Check Out Instagram

Sometimes I take a photo here and there and never share it on this blog so today I am sharing some photos I posted on my Instagram account. 

I turned an old post office box into a tea caddy. The dividers are paint color samples.

I used to keep flour in this glass canister. I decided to put tea in it instead.

I was asked to do an open house for a million dollar condo in Beacon Hill. This is the view from the dining room.

And here is the dining room. This is one of three fireplaces in the home. Sigh!

My friend Don came over and he tried to get a good shot of Oscar who is very camera shy.

A display at Maison Décor in Reading. The background is a paper panel made up of vintage wallpapers. I want to buy a sheet just not sure where I could use it in my home.

I represented my company at a homebuyer fair in South Boston. We Bostonians call this part of town  Southie.

This was dessert at a work function. I can't believe I ate the whole thing! Who remembers that commercial?

I am signing up for a photography class at the Griffin Museum in Winchester. I love this door.

This building is so cool and sits on a pond near the center of town. I am looking forward to the class.

Percy and I shared a lazy Saturday morning with coffee and home décor books.

A lovely antique buffet sits on a checkerboard floor at Brackett's Oceanview Restaurant in Rockport. Every time I see this piece I want to take it home with me.

A friend invited me up to her rooftop deck and we had an impromptu appetizer party. It was a gorgeous afternoon.

So there you have it, lots going on as usual. Sometimes I just forget to share it all with you.

Spontaneous trips are best

Yesterday while lunching with my sister I mentioned that I might go to Rockport in the evening to photograph the sunset. I told her I wanted to do something fun. We have two parents not in the best of health so weekends are not always fun.

"Aw, I want to go!", my sister said. So we made a plan for the evening. We would have dinner in Rockport and watch the sun set. Our spontaneous outings are always the most fun. Less plans equal a better time.

We had dinner at Brackett's Oceanview, a gem of a restaurant on the main drag in town. We split a clam roll and I had a cup of chowder too. Since we didn't call for a reservation we did not get an oceanview table. We didn't care. We were by the ocean on a beautiful night.

After dinner, we walked down to the boat launch. We could hear the waves rolling in. The breeze was just perfect. The temperature was cool, just to my liking. The sights and sounds were heavenly. I love exploring off the beaten path.

We did not think we would get a glorious sunset and we didn't but we didn't mind. It was peaceful by the boat launch and the sky with it's soft pastel hues was magnificent.

The houses by the ocean are not mansions but they have such charm. My sister said the trees over the red house looked spooky and should be in Salem not Rockport.

The sky got pinker as we stood watching the colors develop. I could have watched all night. It is such a special place. I think it could heal whatever ails you.

Here's a better picture of the spooky trees. As you can see, the houses are modest here.

I was losing the light at this point so forgive the blurry photos. Tulips in a garden by the sea.

You see this type of garden and fencing on Cape Cod too. Beach gardens are fascinating to me.

After we viewed the gardens, we walked downtown. We browsed through the merchandise at Wicked Peacock and conversed with the owner. Further down the street, we started talking with some women who were fundraising for Rockport Fireworks and Illumination Night. August 9th will be a fun night in Rockport. There will be lanterns hung in the town center and fireworks over the harbor. We marked our calendars and gave a small donation. This is a grassroots effort by a couple of women. Very inspiring!

Speaking of illumination, we walked back to the other end of Main Street and marveled at the newly constructed Shalin Liu Performance Center. This building is set oceanside and behind the stage is a glass window with the ocean behind it. It is the coolest venue for a concert. The outside is just as impressive. Functions are held here too.

Here's a closer look at the Performance Center. I hope to see a concert there this Summer. But even if I don't get tickets I will definitely be back to relax, hear the crashing of the waves and watch the pink skies over Rockport.

Playing hooky-Rockport daytrip

I took a day off from work on Wednesday and took a quick trip to Rockport. My sister went with me. We took a sidetrip to Essex too but that is for my next post.

There was a threat of afternoon showers and thunderstorms like every day lately. So we left for Rockport around 9:30 and we were at the water's edge by 10:30.We were determined to be home by the time the downpours started.

 

It was hot and humid but not as hot as the day before. It turned out to be just beautiful in Rockport.  We took a walk at the end of the dock and just stared at the beauty of the ocean.

 

I love to go to this store, Lula's Pantry. They carry specialty items and kitchenware. The store is so clean and fresh looking and well organized. We both bought some loose tea at this shop.

The back of the store has a lovely deck that faces the ocean. There are benches so you can sit and  watch the boats go by.

Here's another view from the deck. It certainly was a beauty of a day!

Flowers are everywhere. Hydrangeas and iris and so many varieties of flowers. Must be the salty ocean air that helps them thrive.

Even the small decks on some of the houses had potted flowers or hanging plants.

This pretty garden rested against the sea wall. The red flowers really stood out even from a distance.

Wouldn't it be nice to sit in those rocking chairs relaxing by the ocean? So charming!

Roses were abundant here too! Creeping through the narrow alleyways and so fragrant.

We walked towards Bearskin Neck and stopped at the Wicked Peacock. It was worth a look.

Such a beautiful shop! All of Silvana, the owner's displays, were magnificient. She has been only open two months. She must be doing something right because I read about her store on two blogs this week.

I loved the gold peacock and the colorful display, We spent quite a bit of time speaking with Silvana. Turns out she grew up in the next town to me.

And she had a dress form very similar to Vivienne, my dress form. She got hers for free as someone was throwing it out!

 

Well this sign caught my eye, Lobster BLTs, one of the items on my Summer bucket list. My sister agreed it was time to eat!

The outside looked cute and we knew the back of it faced the water. So in we went.

Nice décor. It was totally changed from when it was The Greenery. It looked much more upscale and appeared to be more than a sandwich shop.

We were seated right by the window. I was so happy. I wish the screen wasn't there but still a beautiful view. And there is the famous Motif No.1 in red in the distance. It is the subject of many paintings and photographs and is a local landmark.  It was destroyed in the Blizzard of 78 and rebuilt
years ago.

My sister and I split one Lobster BLT which came with fries. We knew we were having dessert later so splitting a sandwich was perfect.

We llooked in a few more shops along Bearskin Neck and then we arrived at Helmut's Strudel Shop. First order of business was to stake our claim on a table. Here is the view from the table.

 

And the view from directly in front of us. It is so relaxing to watch the water, the boats, the birds.

I got up from my seat and zoomed in on the scene to my left. Peaceful Summer afternoon.

A few sailboats entered the scene. There is a sailing school for children and I often see the students in their mini sailboats when I am in Rockport.

It was starting to cloud up and we decided we should leave. I had my apple strudel and iced coffee so I was content and relaxed .

This dog  was totally relaxed. He was sleeping most of the time we were there. The man was focused on his book and music. We didn't talk to him but had conversation with two women who were from Brookline. One of them asked me for restaurant recommendations. I gave her a few options and wished each other a nice trip.

My sister and I concluded that it doesn't take long to get into relaxation mode. Good food, good company and an oceanside atmosphere certainly speeds up the process.