Thanks. My great-grandmother was a quilter but I didn't appreciate the art form until I was much older. I taught myself to quilt by watching Simply Quilts and reading books. I mostly do baby quilts, but I'm working on a surprise art quilt for my sister-in-law. :)

The Yankee kingdom must be just superb when "the crowds have gone". Wish we could be so lucky in Los Angeles. Actually, some of our favorite days are the holidays when Angelenos pack up their cars and RVs and go away for a while. New Year's Day is great (most people are either at the Rose Parade or watching it on TV). Thanksgiving's cozy. Halloween is horrible. We've had around 1000 tricks or treaters every year for about the last 10 years. Pal and I have to close up the front of the house because the dogs get so frantic, but one of my friends has been stocking up on candy whenever she sees it on sale! Christmas is good, but I'd love to try it on the Cape sometime. Thanks for your seasonal descriptions. (Our leaves turned in December last year, and they were unusually brilliant.)