Thursday, November 21, 2013

The Pink Scarf Project - (Covered Bridge Edition) -- FINALE

Day 3 and our final day of travels across the state in search of covered bridges.  Your pink scarves are with me once again and my traveling buddy extraordinaire is my friend Deb.  In the early part of the century, Kentucky was home to over 400 covered bridges. Today, only 13 remain. We are headed to the western part of the state to locate the remaining bridges and take the final photos for this incredible Pink Scarf Project~


The Ringo Mills covered bridge is located in Fleming County, Ky and spans the Fox Creek.  The bridge takes it's name from a grist mill that operated on the creek in the 1880's. The surrounding community developed as a result of the grist mill and the access that this historic bridge once provided. The 81 foot bridge with double post and brace design was first built in 1790 and then rebuilt in 1867. The most recent restoration of the bridge was in 1984 after which the bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.










donated by Lesley Waggoner

donated by Karen Bailey
Todolwen
(Karen's blog is temporarily on vacation-
but she will be back soon)


donated by Aleli Evangelista

donated by Carol Davis

donated by Emma Hewett

donated by Alison Wale
Alison's dedication~
"in memory of a friend Chris, who died,
and in thanks for two others, Maureen and Ursula,
both of whom survived breast cancer." 

donated by Nancy Collins


The Grange City Covered Bridge is set amid farmland about 4 miles south of Hillsboro, Ky.  The 86 ft. span bridge was built in the late 1860's and features a "multiple kingpost truss", a design in which the bridge is braced with a series of upright timbers all inclined toward the center post. Damaged on four occasions by floods, the bridge was replaced in 1969.  Although the bridge is no longer open to traffic, it stands majestically amid the surrounding rolling hills and countryside. 












donated by Tracy Hedden

donated by Connie Lindstrand
(Connie is an 11 year breast cancer survivor)

donated by Darlene Lehman

donated by Teresa Swanson



The Goddard White Bridge, off KY 32, about nine miles southeast of Flemingsburg, is a favorite with photographers because when viewed from the east side, it perfectly frames tiny Goddard United Methodist Church. The bridge is still open to traffic. Although the date of original construction has been lost, this 60-foot bridge spanning Sand Lick Creek was built using an 1820 patent design and is the only “town lattice truss” type bridge remaining in Kentucky. The phrase reflects the criss-crossing lattice of timbers you can see inside the bridge. 








Goddard United Methodist Church


donated by Susan McConnell

donated by Ann Deakers

donated by Jocelyn Pleus
Jocelyn's dedication~
"This scarf is made in memory of my best friend Diana.
She has been gone for 9 years 
but the fragrance 
of her sweet friendship lingers." 


donated by Jo
Jo's dedication~
"In memory of Auntie Liz. 
It may have been 20 years since you left us,
but your memory is forever in our hearts."


donated by Chris Koller

donated by Nina Rubich
(on the very day that I finished the last of the photos --
Nina's box of beautiful scarves was waiting for me
when I arrived home.
The Gardener and I made a special trip to the Oldtown covered bridge, 
close to our hometown, so that I could take photos of
these lovely donations. 


If you are interested in taking your own tour
of Kentucky's Covered Bridges~
you can find a suggested 2 day tour 
itinerary here that includes
directions and estimated times for travel.
~~
A note~~
while the directions were helpful -- 
my suggestion would be to locate each covered bridge using Google maps,
 and then mapping out the directions from that information.
~
A huge THANK YOU to my Gardener
for helping to map these directions 
out for me -- 
(the wife who has NO sense of direction.)
We hardly made any wrong turns!!



Just Keepin' it real~



sweet Deb -- she's in charge of barbed wire and photo props!



sometimes she "lays down on the job" too!

packin' up and movin' on to the next bridge!
(a special thanks to Deb's husband Wade 
for allowing us to use that awesome little wooden bench
 that he built!)

did you know?  
you get a better picture if you hold your leg just right!

with all seriousness~
there is NO way that I could have tackled this
photography project without the help
of my friends Maria and Deb.
A million thanks to you both.
xoxo

~making sure that your scarves
are perfect for the photos

I just want to tell you something here~
that grass was WET!!
(the real photo should have been of my backside when I got up!)

I just got so excited while taking these photos -
it gave me the greatest pleasure
to showcase your beautiful scarves in all
these amazing settings!


Got Prizes? well, YES we do!~~~

Without any further ado-- the list of winners for the prizes as drawn by Maddy girl~

These two lovely paintings were donated by
 my friend Kerrie Sanderson.
 You can find Kerrie at her beautiful blog

the winner of the beautiful "HOPE" 
painting is
Freda Butler
~
the winner of the "Roses" 
painting is
Diane Meredith

 this mini-inspirational album
was created by my friend
Sue Kosec
(kosec@sbcglobal.net)
~
the winner of the album is
Carol Penoyer

and the winner of my knitted
 and beaded wrap is
Tanya Greb

The last photo~

This is the last photo that was taken for the Pink Scarf Project. Deb took it after I had just finished the last of the scarf photos. Honestly, just realizing that it was done, finished, a year's worth of photos completed, it sort of took me by surprise, and I had a moment of tears.  I've just wiped them away so that Deb could take this photo~

In the past year 328 people have contributed a total of 427 scarves. These beautiful "gifts of heart and hand" have drawn us all together in the spirit of compassion - making this great big world a whole LOT smaller. 

I've said this before - this was never really my project. From the beginning your prayerful and compassionate hearts took control of this project turning it into one of the most incredible charitable events ever hosted on a blog. 




The scarves have already begun to make their way to new homes. Recently the Gardener and I drove to North Carolina to deliver the first portion of scarves to be donated to my friend LeAnn.   
A recent breast cancer survivor, LeAnn will be sharing the scarves with the cancer center where she received her own treatments.

Soon, I'll be delivering more of the scarves to Donna, another recent breast cancer survivor.  She will also donate the scarves at the cancer center that provided her treatments. I'll share photos of me and Donna after I make the delivery! Donna's best friend Kay also participated in the project on their local level.  Kay collected scarves from her friends and blog readers and contributed them to the cancer center as well. 

Recently, I received this precious email from a lady who was the recipient of one of the scarves from this project.  Her words sum up the very essence of what this project has been all about~

 "My name is Paige and I was diagnosed with breast cancer in early September.  At the time I felt healthier and stronger than I have in years, it was unbelievable.  Since then I've been through surgery, I have chemo this week for the first time.   Now that it is November, the weather
has changed....after surgery I have realized the cold sensation more than ever.  Now, I get the idea of scarfs!!!!  I recently received a scarf from the pink scarf project.  It  feels like a hug from a community of women who want to support me through this tough journey.   I need that encouragement, knowing many have made it through and are cheering me on. 
Thank you , thank you, thank you, to all who are a part of this project."
Paige


I'd like to join Paige in thanking you all for your amazing generosity and compassion~ I am so humbled to have had the privilege to serve as host for this incredible project.  Thank you all from the bottom of my heart ~
xoxo
Vicki

Some notes~
I've created a special Pink Scarf Project page - you can find it here and on my sidebar.  (It's going to live there for a while!) You can find all the links to all of the posts there, including the Pink Scarf Project Pinterest Board. A special thank you to my friend Karen Valentine for designing the special page for me.


And~~
sign ups continue for the 2014 party-- you can find all the info on
this post~


  

32 comments:

Marlynne said...

Lovely Project! You are such an artist with your photography! Beautiful!

Seawashed said...

There are just no words...so beautiful. The heart of this project is the hope we all need. We need each other, we are all fragile. Compassion, kindness, and love for one another is life Thank you Vicki xxo

Donna said...

I'm with Kerrie....there are no words. Incredible, though is mine. The photos, the scarves, your friends who helped, the Gardner....it's all just incredible! Can't wait to meet you....soon!

Unknown said...

Thank you Vicki for hosting the Pink Scarf Project. I can't even begin to imagine how much work you put into this, and yet in each picture of you there is a smile on your face. Another big thank you to your "crew" as well. Y'all made me feel like I was there with you at each location. Thank you also for posting the note from Paige, such a brave lady! Vicki, you made the world seem a little smaller and much more friendly!

CJ STITCHING AND BLOOMS said...

Hello Vicki, The Pink Scarf Project has been a wonderful success and thank you and your dear friends for the endless work you have put into special project.. All the photos of all the scarfs are glorious.. Such beautiful and creative scarfs created by so many.. I am sure they will bring lots of smiles and JOY to many.. Hugs Judy

Sue Kosec said...

God bless you, Vicki!

And God bless the recipients of all the scarves so generously given!

Carol, enjoy the mini album - I'm so glad it was YOU that won it.

SuZeQ

Quinn said...

It's hard to put words to the feelings, but I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in this project. Thank you, Vicki, for all the heartfelt work you put into the Pink Scarf Project, and indeed, thank you for all the wonderful things you do!

Oh, and congratulations to the winners of the drawings! :)

I'm going to visit the pinterest board now, to scroll through all the lovely pictures.

Elizabeth said...

Beautiful!

Unknown said...

i am so honored that you allowed me to be able to share in the utter joy of this very special and heartfelt project. truly. there are no words dear vick. your heart is a rare beauty. blessings....

Julie Marie said...

Dear beautiful Vicki... where to begin... the covered bridges are all so gorgeous... when I see them, I feel very nostalgic and think about what life was like when they were built... I am so happy there are the 13 remaining ones and hope they will always stand strong... Kentucky looks like such a beautiful place... and I love the little church, exactly how I would picture one in the Kentucky countryside... the scarves are all just exquisite... and how nice to even receive some from England... the dedications were so lovely... (insert my tears here)... and how so "you" to have the gardener take you back to a covered bridge to photo the ones that Nina sent you... sending much love, hope and prayers to all of the beautiful, strong women who are receiving these most special scarves... I am proud to have been a small part of your incredible project... love you pretty lady, xoxo Julie Marie PS Hope you did not forget to bring Deb's hubby's bench home!... Congratulations to all of your winners... and an extra special prayer going out to Paige...

Tanya said...

THIS PROJECT KICKED-ASS!!!!

Now that that's out of the way, I was just TRULY moved to tears...from the beginning of this beautiful post (the photos are, each and every one, gorgeous - thank you for laying in wet grass...you're a true professional!), to the very end note from Paige and the sweet final photo of incredible YOU (and REALLY choked up at the winner announcement section - I'm speechless...and SO grateful!) My Maria, Deb (and her husband), and your sweet, SWEET Gardener have been such troopers - a testament, in no part, to just how much you are loved, by everyone, my dear! THANK YOU for doing this this past year - I'm in on ANY cause you decide to undertake from here on out! I'm sure everyone who passed your way on this feels the same.

Just when I had the week from hell...a VERY scissor happy hairdresser - but hair grows, and I am thankful from this post that I HAVE hair, and my health; a small surgery (painful, especially coupled with the hair, but a minor inconvenience because again, I do have my health); hearing on the loss of a cousin who chose a destructive path in life (when these Breast Cancer Survivors have shown there is so much to live and fight for), this post put EVERYTHING back in perspective.

YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION, dear friend! THANK YOU FOR YOU - XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Julia said...

WOW Vicki, such a tribute of supporting love for one another is flowing one little stitch at a time, travelling miles across borders and oceans to get to it's destination. Just incredible when I think about it in that way.

So many caring ladies have joined in support to give a ray of loving hope to our sisters going through breast cancer, it has taken a life of it's own.

I like that you decided to use covered bridges as a backdrop for your Pink Scarf photos. A covered bridge offers shelter from the inclement weather, while keeping the road safe and clear. A little ray of hope on the rough road to recovery.

My little pink scarf has made it's way to Donna by now. I'm so glad that Donna is part of this project. She a blogging buddy of mine and it means so much to me.

Thanks for your strong dedication to this project. I can see why you shed some tears on the completion of your photo shoot. Thanks to your support team. You are all awesome gals. Big hugs to all of you.
JB

I

Maureen said...

Incredible!

Incredible photos.
Incredible places.
Incredible volunteers.
Incredible scarves.
Incredible hearts.

Actually, you've made it all very credible. And very wonderful.

Bravo to you all!

Dorthe said...

Dearest Vicki,
The finale ,-you write ,of this project from the heart of firstly you, and after that of all the other special wemen whom donated to the giving from the hearts. But I know you have many things to do still, as bringing the scarfs to their destinations, will also being done by you, my wonderful woman. You are fantastic in handling all this, and on top, also being an amazing friend , I know that personally - taking care of blogging friends ,like me ,-
I`m so proud to know you, and to be able to call you my friend, dearest Vicki.
Thank you for those beautiful photoes, you have shared on this journey to your old wonderful bridges , I have read it all with interest.
I love you, and send you hugs.
Dorthe

Starting Over, Accepting Changes - Maybe said...

I live within five miles of three covered bridges. One is just down the road from me. They are very special.

I loved all your pictures and the meaning behind them. I know too many lovely ladies who are living with breast cancer.

Bless you, Vicki

JShelby said...

What a huge project to be finishing up and what a great success Vicki! Way to go! The email brought tears to my eyes, I can only imagine how it must have made it all seem so worth it for you.
Congratulations to the winners of all the lovely prizes!

Unknown said...

Vicki, I am so happy about this project of yours and so proud to have been a part of it. Thanks so much for always sharing your life and your pictures with us. So what is the next project? LOLOLOL Whatever and whenever, I can't wait to be a part of it. Hugs and hope you have a lovely holiday season.

Emma/Itzy said...

Hooray! Well done to everyone involved and it was lovely to see mine up there with the others, I just hope it brings a smile to someones face just when they need it the most. xx

Dreaming of Vintage said...

Such a beautiful post and wonderful project!

Mosaic Magpie said...

Sitting here with a smile on my face, remembering that special day. You truly were over come with emotions with those last photos. The relief and the overwhelming gratitude for all those that shared in this project, ran down your cheeks. I was glad to be with you as the journey came to an end....well not really an end as now all those stitched with love scarves will find their way to new homes. New homes where they will comfort, warm and wrap a woman in love. Love and prayers stitched into each one.
xo,
Deb

gigi knits said...

I can't tell you how much winning the mini album means to me. I will cherish it always and someday will pass it on to my little g-granddaughter in memory of her Grandma Fonda.. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Vicki for your time & engery you have put into this very special pink scarf project..we are so blessed.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Vicki, thanks for letting us all participate; it's been wonderful. You have a huge heart and have been such a blessing in my life.

Mr Paul said...

There's a really special quality in some people when they not only give the best of themselves but by just being themselves also bring out generosity of spirit in others to. You exude a kindness that brings a tear to my eye Vicki. What an inspirational project. Your photo shoot is beautiful, even if you did end up with a wet bottom!
X

Karen B. said...

My sweet friend,
I just wanted to tell you what a kind, caring and wonderful person you are. You have touched so many hearts in ways that only few will ever do including mine. I am so proud of what you have done to help others. You are one in a million and I am blessed that you are in my life. You are in my heart always.
Love you.
Karen B. ~ Todolwen

val said...

I am so glad to have participated in such a worthy event this year. All the scarves are incredible...as is the abundance of love from those made made them.
Thank you for hosting!

Beedeebabee said...

What a beautiful post, Vicki! Those precious scarves, the covered bridges, the photography, Deb, Maria, your Gardener...everyone of you helped to make your project such a special one. I'm amazed at how many gorgeous scarves came in, and all the effort you guys took to photograph them in picture perfect postcard settings. You are all angels!!! xoxoxo

Eugenia Maru http://lulurulitos.blogspot.com said...

Lindas fotos, lindo post, como siempre. Yo no alcancé a enviar mi bufanda rosada. Estuve enferma. No sé si todavía puedo.
Un beso a todas.
http://lulurulitos.blogspot.com

kathyinozarks said...

thank you Vicki-I am so glad I found you and your blog-you give me inspiration and hope every time I visit, that the world is not as bad a place as the news media seems to want us to think.
I really enjoyed the covered bridge tour too-
Hugs Kathy

LesleyAnn said...

It's simply amazing that so many came together for such a wonderful project. You and your comrades did an unimaginable job at photographing all those scarves and traveling all those miles for various shoot locations. Not to mention all those gallons of gasoline; coffee stops; breakfast, lunch and dinner stops; bathroom breaks; motel stays and all other variety of costs involved. What fabulous women you are. I'm in awe. It's been a pleasure to watch a lot and participate just a bit. Thank you.

Astri said...

Absolutely heartwarming Vicki!

Lili said...

Once again you had me in tears reading this beautiful post Vicki...a very heartfelt and emotional post. I was so delighted to get that photo tip about having your leg positioned just right...you are so darling Vicki! xoxo

Billy Blue Eyes said...

Not sure about the Knitting but those bridges are somethig else, I love them