We drove through New Hampshire and Vermont through the mountains. It was a beautiful drive - the trees are not in all their gaudy color like in the fall, but instead they are many different shades of green since the leaves are just coming out here. We had planned to go up to the Mt. Washington area of New Hampshire but the driver is getting tired of driving just to drive through "scenery" so we took the shorter route here.
Our main destination today was the Shelburne Museum. I had heard of it because a quilter friend of mine had gone there to study and copy a quilt in their collection, so I thought it was a quilt and art museum. Then in the AAA tour book I read about it and thought it was a big building full of all sorts of Americana stuff. What I didn't know until I downloaded a map last night was that it's 40 acres of land with about 30 buildings and a steamboat scattered about with beautiful gardens and LILACS EVERYWHERE!!!! Purple ones, lavendar ones, white ones. I still haven't picked one, but I've been soooo tempted.
We started out at the Ticonderoga, the last steamboat paddlewheel boat built on Lake Champlain. This museum is really cool because you can go everywhere, climb all over the boat and there are docents here and there to answer all your questions.
There is a general storre circa 1880, an apothecary shop, an old meeting house, a blacksmith shop with a blacksmith to do a demo (she was making a marshmallow toaster), a print shop where we had a demo of old printing presses, a weaving shop (Mary Lessman, these photos are for you!), a jail, a textile gallery filled with old embroidery, lace, hooked rugs, and QUILTS including a special exhibit by Judy Dales. (And I realize the ONLY thing we didn't take pictures of was any quilts!! Go figure!)
Also a stagecoach inn (containing folk art sculpture, weathervanes, trade signs and whirligigs),
a covered bridge, a toy museum including dolls and doll houses, a school house
a "variety unit" which contained all sorts of dishes, glassware, pottery that you can imagine.
Three barns full of horse drawn buggies, wagons, sleighs, stagecoaches, covered wagons.
And a half-circle barn containing a miniature circus parade that's 500 feet long - also in the building a whole bunch of carrosel ponies and other animals. And a carrosel outside that you can ride if you want.
Two or three art galleries with paintings, photography. A replica of the NYC apartment of one of the founders of this museum with real Renoirs, Monets, Manets, Rembrandts and a Remington western bronze sculpture.
If you are ever anywhere near this place, you need to go. What a fascinating place! Something for everyone.
Some trivia from previous days that I forgot to share.
--In the northeast they don't call it the state capitol, they call it the state house.
--Yesterday in the house of seven gables we learned that people who weren't rich would build their houses with low ceilings to conserve heat. It takes less fuel to heat a room with a low ceiling. The house of seven gables was originally a small cottage with ceilings about 6'5" that had 3 separate additions. The later additions had high ceilings because by then the owner had become successful and could show off with high ceilings.
--In Salem we saw this sign in a church parking lot "Thou Shalt Not Park Here Without Authorization or Thou Shalt be Towed".
--My obsession with lilacs - I grew up in a house that was literally surrounded by 20 foot high lilac bushes - in the spring it was heavenly - the sight and the smell. It never occured to me that I would live somewhere where there were no lilacs, and then I moved to Texas and then Tennessee. I know there are a few bushes in Memphis but not like back home. So when I see these huge bushes covered with flowers it takes me back home.
Day 13 - Portsmouth, NH to Shelburne, VT
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Shelburne, Vermont, United States
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Comments

2025-02-08
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Susie
2015-05-17
We had lilacs all around my house growing up...in Middle TN. It is too hot in Memphis. I planted one in Germantown and I think I got ONE blossom. I am planning on planting several in my yard because they thrive up here.