I've been struggling today working on a couple of small art quilts which while I like the concept...I don't much care for the execution. It is filling out an idea.
So..when taking a break from the drudgery, I checked the Quiltart list...and discovered that Ann Brauer's quilt studio in Shelburne, Falls, Massachusetts has washed away.
I wrote about Shelburne Fall's Floral bridge (Bridge of Flowers) in December of 2010. I visited there last year and took a bunch of pictures.
I enjoy going to Shelburne Falls with my friends Martha and Bob because there's so many artist studios as well as the gorgeous gardens. Not only was the old bridge convered to a walking garden, but tons of people have wonderful private gardens which are easily seen from the road or sidewalk. This is a shot of the Bridge of Flowers last year.
Here is a shot looking back down the bridge. I must admit, when I saw some photos on the news last night of Brattleboro, I became alarmed. Many of these towns were mill towns and grew up around the rivers which were sources of power.
While the 19th century building (and in some cases earlier) have withstood other floods, you wonder when it will be just too much for them.
So, keep in mind that these people's livlihoods are here...their art, their shops, their homes, their roads....and our history.
You can see that this bridge isn't really down ON the water.
Now, take a good look at this truss bridge in Shelburne. See the pink building on the right of the shot? That's Ann Brauer's quilt studio. She had an industrial singer sewing machine which had a fairly long harp which she used in her quilting. She was always gracious and welcoming when people came to her studio. You can see her wonderful quilts and her studio here... She was away at a show and had some of her stock with her..but we all have stashes and for her, it is her living, not a hobby.
Now, watch this video...and you'll see what Hurricane Irene did. I know that Ann was only one person out of many..one of the videos I watched showed a bureau floating down the river...someone's house was swept away and the bureau ripped out of it. Makes my paltry struggle with a little art quilt sort of nothing.
Please consider donating to the Red Cross or what other relief fund you might consider.
It's cold and snowy here and I'm tired. When I'm tired, I feel cold and think of things warmer. This summer, once again I had the occasion to go to Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts. If you ever have the chance, please go. Shelburne is the start of the Mohawk Trail, and by it, my ancestors who moved to Shelburne from Connecticut, then trekked across the Mohawk Trail into upstate New York, before moving on and ending up in Ohio and Michigan. In the fall, it is gorgeous.
In the spring and summer it is equally gorgeous because some brilliant person had a fantastic idea. When the bridge, that you see here, was no longer useful for supporting vehicular traffic and another bridge had been made to replace it, they kept it as a pedestrian bridge. However, it isn't your average pedestrian bridge....it is a floral bridge....essentially a garden over the river.
This path, isn't a path, but the center part of the bridge. The entire length of the bridge is filled with flower, shrubs, flowering vines and small trees.
The town is a sweet little town with a great deal of artists and small shops. Glassware, pottery, woodcarving, weaving and fine art abound. In addition, Ann Brauer's quilt studio is there and you can often find her quilting on her industrial machine at speeds which make my fingers burn.
So far, each time I've gone, I've managed to do so in the rain...but I guess I've proved that I'm not the wicked witch of the west as I have yet to turn into a puddle of brown sugar.
I don't know who does the upkeep on this pathway, but it is fantastic and well worth the visit. May these thoughts be running around in your head as you think of where you might like to go some fine summer day...
