A Beach Cover Up, A Polka Dot Vespa, and My First Friend

 Back in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, where I grew up lived my first friend ever, her name Theresa Pennetti Klco. We were blood sisters, and so were our daughters. So were our mothers.We never went to the same school. But we lived across the street from each other through fourth grade.Our family moved away to Middletown , but we remained lifelong friends and  were a part of each other’s lives for years. Then we both moved away from New Jersey. Theresa moved back to NJ  until her mother and only sister, Cheryl Pennetti Holladay moved to Florida, so she joined them there. By then I was living in La Paz Baja California Sur.

 This summer my Beloved and I decided  to take a road trip to Mobile so I could meet an online sewing friend that I met at Pattern Review.(Nancy2001 on PR) We also planned to spend several days with Theresa and her sweet husband   Dale and Cheryl, Theresa’s sister and her new husband, Roger.

Cheryl taught me to drive and she taught me to sew. She is a few years older than me. We were both living in Silicon Valley in the 90’s and for awhile Cheryl worked with me at my internet company.

Cheryl always kept me updated on Theresa’s  escapades. Once email and Facebook becamean everyday   thing, our friendship flourished again. And it was on Facebook that I saw the polka dot Vespa and declared that I must have a photo taken sitting on it.

 And this summer we had a wonderful time, laughed ourselves silly and never noticed that decades had intervened. The six of us had dinner and lunches out and it was as if  time had never passed. 

The three of  us gyrrls drank champaign, fkloated in the pool and gabbed for hours. 

As part of my wardrobe for the trip I made a beach cover up. It is my TNT(Tried and True) pattern for apres swim attire. I have altered the pattern at times to make sleep shirts.

 Here is the patterm: It is a 2002 Butterick

The fabric is a burn out cotton, light as a feather, a dream to sew, launders well and needs little to no ironing. There is really little to say about the pattern. The pieces fit together well, the fit is fine, it was easy to sew, it would be a great project for a beginner.

The sunglasses are some that I saw Theresa and Cheryl wearing  in photos of one of their theme parties. I said I wanted to get a pair, meaning I would like to buy some. Cheryl disappeared into her bedroom and came out with a pair and gave them to me.

The shoes are rubber shower shoes I picked up  at Designer Shoe Warehouse in Mobile.

Here I am  on the beach at Jupiter Island, it is 6 minutes from Theresa’s home in Hobe Sound.

She posts photos of herself and her dog, and other friends on their morning walks, and I said that I wanted to do the same on the very first morning that we were there. Cheryl drove the 20 mintes to meet us both mornings and we were there before the sun!

This is me, well before 7:00 a.m. with a bag of shells enjoying a morning on the Atlanrtic coast in my beach cover up.

Here are some sedate front and back photos of the beach coverup:

Hanging in my guest shower.

And one more of  my Beloved and me on the polka dot Vespa.

 It was Theresa’s birthday gift!

.