a very merry Christmas to all

I was happily surprised by a little bit of snow this morning in Boston.

Merry Christmas!

Thanks for dropping in!

covered bridges - part 2

Okay - so this isn't a very Christmasy Vermont post,
but I suspect that before winter is through up here, you'll be tired of all my snowy scenes.
Anyway-
you may remember that last month we went out on a quest for covered bridges.

This one (the Cornish-Windsor Bridge) is on the Vermont - New Hampshire state border.

Until a few years ago, it was the longest covered bridge in the U.S.

It spans the Connecticut River (technically in New Hampshire)

And - although the longest covered bridge is now in Ohio,

I'm still giving this one points for "quaint".

I will probably be taking a short break from posting, although I'll continue to read yours.
I'm wishing you all a very happy and safe holiday season!

Thanks for dropping in!

barn charm wednesday?

 I'm late, I know, and I'm digging into my archives.

We've been spending some time at home, doing those things that just really need to be done once in a while.

And then there was the football game we went to on Sunday - where we got to sit out in the rain 

- and watch our team lose a really sloppy game.

Did I mention that it was cold and raining?
And seriously, after everything that happened last week, I'm sitting there thinking,

I am so lucky to be spending the day at a football game

- in the rain, -watching our team lose...

All joking aside - it really was a lot of fun - rain and losing and all!

Anyway,

This barn is from one of our bike rides last summer.

Can you tell it was kind of a gray day?

Yeah, pretty sure we got rained on.

We often do.

This barn was worth it.

I think it's part of a vineyard.

I really had no idea that grapes grew in Vermont.

I'm hoping next time to have some snowy barns to share.

Thanks for dropping in!

grist mill - winter scene

The difference a couple of weeks makes in a scene...
Last month, I posted pictures of this grist mill in Weston, Vermont..

And now, to my surprise, the water is beginning to freeze.

Do you suppose that it completely freezes over in the winter?
I'll let you know - in another month or two.

 

Thanks for dropping in!

five on friday - making me smile

 Five Things to Smile About

It's been a crazy-busy week at work, but as I take a moment to catch my breath, I realize that I managed to smile through most of it. Here is what's been making me smile.

1) Christmas wreaths on a beautifully ornate church door - I was out during lunch with big hopes for completing this week's Scavenger Hunt. Yeah, that's not happening - again...

But - this walk was a nice break, and definitely something to smile about.

2) Smiles - I had the pleasure of meeting with some really nice people. Their smiles make work so much nicer.

3) Christmas candy - Okay, so maybe it's a bit early to be smiling about this. I decided to get a jump on stocking stuffers, but then I also got a jump on eating them.

Oooops

4) Sunshine - enough said.

5) Packages - I'm not a big fan of shopping, so I order most things online. Each package that arrives (and isn't stolen from my doorstep) makes me smile.

So what has you smiling this week?

Reflection of You

Thanks for dropping in!

rustication project - spray painting brass

If you have been following along from the beginning

AND

you have a very good memory,
you might remember my mission to rustify  rusticate add a more rustic feel to Away.
I know - it's been a long time since I've even mentioned it.

It's just that somewhere along the way I discovered that most days I'd rather be outdoors exploring.
Last weekend was kind of rainy, drizzly, miserable...
so, today I'll be sharing one of my rustication (did you know that's a real word?) projects.

Whew , so anyway -

this lamp was left behind by the previous owners.

Normally I would like this lamp as it is - but it is definitely not rustic.

Sooooo - you can probably tell where I'm going with this.

Out to the garage...

I gave the brass a light sanding and a coat of spray primer,

then added several light coats of Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze.

Super easy project (not sure the fumes did much for my health, though).

I switched out the pleated shade with a burlap one.
And although I'm pretty sure I just ruined a nice brass lamp, I like it better like this.

And then, just for the fun of it - since I still had some paint in the can, and was getting a little trigger happy,
I painted this candle holder.

I don't remember what it used to look like, but at this point,
does it really matter?

I'm joining

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Thanks for dropping in!

christmas cheer in weston, vermont

Last weekend we woke to a light snowfall.
Beautiful - perfect - snowfall -
(you know, the kind that's pretty but doesn't need to be shoveled)

and we headed over to Weston, Vermont.
This little town of 650 or so residents is about 10 parts quaint -

with just enough quirky thrown in to make it quintessentially Vermont.

"THE" Vermont Country Store is located here.

A lot touristy, but also a lot of fun -
even for non-shoppers like Greg.

Real country stores can be found throughout the state;

serving as the heart of their village, much as they have been for many years.

But my favorite part of the day - 

the horses -
after chasing them all over the village, I finally managed to catch up to them.

It's impossible for me to resist a face like this!

Thanks for dropping in!

five on friday - more random thoughts

Random Thoughts

1) Winter is quickly coming to Vermont. I'm really hoping for a snowy one, but then, that probably falls into the category of

Be-Careful-What-You-Wish-For-!

2) My next-door-neighbor goes all out with seasonal lawn decorations. While I don't share the same holiday style, I have to admit that their colorful lights are a cheery welcome when I drive home at night.

3) Which reminds me of a December afternoon 25 years ago. While I thought my 2-year-old was napping, I watched out my window feeling a bit dismayed over my neighbors setting up what I felt was an extremely tacky display. When I "woke" my daughter from her nap, she excitedly took me by the hand and led me to the window exclaiming -

"Mommy, mommy - the most byoooo-tiful thing!"

Ah, how differently the world looks through the eyes of children.

4) And how about online shopping - neat, huh?

The other morning I woke to the news report that three women in my town have been following the delivery truck and snatching packages off doorsteps. Really?!?!?!

Sigh - time for a little meditation -

Ohhmmm - most people are good, most people are good, most people are good...

5) Okay - faith in humanity restored.

I wish you all a very happy weekend and hope you find a little time to simply enjoy!

Thanks for dropping in!

watery wednesday - wanna get away?

We found this little getaway last summer
somewhere off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts

The hermit in me absolutely adores this little place
- but -
the part of me with motion sickness issues - not so much.

Doesn't it kind of make you wonder, though?

For more watery images, check out Watery Wednesday II

Thanks for dropping in!

barn charm - pennsylvania revisited

I managed to make a couple small strides in my holiday preparations -

but I won't bore you with that right now.

I remember as a teenager making my first car trip across the state of Pennsylvania.
I also remember how beautiful I thought the valleys and farms were.
That hasn't changed.

I've photographed so many Vermont barns, that when I was visiting Pennsylvania a couple of weeks ago, I was struck by how open and vast the landscape seems in comparison.

And the barns are so large - and beautifully maintained.

This scene seems so far removed from our snowy weekend in the Green Mountains.

Hopefully I'll get those pictures together to share later this week.

For now - I'm joining Tricia at Bluff Area Daily for a little Barn Charm.

Thanks for dropping in!

five on friday - holiday thoughts

Holiday Thoughts

Here we are again, in the midst of another holiday season. 

While I enjoy looking at everyone’s holiday trees and decorations and crafts (really, I do), I’ve done absolutely nothing. 

My calendar tells me it’s still November - okay – so it’s the last day of November - yikes - I’m feeling behind. All you early birds are stressing me out! 

Just kidding – (kind of) 

Okay – so maybe it’s not entirely true that I’ve done absolutely nothing. 

I organized my holiday playlist. 

If there’s one thing that helps me de-stress during my daily commute, 

it’s belting out “O Holy Night” in my car as though I’m Mariah Carey. 

When I was a kid, my parents hid the Sears Wish Book until December 1. 

See – I’m not really behind, right? 

Remember the Sears Wish Book? 

Oh how we loved that catalog. 

We fought over it, spent hours gazing at toys, and circled nearly everything in it. 

Can you imagine kids today getting excited over the Sears Wish Book? 

Times, they sure have changed…

I was very excited the other morning, when I saw several trees hauled into the quad outside my office. 

Last night was the tree lighting – complete with an a capella chorus. 

Seriously, I wish I could ease my data analysis frustrations with the sounds of Christmas carols floating through my office window every day. 

These pictures were taken from my office window - with my point-and-shoot - in the dark. 

I had fun playing with photoshop paint effects to change my blurry photos into a blurry paintings. 

This weekend I vow to get started on my holiday preparations. 

Maybe some candles in the windows – a wreath on the door…. 

How about you? Have you started your holiday decorating? Shopping?

Reflection of You

Thanks for dropping in!

walking off the pie

Friday afternoon, feeling somewhat blobby from all that stuffing and pie

(or was it from stuffing myself with pie?),

we headed outside for a walk.

I've been wanting to go hiking,

but it's hunting season in Vermont and I keep forgetting to buy orange vests -

not that an orange vest would offer any protection from stray bullets...

We stuck to the roads.

Ice is already starting to form on this pond -

Oh yeah, we'll be skating soon.

Well, I might not - I stand a better chance of staying alive by wearing an orange vest in the woods -
during hunting season...

A little farther down the street, the people in this neigborhood share access to the pond.

I think I'd like to borrow one of those canoes.

Hmmm, I wonder if I need an orange vest out on the pond.

And then, completely unrelated to watery sporting activites -

I really like this stone fence and picket gate.

I'm wondering if it will have a Christmas wreath soon.

More Watery Wednesday and Rural Thursday fun by clicking the buttons below.



 

Thanks for dropping in!

tractor parade and a vermont barn

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

We enjoyed a fantastic dinner with my family (sans Chicago-daughter who won't make it home until Christmas),

then headed to Vermont for the weekend.

Normally I'd be moaning right now about all the shopping and holiday preparations that need to be done -

but then - there's nothing quite like a little snow squall and a good old fashioned tractor parade to get me humming holiday tunes.
Yep, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Saturday afternoon while out running errands,

the sky was threatening snow.

This place caught my eye.

I love the weathered wood, the old wheels and metal roof.

I can't tell whether this barn is in use or not.

Today, it was back to the office - and a busy month ahead.

An iphone shot of the tractor parade
 - you get the idea  :-)
Have a great week!

watery wednesday - an old vermont grist mill

Weston, Vermont

I'm not sure what it is about old grist mills that I find so fascinating.

Do you remember a short-run television show from the 70s about a family that moved into an old grist mill?

Apple something... No? - Oh well...

We found this one hidden behind the Weston Playhouse

Which - as a complete aside - is a super fantastic place to see a play -

if you like that sort of thing - which i do

Anyway,

I think this grist mill is part of a museum that I have yet to visit -

someday

I've been organizing my quickly-growing collection of photos,
(and actually deleting a few because, let's face it, some are just not that good)
and I was feeling lucky to run  across several watery ones from this summer.
Pretty soon, the only water I'll be seeing around here will be the frozen kind.

And now - it's time to take my pie out of the oven.
Triple Chocolate Pumpkin
(recipe - just in case you're feeling the same as I did when I read - Triple-Chocolate-Pumpkin)
Here's hoping it's half as good as Martha's!

I'm wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Thanks for dropping in!