Illumination Night on Martha's Vineyard

Half the fun of attending the Grand Illumination on the Vineyard is to go to the campground in the afternoon and see the preparations. So much work goes into the decorating of each cottage.



If you only attend the nighttime event, you don't get to see the true colors of the cottages and the lanterns.



I love to see parasols added to the decoration of a cottage.



They vary in shape and design.



You know I had to photograph a cottage named Two Bad Cats.




I am sure I have a photo of this cottage from my last Illumination Night.



Wow, fans, lanterns, parasols, this took a lot of time.



This one had some very interesting lanterns. I love the ones with the tassels.



Pretty pastels on some of the cottages.




Lovely gardens too!



Some cottages had vibrant colors.



Poor puppy! He wanted to go out and play but he was safer on the porch.



The party has already started. Many cottage owners and guests enjoy food and drink on their porches.




Look at the lacy scrollwork, just beautiful!



A pretty combination of colors.



All ready for the festivities.




I need to look up Klonschnack.




I had just enough time to take a few shots in the dim light. Nighttime photography is not my forte.



Before the lights were illuminated there was a community singalong at the tabernacle. A musical journey through American History and lots of patriotic songs.




Ok, are you ready for some lanterns?




Some were made of silk and actually illuminated by real candles.




Some had very interesting shapes and fringe on the bottom.



Some were very old and some were not.



We missed seeing those in costume strolling the area but we caught them on their porch.



They added to the festivities.



Mesmerized by the beauty of the lanterns, I hardly noticed it had started to rain.
During the concert, we were standing under a tree and couldn't feel the raindrops.



We strolled around the main area near the tabernacle and then walked down the small streets of the campground.



I tried to take as many shots as possible of the beauty all around me. It was so magical.




But then the skies opened up and there was no denying it, we were getting soaked and the paper lanterns would not survive the downpour. Luckily, the bad weather held off just long enough to see most of Illumination Night.

And it was worth getting soaked to the skin!

Martha's Vineyard Memories

I have so many memories to write about and so many photos I could post! It's hard to narrow it down but I'll try. This post is about a walk we took around the park and area near the beach at Oak Bluffs.



I would live in any one of these homes. Each one was beautiful and unique. This one had a lovely garden out front.



I am not that fond of yellow but I don't mind it on this home. Maybe the green helps.



The flowers were unbelievable.



We turned the corner and there was this beautiful gate, yard, and garden.



A pagoda in the yard! Gorgeous!



And the front of the house was not too shabby either. Wow, was all I could say.



Looks like they're having a party. He's setting up the bar. How can I get myself invited?
I would love to sit on this porch all night.

We later found out from our innkeeper that this is the home of Peter Norton of Norton Anti Virus fame. And yes that is him in the photo.

The home was destroyed by fire and rebuilt to it's original grandeur.



And here was my second favorite, it's called Cinderella Cottage. Our innkeeper told us that this is the ex Mrs Norton's home.



Again, lovely landscaping.




And very ornate. I love that bump out, don't you?



This blue and white home also bordered the park.




Another pretty house overlooking the park.



I love weathervanes and this one was especially decorative and perfect for it's location overlooking the Atlantic at Oak Bluffs.

This is the first in a series of posts about my mini vacation. Please come back and travel to the Vineyard with me.

I'm Back!

I'm back from the Vineyard and I have oodles of photos to go through before I post them. We had a great time and there's lots to tell but not just yet.

Stay tuned and have a great weekend!

A Little Rest and Relaxation

A little R&R is in order for the next few days. Will post again at the end of the week.

Enjoy your week!

A Birthday and a long awaited vacation

We celebrated my Sister's birthday with cake from Cake. I ordered it on Wednesday for today's family party. This cake was listed as The Minuteman on Cake's.menu. This was perfect since my Sister belongs to the Lincoln Minutemen, a fife and drum corps.



The woman on the phone said custom cake orders needed to be placed two weeks in advance but she could do a simple birthday cake with some flowers and a message. Does this look simple to you? I was quite impressed.




Everyone enjoyed the cake and we also had my Sister's favorite tea, Harrod's No. 42. As you can see, Sheila was pleased.

Tomorrow I have to get ready for our mini vacation to Martha's Vineyard. I have some packing to do and I already coordinated schedules with the cat sitter. Just a few things left to do before we leave.

I am so looking forward to this vacation. Work has been super stressful and I often don't even know what day of the week it is. I am hoping for some R&R before I have to go back to work in a week.

Hope you all have a great week.

Cake.

I am such a foodie! I love to find new places to try for desserts.

Last weekend I was going to a cookout and I decided to bring cupcakes. My friend Pauline served cupcakes from Cake. in Lexington, Massachusetts at one of her teas and they were delish. So I thought I would give Cake a try.



Cake. is located in a house, perhaps it was once a multi family home. The building was charming right down to the plants and the bistro set on the porch.



And look at the delivery van. Too cute!



I love the red colored walls. The interior was really nicely done.




I am guessing Ethan is really going to enjoy his first birthday cake. And the women picking up the cake were nice to let me photograph it.

Well the lemon loco cupcakes I had purchased were wonderful. And I placed an order with Cake. for my Sister's birthday cake. Sunday is her birthday.

Cake. is located at 1628 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, Massachusetts. Click here to visit their website.