american gothic barn

You may remember that a couple weeks ago I took you on a bike ride through rural Vermont.

There was so much to see on this ride that I never rode far before I was compelled to stop for yet one more photo.

This was one of my favorite photo stops

So -

I'm coming around the corner when

screech - imagine for a moment that bikes make that screeching sound when you stop short

a little closer

and one last shot before Greg looses his patience with all this stopping

I'm really not sure what it is about American Gothic - I just can't help gawking gazing at it - and it looks right at home on the side of this barn!

I am joining:

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scavenger hunt sunday

Family Life - Long Distance Style

Last week was a little bit crazy - although not entirely abnormal for our family.

Greg flew off to Chicago to help our older daughter buy a car. At home, my (very early) birthday present arrived.

And this is my interpretation of this weeks Scavenger Hunt Sunday



  

Wrapped



I am so excited and overwhelmed as I look at all the pieces of my new camera wrapped in it's original packaging. Yep, that's right, I'm making the leap from my beloved point-and-shoot. I'm loving early birthday presents!

Time Together

Spending time together as a family is somewhat of a challenge these days.

Using Facetime on our iPads is a big help. (Sorry for very poor picture quality on these)

Tell Me a Story

While I'm busy clicking away with my new camera, Maggie tells me the story of her adventures in used car shopping. (Hoping the cute film edge on this one helps make up for poor quality...)

Love or Couple

Meanwhile back at home, I am completely obsessed with my new camera. My youngest was trying to enjoy the nice weather on the deck while working on a portolio for one of her students. She very patiently allowed me to snap photo after photo (after photo after photo) of her. Now that's an act of love.

Duplicated

It was time to give Laura a break, so I moved on to this coneflower. I shot this on twice, playing with the different settings on my camera.

Thanks for dropping in!

celebrating summer in vermont

Summertime in Vermont means -

- famer's markets!
With Vermont's fascinatingly ecclectic mix of farmer's, homesteader's, artisans, and flatlanders -
markets here are like a celebration - a party, festival

And really, there is a lot to celebrate.

- a colorful variety of farm-fresh produce -

- home-baked goodies -

- locally prepared foods for an impromptu picnic -



- music to enjoy while strolling - browsing - eating -

- not to mention, a variety of colorful arts -

- and much, much more -

- farm-fresh meats and eggs, pickles and jams -

- and of course, Vermont maple syrup and cheese -

Would you believe that I needed to coax Greg to tag along?

- not anymore -

- he's a farmer's market junkie, now (just like me)

I am joining Nancy and Lisa for Rural Thursday

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garden "friends" among the flowers

Summer is (usually) slow to arrive in Northern New England.

I was amazed, though, when we arrived at Away to find the flowers have gone wild!
Before taking a look, though, I'd like to introduce you to my new garden "friends".

 This guy was hiding in the hydrangeas.

He was left behind by the previous owner and although I've never had many garden ornaments before, we're growing quite fond of him. We greet him everytime we come up our driveway.

Greg calls him "Fred"

I was thinking something more like "Hans"

My youngest tells me, "No Mom, it's Fred. You can't always have what you want!"

Well, allrighty then...

Friedrich it is! (but I call him Fred)

At the other end of the garden this little guy sits among the flowers reading all day.
 I'm a little bit jealous of him...
We haven't named him yet, but I'm open to suggestions.

This is our first year at our getaway - and I'm having lots of fun watching the garden grow and bloom
 (except that I have a bad feeling I was a little overzealous in my weeding)
So now, let's take a look at the flowers blooming in my garden.

I'm going to have lots of cut flowers for my vases and pitchers

 - smile -

I think these are foxglove - I just love their color

I'm not sure what these are, but they add some nice color to the garden

And then - these tenacious flowers are growing right through the rock wall next to our driveway

I think this is the first home I've lived in where I haven't had to start my own flower gardens.

I am feeling very lucky!

I'm joining Tuesday Garden Party at An Oregon Cottage

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scavenger hunt sunday

A Boston Lunch Hour
My office is located near the Christian Science Plaza in Boston where I enjoy taking lunch breaks on summer days. Today on the menu:

 This week's scavenger hunt includes:

WATER

Boston children playing in the fountain's cool water on a hot summer day.



PETAL

The gardens at the plaza are well maintained and desinged for relaxing. The petals on this flower are such a vibrant shade of pink



FRESH

Fresh can be challenging in the city, and although there are a few farmer's markets in the city, my usual "fresh" is found at Whole Foods (my frequent lunchtime destination).



EIGHT

I made everyone on my office elevator stop on the eight floor so that I could take a shot of the elevator "8" all lit up - (you can imagine how popular I was)

but then found this right across the street - (I think it's a bit more interesting...)



CALM

The "Reflecting Pond" at the Christian Science Plaza - an oasis of calm in a busy city.



To view more of  this week's scavenger hunt, head on over to Ramblings and Photos



Thanks for dropping in!

bathroom re-DONE

I almost didn't post this - because - well, you know - I'm not a decorator.
And -
I never intended for this blog to be about decorating
(a craft or project now and then - maybe - but not decorating)
But then, I've been talking about it for months, so I feel that I should see it through.
So - you may remember (if you have a very good memory, that is) that this mini-makeover all started with this PB cartography shower curtain. -

and these maps that we found in a country store in Newfane

and the simple desire to add something of my own to our new getaway.

But then - well - you know how it goes. A new shower curtain leads to new towels which leads to fresh paint which leads to new wall hangings, and new window treatments, and new fixtures...

You get the point.

So, just to refresh your memory

Before -

And now -

I kept the walls light (BM Vapor) which is a slightly creamier white than the Designer White that was on the walls before. The roman shade is from Country Curtains and is insulated, which will be good for winter.

I painted the vanity and framed the mirror

Added a shelf

and a little "art"

The farm-themed picture frame was tucked in the back of a drawer. I had just the photo for that!

I copied the Apache blessing off of a greeting card - and played with the fonts a bit. The frame was my first experiment with glazing.

This antique stool I found in the basement family room.

I liked it too much to leave it down there, so I put it to use holding our towels.

So, there you have it. When I ordered the shower curtain, I really had no idea this would become such a project.

Oh well - I'm liking it!

Thanks for dropping in!

cycling vermont farmland

Last week, we took a much needed break from the daily grind and headed up to our Vermont getaway for a week of  relaxing, exploring and all those vacationy things that people do.

Now I'm back in my office where I was greeted by piles of papers that need to be pushed around -
I guess into new piles...

It's what I do.

I think I took a few hundred pictures while in Vermont - and to put it mildly I'm a bit

o-v-e-r-w-h-e-l-m-e-d!!

Anyway...

I'd like to share a bike ride that Greg and I took through the beautiful farmland of Vermont.

I'm calling it farm fascination part 2



Heart of Vermont Bikeways

I found this ride on the Champlain Bikeways website (click the link above).

We also added the optional 10 mile round trip to Mount Independence.

This ride is rated "moderately strenous", but I think for an avid cyclist, it would be pretty easy.

 I'm a little behind in my cycling this year, so for me - it was rated just about right.

So hop on my bike with me as we pedal through the peaceful Vermont farmland on a sunny summer afternoon.

(edited in PicMonkey using Focal Zoom - can't you just feel the breeze on your face?)

Ethan Allen gathered his men here before capturing Fort Ticonderoga

I love taking pictures of cows!

I felt a little silly (city-girl cyclist) taking so many photos of these bovine beauties. I could imagine the farmer snickering to himself - not that I would blame him for that!

Time for a rest stop

A man got out of his truck and watched me as I snapped some photos.

His curiosity got the better of him and he asked me, "What are you seeing here?"

Oh my, don't you know you live in one of the most beautiful places on earth? (I thought to myself)

I smiled and told him that I loved the flags that lined the street and that the village was so pretty.

Apparently satisfied, he nodded and went on into the store.

As you can imagine, with all this stopping for pictures, the 30 miles took us most of the afternoon.
I actually have many more, but I'll save them for another day.
I hope you enjoyed the ride!

I am joining
Nancy at A Rural Journal for Rural Thursday

Thanks for dropping in!