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?

 

 

 

 

 

Daytrip- York, Maine

On Sunday, my sister and I drove north to York, Maine to visit some friends.  Our friends always rent a cottage across from Nubble Light the last week of August and first week of September.

It was a beautiful day and we spent many hours outside just watching the waves and taking photos.

We of course had our annual group shot taken in front of Nubble Lighthouse.

Don took video and photos. We were happy as long as he didn't turn the cameras on us!

I did a lot of people watching.  This woman had a cool umbrella with daisies all over it.

There were lots of dogs there.

Lovers enjoyed the view.

More dogs walking on the rocks. I am sure they would rather be on the beach.

A lot of people were into hats too.

Could this be the makings of a Christmas Card?

Someone was feeding the gulls so they were hovering all afternoon.

Here's the cottage. I love that deck.  This is the deck where Percy was sitting when my friends arrived at the cottage last year.

And the back of the cottage.  You can see how close it is to the ocean.  Fabulous!

And you can also see how close it is to the lighthouse!

This year we were pleasantly surprised by the renovation of the kitchen.

The cottage looks so much more spacious!

Ooh, I love open shelving.  Everything looked so fresh and clean.

Don't you love the starfish hardware?

The day was ending and I used Don's tripod for this night shot.

I was waiting for the sky to change so I could photograph what I call

Nubble purple  The sky had a bit of pink in it but no Nubble purple.

So disappointing!

I consoled myself with a hot fudge sundae with peppermint stick ice cream from Brown's.  The end to a perfect day!

A Souvenir from Maine

On Wednesday, we took a daytrip to Maine. We visited my friends at their two week cottage rental in Cape Neddick. It is literally across from Nubble Light.



They were painting on Wednesday.



The surf was starting to kick up. And these birds were watching.




The gang posed for the annual photo.




And then this little guy showed up. He immediately charmed all of us.
Actually my friends said he was sitting on the deck waiting for them when they pulled into the parking lot on Saturday.



Oh my gosh, just look at this face. This poor stray baby was out on his own.





He strutted around the deck and we all fell in love with him. My friends had already bonded with him.



He was ready for his closeup.



He checked out his reflection.



And lounged in the sun on the deck.



He contemplated jumping off the deck. Thankfully he didn't. He did try to take on some seagulls though.




This one's my favorite. He's smiling right? Such a joyful little boy.




He certainly captured my heart! As you know we were expecting a hurricane or at the very least a tropical storm on Friday. So on Thursday night, I called my friends to discuss rescuing the little guy. No one wanted to see the baby out in the rain and wind of a tropical storm.

While I was on the phone with my friends, a woman appeared at their door with the kitten wrapped up in a towel. She wanted to rescue him but she couldn't take him home, too many pets already. My friends could not take him inside the cottage as there is a strict no pets rule.

So I offered my downstairs office as a sanctuary from the storm. My friends drove an hour to bring the kitten to me. He has been staying with me ever since. We still have to work out details regarding his forever home. On Wednesday he has a vet appointment. In the meantime he is safe from the dangers of being outside.

And I am getting very attached!

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!

English Meadows Inn

I'm back from vacation and well rested thanks to my stay at the English Meadows Inn in Kennebunkport, Maine. Today's post is all about the Inn. I'll share photos from my vacation with stops in Ogunquit, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Wells later this week.



The inn is a cheery yellow home with a beautiful garden. Our innkeeper, Bruce was the perfect host. He spent time with us going over maps and discussing things to do.



Gorgeous flowers add a touch of color to the guest entrance.



A bench where the weary traveler can rest.



Tigger, the resident cat, is the sweetest! He's living the good life at 21 years old.




Comfortable seating near the reception area.




I love this dragonfly lamp! My room was right off this lovely area.



A collection of Asian items. Aren't they fascinating?




This is my room, the Surrey. I chose it for the blue and white theme. And I do love toile!




I wrote in my comments that this was the most comfortable bed I ever slept in and that's the truth. I think there was a feather bed under the sheets. I had the most restful sleep in a long time. Maybe it was the cool Maine air.



Here's my bathroom. So charming. I loved the patterns in the wallpaper.



My white iron bed. I could have slept all day in that bed but I was motivated to get up for breakfast knowing the gourmet feast awaiting me each morning.



Sherry in the decanter if you wanted to imbibe.




A cozy chair for reading.




A chair for company and a marble table.




My sister's room was adorable too. Hers was called the Bingley and it was decorated in shades of pink.



Her bathroom was a bit bigger as was her room.



As I mentioned the breakfasts were grand. This is grand marnier french toast and artisan sausage links from the area.



Mom's apple cake. Yum!



Apples with granola and devonshire cream. Another morning we had poached pears in an orange sauce.




Here's a four cheese crustless quiche which remained piping hot all through breakfast. We shared a table with two delightful women, Florence and Sheila. They were enroute to Bar Harbor. We enjoyed their company and exchanged email addresses.

Another morning we conversed with a couple from Connecticut.



One day we had afternoon tea at the Inn. Such pretty china!




The presentation was fantastic.



We had an organic lemon curd made by Bruce, a seedless raspberry jam from a local farm, and devoshire cream for our scones.



We had scones and sweet treats. Luckily, I only had to share with my sister. At the next table a grandmother and grandaughter from Saco, Maine were enjoying an afternoon together before the grandaughter went back to school and the sixth grade.




The scones were warm and delicious. I can't exactly remember the flavors but I think one had apricots and pecans in it.



The sideboard housed a collection of teapots and there were many more in the china cabinet.




A relaxing spot to read a book or enjoy the sunshine.




The gardens were so well cared for.



Cheery flowers add a pop of color.



This chair was mine each morning before breakfast. This is where I had my first cup of coffee. Hot drinks were available each morning before breakfast. I enjoyed my cup of coffee with the same couple each morning. They were from Virginia and they were traveling with their service dog Coji. Coji always tried to take a sip of my coffee but don't worry he never succeeded. He was trained to serve for four diabilities. The wife was legally blind and deaf and had balance issues. Coji was a wonder.

After reading this rather lengthy post, you can see why I would love to make a return trip to the English Meadows Inn. My sister would agree, our stay was perfect. I wonder if they have availability in the Fall?