Vacation is Over

Haven't posted since I've been on vacation. 

We went to Florida to see my sister in Palmetto and had a great time.  

We did a lot of visiting and touring some pretty interested things.

We went to The Ringling in Sarasota.  

Did not expect what we got.....it was incredible.

We got a late start and really regretted it. 

We started in the Circus Museum where the model of the Howard Bros Circus it.  

This display has to be nearly a city block and is the beginning  when the circus entered a town to the end when the train was loaded again ready to move to the next city.  

It was an amazing thing to see. 

Under the big top 

The Midway

Some of the elephants.  

We got the full tour of the Ringling's winter home Ca' d'Zan

The grounds were absolutely gorgeous.  

Facade facing the Bay and Long Boat Key.

Where the Ringling's  parked their yacht.   

View of all the house elevations

Their train car and the decorative work above a window.  

Very William Morris style carpeting in the car

We ran out of time and steam and didn't make it to the art museum on the grounds.

We had an excellent lunch there.  

The view from the restaurant on Anna Marie Island.

We had wonderful weather the whole time, in the low 80's.  

The beaches were beautiful!

We also went to Historic Spanish Pointe on Little Sarasota Bay, Osprey Florida.   

Initially owned by the Webb Family who shipped produce, it was bought by Mrs. Bertha Palmer from Chicago (Palmer House) for a winter residence.  

The Sunken Garden

Flowers

Sunken Garden and the Bay 

More flowers

Guptill House

We were able to take pictures in the Guptill House.  

Some interesting needlework

The quilts were beautiful.  

We also visited Gamble Mansion which is the only standing Antebellum mansion in Florida.  

The original owner Robert Gamble really had bad luck and failed to really make a success out of the plantation, bad growing seasons, hurricanes, and a drop in the sugar market, he abandoned it and returned to his home in north Florida to run the family plantation.  

The house sat deserted until the 1920's and slowly been restored.  

The project I worked on while on vacation The Scarlet House Find Comfort.  

I used Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe thread instead of the Classic Colorworks.  

They weren't as harsh.  

I left it with my sister as a little hospitality gift.  

Heading into the home stretch with the third Prairie Schooler Winter Sampler.  

Working on the snow behind the deer.  

We got back home on Tuesday evening.  

I had taken the rest of the week off to recover and get settle back home.  

There is always so much to do.  

I won't be able to take a vacation this summer since one of my co-workers will be on maternity leave.  It is also Bob's busy time of the year.  

Hope you a good couple of weeks.  

Thanks for stopping.  

Keep on Stitching

Monica