Tales of the Traveling Tote #42

Tea on Tuesdays ~ Tea Time With Peter Rabbit

Monday Morning Blooms ~ Zesty Winter Citrus

Soups On ~ Dinner For Three

Whispers of the Heart ~ Valentine's Tablescape Blog Hop

Tales of the Traveling Tote # 41

 

Rabbit, Rabbit!

Welcome December

Our last edition of Tales of the Traveling Tote 

began with sand between my toes on Cape Cod.

By the end of August and first of September,Miss Merri Mac and I were on the west coast with sand between our toes.

We flew to Carmel-By-The-Sea.

Just like the song lyrics,

"From sea to shining sea"

The land of the beautiful Monterey Cypress trees that can 

grow as tall as 90 feet and live for over a hundred years.

With a wedding to attend in Santa Cruz, my friend Roxanne invited Miss Merri Mac and I to spend a few pre-wedding days as a guest in her lovely home in nearby Carmel-By-The-Sea.  What a treat! Roxy had us walking the beach, eating wonderful fresh seafood, visiting her favorite thrift and antique shops, lunching with her girlfriends, and even attending an amazing estate sale.

The wedding venue was high up in the redwood forest above the Monterey Bay.

Yes, this beautiful wedding was in the most amazing setting, high upon a mountain among the redwoods.

I've known this beautiful bride since she was five years old.  What a special occasion to be included at Emily and Kyle's unique wedding.

Once back in Texas, I was on the road again,headed south to the Gulf Coast with a group of Austin friends.We gathered at a friends beautiful home in Rockport, TX, played Mah Jongg, consumed a lot of delicious seafood, and of course shopped along the way.

Yes in deed, sand between my toes, sand of my youth, Texas Gulf style.

As we meandered back to Austin, we included a stop for some famous Texas style barbecue in the small town of Lockhart, Texas.

I have been stitching on Wednesday mornings with a group of women who have been stitching together for close to twenty years.They call themselves the SWANSSociety of Women Addicted to Needlework

The SWANS invited me to join their group,

and we recently enjoyed a weekend stitch-in at Lake LBJ.

Trip, the resident 

dog greeted me on arrival.

Miss Merri Mac and I soaked in 

the quiet beauty lakeside.

There was some serious stitching going on though, and

I am proud to say I completed these two works in progress.

The darling Kate Hersh  turkey "I beg your pardon!" design was back from the finisher in time to enjoy it for the Thanksgiving holidays.

The double sided woodland Santa will be back from the finisher in a few weeks.

October brought our good friend and 

fellow tabletop sister back for a repeat Texas visit.

You might recall, Roxy, my friend in Carmel, CA came

to Texas last spring to shop Round Top Antiques Market. 

We enjoyed a repeat trip to Round Top Antique Market as well as

visiting and shopping local antique and thrift store venues.

Roxy was here for a few days, 

so come along and see a few of the highlights.

The Salt Lick BBQ ~ Driftwood

A legend since my university days at UT,

the Salt Lick is just a short scenic drive from downtown Austin out

in the hills among century-old oaks and wild critters.

The barbecue is legendary, smoked on a large open pit.

One can expect large crowds waiting for a table 

within the original rustic stone dining room.

We waited at picnic tables beneath the giant oaks, 

a pleasant spot to sip on a beverage while listening to

 live music and play a quick game of Mah Jongg. 

Our smiling friend had six jokers and easily won the game.

Meet my new friend, Henry.  

Miss Merri Mac, Roxy, and I were headed out to 

Lake Austin to spend some time on the water 

with our friends, Elizabeth and Mike.

What fun we had cruising Lake Austin late in the day.

The breezes off the water were refreshing.

Thank you, Carter, for taking us out.

You can watch a summary of 

Roxy's visit on this video here.

Don't forget to leave me a comment and tell us 

where you have traveled the past 3 months.

Those who comment on Linda's post 

will be entered into our giveaway.

Miss Merri Mac and I plan less travel 

and more stitching in the winter months ahead.

Enjoy the adventures of my Traveling Tote Friends!

Links Below

Debbie with Miss Aurora @ Mountain Breaths 

Emily with Miss Courtney Childs @ The French Hutch 

Jenna with Miss Coquille @The Painted Apron 

Linda P with Miss Lola @ Life and Linda (Give Away Here)

 Patti with Miss Kenzie @ Pandora's Box

Rita with Miss Luna C @ Panoply 

Jackie with Miss Madi K @ Purple Chocolate Home

Ricki Jill with Countess De Monet @ The Bookish Dilettante

Sarah with Miss Merri Mac @ Hyacinths for the Soul  (YOU'RE HERE)

Thanks for visiting today.

Plan to join us again March 1st to see 

what adventures the next 3 months bring our way.

Love Your Creativity @ Life and Linda