed in a normal fashion. Can you spell SLEEPER? They can't.

I an guessing that they really don't bid on dolls since their actions pump up prices. They must have lots of time on their hands for this form of altruism. I have tried to imagine the logic behind the motivation to "help", but I can't. They want to HELP a seller to get a bigger price? Are they on commission?

Why on earth would anyone do such a "helpful" thing for a perfect stranger? Perhaps they cannot afford to bid or buy dolls and want to drive the prices up out of spite? Do they think they are the only people who can ID these dolls? I know there are online lists that are devoted to pointing out dolls on eBay. In the real world, people have to pay for appraisals and IDs....online you can apparently get auction stuff identified DURING an ongoing auction. How quaint!

Several other collectors and I have mulled this over for the last eight years or so but have not reached any other conclusions as of yet except those that I mentioned.

Those lucky sellers! They get he Ackley name added right into those eBay searches we all use....and how lucky for lazy-bone buyers...they don't even have to waste their time looking...like I (stupidly) do!

The above two dolls had this added to the REVISED listing...by the seller:

I have been advised by a very helpful
e-Bayer that these were made from a pattern
by Edith Flack Ackley.

Enjoy the day...and if you have nothing better to do, you could go to online auctions and identify stuff for sellers so they can make more money. You, too, can be a Helpful Hannah!

For the birds!

Another hot and humid day in New England. This summer has been for the birds...literally and figuratively. Since we installed our new bird bath, our tiny back yard is like a spa for feathered friends. I find myself filling the bird bath many times a day.

Our bird feeder also requires constant filling as the mother birds bring the babies to the deck rail and entice them to fly to the feeder. Sometimes they feed them as they squawk on the deck with their little mouths wide open waiting for seeds. They are so cute!

Then there are the little wooden bird houses that are sold in craft stores for around a dollar. I have been painting them and decorating them with art, paper, ribbons and other embellishments. They are totally addictive!


Of course, this has been the year of seeing other birds such as Great Blue Herons, ospreys, at the shore, orioles in the back yard, turkeys waddling down country roads, and swans in abundance.

Enjoy your day. Maybe you will see some birds in your travels. Have a good weekend, too.

Enter the Singer 301!

Call me sewing machine piggy. I already own a Singer Free Arm Featherweight 222, one black Featherweight, one white/green Featherweight and several other sewing machines.

When I went to an auction Monday night, I saw this one sitting prettily in its case. I didn't even want to approach it because I might jinx the bidding. Won it for $25! Came home, plugged it in, and it runs like a dream.

The 301 is a little heavier than a Featherweight but, otherwise, it very similar. The regular FW is belt driven. The 301 is gear driven. If my other FWs are like fine sports cars, this one is like a muscle car.

While I was still reeling from my good fortune, a couple of friends and I went "junking" yesterday to some thrift stores. I came home with this finely crafted wooden sewing cabinet/chest. I already have one but I could not resist this at $7 in perfect condition.

These were made in Norway and extend open to 5 feet. There were lots of sewing supplies but I took them out and donated them back to the thrift shop since I already had the supplies. This photo is not the best but you can get an idea.


The name of the company that made these is A-S Strommen Bruk Hamar and they have a distinctive red and yellow label. I am unsure as to what year they were made. They show up regularly on eBay and in antiques stores around here. Pricey. I am going top keep this one downstairs. The other is upstairs in my tiny sewing space.

If anyone who is from Norway reads this blog and knows about the maker of the cabinet or the era, I would love and appreciate it if you could leave a comment about it.

We are entering a heat wave starting this afternoon. It seems like we have been in a heat wave since spring. I need to get moving here before it gets too warm and water some plants.

Stay cool. Enjoy you day!

Weekend finds...

How was your weekend? Despite some heavy humidity at times, we made it to a few auctions and a very large flea market. I came home with some treasures that were all very inexpensive.



I can never leave behind a cheap Edith Flack Ackley pattern doll. This Dutch girl is crudely made but a good example of the doll maker's creativity. Her bonnet is so sweet. The doll maker never turned up her toes to make feet or added shoes.

The little Asian mother and child is composition and cloth and probably not very old. I just thought they were sweet and so charming. The mother is 8 inches tall.

These tiny ones are all 4 inches. They all came from the same estate in one auction lot. The corn husk doll has a precious inked face. The little Russian and Greek souvenir dolls are full of personality.


Hank, whose photo is located in the right side bar of this blog, is at the vet today having his teeth cleaned. I know in advance that he will have extractions. He is one of those Yorkies with bad dental genetics...much like his owner. I worry about him being under anesthesia. He weighs three pounds and 7 ounces and these small guys are tricky to medicate.

I am still walking around with three temporary crowns in my mouth awaiting the rest of the work this week. We are drowning in dental bills. Sigh.

Thunderstorms are upon us so we will be shutting down here soon.

Enjoy the day!

Summer whites....

This is an all cloth doll I made several years ago. It is one of the earliest commercial doll patterns known and was published by Butterick. I made it as part of an online challenge.

It was the summer after my mother passed away and I was not feeling creative. At that point I had made and sold more than 100 dolls at craft shows and in galleries and was feeling burnt out. I worked on the doll every afternoon religiously and eventually finished her.

Her clothes were made from an antique dress that was beyond salvation. I made her boots from Ultrasuede. She had pantaloons, many petticoats, gloves and a purse I made from an embroidered doily.

The following Christmas/holiday season I put the doll in a holiday gallery show and sale with a very high price tag NEVER expecting it to sell it. It sold the first day and I have regretted this ever since. It represented healing and introspection and long summer afternoons much like I spent in childhood.

I was thinking about this doll the other day and how people dressed entirely in white during the summer. I know why--it is much cooler. I wanted to wear white recently and felt uncomfortable with it because I felt like I looked like I was in a uniform.

If you wear white in the sun you really won't feel the sun. No wonder white robes are worn in the desert! I have invested in some white shirts and pants and have been wearing them although not wearing white from head to toes.

If the world keeps getting warmer and warmer, I think we will see a return to this. Try it some time--you will feel the difference. When ladies dressed in layers and layers of white clothes like the doll, they must have felt somewhat cooler. I am old enough to remember white shoes worn ONLY from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Whatever you wear....enjoy your day...and the weekend, too.

Home again, home again


Looks like the mini vacation has ended and it is back to a normal routine. I have various and sundry photos and recollections of people, places, and things. It continues to be ultra humid and hot. Yesterday it was in the 90s.These prehistoric animals reside way out in the middle of the country in a place called "Nature's Art." It is a fun, educational place for kids and adults and we stopped by for an ice cream though we have been there on other occasions for viewing the dinosaurs and shopping.


It must be the Year of the Great Blue Heron. We are seeing the great blue herons constantly. They are so focused when they fish that they don't seem to mind being photographed. This one was in a swamp a few miles down a dirt country road. We agreed that we had never seen them in New England until the 1970's and now they are abundant like turkeys and swans.

The workaday week begins again and there is much catching up to do here after not spending much time at home and on housework. I will have to be content with watching the flora and fauna in my own backyard until we hit the road again.

Enjoy your day!

Popping in for a moment.....

The weekend is flying by. We have had some stormy, rainy weather and used the time indoors to do things around the house. As a result of being home, I was able to work on this project. A friend and I are swapping altered bird houses. This bird house is about 4 inches tall due to adding on "legs."I used a lot of embellishment on it. I looked for more bird houses in the big box craft stores and they are all out of them for the moment. It is bit of fad right now to decorate these.

Hope you are enjoying your weekend. It is very soggy and foggy here so plans have been changed for a visit to a flea market. We will see where this day goes!

Enjoy your day!

Happy Independence Day!

This is a little 4 inch Edith Ackley pattern doll that I made recently. I have sent off all ATC these cards  that I made and now she is standing here keeping me company and waving her paper flag.  

 We have plans for the next few days, so I am not sure when I will check back in here again.

Wishing you a happy holiday weekend. Whatever you do, wherever you go, enjoy and be safe!