hello, again!!

it's been a long and snowy winter, here in Boston

and like a bear - I've been hibernating

okay - not really - wishful thinking...

but enough of my laziness

Spring is on the horizon - I hope...

and while I do love winter

- not to mention the snowy Vermont countryside -

the commuting scene in Boston was getting u-g-l-y

 So, it turns out that poorly maintained trains don't like snow - 

and cold, weary commuters like trains that show up -

Not a winning combination...

On the upside, though,

there was lots of bonding and commiseration happening at the water coolers

we've had some new visitors at Away

- the perfect motivation to dust off my horribly neglected camera -

and get back on the horse - so to speak

I'd like to give a giant thank you to all who emailed and messaged me during my absence

Thank you for your kind thoughts and patience!

All is well - I've missed you!!

I'm joining Theresa at The Run*A*Round Ranch Report

for Good Fences

- because you know how I love a good barnyard fence :-)

fences and ramblings

So - I think I have a case of blogger's block -

which started when work got crazy, and all I did in the evening was veg 

- and pin...

Yeah, pinning is kind of mindless

- like - Ooooo, pretty picture (pin)

Well - except for having to choose a board to pin it on

Oh yeah, hard work, that...

Anyway, work is back to normal :-)
and I'm still pinning lots and lots of pretty pictures -

and I have blogger's block

So - I did manage to break away from Pinterest long enough for a bike ride with Greg

rolling through the Vermont countryside

hills, barns, fences, marble...

did I mention hills? - Yeah, lots of hills...

And - what is up with Feedly?
I logged in one day and my app didn't work.
- Nothing -
And then, since I'm so very patient with all things technical,
I deleted it and said -
well, it doesn't matter what I said -
So anyway, now I'm trying to get my feed set up on Bloglovin'
and I'm so very sorry if I haven't visited you in a while.
I should probably find a chapter of Pinner's Anonymous,
and free up some time to figure out this bloggy stuff.

Whew - and that's all my rambling for today.

I am joining Theresa for Good Fences
Have a great afternoon!

nestled in the mountains

It's been a while since I've made asked Greg to make a u-turn while out driving

- and I know, I know

- we're all tired of winter and snow...

but then, you know how hard it is for me to pass up a snowy barn

- especially one with weathered sides and a red roof

- nestled in the mountains...

- besides -
 Vermont and snow and barns go together
like
America and apple pie
like
baseball and hot dogs
like
well, you get the idea...

From my snowy home to yours - have a wonderful day!

Rurality blog hop, 

abandoned sugar shack - jamaica, vermont

After what seemed like an endless streak of good weather,

last weekend was cold and rainy.

I didn't mind too much, as I was in the mood for a lazy

lie-around-the-house-and read-with-a-nice-warm-cup-of-tea

sort of weekend.

We did manage to get out a little bit and enjoy the foliage,

which I must say, is spectacular this year.

I took these a couple of weeks ago when the leaves were just starting to turn.

I think this is an abandoned sugar shack - although I'm not sure.

It sits in an area of Jamaica, Vermont that was flooded by Hurricane Irene.

This week the village is celebrating the reopening of the bridge on the main street through town,
an exciting step forward in recovering from the devastation of Irene.

barn charm - getting back into the groove

With those lazy hazy crazy days of summer essentially behind us,

I'm beginning to think it's time to get back into the groove of things.

I sure have been feeling lazy and hazy -

as in - major slacking...

Fall has always felt like the real start of a new year to me.

So - anyway

We had the pleasure of spending Labor Day with family in

Central Pennsylvania.

Rural and hilly and beautiful like Vermont

yet, oh, so different.

We enjoyed meandering over the winding back roads,

among the peaceful farmland.

I'm not sure why summertime seems to throw me off my normal rhythm,
but I'm looking forward to Fall

and getting my groove back.

How about you - does summer seem to throw you off your normal patterns?

barn charm - 24 mm week

Fresh mountain air and scouting for barns -

the perfect medicine for a tension headache.

We spent a quiet weekend at Away, working on little projects around the house -

and of course, just a little exploring.

This week's focal length is 24 mm - which seems to be better suited for me

(with just a little cropping).

This big red barn is attached to the back of the farmhouse -

which is not unusual in Northern New England.

I imagine it makes it easier to tend to the animals during the long winter months.

We were fortunate that mud season has not made the roads too unpassable- yet.

Although, we did hit one rather muddy spot in an area that was just a bit off the beaten path.

When you see quaint villages and beautiful farms such as this one,

it's easy to forget that parts of Vermont are - well - a bit different.

(We're thinking we may have heard dueling banjos in the distance...)

Yeah, it would seem we ventured into an area of hermits (think Unabomber),

 and communes (yes - they do still exist).

It's always an adventure.

And with that, I'll leave you with this thought 

- which hangs in one of our favorite restaurants.

barn charm - londonderry, vermont

Last weekend, Greg and I stayed home to celebrate Easter with our family.

And while I'm sure there are barns in the Boston suburbs - well, I didn't see any.

So this snowy barn is from a couple weeks back -

which is just as well, because this week's focal length is 100 mm,

and so the challenge really begins...

Can you guess what it was about this barn that caught my eye?

:-)

Fortunately, we're beginning to see the first signs of Spring at home -

and even managed to take our first warm-up bike ride of the season.

Yep - there's hope.

How is the season shaping up where you are?

barn charm and the nifty fifty

Another quiet weekend at Away -
a little snowshoeing (ugh, yes - there's still lots and lots of snow) -
and some scouting for barns and sugar shacks.
Coming up the hill, the blue-gray color of this one caught my eye.

For the next few weeks I'm taking a (self-inflicted) photography challenge.

- only one focal length allowed for an entire week.

This week's lens is the nifty-fifty -

partially because it's my only fixed-length lens so I couldn't be tempted to zoom in and out -

and partially because it was already on my camera.

I'm enjoying all your photos of flowers - as you can see, it'll be a while up here.

Sigh...

Have a great day!

barn charm - morning light

It was a quiet weekend at Away -

and that was okay with me.

I managed to get out with my camera

This barn sits way up high - do you see the ski slopes off to the right?

It was a beautiful morning up on the mountain.

The cold nights and warm, sunny days have been perfect for maple sap.

Weather permitting, next week I think I'll scout for sugar shacks.

 I probably should have mentioned in my last post that the photo of the bright yellow flower was from last summer - (my bad)

As you can see - we're only dreaming about flowers up here in this little corner of the world...

Have a great week!

barn charm - blame it on march

Here we are - March - my least favorite month.

In my little corner of the world, March is mostly chilly gray gloom.

Winter fun is coming to an end, Spring is still weeks away…

Sigh

I had some great plans -

more barn photos, revisiting a one-room school houses for a couple extra shots, finding that woodpecker up on the mountain behind our house, taking this old body back to the gym…

But then -

My trusty Rebel spent the entire weekend in its camera bag.

Wow - that's never happened before.

I blame it on March.

So - my walk this week took place on a pair of cross country skis.

Fortunately, I remembered to tuck my point-and-shoot in my pocket.

This pretty farm sits across the street from the trails.

Then -after more than my fair share of slipping and falling -

(Seriously - strap a couple wooden planks on my feet and I just can't seem to stay upright )

this little barn provided the perfect excuse to pause for a moment.

So - the gym?

Yeah, bag packed, gym clothes laid out, work clothes organized, early alarm set

 - wait, no - not set - I shut it off - oops.

Yep - I'm blaming that one on March, too.

Oh well, the gym will be there tomorrow morning - and so will I

What is March like in your corner of the world?

Do you have any favorite (or least favorite) months?

Barn Charm, Walk and Click, Rurality Blog Hop

barn charm

So the storm this past weekend was a bit of a dud
- no complaints here.
I'm continuing with my great big organize-clean-toss project at home,
and since this will be going on for weeks - I think I'll probably stop talking about it.

Anyway - I'm digging into my archives for this one.
It was the little dugout under this barn that caught my eye.

I'm not really sure I'd want to go under there.

At least, I think this is a barn.
What else might it be?

barn charm - green barn in the green mountains

Our vacation has ended

sigh...

and for this President's Day holiday,

I am at home cleaning

double sigh...

I am pretty excited about last weeks find, though.

A green barn - yahoo!!

I love this splash of green in the snowy landscape,
and the split-rail fence.

And how about this weather vane?

Okay, that's all the fun I have time for today.
On to Project Kitchen
I'm feeling a need to simplify.

 So, back to my tossing and cleaning and organizing...

and more tossing (and tossing and tossing)
Did I mention tossing?

I hope you all have a wonderful President's Day (Yeah America)!

country roads

This one makes me want to sing a little John Denver.

Country roads, take me home...

This is from last November - it's covered with snow now.
But I'm thinking I'll be riding my bike here in the Spring.

I'm joining Rurality blog hop at The View from Right Here

Thanks for dropping in!

calm before the storm

As New England braces for the storm,

I'm thankful to have a snow day today.

Because, take my word for it,

trying to get out of the city in bad weather - not so fun.

So this morning as everyone was running to the grocery store,

I ran out to Michaels for more yarn.

Besides, I never got that bread, milk, egg thing...

What - as the snow falls and the wind howls and power goes out,

all New England plans to eat uncooked french toast?

Not me - I'll be eating protein bars and crocheting by candlelight.

Anyway- 

I've been watching Friday's Fences for weeks, now, and would like to jump in.

As fences go, this one isn't much,

but I do really like the barnyard.

Have a great weekend!

Thanks for dropping in!

quiet weekend

It was a quiet weekend at Away -

Greg's shoulder is still recuperating from his last skiing mishap,

so it seemed like a good time to take our skis in for a good tuning.

Anyway - it's Monday - again

Another Superbowl has come and gone,

and although I lost interest during the power outage -

I know I have some family members (traitors that they are) who are feeling very happy today.

Sooooo - I'm wishing them a fond congratulations!

But I digress,

Monday is time for Barn Charm.

My find for this week is actually pretty large by Vermont standards.

It even has silos.

another handsome model.

Hey there, cutie!
I'm wishing you all a great week!

Thanks for dropping in!

pretty red vermont barn

Last weekend was a cold one in Vermont.

But - the skies were a beautiful shade of blue -

and for some reason, I don't mind the cold when the sun is shining -

I just need to be outside.

Greg and I rode our bikes past this farm last summer.

It seems even prettier to me, now.
I'm thinking I'd kind of like to move in...

Well, hello there!



It's so much fun to have such willing models.

And - how about this -



 a red barn in Vermont!

Joining Tricia at Bluff Area Daily for Barn Charm

Thanks for dropping in!

londonderry barn

Once again, the weekend nearly got away from me.

We had company at Away this weekend and enjoyed a little snowshoeing. 

I was afraid I'd have to dig into my archives for another barn,

when I spied this one coming home from the Vermont Country Store.

I think our guests are getting used to these little side trips, scouting for barns.

It could be worse - right?

Another charming barn with natural wood siding.

I'm wondering why so few barns in Vermont are painted.

But then, I like the way these barns blend into the landscape.

Joining - Barn Charm

Thanks for dropping in!