HYACINTHS FOR THE SOUL

Friday, December 1, 2017

Tales of Traveling Tote #13 - Birds of a Feather

Welcome to Tales of the Traveling Tote #13
They say birds of a feather like to flock together, so Miss Merri Mac and I boarded a plane mid October to fly up to meet my collector QCI friends on the east coast.

After three canceled flights and a lost day, we finally arrived in Boston!

This year's QCI Annual Meeting was a cruise from Montreal to Boston and NYC. Though I didn't take the cruise, I did meet up with my friends for after cruise visits to four homes in Connecticut and along the Hudson River. The collage above is just a peek at the lovely homes, delicious lunches, and gorgeous pottery that greeted us.

There were even some MacKenzie-Childs treasures within the homes we visited. "Designed to camouflage into the rustic backdrop to Aurora Farm, the Forest Fish Chair stands out in the great indoors."

"Each chair is a one-of-a-kind treasure . . . with a scenic landscape of rolling hayfields and the still, deep waters of Cayuga Lake."

New York City ~ Always A Favorite Destination

After our farewells to the QCI group, Miss Merri Mac

and I drove into NYC with a friend.

I've many fond feelings about this city and time

spent in the Big Apple when the chef and I enjoyed a NYC pied-á-terre for a few years.

My friend and I spent our days criss-crossing the city to take in favorite museums, shops, and restaurants.

Friday morning, Patti and I had breakfast at Ellen's Stardust.
A new experience for me, this fun diner is home to a singing waitstaff who aspire to be future stars of stage and screen

After, we hiked the High Line down to Chelsea Market, again, new experiences for me.

Rainbow Room, Bar Sixty-Five ~ Rockefeller Center Perfect spot for evening cocktail, light dinner, and incredible night time views of the city.

Next up and the grand finale of my NYC visit ~

a much anticipated meet up with some

of the girls of Traveling Tote fame.

With many of us arriving during the week,

we decided to get a jump on the gathering by

meeting at Fonda for a Happy Hour Friday evening.

Double treat to meet some of the men behind the totes.

On Saturday, the famed Russian Tea Room was

the venue for our first meet up of the Traveling Tote girls.

What fun it was to actually meet this group

of amazing ladies, most of whom I'd only corresponded

with through our blogs, email, and texts.

Following the excited conversation over a delicious lunch,

the group headed down 57th Street to mecca.

The nice folks at MacKenzie-Childs NYC welcomed us

with champagne and sweets upstairs in the mezzanine

before we all descended downstairs to shop our favorite brand.

Take a look at the video above for an

overview of the fun shared by this group.
We are already planning more fun with hopes
of all eleven of us meeting up for a shared adventure.
With this edition we welcome two new travelers,
Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home
Ricki Jill and Countess de Monet @ The Sketchy Reader

Back home in Texas, I packed Miss Merri Mac once again

and off we went for a November weekend
in Houston to attend a wedding.

The Saturday morning of the wedding, I joined a
few friends to view the fabulous Oscar de la Renta
exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Closer to home, Miss Merri Mac and I spent a delightful

Sunday afternoon at another museum,
the LBJ Presidential Library,

to tour the Madeleine Albright exhibit, Read My Pins.

"The Madeleine Albright Collection features more than 200 pins, most of the costume variety, which Secretary Albright wore to communicate a message before, during, and after her years of public service, including when she led the Department of State from 1997 to 2001. Sometimes demure and understated, sometimes outlandish and outspoken, these pins were used as gentle implements of statecraft. Their stories and messages reflect the Secretary's sense of humor and her humanity, and are visual educational tools of cultural diplomacy." Albright Stonebridge Group

The exhibit shares the story of how the former secretary of state

used her jewelry to make personal and diplomatic expressions and has been on tour the past nine years to over 22 museums and presidential libraries. LBJ Library is the last stop before

Read My Pins: The Madeline Albright Collection

will soon be part of the permanent collection of the

US Diplomacy Center.

You can read more about the exhibit here.

To round out this edition's travel log, Miss Merri Mac and I
ventured to a local urban farm with a group of friends, where
we learned about the two acre organically maintained farm and
met up with the donkeys, geese, chickens, ducks, and bunnies.

Enjoy this adorable video of the love

between the owner's mother and Gustavo the goose.

You can follow HausBar Farm on FaceBook to view more videos.

More Adventures With the Traveling Totes ~ Links Below

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs@ The French Hutch

Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box

Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron

Katie with Miss Daisy @ Preppy Empty Nester

Linda with Miss Rosie @ More Fun Less Laundry

Linda with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul

and our new traveler:

Jackie and Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolat Home

It's beginning to look like Christmas here at
Hyacinths for the Soul.
Come back December 6 for a
Cozy At Christmas Holiday Blog Tour 2017.