Percy, has it really been a year?

I can't believe it's been a year since Percy wandered into our lives. I say our lives because it was a team effort to get him to where he is today.

He was just a little tyke when I first met him at my friend's rental cottage by Nubble Light in Maine.  I remember it was exactly one year ago today.  My friends had already met him and he captured their hearts.  They were looking out for him, leaving food and water for him.  My friend Mary accidently dropped a meatball out on the deck of the cottage and Percy gobbled it up and he was nicknamed Meatball for the duration of his stay by Nubble Light.

A hurricane named Earl was predicted to bring high winds and torrential rains to the coast of Maine and none of us were going to let this little kitten stay outside in that kind of weather. So he was transported to Massachusetts to stay with me for a while.

After only two weeks, he was mixing it up with Oscar.  Oscar liked having a new playmate and so did  I.  I grew very attached and so I ended up giving hima permanent home with me and Oscar and Molly.

It certainly didn't take him long to make himself at home. His mousey was his constant friend.  He would bathe it in his water bowl and try to get me to play fetch with it.

Percy may be cute but he frustrated me plenty in those first few months.  He became a one man wrecking crew. He ruined 2 of my dining room chairs, broke countless dishes and a few teacups, tore holes in my shades.



There's Mousey with Oscar and Percy.  While Oscar sleeps, Percy plots his next attack.  He wants to play just about 24/7.

At Christmas, Percy got his very own stocking with his name embroidered on it. He really enjoyed his first Christmas.

Percy loved to watch the snow fall and we had a lot of it last Winter!

Now Summer is almost over and Percy is just about full grown or at least I hope he is!

I hope that Percy eventually gets along as well with his sister Molly as he does with his brother Oscar.

Only time will tell!

Kennebunkport continued

Two years ago, I vacationed in the Kennebunkport area.  I tried to have dinner at a restaurant called Pier 77 on a friend's recommendation but they were booked solid.  Last Thursday, I tried to eat there again.  This time I was successful.

My friend Lori Lee and I arrived there just as the sky opened up and torrential rain fell.

So no photos of a beautiful sunshiny day.

Nice decor and what a fireplace! I imagine it must be so cozy by that fireplace in the Fall.

Here's a closer look.  What beautiful inlaid tile in that mantel!

Oh right, we ate there too! After all that was the point.  We both chose to go with the special of the day, fried scallops.

And the scallops were huge! They were lightly fried, not too heavy and they were so tender and delicious.

I tried again to get a good ocean shot but the rain persisted.  In fact, right after we sat down there was a loud clap of thunder followed by a spectacular lightning bolt. If only I could have captured it with my  camera, it was all silvery with lots of tendrils.  My friend Lori Lee mentioned that she had never seen silver lightning like that! Either had I.

We finished eating and it was still so gray and wet out.

                           
Just a really dreary afternoon.  Boo hoo! I wanted to walk down by the water.

I guess I will just have to take my shots through the windows.
                               

This the bathroom at Pier 77.  After having just visited the architectural salvage place, Old House Parts in Kennebunk, I made special note of the mirror. Cute idea!

This is a little sitting area at the top of the stairs and just outside the bathrooms. I was loving that table and lamp.  So unique! It would look fantastic in my home and I'll take the chair too!


                                 
                                 
A separate room for larger groups.  I think my tea group would enjoy this.

                                
I really liked the decor at Pier 77.

And another view of that fabulous lamp and table.

One more shot of the restaurant, lunch time is over.

And one last shot of the water before we leave.  Still no sunshine but at least the torrential rain stopped.  I will definitely be back, perhaps in the Fall to sit by that cozy fireplace!

Daytripping- Kennebunkport, Maine

The other day I looked at my attendance calendar at work and I realized I had only taken 3 of my 22 allotted vacation days this year.  If I don't use them by December 31st. I lose them.  So I decided to take one last Thursday.

I decided to go with a friend to Kennebunkport, Maine for the day.  We started out with a drive up to Stonewall Kitchens in York.  We did a little shopping and had coffee and enough breakfast to tide us over to until lunchtime.

Rain was predicted but not until the afternoon and we arrived before the rain hit.   We drove by the ocean as the sky got grayer and grayer.  I didn't mind.  I love a moody sky.

We drove along Ocean Ave, admiring all the beautiful seaside homes and wishing we knew the people who lived there.

Occasionally, we would get out of the car and explore the area.  This spot was lovely with it's wild  foliage and cool rocks.  You can see what the travel brochures mean by rocky coastline.

We enjoyed walking by and admiring all the oceanfront homes on Ocean Ave.

This one had a fantastic porch facing the ocean.

This spectacular home was directly on the water.

This one might have been my favorite.  Don't you love the architectural detail?

Here's a longer shot of the home. Just lovely!

So sweet, another beauty.

And no trip to Kennebunkport is complete without a trip to the Bush compund at Walker's Point. This is the view from Ocean Ave.  What spectacular views they must have from that house!
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As I was zooming in a bit, a woman who was standing on the rocks called our attention to the people who were standing on the front lawn.  She asked if I could see who it was, she suspected it was Barbara Bush.  I couldn't say for sure at the time.  But later upon closer inspection, it was indeed Barbara Bush and I am not sure about the man next to her.  So I was pretty excited to think that I got a photo of Barbara on her front lawn. ( You can click on the photo to enlarge it).

The waves were crashing against the rocks making that sound that I love.  It's actually very rhythmnic and soothing.  If you've ever slept by the ocean, you know it can lull you to sleep.

But no sleeping on this daytrip.  I have more to tell about this day which I will hold for another post. We had lunch at Pier 77 in Cape Porpoise and witnessed a fantastic lightning storm and prior to that we made a stop at Old House Parts to look at architectual salvage pieces.  I found something really amazing but that too is for another post.

Those of you on the East Coast, I wish you a safe weekend.  Let's hope the hurricane does not live up to the hype!

How to spend a perfect Summer's Day

Summer is the time to kick back, chill out and enjoy the nice weather.  It doesn't last long does it?

My favorite ways to spend a summer day?   Dining in the open air, oceanside.

Relaxing on a porch swing with a good summer read or a magazine sipping ice tea or lemonade.

This gives new meaning to the words Sleeping Porch. It's all about being lazy.

How about a nap under some crisp summer linens?

I do love a little cottage in the woods complete with screen porch for those cool summer evenings.

How would you spend a perfect Summer's day?

Want to read more about the joys of Summer? Visit Sarah at Modern Country Style and join her blog party. Just click on the button.









                                         

Mercury Retrograde

I had so many miscommunications and disappointments this weekend that I figured the planet Mercury had gone retrograde.  I looked it up and sure enough, Mercury is retrograde from August 3rd until August 26th.

What does Mercury retrograde mean?   Well, I looked at Astrology.com and it states: Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains. And all of these problems usually arise because some crucial piece of information, or component, has gone astray or awry.

So that it explains it.  It started on Saturday morning.  I had my morning all planned out.  I had to do a number of errands before going to visit my mom at the nursing home in the afternoon. I was hosting a small birthday party for my Sister in the evening.

I mapped out my route for maximum efficiency, a quick stop at Pondview Florist in Winchester to place an order for flowers, a stop at Cake in Lexington to select a cake, and then on to Bedford for a stop at the tea shop Tea's Studio and Jack and Toba for a gift for my sister.

Things went well at the florist shop, then I went to Cake and picked out a cake and paid for it.  I told them I would be back in about two hours and they were going to write Happy Birthday on the cake.  I drove off to Bedford to the tea shop, walked up to the door and it was locked!

Guess I won't be serving my favorite tea blends with the cake! Then I drove the length of the town and never found Jack and Toba.  The owner had mentioned she wanted to move locations. I guess she did!

So I went back to Cake to pick up my cake.  You know the cake I had already paid for. When I got there I told the clerk I was picking up my cake and she said, "We don't have any cakes." I told her to check out back because I already paid for this cake. She did but still no cake. They had sold my cake!  Luckily, a cake had just come out of the oven so I had to wait for them to decorate it but it would be mine.  They told me 7 minutes, it took longer.  While I was waiting, the man who took my order and my money walked in the door. I said to the clerk, "he's the one who took my order!" He said he didn't remember me until I reminded him with more details.  So I waited for the cake and I was not offered a discount of any kind or even a free cupcake while I waited.  Poor customer service, Cake!  I will say the cake was delicious.  It was hot out so I went home with the cake and then headed back to the florist's to pick up my arrangement.

They are so sweet at Pondview Florist.  The flowers looked wonderful.  They always do a great job and they are not expensive and no attitudes there.  They are professional and very accomodating.

Anway, despite my troubles prior to the party.  It all went well. Here's a few photos from the party.

Of course, I had to take a close up of the fruit and cheese tray.

Remember the lavender table runner I used at Easter, it had lights running down it's center? Well I bought more colors of the same style runner.  This one was green.

I used my crystal glasses with paper plates and napkins.  I call it casual elegance.

Shortbread cookies made to look like cameos served as favors.  

The cake was beautiful and delicious.

Although, it was a little warped.  Probably because they decorated it while it

was still warm!

Percy waited for his cake but he never did get any.

 And there you can see the warp of the cake again.

Did I say it was yummy?