52 photos - stained glass shapes

Open studio weekend was fabulous - in spite of the cold rainy weather.

Oh my goodness, so many talented artists and artisans.

Pressed flowers, water colors, whimsical oil paintings of roosters, jewelry, stone bird baths...

And then my favorite - the stained glass window I purchased at

Hot Glass Works in Jamaica, Vermont.

I've been drooling ummm, pining over their many different windows for several months.

I'm feeling very lucky that Bella chose shapes for the prompt this week.

While the overall patchwork of stained glass is made up of squares and rectangles,

The individual pieces have so many beautiful colors and shapes.

swirls and speckles and star bursts, petals ...

Hanging in an open space between my living room and kitchen,
I smile every time I catch a glimpse.

All items at Hot Glass Works are hand made by a very talented husband and wife team -

they've been creating these works of art for more than 30 years.

Have a wonderful day.

52 photos project

barn charm, a prize find - jamaica, vermont

Saturday afternoon -

a lazy lunch at our favorite coffee shop -

a planned trip to the pond for some kayaking...

Chatting about this and that,
Greg asks our friend about some photos posted on facebook,

and this is where he directed us...

Greg was scouting for new mountain bike rides

I was scouting for barns (what else?)

We both agree
- although for different reasons

This place is a prize find!

And what would a Vermont farm be without a weathered wood barn?

Happy Monday!

Barn Charm,

little rural schoolhouses

Last week while trying to find the oldest building in Jamaica

we did something we rarely do

- took a leisurely stroll through town.
My plan was to give you a little mini-tour of Main Street
but - well - my photos -
HUGE disappointment.
Does that ever happen to you?

Anyway -

while researching this rural village, I became interested in the old village schoolhouses.
In the 1800s, there were 14 one-room schoolhouses scattered throughout the town of Jamaica.

Town Library

Now the public library, this building was once the Village School.
(but I'm not certain if this was one of the original schoolhouses)

The "new" Village school is just a short walk down the street.

And then
 several miles down the road in the little town of Bondville
Barb @ Live and Learn commented that she frequented this town library while living in Vermont
-once a one-room schoolhouse

I took these photos back in early January. This one is a real cutie.

I love the way these little rural towns have kept their historic schoolhouses in use..

So far, I've located two of the original one-room schoolhouses (possibly three).
And I have a feeling that Greg is just going to love my new project ;-)

Rurality Blog Hop, Walk and Click Wednesday