Young Enthusiasm

Three ten-year-old boys visited us at our cabin, reminding us of what really matters in life. Their enthusiasm and joy for living was so evident! Here they diligently spot for bear and elk on the next ridge. If their joyous echos could be heard, it may be why no bear or elk were found! They were hiding in the trees, away from the expressions! Sometimes it's the young ones in life that remind us of what is really important. And for that, I am grateful!

Sunshine!

Have a SUNSHINE day!
Be blessed!

Blessings

God who is love. . .simply cannot help but shed blessing upon blessing upon us. We do not need to beg, for He simply cannot help it!

Hannah Whitall Smith

Enchanted

Although there are many objects d' art to enjoy at Maryhill, this is my favorite. I suppose I find it enchanting because I am a seamstress and the detail in this gown is magnificent! Rich embroidery and rhinestones artfully decorate this beautiful dress and it's very long train. This dress belonged to Queen Marie of Romania. She wore it to the coronation of her cousin, Tsar Nicholas II of Russia in 1896 (shown in the photo on the right) and also to the coronation of her uncle, King Edward VII of England in 1902. You can be sure she was enchanting in this beautiful dress!

The dress features a low-cut and sleeveless bodice. Nine panels make up the skirt, flaring and draping in a gored fashion. The gown is heavily boned (which is probably how the Queen was able to fit into such a tiny waisted dress). It was cinched in the back by a drawstring , beautifully presented. Lace frills and gauze bows set off each shoulder, draping for sleeve-like effect. The fabric is gold lame' that is woven of silk and metallic threads. Embroidery of basket-weave is raised and padded, featuring shafts of wheat and large bows. Arm-length evening gloves and a Order of Office worn on Queen Mary's left shoulder, and her royal jewels, would have completed the ensemble when worn.

Enchanted, beautiful, exquisite: a beautiful gown.

This post is especially for my friend, Nikki, from The Scarlet Rose Garden, because I know she loves vintage fashion! Nikki, this one is 'very' vintage for you! Please excuse the the reflections in the photos. Photography was allowed without flash, but the glass and the back light made it difficult!

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H A P P I N E S S

"Happiness comes of the capacity to feel deeply, to enjoy simply, to think freely, to risk life and to be needed."

Storm Jamison

Photo: Elm Street Antiques

Remembering

Learning about the past can take place in a museum, or by reading a good book. But sometimes going to where history was made provides us with the most connection to those who lived before and created history. The rural areas of the west can be barren and dry, appearing to those not really observing that nothing is there but sagebrush, scrub trees, and dried grasses. But with attention and care, pockets of history can be found in the most unusual places. Old cemeteries are common next to ghost towns and set amidst otherwise abandoned places. Visiting them, even though they are usually filled with weeds, broken headstones, and dirt paths, is interesting and teaches so much about the past. Many of the headstones reveal pioneers who traveled by wagon train, or tiny children who died in epidemics or a birth. Sometimes the headstone of a young mother marks where a young mother lies next to her child; they were both lost with childbirth. Beautiful carved headstones are sometimes the only reminder of who was before. Created with detail, attention, and care --- they represent the devotion of those who loved them.

Sally and Rylan are pictured, reading headstones at a cemetery on a lonely hillside near Maryhill. Photo by Brandon.

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