J and I were talking this weekend about putting up a blog post, and I finally found the words for an idea I'd been mulling over for a while. Many, many times I have an idea for a post (or a snippet of an idea, or sometimes many snippets of various different ideas), but I can't think of a song title that fits the post. So rather than teasing out the post and finding a title, I just skip the process entirely. (Those of you who know me well won't be surprised by this little practice in intellectual laziness.) The problem with this is that we didn't start the blog to be an intellectual process; we started it to keep our friends and family informed about life at the Melton Point. So, for the next couple of months, I'm going to try to post more frequently without worrying about finding the right lyrics to set the tone for the post. Sometimes you'll find the line of a song as our title--as J and I talked about on Saturday, sometimes a song is too perfect to pass up and the post follows the title. Most often, I suspect, I will just attempt to sum up the post with an appropriate title, like today. I hope the result will be a better, more comprehensive picture of life at the Melton Point.
So what was so important to share that I ditched song titles in favor of posts? Well, for starters, we're making progress on our bathroom again! J and I took the dresser we found at a yardsale a couple years ago to an antique furniture restorer in Midway (more on that here). On Saturday, we picked up the finished (re-finished?) product. WOW! Honestly, I saw the dresser when we walked in and I didn't even recognize it as ours! We had the piece stripped, refinished, two drawers cut down/reshaped to make room for sink pipes, wheels added (actually, the piece originally had wheels that were missing when we bought it so we just replaced them), and everything from the drawers out protected for use in a bathroom. It's a beauty, and in great shape for being about 100 years old (we aren't exactly sure, but have had a couple estimates of turn of the last century). One other thing we had done is to have the top removed. We plan to replace that with a marble top so that it will be a but more functional for us and tie in with the floor. Pictures will come later once we get it installed!
In other news, some of you might have heard our plans for a Christmas theme this year. Well, it kind of centered around me learning to knit and whipping out several scarves. I have learned to knit, but have only completed about one and a half scarves, so that plan is on hold until next year (maybe...or maybe the next decade!). So what about this year? Well, a friend introduced me to the magical world of paperwhites the other day, so I spent some time this morning setting bulbs. These will be the new centerpiece to the new theme (which is kind of still coming together--stay tuned!).
Hope you enjoyed a sneak peek into the Melton Point. More to come!
Monday, November 8, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
By pilgrim foot and knee!
Note: I returned Sunday afternoon from the NSDAR 2010 Schools Tour. I blogged daily about the trip on the KSDAR website, and decided to cross-post them here, too, just in case any non-KSDAR folks were interested in hearing about the trip. This is the tenth and final post of the trip, but you can read all of the posts in chronological order here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here!
Day Ten, October 17, 2010--Home!
Greetings!
Well, 1,550 miles and nine days after leaving Washington, DC, we arrived in Abingdon, VA, this morning for a farewell brunch at the Martha Washington Inn. The brunch was absolutely amazing, and it was so nice to sit down one last time with the amazing women I have met or gotten to know better this week.
Our leaders, both at the National level and across the states, are an incredibly diverse group of women who all hold our mission of commitment to Historic Preservation, Education, and Patriotism dear to their hearts. While our State Themes and Projects are varied, I learned this week that our hearts are not. As Daughters, we are all united in our love for the children served through the various programs of our DAR Schools.
Our National Schools Chairman shared an interesting analogy with us on the bus the other day. She said that knowing about our DAR schools is like being a grandparent—you can be told how great it is, but until you experience it for yourself, you cannot really know. Our schools are a bit of the same—it takes visiting the schools to really know them. I hope that I have been, and will continue to be able to share with you a bit of my experience, but I urge you each to consider making your own trips to our schools. While our trip was planned, the staff at each school stressed that we (all of the Daughters) are welcome any time!
As I noted at the beginning of this trip, I am available at any time to answer questions you might have. If I didn’t learn the answer this week, odds are our State Schools Chairman already knows it! Call, email, or catch me at the Fall Festival or Fall Board of Management next week!
Title: America, the Beautiful
Day Ten, October 17, 2010--Home!
Greetings!
Well, 1,550 miles and nine days after leaving Washington, DC, we arrived in Abingdon, VA, this morning for a farewell brunch at the Martha Washington Inn. The brunch was absolutely amazing, and it was so nice to sit down one last time with the amazing women I have met or gotten to know better this week.
Our leaders, both at the National level and across the states, are an incredibly diverse group of women who all hold our mission of commitment to Historic Preservation, Education, and Patriotism dear to their hearts. While our State Themes and Projects are varied, I learned this week that our hearts are not. As Daughters, we are all united in our love for the children served through the various programs of our DAR Schools.
Our National Schools Chairman shared an interesting analogy with us on the bus the other day. She said that knowing about our DAR schools is like being a grandparent—you can be told how great it is, but until you experience it for yourself, you cannot really know. Our schools are a bit of the same—it takes visiting the schools to really know them. I hope that I have been, and will continue to be able to share with you a bit of my experience, but I urge you each to consider making your own trips to our schools. While our trip was planned, the staff at each school stressed that we (all of the Daughters) are welcome any time!
As I noted at the beginning of this trip, I am available at any time to answer questions you might have. If I didn’t learn the answer this week, odds are our State Schools Chairman already knows it! Call, email, or catch me at the Fall Festival or Fall Board of Management next week!
Title: America, the Beautiful
Till paths be wrought through wilds of thought
Note: I returned Sunday afternoon from the NSDAR 2010 Schools Tour. I blogged daily about the trip on the KSDAR website, and decided to cross-post them here, too, just in case any non-KSDAR folks were interested in hearing about the trip. Read all of the posts in chronological order here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here!
Day Nine, October 16, 2010--The Biltmore Estate
Greetings!
The school visits part of our tour has come to an end, but our tour chairmen planned a day of fun for us on our trek back to Washington, D.C. with a stop at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.
We started our day in Clemson, South Carolina, and settled into our bus ride with many questions about the schools we visited this week. Luckily, the President General, National Schools Chairman, and a representative from the Development Office were all on our bus for the second half of the tour, so we were able to ask our questions in a great forum! The Schools Chair was a particularly good sport, as we grilled her on everything from funding to paint!
We arrived at the Biltmore just before lunch and proceeded to the Deerpark Inn on the grounds for a wonderful buffet meal, complete with bread pudding for dessert. Our Kentucky VPG and I noted that it could only be improved with some good Kentucky Bourbon sauce!
We then took the next two hours to tour the main house, which was a treat for me, as I have never been there. The staff started decorating for Christmas last week, so we were able to see those decorations in a few of the rooms. The house will be in full Christmas décor between early November and early January for holiday tours.
After we left the Biltmore, we enjoyed driving through more of North Carolina and a brief visit to Tennessee and then Virginia, where we have stopped in Bristol for the evening. The trees in this part of the world have really started to put on their autumn show and we found ourselves exclaiming at their beauty as we climbed back into the mountains. After a wonderful dinner provided by the hotel, I got in a quick exercise session with the other “Healthy Heart DARlings” and am ready to call it a night! Home tomorrow!!
Title: America, the Beautiful
Day Nine, October 16, 2010--The Biltmore Estate
Greetings!
The school visits part of our tour has come to an end, but our tour chairmen planned a day of fun for us on our trek back to Washington, D.C. with a stop at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina.
We started our day in Clemson, South Carolina, and settled into our bus ride with many questions about the schools we visited this week. Luckily, the President General, National Schools Chairman, and a representative from the Development Office were all on our bus for the second half of the tour, so we were able to ask our questions in a great forum! The Schools Chair was a particularly good sport, as we grilled her on everything from funding to paint!
We arrived at the Biltmore just before lunch and proceeded to the Deerpark Inn on the grounds for a wonderful buffet meal, complete with bread pudding for dessert. Our Kentucky VPG and I noted that it could only be improved with some good Kentucky Bourbon sauce!
We then took the next two hours to tour the main house, which was a treat for me, as I have never been there. The staff started decorating for Christmas last week, so we were able to see those decorations in a few of the rooms. The house will be in full Christmas décor between early November and early January for holiday tours.
After we left the Biltmore, we enjoyed driving through more of North Carolina and a brief visit to Tennessee and then Virginia, where we have stopped in Bristol for the evening. The trees in this part of the world have really started to put on their autumn show and we found ourselves exclaiming at their beauty as we climbed back into the mountains. After a wonderful dinner provided by the hotel, I got in a quick exercise session with the other “Healthy Heart DARlings” and am ready to call it a night! Home tomorrow!!
Title: America, the Beautiful
From Sea to Shining Sea!
Note: I returned Sunday afternoon from the NSDAR 2010 Schools Tour. I blogged daily about the trip on the KSDAR website, and decided to cross-post them here, too, just in case any non-KSDAR folks were interested in hearing about the trip. Read all of the posts in chronological order here, here, here, here, here, here, and here!
Day 8, October 15, 2010--Tamassee DAR School
Greetings!
Today we visited our fifth and final school of the 2010 NSDAR Schools Tour (the sixth DAR School—The Hillside—is located in New England, and is not on the tour). While the stories and backgrounds of the Crossnore students tugged my heart, and the KDS children completely charmed me with their affection for the DAR, it is the Tamassee students with whom I have fallen in love.
We arrived at Tamassee to a series of yellow, red, and blue balloons (the symbol of the DAR Schools committee during the Wright administration). We immediately collected a bag lunch and went to assigned cottages to eat our lunches and tour the cottages with the children. There are currently 40 students in pre-K through high school living in five cottages at Tamassee. I went to the California-Pouch Cottage, which is home to eight little boys aged 5-13. The oldest was away from a home visit, but the others were eager to talk and share their home (and “pet” lizard) with me.
For the last two years, the National Junior Committee has provided Wal-Mart Gift Cards to each child at Tamassee as a part of our gift to the schools through the Helen Pouch Memorial Fund. I was entrusted with the gift cards for the boys at California-Pouch, and enjoyed visiting with each boy, talking about Helen Pouch and the DAR, and then of course, seeing the excitement when they opened the cards! Some of the little boys lived in the cottage last year and remembered their trip to Wal-Mart. They eagerly shared their memories with the newer boys, and I loved watching their reactions!
After I left the boys cottage, I visited two other cottages—the New York Cottage for little girls and the Florida Cottage for middle school aged girls. I met the high school aged children later in the day as they served as Pages and Flag Bearers during the Dedication Ceremony. The entire Tamassee campus reminded me of a small village reminiscent of Norman Rockwell. Given their backgrounds, I am happy that we as DAR members can provide this experience for these children.
During the Dedication ceremony, we heard from two graduates of the program. These young women were truly amazing, having drawn on their positive experience at Tamassee to attend college and find careers in helping industries—one is an elementary school teacher and the other is a social worker for the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
After a wonderful barbecue dinner catered by an area restaurant, and a brief musical program conducted by two students, we called it an “early” night and traveled to Clemson, SC for the evening. In the morning, we will leave for Asheville, North Carolina, and a tour of the Biltmore!
Title: America, the Beautiful
Day 8, October 15, 2010--Tamassee DAR School
Greetings!
Today we visited our fifth and final school of the 2010 NSDAR Schools Tour (the sixth DAR School—The Hillside—is located in New England, and is not on the tour). While the stories and backgrounds of the Crossnore students tugged my heart, and the KDS children completely charmed me with their affection for the DAR, it is the Tamassee students with whom I have fallen in love.
We arrived at Tamassee to a series of yellow, red, and blue balloons (the symbol of the DAR Schools committee during the Wright administration). We immediately collected a bag lunch and went to assigned cottages to eat our lunches and tour the cottages with the children. There are currently 40 students in pre-K through high school living in five cottages at Tamassee. I went to the California-Pouch Cottage, which is home to eight little boys aged 5-13. The oldest was away from a home visit, but the others were eager to talk and share their home (and “pet” lizard) with me.
For the last two years, the National Junior Committee has provided Wal-Mart Gift Cards to each child at Tamassee as a part of our gift to the schools through the Helen Pouch Memorial Fund. I was entrusted with the gift cards for the boys at California-Pouch, and enjoyed visiting with each boy, talking about Helen Pouch and the DAR, and then of course, seeing the excitement when they opened the cards! Some of the little boys lived in the cottage last year and remembered their trip to Wal-Mart. They eagerly shared their memories with the newer boys, and I loved watching their reactions!
After I left the boys cottage, I visited two other cottages—the New York Cottage for little girls and the Florida Cottage for middle school aged girls. I met the high school aged children later in the day as they served as Pages and Flag Bearers during the Dedication Ceremony. The entire Tamassee campus reminded me of a small village reminiscent of Norman Rockwell. Given their backgrounds, I am happy that we as DAR members can provide this experience for these children.
During the Dedication ceremony, we heard from two graduates of the program. These young women were truly amazing, having drawn on their positive experience at Tamassee to attend college and find careers in helping industries—one is an elementary school teacher and the other is a social worker for the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
After a wonderful barbecue dinner catered by an area restaurant, and a brief musical program conducted by two students, we called it an “early” night and traveled to Clemson, SC for the evening. In the morning, we will leave for Asheville, North Carolina, and a tour of the Biltmore!
Title: America, the Beautiful
And Crown thy Good with Brotherhood
Note: I returned Sunday afternoon from the NSDAR 2010 Schools Tour. I blogged daily about the trip on the KSDAR website, and decided to cross-post them here, too, just in case any non-KSDAR folks were interested in hearing about the trip. Read all of the posts in chronological order here, here, here, here, here, and here!
Day 7, October 14, 2010--Berry College
Greetings!
What a wonderful day at Berry College—the First DAR Approved School!
We arrived at Berry in time for lunch, held in their newly renovated student center. While at lunch, we heard from staff about the four pronged opportunities for work study at Berry. These include traditional work study, an entrepreneurial program for students, the Gates of Opportunity Scholars program, and the Berea College Student Enterprises.
After lunch, we left for a tour of the campus. Our bus tour was guided by the interim director of Oak Hill and the Martha Berry Museum. A Berry grad as well, she was most informative and provided a great tour. As my first truly guided campus tour of the week, I took many notes and learned so much about the college!
Following our tour, we moved on to Oak Hill Mansion and the Martha Berry Museum. We were then treated to dinner under the oaks on the Oak Hill grounds. Following dinner, we had a wonderful program presented by “Teddy Roosevelt”. This weekend, Berry College will celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of Roosevelt’s visit to Berry, and he was on hand early to speak to our group, too!
I feel as though I should be telling you so much more about our day, particularly the student work opportunities and the campus at Berry, as well as the other schools. I expect that my first project upon returning home will be to start work on a program about our DAR Schools! Tomorrow, we head to South Carolina, and our sixth (and final) school on the tour—Tamassee DAR School!
Title: America, the Beautiful
Day 7, October 14, 2010--Berry College
Greetings!
What a wonderful day at Berry College—the First DAR Approved School!
We arrived at Berry in time for lunch, held in their newly renovated student center. While at lunch, we heard from staff about the four pronged opportunities for work study at Berry. These include traditional work study, an entrepreneurial program for students, the Gates of Opportunity Scholars program, and the Berea College Student Enterprises.
After lunch, we left for a tour of the campus. Our bus tour was guided by the interim director of Oak Hill and the Martha Berry Museum. A Berry grad as well, she was most informative and provided a great tour. As my first truly guided campus tour of the week, I took many notes and learned so much about the college!
Following our tour, we moved on to Oak Hill Mansion and the Martha Berry Museum. We were then treated to dinner under the oaks on the Oak Hill grounds. Following dinner, we had a wonderful program presented by “Teddy Roosevelt”. This weekend, Berry College will celebrate the one hundredth anniversary of Roosevelt’s visit to Berry, and he was on hand early to speak to our group, too!
I feel as though I should be telling you so much more about our day, particularly the student work opportunities and the campus at Berry, as well as the other schools. I expect that my first project upon returning home will be to start work on a program about our DAR Schools! Tomorrow, we head to South Carolina, and our sixth (and final) school on the tour—Tamassee DAR School!
Title: America, the Beautiful
Saturday, October 16, 2010
God shed his grace on thee
Note: These posts are cross-posted from another blog where I am blogging daily about the NSDAR 2010 Schools Tour. I was slow to realize that non-KSDAR folks might be interested to learn more about my trip, or the DAR, so I am cross-posting here, too. Read the previous posts in chronological order here, here, here, here, and here.
Day Five, October 13, 2010: Kate Duncan Smith DAR School, Grant, AL
Greetings!
Our day at Kate Duncan Smith DAR School started early and ended late, so I am afraid that this post is late in getting written. I did outline my thoughts last night, but saved the typing for Thursday morning as we drive to Rome, GA!
The day started with an almost parade-like atmosphere as our two tour busses left the hotel in Guntersville with a line of cars behind us and a police escort! Along the way we picked up the Illinois and Indiana busses from their hotel, and at one point, we came across another tour bus that looked as though it had been pulled over to wait for us! The ballet of tour busses on a two lane road with several local police, county sheriff, and we think even a state police car was rather comical! By the time we reached Grant, where KDS is located, there were six tour busses, countless cars, and numerous police officers all parading through the main street of town and onto the KDS campus. The banks and other businesses with marquees all had signs welcoming the DAR, and as we entered the campus, we were greeted by the high school band and all of the nearly 1,300 students waving flags and signs! While I had heard about KDS Dedication day, I was not prepared for the reception. This community truly has the DAR Spirit!
We spent about half an hour greeting the students, and then moved into the high school gym for the Dedication Day program. More than 300 DAR’s were seated on the floor, and the bleachers were filled with the students from Kindergarten through Twelfth grade. Older students served as pages and aides lining the center aisle, and other students carried in flags during the processional. The elementary students sang two songs for us (including “DAR, Oh How We Love You” which the high school Senior sitting next to me still remembered the words to, even though it has been eight years since she sang it at Dedication Day!), and our President General gave an inspiring talk about S.O.A.R.ing with Education.
After the Dedication Day ceremony, we moved on to the cafeteria for the famous KDS Basket Lunch, where members of the community brought in a huge amount of food to supplement the entrée baked by the school. Then we were turned loose to tour the campus, visit classrooms, and shop at the craft show. As you travel into Guntersville, and then on up to Grant, you don’t really realize that you are in the mountains, but the scenic overlook from the campus quickly reminds you the KDS truly is the Gem of Gunter Mountain.
We ended the day with a wonderful dinner, made most entertaining by the President General’s challenge to raise $3,500 by the end of the evening to tile the entrance to the Seimes Thompson Building. Thanks to a rousing round of bidding to don a skirt (I wish I had pictures to share!), as well as generous tipping of our celebrity waiters (school faculty and students), we raised more than $4,500! The evening ended with music provided by the high school choir, choral ensemble, and FFA String Band—a wonderful way to end a wonderful day. While I am learning that every school we support is different, I think that KDS, and by extension, the DAR, ranks at the top for integration in the community!
Title: America the Beautiful
Day Five, October 13, 2010: Kate Duncan Smith DAR School, Grant, AL
Greetings!
Our day at Kate Duncan Smith DAR School started early and ended late, so I am afraid that this post is late in getting written. I did outline my thoughts last night, but saved the typing for Thursday morning as we drive to Rome, GA!
The day started with an almost parade-like atmosphere as our two tour busses left the hotel in Guntersville with a line of cars behind us and a police escort! Along the way we picked up the Illinois and Indiana busses from their hotel, and at one point, we came across another tour bus that looked as though it had been pulled over to wait for us! The ballet of tour busses on a two lane road with several local police, county sheriff, and we think even a state police car was rather comical! By the time we reached Grant, where KDS is located, there were six tour busses, countless cars, and numerous police officers all parading through the main street of town and onto the KDS campus. The banks and other businesses with marquees all had signs welcoming the DAR, and as we entered the campus, we were greeted by the high school band and all of the nearly 1,300 students waving flags and signs! While I had heard about KDS Dedication day, I was not prepared for the reception. This community truly has the DAR Spirit!
We spent about half an hour greeting the students, and then moved into the high school gym for the Dedication Day program. More than 300 DAR’s were seated on the floor, and the bleachers were filled with the students from Kindergarten through Twelfth grade. Older students served as pages and aides lining the center aisle, and other students carried in flags during the processional. The elementary students sang two songs for us (including “DAR, Oh How We Love You” which the high school Senior sitting next to me still remembered the words to, even though it has been eight years since she sang it at Dedication Day!), and our President General gave an inspiring talk about S.O.A.R.ing with Education.
After the Dedication Day ceremony, we moved on to the cafeteria for the famous KDS Basket Lunch, where members of the community brought in a huge amount of food to supplement the entrée baked by the school. Then we were turned loose to tour the campus, visit classrooms, and shop at the craft show. As you travel into Guntersville, and then on up to Grant, you don’t really realize that you are in the mountains, but the scenic overlook from the campus quickly reminds you the KDS truly is the Gem of Gunter Mountain.
We ended the day with a wonderful dinner, made most entertaining by the President General’s challenge to raise $3,500 by the end of the evening to tile the entrance to the Seimes Thompson Building. Thanks to a rousing round of bidding to don a skirt (I wish I had pictures to share!), as well as generous tipping of our celebrity waiters (school faculty and students), we raised more than $4,500! The evening ended with music provided by the high school choir, choral ensemble, and FFA String Band—a wonderful way to end a wonderful day. While I am learning that every school we support is different, I think that KDS, and by extension, the DAR, ranks at the top for integration in the community!
Title: America the Beautiful
America! America!
Note: These posts are cross-posted from another blog where I am blogging daily about the NSDAR 2010 Schools Tour. I was slow to realize that non-KSDAR folks might be interested to learn more about my trip, or the DAR, so I am cross-posting here, too. Read the previous posts in chronological order here, here, here, and here.
Day Five, October 12, 2010--On the Road, Kentucky to Alabama
Greetings!
I had the song lyrics “six days on the road” stuck in my head today, I suppose because we have settled into the middle part of this ‘road trip’ and particularly because today was almost entirely on the bus. We left Hazard, where we stayed last night, at about 8:00 a.m. and were soon headed south on I-75 into Tennessee. Our comfort stop at the Tennessee state line included a lovely walking path and many ladies took advantage of the opportunity to stretch their legs. The exercise was a good thing, though, as upon our return to the bus, we were rewarded with some of our KSDAR State Schools Chair delicious Irish Potato Candy!
We stopped for lunch at Piccadilly Cafeteria in Chattanooga, where we were greeted by ladies from the Chattanooga Chapter waving a DAR sign! I must say that the receiving line outside Piccadilly was the most unique site I’ve seen on this trip!
After lunch, the drive to Guntersville, AL, was pretty brief (just a couple of hours!), so I was able to join some of the others on a walk around the community and lake on which it is situated. The weather is warm for October, but the clouds we saw earlier in the day had cleared and the fun and fellowship were much enjoyed!
This evening, the Alabama Daughters treated us to a wonderful social hour, and we enjoyed dinner with KDS staff. It is an early night, for which we are grateful—tomorrow promises to be a 14 hour day, and we want to be at our best to greet the children at KDS!
Title: America, the Beatiful
Day Five, October 12, 2010--On the Road, Kentucky to Alabama
Greetings!
I had the song lyrics “six days on the road” stuck in my head today, I suppose because we have settled into the middle part of this ‘road trip’ and particularly because today was almost entirely on the bus. We left Hazard, where we stayed last night, at about 8:00 a.m. and were soon headed south on I-75 into Tennessee. Our comfort stop at the Tennessee state line included a lovely walking path and many ladies took advantage of the opportunity to stretch their legs. The exercise was a good thing, though, as upon our return to the bus, we were rewarded with some of our KSDAR State Schools Chair delicious Irish Potato Candy!
We stopped for lunch at Piccadilly Cafeteria in Chattanooga, where we were greeted by ladies from the Chattanooga Chapter waving a DAR sign! I must say that the receiving line outside Piccadilly was the most unique site I’ve seen on this trip!
After lunch, the drive to Guntersville, AL, was pretty brief (just a couple of hours!), so I was able to join some of the others on a walk around the community and lake on which it is situated. The weather is warm for October, but the clouds we saw earlier in the day had cleared and the fun and fellowship were much enjoyed!
This evening, the Alabama Daughters treated us to a wonderful social hour, and we enjoyed dinner with KDS staff. It is an early night, for which we are grateful—tomorrow promises to be a 14 hour day, and we want to be at our best to greet the children at KDS!
Title: America, the Beatiful
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