Summer Bucket List

My birthday was yesterday. I always think Summer does not start until my birthday. I know some people think the unofficial start of Summer is Memorial Day but for me it is June 15th.

After reading the Summer 100 list at Pop and Circumstance's blog. I got to thinking about my own Summer bucket list. I would love to have 100 items on it but I only get two weeks vacation this year so that would be too time consuming and a bit unrealistic.

So I came up with 25 things I would like to do this Summer.  Here's the list:

1.       Attend Waterfire in Providence - Done!

2.       Photograph koala bears at Stone Zoo- Done!

3.       See a concert at Shen Liu Center in Rockport

4.       Have a german iced coffee at Sugar n Ice in Exeter

5.       Walk the Marginal Way in Ogunquit, Maine

6.       Take the ferry from Boston to Provincetown

7.       Eat lobster BLTs at Stonewall Kitchens, York, Maine

8.       Go to the Lantern Festival in Jamaica Plain

9.       Eat a farm to table dinner at Whim, Smolak Farms, North Andover

10.   Attend the Vintage Bazaar at Pettengill Farm, Newburyport

11.   See a play at the Ogunquit Playhouse
 

 

12.       Sit on the deck at Helmut’s Strudel Shop with an iced coffee and a hot apple strudel - Done!

13.       Have afternoon tea  at Fancy That, Walpole

14.       Visit Hammond Castle for the Abbey by the Sea Renaissance Festival

15.       Photograph and ride the carousel at Paragon Park, Nantasket

16.       Take a photographic workshop

 

 

 

17.   Have an illumination themed Summer party in August- Done!

18.   Take a lighthouse sunset cruise in Portsmouth

19.   Take a mini sister’s vacation- Done!

20.   Visit SOWA market

21.   Go fleaing at Todd Farm, Rowley

22.   Take a North End market tour

23.   Daytrip to Nubble Light/York area of Maine

24.   Have breakfast at Sugar Magnolias, Gloucester
25.  Visit farmer's markets where I haven't been

I am sorry about the weird format of this post. Tried to fix it but nothing worked.

Anyway, what are your Summer plans? Do you have a Summer bucket list?

 

 

 

 

 

A trip to Waterfire

On Saturday, my sister and I and our friend Debbi drove down to Providence, Rhode Island. We went to see the spectacular event, Waterfire. It was Debbi's first time at Waterfire.

Before we walked down to the river for the festivities, we decided to have an early dinner. We stopped at Union Station Brewery. The meal was delicious. We relaxed a bit knowing we would be on our feet all evening. We decided to forego dessert until later.

I discovered the night portrait mode on my camera. It's only been two years since I bought the camera! It seemed to give me better results on some of my shots.

You can smell the smoke from the fires but it is not overwhelming. It does not dry out your eyes either. It can be mesmerizing watching the fires burn. I could watch them burn all night, in fact I did!

Paper stars were lit along the bridges crossing the river. They are part of a fundraising effort to keep the fires burning at Waterfire.

My Boston Strong Duck made the trip with us. The story of the Boston Strong Duck is for another post.

Saturday night's event was a full lighting. Sometimes only half  the river is lit. We were fortunate to make the trip this night.

These luminarias are lit in memory of loved ones who have passed. This is my sister's dedication to her friend Lori. My co-worker friend Michelle died of cancer last month so I bought a lantern in her memory. Debbi bought one as well. We placed them at the river's edge.

It turned out to be a lovely evening, not too hot or cold. Earlier we had downpours but by afternoon the rains had passed. We had a terrible commute through gridlocked traffic. It took us much longer to get there than expected. Glad we left quite early so we could have time for a leisurely dinner.

After we saw the fire performer, we left to have the long overdue dessert. It was after 10:00 but we didn't care. We drove to Pastiche, a bakery/cafe that I suggested. It's a small place located at the Federal Hill section of Providence. It was packed and we had to wait to be seated. At 11:00 we were ordering and at 11:30 they were closing. I appreciated that they did not push us to finish quickly. The staff was very nice and efficient. A pleasant experience all around and a lovely ending to a perfect evening!

Cross one off the bucket list- Waterfire Providence

One of the items on my bucket list was a visit to Waterfire in Providence. I've told many people about Waterfire and it seemed like everyone had seen it but me.

We arrived in Providence about 8:30 PM, a full hour and half late. My sister and I were supposed to meet friends at 7:00PM but we were delayed by torrential rain, thunderstorms, and believe it or not a mudslide on the highway.  The rain was so bad, roads were flooding so we decided to pull off the road and get something to eat. After the storm passed, we got back on the highway only to find a huge traffic backup. As we got close to the cause of the stoppage we saw a bulldozer removing mud that had covered almost every lane of the highway. There were branches on the side of the highway too. We thought this was not the best start to the evening but we decided to continue and meet our friends anyway.

I am so glad we did.  Waterfire was everything I imagined it would be and more. The air was cool after the storm and although the area by the river was crowded, it was not jam packed with people.

One could move around the river area nicely.

What a vision it was! Volunteers rode by boat, lighting the fires in each metal basket along the river.

Music was piped in, adding to the ambience. The smell of burning pine and cedar was evident but not overwhelming. Gondoliers rowed their boats slowly along the river. I imagined I was in Europe, walking along a canal on a summer's evening.

The fires were mesmerizing. As the fires died down, more wood was added to the baskets. The reflections on the water were spectacular. Waterfire lasted well into the night.

Here's a better view of the basket with the fire. You can see the bumpers which prevent the boats from getting too close.

It was difficult to take photos in such low light. I struggled at first. Although this photo is blurry you can still see the beauty of this gondola.  The gondolier could have been from Venice.

There is more going on than just the fires in the river. A masked man threw flowers to the crowd from his boat. My sister caught one and the flower had a ribbon tied to it that had a quote on it.

My sister commented that the event reminded her of the time we went to the Winter Olympics. There's much more going on at an Olympics than just sport. When we went to the Calgary Olympics, we went to cultural activities too.

There are vendors for food and souvenirs at Waterfire. It is primarily funded by private donations and so fundraising is very important. It determines how many lightings there are during the season. Corporate sponsorships certainly are needed and anyone can donate. Check out the website at

www.Waterfire.org

Here are two of the gondoliers as they wait for their boats to be readied.

The living statues were quite popular. They were so graceful in their movements.

I think this one was my favorite. She really looked like a statue. How do they stay that still?

She was stunning.

Her silhouette was interesting as she handed a man his fortune.

Another photo that did not come out sharp but I thought it blogworthy.

TD Bank sponsored an outdoor ballroom. Swing dance lessons were given early in the evening and then there was a dance party until 12.

Some of the buildings were illuminated with flood lights.

The evening was magical. It was only one evening but I felt as if I was on a European vacation with all the time in the world to experience the sights and smells of something truly wonderful. I would love to go back to Waterfire perhaps in the Fall when the air is cool and crisp. And before I return I shall practice my nightime photography! 

Daytripping in Rhode Island

 I took a vacation day on Friday so I had a three day weekend.  This was very exciting to me. I feel like all I've been doing lately is work!

It all started when my friend Pauline sent me an email about the Kirk's Folly jewelry sale in Cranston, Rhode Island. She wanted to know if I wanted to go. Kirk's Folly had not held a warehouse sale in five years! Our friend Lori Lee was invited too.

Lori Lee and I had been to the sale a few times in the past.  We'd go to the sale and then to lunch in Providence.  We always lunched at the Union Station Brewery.

So Pauline, Lori Lee, and I headed to Cranston Friday morning. First, we made a stop at Starbucks and I am so glad we did because it would be a long time until we ate lunch.

Kirk's Folly is known for their jewelry but they also make frames, ornate boxes, candlesticks, clothing, hats, and scarves.

Their items are very unique. They are known for their crystal embellished jewelry. Angels and fairies are common themes in their pins, necklaces, and bracelets.

There's a little box with an angel. Valentine's gifts anyone?

There were more trays of pins than you could count. This sale ran like clockwork.  It was very well staffed. We were greeted at the door and given an angel pin and a plastic bag to put our treasures in. Staffers were available to answer questions and the checkout process was easy.

The clothes were made of the most beautiful fabrics.  I bought a scarf and 2 little capelets.

This is Jennifer Kirk, one of the company's founders. Her brother and sisters are also involved in this family business.  You may recognize Jennifer from her appearances on QVC.

I spoke with Jennifer and asked permission to take photos and blog about the sale.  She said, "Of course".

Another view of the beautiful glass items for sale. As items are sold, they are replaced with fresh merchandise.

This was just one small section of all the necklaces on display. They were arranged by color, all the blues together, then the greens, etc.

I could have used a fascinator for the royal wedding tea I hosted last year.

When we arrived the sale was not too crowded but it became more so the longer we were there.

Don't worry I will show you what I bought in a future post.

After lunch at the Union Station Brewery, we headed to Pastiche, a cafe/bakery located in the historic Federal Hill section of Providence. The reviews for this cafe/bakery were fantastic on the web.

I loved the decor at Pastiche.  There was a fireplace and a mural on the wall. The place is quite small but cozy.

We had coffee and split a vanilla bean cheesecake three ways. The cheesecake was phenomenal and I loved the graham cracker crust.  All of us took desserts home with us too.  I shared my rustic cranberry apple tart with my Dad and sister.  I served it warm with a creme anglaise and it was phenomenal. I will definitely return to Providence and Pastiche. It is only an hour away!