Melrose Victorian Fair

Every September the City of Melrose, Massachusetts hosts the Victorian Fair. The fair is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the local Chamber of Commerce. I am a board member of the Chamber so I am involved in the preparation of the event. This year actors were hired to give the fair some Victorian flavor.



As you can see the weather cooperated on Sunday and the downtown area was bustling. Some events scheduled for Saturday had to be postponed or cancelled. The vintage baseball game, dog show and fireworks events could not be held due to heavy rain on Saturday. The Victorian Tea held at the Beebe Estate was held as scheduled. I've saved the photos for another post.




Balloons added color to the street scene. Look at the beautiful architecture of the building in the background. The downtown area is always well maintained and postcard
pretty.



These musicians drew a crowd.



Anyone want clam chowder from Turner's Restaurant? I mean chowdah. We are only 10 miles or so north of Boston.



Need your spine cracked?



The Victorian couple meandered down Main Street chatting with the locals and enjoying the fabulous weather.



Lots of items for the kids!



These girls were promoting the Northeast Youth Ballet's upcoming Nutcracker performance.



168 booth spaces were sold by the Chamber. This was truly amazing in today's economy.



Tribute to Massachusetts US Senator Ted Kennedy.



Our animal friends were not forgotten. There were booths for animal clinics and the Humane Society.



Face painting for the little ones.



Melrose's finest making sure everyone was safe.



A new consignment and antiques store in town.



Hot dog, sausage? One could feast all day long.



Slides and rides a plenty for the kids.



A caricature for the ballerina.




What's a fair without fried dough?



This newsman in the making was taking it all in.



Another successful Victorian Fair! Hours and hours of preparation goes into an event like this so kudos to the Melrose Chamber and the City of Melrose for a job well done!

Reasons to Savor Autumn

Kitty is smiling because she knows it almost time for a change in season. Autumn is coming. A time for cooler temperatures, the brilliant colors of nature, and all the yummy smells and tastes of Fall cuisine.

I am participating in the Inspired Room's Fall Nesting week. I've decided to list some reasons I love Fall. Living in New England I am a little biased because I think we have the best foliage in the country. We do not have Fall colors yet so no foliage posting today.



Farm wagons filled with bittersweet.



Apple cider donuts rolled in cinnamon sugar. Might as well add hot spiced apple cider too. And Starbuck's Pumpkin Spice Lattes, orange cranberry tea, hot chocolate.



Fall decorations made with some natural elements and a lot of imagination.



I love a little whimsy in my Fall decor.



Butternut squash apple soup with creme fraiche, piping hot. Puts me in the mood for Autumn.



Autumn wreaths do double duty as candle rings. And a pashmina in those Autumnal colors of plum, orange, and burgundy can serve as a table covering or a fashion accessory.

Speaking of fashion, Fall means chunky sweaters, cashmere scarves, ankle boots.



Mini pumpkins make sweet decorations for desktops, bookcases, windowsills, just about anywhere.



Back to the food. Apple pie, my all time favorite pie. Heated or not, a la mode or topped with whipped cream it doesn't matter. If it's loaded with apples and cinnamon and the crust is nicely browned I am in my happy place.

As Julie Andrews would sing, these are a few of my favorite things! Speaking of music, I have different tastes in the Fall. I love to listen to classical music (Vivaldi's Four Seasons is my favorite) and of course, Forever Autumn sung by Justin Hayward. It is an Autumn tradition. I must listen to it every day during the season.

If you hunger for more Fall posts, go to the sidebar and click on the Inspired Room.

St Anne's Church

This is the third post about my recent trip to Kennebunkport, Maine. If you haven't already read them, you might be interested in the previous two posts.

One of the points of interest our innkeeper mentioned was St. Anne's Church. He said the church looked like it had been dropped from Europe into Kennebunkport.



I would have to agree. Look at the fabulous stonework!



Such an impressive doorway.



Stunning stained glass windows all around the church! My sister and I were a little inhibited taking photos inside the church and the low light didn't help the quality of the photos we did take or at least the ones I took.




The sky turned dark and took on a moody feel.




Wouldn't you love to attend a service or concert right here by the ocean? And wouldn't you love to live in that house in the background?



The water was starting to get a little choppy. I tried but I could not do the whitecaps justice.




The sun was starting to set and we spied this boat with the burgundy sails. It looked really stunning against the aforementioned moody sky.



Our innkeeper was right. St. Anne's Church and it's seaside location was one point of interest we didn't want to miss!

A Stop in Ogunquit

This is the second post from my vacation to Maine. One of our first stops was to the pretty town of Ogunquit.



The weather was almost perfect. It was a bit warm for my taste but who really cared, the sun was out and we were by the ocean. There was a lot of activity at Perkins Cove.



Here's the entrance to one of my favorite shops in Ogunquit, Calluna.




Isn't this doorway pretty? I love how the flowers frame it.



I loved these coasters but they were a little pricey. I'll have to remember them with a photo.



An aged sign, so charming! I would like this for my back door.



With such nice weather, everyone wanted to dine outside at the water's edge.




An ivy covered shop.



My favorite shop used to be the Blue Willow. They had a great restaurant on their porch with a fabulous view of the ocean. Sadly, they closed the restaurant. The shop is still nice.




I thought these bathing beauties were adorable. I thought about buying one as a souvenir but I didn't.



I just had to photograph these beauties on the beach.



After all that shopping, we needed a rest. We were sweltering in the hot sun so we took a break and went to Jackies Too for lunch. The patio was covered but open on the side and so we ate lunch with Mr Seagull staring us down.




As you can see, we were very close to the ocean.



The view was unbelievable.




I don't need a mansion. I could summer in a little cottage like this one.



The last shop we visited before leaving Ogunquit. Nice items, quite interesting.




My sister loved this sink. Of course, she did. She's an artist and the lobsters were handpainted. So unique and perfect for an oceanside town like Ogunquit.