"Polly had been involved in making a quilt for the Crawfordsville, bicentennial celebration--she did a wonderful piece portraying the Elston Homestead.  When we were trying to figure out what to do for Whit's birthday she had the wonderful idea of making a quilt, but she insisted that each member of the family make his or her square.  There was no dodging that: she wasn't going to end up making them or having it be woman's work, so each of the artists is identified under squares so you can tell who stitched which.  I was very proud to have the assignment of doing the Packard and having the fun of showing that it was Lola who was driving it as she always did.  

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"As the quilt was completed--and that involved, after Polly got the squares her putting them together and then finding a woman in Winter Park who specialized in quilting to put the final stitches in the quilt.  When we got ready to deliver the quilt she said 'That's not enough, just to give the quilt,' so she proposed that there be a poem identifying each of the squares and giving credit to the stitcher.  The problem was that we were cutting it pretty close and she was working on the poem as we stayed at the University Club.  Whit's apartment was at 40 Fifth Avenue downtown and she still didn't have the poem finished as we headed downtown for the birthday celebration, and I remember her perched on the back seat of a yellow cab going down Fifth Avenue writing verses to complete the poem, which she did with characteristic skill just in time for us to get out of the cab, get into the elevator, and go up to the apartment for the celebration."

--Thaddeus, March 15, 2018