Holiday Stroll and Brunch at the Bedford Village Inn

On Sunday, I went to the Bedford Village Inn for a holiday stroll and brunch. This was the month for my friend Kim and I to pick an event for our afternoon tea group. We knew the ladies would enjoy the elegance of the inn, the fabulous cuisine and on top of that 30 local artisans selling their wares in the great hall of the inn.



The inn and surrounding property is absolutely gorgeous.



There's a charming tavern for drinks or a casual breakfast or lunch.



A sweet gazebo and a little gift shop.



There were 14 of us in our group. Here are some of the ladies outside the gift shop.




I have a thing for old keys so I was drawn to this jewelry display. The necklaces were lovely and both the keys and chains were antique. I did not buy one. They were a little too pricey.



I did buy some tea and potpourri from this vendor. She had a lovely display.




I thought this wreath was really cool.



Here's an overview of the area with the vendors. The hall was beautifully decorated.




Would you ever think of hanging your Christmas tree upside down? I really like the look.




Isn't this clever? Angel ornaments made from chandelier crystals.




The inn has several dining areas so we took a tour before we sat down for brunch.



This guy looked kind of creepy.



The entrance/exit was exquisitely decorated.



Looking in at one of the dining areas.



My first course was butternut squash and creme fraiche soup.



Lori Lee eyes Debbi's parfait. It was made of vanilla yogurt with chocolate and topped with an orange and cinnamon spiked chantilly cream



This is where we ate brunch.



Pretty decorations on the sconce. I might steal this idea.



My second course was poached eggs in a puff pastry with a mushroom sauce. My third course was a chocolate bread pudding served with creme anglaise and candied hazelnuts. Yes, I waddled out of the dining area.



This photo came out worse than I thought! These ladies were seated at my table. We had two other tables reserved.



Look at this pretty conservatory filled with lights and ornaments.



It was a gorgeous day inside and out!



Another look at "our" dining room.



At the end of the afternoon, we said goodbye to each other and a wonderful afternoon.

I'm going here...

Tomorrow, I'm going here.



Dining in the beautiful historic home of Clara where friends are made to feel like family.



We'll have some of this.



And some of this.



Ending with this.

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving.

It Takes A Village

I bought my condo a little over a year ago and I think it's high time for me to thank everyone who made the move possible.

First of all, without the help of my friend Kim and her husband John, I never would have looked at the place. Kim went to quite a few open houses with me and she knew exactly the type of property I was looking for. She mentioned my condo search to her husband and he knew of a place he thought I would like. Well Kim and I went to the open house and we looked at each other and we knew this was the place.

I must admit the gold color of the house was off putting at first. But now it has grown on me. And since it's the only one of it's color on the street it's certainly
easy to find. I own one quarter of the house. I have a garage and 2 deeded spaces and basement space.





My old place had a galley kitchen. Yuck, I hated it! It was old and dark. This kitchen is updated and airy and I actually enjoy cooking now.



Hardwood floors with an inlay. This is the flooring in my bedroom. My old bedroom had wall to wall carpet. It was a very dated look.



More hardwood and french doors.



I loved the mouldings throughout the condo.



Closeup of the french doors.



I think the previous owner had a thing for ceiling fans. There are 5 in the condo!
I would love to replace some of them with chandeliers but I must admit the fans cooled the place nicely this Summer.



Another shot of the kitchen. That's the home inspector and the seller to the left
of the photo. Neither of us used a realtor.



This photo was taken before the seller moved out. He had great taste but it had a modern look and I like vintage.



The bathroom is not large but it suits my purposes.



This the hallway area. Again, this was taken before I moved in. I love the high ceilings, they're 9 foot. That doorway leads to a half closet. My neighbor's stairs are above it so there's not much space there.

Wow, did I get off track. This was supposed to be a thank you to everyone who had a hand in helping me move.

To Don who spent hours and hours and days and days with me hauling boxes out of my apartment and into the condo. I snapped at him often because I was so overwhelmed but he never got angry with me. Not once! We took frequent breaks at Starbucks so we would have energy to get through the days. He continues to be my handyman. His wife Mary should be thanked as well because she put off any home projects at her own newly renovated home so Don could help me move.

My sister offered to help but then she broke her foot. She gave moral support.

My dad wall mounted my bedroom TV and had my garage door fixed for me. Right after I moved in, the garage door did not work. I mean the remote didn't work and the garage door would get stuck when it was manually opened. Dad took care of it for me.

My friend Debbi helped me clean out my storage space at my old apartment.

My friend Jean recommended a mover for the big pieces, bed, couch, hutch. She also offered her husband as a handyman for me.

Diane and Michael were foster parents to Oscar until I could safely take him in. His stay with them was much longer than expected. They graciously let him stay as long as he needed until I was ready to bring him home to the condo.

Thanks to all of the men who helped solve the washer/dryer situation. A brief synopsis, the Sears installation guys could not fit the stackable dryer in the closet. I bought the same size appliances as the previous owner yet the installation guys could not make them fit. They left the washer and dryer in my hallway and left me to fend for myself. John and Ronny both came over on separate occasions to measure the closet and diagnose the problem. They thought it was a hopeless situation and perhaps I would have to get smaller appliances. It certainly looked that way. Then Anthony came to my rescue. Anthony is like the incredible Hulk. He can lift anything! After Thanksgiving dinner, he and Don came over to the condo. Anthony lifted and wiggled the washer and dryer and under Don's direction, he was able to squeeze the unit into place. I wish I had taken video because it was a sight to behold.

It truly takes a village to help with the moving process. I hope I haven't forgotten to thank anyone. As you can see, I have terrific friends and family. As Thanksgiving approaches, it seems to be the perfect time to express my gratitude.

Daytripping in Boston

Today, my sister and I both had the day off from work. So we decided to spend the day in Boston. I wanted to go to the French Library to see the Paris Facade exhibit of Carol Gillott. Her blog is called Paris Breakfasts. I purchased two watercolors from Carol so I was excited to hear that she would be exhibiting in Boston.

Would you believe the Library was closed? I will have to go another day.



We walked from the T Station in the Back Bay to Tealuxe on Newbury St. Tealuxe had so many varieties of teas! My sister opted for the golden tip Assam and I had a pot of hot chocolate. We also had sandwiches.



If you need tea supplies, tea, strainers, pots, cups, this is the place for it.



We were pleasantly surprised by the autumnal colors surrounding us. We both thought it would be past peak in Boston.



I loved looking down the street and seeing multiple colors of trees.



I can't even remember the location of this monument. Was it while we were crossing Commonwealth Ave? We walked many blocks and hopefully we burned off all the calories we consumed during the day.



Ever since I saw the movie Green Card, I've wanted a rooftop garden to call my own.

Wouldn't it be cool to live here?



Such pretty street scenes.



I loved looking at all the architectural details.



Every residence had it's own classic charm.



The lanterns, the doorways. Quintessential Boston.




A bicycle might be the best mode of transportation during rush hour. Some of the narrow streets get gridlocked.

Today was quite cold as the wind chill made it feel like it was in the 40's.



More gorgeous doorways.




Autumn's splendor awaits beyond this gate.




Before heading home on the T, we stopped at the Four Season's Hotel for a late afternoon snack. This was the view from our table.



My sister enjoyed her hot chocolate. We were quite cold from walking around in a wind tunnel.



One more stop before heading home. It's Veteran's Day and we stopped by the State House and the Veteran's memorial across the street.




Here's the memorial to African American Soldiers. A beautiful monument that honors Robert Gould Shaw and the Massachusetts 54th regiment, the first African Americans to serve in the Civil War.

We had a wonderful Veteran's Day in the city. What did you do today?