2013 - the year in review

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season. Now it's time to reflect on the past year.

I looked through all my photos and I was amazed at all the places I've been in the past year. A year can really hold so many memories. So I created this mosaic to serve as a reminder of 2013.

Without all the visual prompts I might have forgotten some of the fun I had. I try to make a collage each year so I can see what I was interested in that year. Although, some things never change. I am always drawn to Rockport, Nubble Light, the ocean, my pets, and food!

I am hoping you can click on the collage and see each photo in more detail. You can see the fun we had trying on hats in Exeter, the belly dancer at Jolie's party, the big birthday party I threw for my sister, the Soul Lantern walk around Horn Pond, a trip to the Zoo, meeting Susan Branch, the snowstorms, the Boston Strong chocolate tour, and all the holiday festivities. It was a great year.

Looking forward to the memories to be made in 2014!

Daytrip- York, Maine

On Sunday, my sister and I drove north to York, Maine to visit some friends.  Our friends always rent a cottage across from Nubble Light the last week of August and first week of September.

It was a beautiful day and we spent many hours outside just watching the waves and taking photos.

We of course had our annual group shot taken in front of Nubble Lighthouse.

Don took video and photos. We were happy as long as he didn't turn the cameras on us!

I did a lot of people watching.  This woman had a cool umbrella with daisies all over it.

There were lots of dogs there.

Lovers enjoyed the view.

More dogs walking on the rocks. I am sure they would rather be on the beach.

A lot of people were into hats too.

Could this be the makings of a Christmas Card?

Someone was feeding the gulls so they were hovering all afternoon.

Here's the cottage. I love that deck.  This is the deck where Percy was sitting when my friends arrived at the cottage last year.

And the back of the cottage.  You can see how close it is to the ocean.  Fabulous!

And you can also see how close it is to the lighthouse!

This year we were pleasantly surprised by the renovation of the kitchen.

The cottage looks so much more spacious!

Ooh, I love open shelving.  Everything looked so fresh and clean.

Don't you love the starfish hardware?

The day was ending and I used Don's tripod for this night shot.

I was waiting for the sky to change so I could photograph what I call

Nubble purple  The sky had a bit of pink in it but no Nubble purple.

So disappointing!

I consoled myself with a hot fudge sundae with peppermint stick ice cream from Brown's.  The end to a perfect day!

A Souvenir from Maine

On Wednesday, we took a daytrip to Maine. We visited my friends at their two week cottage rental in Cape Neddick. It is literally across from Nubble Light.



They were painting on Wednesday.



The surf was starting to kick up. And these birds were watching.




The gang posed for the annual photo.




And then this little guy showed up. He immediately charmed all of us.
Actually my friends said he was sitting on the deck waiting for them when they pulled into the parking lot on Saturday.



Oh my gosh, just look at this face. This poor stray baby was out on his own.





He strutted around the deck and we all fell in love with him. My friends had already bonded with him.



He was ready for his closeup.



He checked out his reflection.



And lounged in the sun on the deck.



He contemplated jumping off the deck. Thankfully he didn't. He did try to take on some seagulls though.




This one's my favorite. He's smiling right? Such a joyful little boy.




He certainly captured my heart! As you know we were expecting a hurricane or at the very least a tropical storm on Friday. So on Thursday night, I called my friends to discuss rescuing the little guy. No one wanted to see the baby out in the rain and wind of a tropical storm.

While I was on the phone with my friends, a woman appeared at their door with the kitten wrapped up in a towel. She wanted to rescue him but she couldn't take him home, too many pets already. My friends could not take him inside the cottage as there is a strict no pets rule.

So I offered my downstairs office as a sanctuary from the storm. My friends drove an hour to bring the kitten to me. He has been staying with me ever since. We still have to work out details regarding his forever home. On Wednesday he has a vet appointment. In the meantime he is safe from the dangers of being outside.

And I am getting very attached!