my little town - part 2

Main Street - Rowley, Massachusetts

This weathered picket fence belongs to one of the many historic homes in my little town.

It looked sort of "Halloween" to me - maybe it would look cool decorated

- or not -

I kind of like it the way it the way it is

Willy Nilly 5 - blogging and commuting - a match made in ...??

- My typical day includes 3+ hours of commuting to and from work

(I know - sympathy is much appreciated)

-  But - it's not completely terrible - on the train, I mostly read

- both books and blogs

- And many thanks to the iPhone blogging apps that keep me in the blogging game

- Except when the train moves from great service to no service to mediocre service -
and my phone gets confused and starts doing that annoying spinning thing -
 usually right after typing a long-winded (but heart-felt)
 comment on your blog post - only to lose it (grrrr)
yeah - if you ever get a comment from me like "nice!"
blame it on my poor connection... the original comment was much better

- and then, those times when everything I type is complete gibberish
- or the word "shot" is misspelled
yeah - auto-correct fail
I don't mean to swear on your blog - I promise!

How about you? Do you use mobile blog reading apps? Any tips or tricks?

I'm joining TexWis for Good Fences
and Tanya for Willy Nilly Friday 5

Have a great weekend!

j'adore quebec!

oui oui!!

and that's about all the french I know - except for maybe bon jour

- which the shopkeepers had a very melodious way of saying

- and I was never quite successful at imitating

(le sigh...)

without further ado - here are a few things I loved about Quebec

1) the Chateau Frontenac

which reminds me of a castle - but it's not

It's fun to look at anyway - and is beautiful lit up at night

and looms over the city

2) window shopping

3) outdoor cafes

even when it's only 50 degrees outside

(french onion soup, please)

4) art where you least expect it

-on the side of a building

- in alleys

and last but not least

5) ornate fences with bright autumn foliage

actually - I could go on and on

(coffee shops, creperies, waterfall, river views...)

On another note - as we roamed about the city taking photos,

it seemed I always had the wrong lens in my camera.

- kit lens lacks enough zoom

- zoom lens is often too zoomy

and the nifty fifty - while very, very nifty - is somewhat limiting when walking around

I'd kind of like to buy a good walk-around lens

I'd love to know what your favorite lens is (walk-around or otherwise)!

I'm joining Theresa for Good Fences

and

Tanya for Willy Nilly Friday 5

Have a great weekend!

my little town

Many thanks to Christopher Columbus for exploring the world

- for which we celebrate in Massachusetts

- with a day away from the office

-inspiring me to do a little exploring of my own

A sunny day with my camera in hand, I headed out the door for a walk through my little town

Although I'm not a big fan of cemeteries,

the Rowley Burial Ground dates back to 1639

many of the stones are unreadable - but others have interesting stories to tell

I loved the play of the light on this fence

- and the bokeh in the trees - (lucky bonus)

- and the friendly exchange of hellos with passersby.

Greg and I are headed to Quebec City for a long weekend

- kind of a late anniversary celebration

We both have such busy work schedules, lately, that trying to find a few 

days to get away together has been a bit of a challenge.

I wonder whether that's normal, or maybe we took a wrong turn somewhere...

Either way - I'm happy for a little time away!

I am joining Theresa for Good Fences

Have a great weekend!

chain link - city style

Hi!

So - is blogging kind of like riding a bike?

- because, I'm feeling like I've pretty much forgotten everything

- or maybe everything has changed

-or maybe...

Anyway - it's been a very long time since my last post -
in a nutshell:

Greg and I moved from our home near the city to a town up the coast a ways (aka Major Upheaval)

I was promoted at work (aka Death of Blog),

and our daughter got married in August (aka Summer of Laura)

But, hey - otherwise life is the same - and we're still heading to Away for the weekends
(well, sporadically...)

So now, I'm not really sure where to begin

- let's see - how about some urban chain link fences

Scenes from my weekday life -

(NO idea what that graffiti means - but I do applaud the colors on this dreary day)

Ah yes - the orange line - I could probably write a sonnet

How do I despise thee? Let me count the ways...

I actually took these photos a few months ago during a lunchtime walk

- and found them sitting on my computer

but I'm dusting off that big girl camera

- and getting back on that bike (so to speak)

- and probably needing to relearn lots and lots of things (my head hurts thinking about it...)

I'm happy to be back, though, and looking forward

to seeing everything that's going on with you!

Have a wonderful day!

fences and fresh air - newburyport

 Spring has sprung, here in the northeast

- and the first sunny weekend brought New Englanders out in droves
- I guess we were all feeling a little cabin fever...

Greg and I made a pit stop in Newburyport, Massachusetts

during a day of condo shopping -

Yep, last winter did us in

- we're trading in snow shoveling for snow shoeing!
(more downtime at Away)

Newburyport is a beautiful coastal town

with a waterside park and lots of restaurants and shops for poking around in.

Thank you for all your well-wishes for Laura.

She is doing well!

So now we're frantically cleaning, organizing, and decluttering - preparing our house for the market.

Definitely not on my list of fun things to do

- it's time to just git er done!

I am belatedly joining Theresa for Good Fences

Have a wonderful weekend!

brattleboro, vermont - our extended stay

Home of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital -

which has felt a bit like a third home to us this week...

And while I love just about any excuse for extending our weekends in Vermont -

a daughter with a ruptured appendix - and emergency surgery

doesn't actually top my list.
Yeah - definitely not looking to repeat this one...

We're so thankful to have Laura on the mend, now.

I also felt very lucky to find a little time to roam around downtown Brattleboro

-  known simply as "Brat" -

Bordering New Hampshire and also very close to Massachusetts, 

this town is all Vermont - with a bit of a hippie vibe.

- lots of galleries, bookstores, cafes - 

and for coffee lovers - Mocha Joe's - a must stop

- old fashioned lamp posts and fences

- and how about a shot with triple fences!!

- and about a gazillion wires...

yeah - lots of wires - everywhere...

So, we're hoping to bring Laura home this weekend -
which would make for a very happy Easter in our home.
Otherwise - hmmmm - maybe ham at the hospital?

I am wishing you a wonderful weekend!

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 :-)

misty autumn in langrove

It had been a few weeks since Greg and I were able to get to Away (for the weekend)

So - last Friday as we crossed the state line into Vermont

- it was like - deep breath - ahhhh

It had also been a while since I had picked up my camera (bad, bad)

And then - Saturday turned out to be a rainy day - and it really didn't matter

- because - you know - that breathing thing...

- and besides, I kind of like the way the autumn leaves look in the mist

- and I had forgotten how much I like telling Greg to "Stop right here!"

because - you know - it's kind of fun to take photos of cows

 (and barns and fences) in the rain :-)

So - today I am heading out of town to celebrate the life of my

sister-in-law, Beth. Heaven gained a really special person last week.

I am joining Theresa at Run*A*Round Ranch for Good Fences

Have a wonderful weekend

good fences and pausing for red chairs

I don't know what it is about Adirondack chairs, but they always make me want to slow down.

Walking from one meeting to another, yesterday

- the red chairs on the other side of the fence made me pause -

and smile.

And - the sunshine didn't hurt, either.

I'm joining Theresa for Good Fences

I wish you a wonderful day!

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!

morning awakening

So - vacations are made for sleeping in
- unless -
you happen to be running an impromptu early morning shuttle for wayward-daughter-hikers...

But then - one morning after an early morning drop-off,
I managed to come out of my sleepy stupor to notice

Hmmmm - the world looks different in the morning.
Yeah - I'm really not a morning person...
(although - I'm normally up early preparing for work - ummm, not the same thing)

So - I managed to ignore my instinct to rush towards my nearest caffeine source,

and pulled out my trust Rebel -

and watched

as the Vermont countryside

slowly awoke

to greet what turned into

a most beautiful day.

And then - I drove home and made myself a pot of coffee
- where I caffeinated myself, gazing at the mountains from my deck
and marveled at how wonderful morning can be.

I am joining TexWis Girl for Good Fences

open studios and small town fencery

Last weekend was Open Studio weekend throughout Vermont

and I enjoyed two days of visiting artist's studios,

chatting with the artists and learning a little about them, their art, and their creative process.

Oh my - so much talent out there - I am completely in awe!

Sunday brought us to the quaint village of Brandon.

Where we found an eclectic mix of old charm,

and whimsy - this guy was outside a shop of "Antiques and Found Objects"

Hmm - not sure - found object? 

and charming homes

 lots of marble...

Comedy? - yes, please!

and - yippee - we finally have flowers.

And as much as I enjoyed visiting the many studios and gazing at the variety of

stained glass, art quilts, furniture, paintings, jewelry...

we didn't walk away with any treasures this year -

and that's okay - I'm already looking forward to next year.

I'm joining TexWisGirl for Good Fences

boston fencery

So - I went out last weekend and took lots of photos

- downloaded them to my computer

-installed updates

- and -Crash!

Ummmm, yeah, my mistake was installing the updates...

Not good...

So anyway - I found this photo of a some Boston fencery on my iPhone

I took it while out walking earlier this week - can you see the signs of Spring?

-smile-

I've always liked these old brick apartment buildings

- and the way that in the midst of a busy city, you can find quiet tree-lined streets

and that whole computer thing? - yeah, we'll see - grrrr

boston lunch break

So, I admit - I'm beginning to find the city a bit tiresome

- it's probably an age thing... shhhhh

- but -

some days, I really enjoy getting out for a lunchtime walk, and I find all that urban energy

well - ummm - energizing.

No city loves baseball quite like Boston does.
(If you have your doubts - check this out)

And since my office is a hop, skip, and a jump from Fenway Park,

I hopped on over to join the excitement of opening day.

There are quiet areas, too - but is it just me,

or does this tree make things look a bit creepy?

hmmm - I'm going to have to revisit in the summer...

And then - through a tall iron fence,

I spied this mural in a parking lot near Symphony Hall.
Pretty sure that's Seiji Ozawa staring me down.

How about you - city, country, or a little of both?