How we got from There to Here, continued...

Greetings from Tim at Brickhouse. Sorry folks - I'm a little late with this posting.

I realize that at this point in our journey, Patti and I could go on for days telling you about all the places we've been to and the experiences we had in New York and New England. I suppose it all started on our Honeymoon which was a week long drive through the New England states.

For the most part,the New England states ARE Primitive. During the time we lived in New York from 1998 to 2004, we made many day trips and long weekends to various places from Connecticut to Vermont. I believe I've worn out several sets of tires on Route 7. For Patti and me, it was hard to decide where NOT to stop. There were so many shops and restaurants and other businesses that were in buildings that had been there for hundreds of years. Old clapboard siding and beaded glass windows. A lot of old wooden furniture and fixtures. It was nice to see them being cared for and still serving a purpose after all those years. While we can't remember all the places, they all left an impression on us. So rather than take you to every stop we made, I'll just point out a few of the highlights.

Stockbridge, Massachusetts is home of the Red Lion Inn which got it's start around 1773 as a general store. Today, it is also the home of Country Curtains. Patti and I have visited the Red Lion Inn on several occasions. We have bought our share of Country Curtains products - in one of their newer stores close to our house in New York - through mail order - and in Stockbridge. The product was good no matter where we bought it - but there was something different and unique about shopping for the curtains in a store that was a couple hundred years old. Why am I talking about buying curtains? Country Curtains is an American company and for the most part sells products made in the USA.

The last place I'll mention is the Vermont Country Store. Vrest Orton opened the Vermont Country Store in Weston, Vermont in 1946. This is another store Patti and I visited during a weekend in Vermont. If you've never heard of this store, you should check out their website, http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/
and if you ever get to the Weston area definitely visit the store. It is a mix of old and new.

So here we were, living in a nice country setting in New York with many old towns in the area that had Norman Rockwell main streets with little shops and businesses. Oh yeah - we also visited the Norman Rockwell Museum and toured his studio - but that's another story. Anyway, there we were, right next door to the New England states with all the Primitive inspiration you could ask for. We had already had the experience of selling our crafts at a Crafter's Mall in Texas - but the timing wasn't quite right for us to make the move to open our own shop. We thought more about doing some craft shows to see if there would still be demand for our crafts but ultimately decided against it. Still, we couldn't stop creating - for us, I guess. Patti had set up an awesome craft room in our house in Salt Point and remained inspired - which meant I was cutting wood for her to paint and decorate. We also bought our first computer - the one I'm typing this posting with (OK - so we even have a Primitive computer!). Little did we know the whole new craft world that Patti would discover online. Little did we know how important that discovery would be years later when we moved to Pennsylvania.

I believe there is one more place and experience that I will share with you on the next posting before I connect all the dots and complete the story of our Journey from There to Here. And here's 2 clues about where that place is: 1) Patti already mentioned it in one of her postings and 2) this place has the following motto: That The Future may learn from The Past...