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?

photos from a first communion

Last May, I photographed a first communion. I didn't post too many of the photos since I wanted permission from the mother before I posted the photos of her daughter. I just received her approval.

The church was lovely, modern but not too modern.  It still looks like a church not auditorium like.

Sara was so pretty and a joy to photograph.  She put up with me stalking her for about 3 hours.

The children were waiting in the church basement before the procession to the upper church.  It seemed to take an eternity!

Some of the children were restless but not Sara.  She was the picture of patience.

She smiled throughout the Mass.  Her mother was pleased as Sara is a very serious young lady. The little boy next to her was very expressive.

The man at the camera store gave me a tip for photographing first communions.  "Use sports mode", he said.  You can shoot more shots per second and you won't miss anything.

He was right!

Sara was happy to be outside.  She was beaming.

The wind chill must have been around freezing.  I felt sorry for the little girls in their lightweight dresses. It was abnormally cold for May.

A family shot.  Yay, no one moved or even blinked.  What a great group!

Sara wanted a photo with her bestie.  I was happy to oblige.  We went back into the church as most people had left and we could get near the altar.

Sara decided to ham it up and pretend she was a model.  Maybe she will be one day!

More friends and family joined in the photo shoot.

Finally, time to let off some steam.  Sara watched her cousin twirl.

She and her sister just had to join in the fun!

I made the family a photobook using My Publisher software.  It was easy to do but time consuming because I shot over 200 photos.  It was hard to narrow down the shots.

I ordered myself a copy too and it will serve as a portfolio for future photo assignments.  Sara's  mother has already said she wants me to do her younger daughter's communion in two years.

PS- Thanks to all of you who commented on my last post.  I appreciate it and I will share your comments with my sister. We are heartbroken over Miss Marble but we find comfort in knowing she will never suffer again.

This was supposed to be a success story

"This was supposed to be a success story" said my sister in an email to me on Monday. That's what makes this story so heartbreaking.

Those of you who have been reading my blog know that my sister and I had been feeding a stray cat who had 5 kittens under the porch at my sister's art studio. We know 3 of her kittens survived and were rescued.  But 2 of them are missing.  Maybe someone took them in or maybe they did not survive.  That's Miss Marble in the photo above.

We rescued Miss Marble a week ago Sunday night. She was spayed that next Monday and Tuesday she was returned to us.  We were hopeful she would bond with us so she could find a forever home. My sister would have taken her to her home but my father who lives with my sister does not want pets in the home.

I could not take in a 4th cat.  But I would have let her stay in my office in the basement if we didn't find a home for her by Winter.  The office has central air and heat and two windows. It would have been adequate temporary housing for her. Not the most ideal but adequate.

My sister's landlord at the studio was captivated by Miss Marble.  He thought perhaps he would like to give her a home but we thought he was not suitable because he travels a lot for business.  Anyway, he allowed us to use the second commercial space in the building for housing for Miss Marble. Rent free.  The tenant had moved out on July 31st so the space was vacant and the timing was perfect!

We thought Miss Marble was recovering nicely and she was looking good and eating well after her surgery. My sister and I were taking turns feeding her and keeping her company. And when we weren't there we had the radio on for her. It's funny, the first time my sister turned on the radio the song was Don't Stand So Close To Me by the Police.  And the first song I heard when I saw Miss Marble after her surgery was I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends by The Beatles.

Last weekend, on Saturday morning Miss Marble didn't look so good.  And she wasn't eating or using her litterbox. My sister was concerned. Saturday night she had not eaten her morning food.  Sunday morning the food was untouched. And by Sunday night still no food was eaten. 

I told my sister we needed to take her to the vet. I thought I heard her wheezing. She was lethargic. We put her in the car and drove to the animal hospital for emergencies. I sat in the back seat with her, reassuring her that it was all ok.

Evidently, she was petrified.  At the hospital, she bit the animal tech and escaped from the staff's reach.  She ran the length of the hospital before she was caught.  The animal tech was going to be put on workmen's compensation. 

After examination, it was determined she was quite sick.  She might have pneumonia and her pupils were not the same size at all indicating a neurological problem.  It was possibly FIP, a fatal brain disease for cats.  The vet expressed concern for our well being and did not think we would be able to administer antibiotics to Miss Marble twice a day for 14 days.  A positive confirmation for FIP would mean an MRI which cost minimally $3,000.

The vet suggested euthanasia as an option.  We did not want to consider this.  We wanted to get her well but it was not looking good.  We were blown away by this diagnosis. I thought she had the sniffles. The vet said she wasn't eating because cats are driven by a sense of smell and Miss Marble was congested and with upper respiratory problems she probably couldn't smell anything.

While at the vet's office my sister placed a call to the Cat Society lady who had helped us rescue Miss Marble.  She said if FIP was mentioned Miss Marble could suffer.  After that we made the painful decision to end her life.

I think she must be in heaven. Perhaps with her two kittens.  She was a sweet cat, a kitten really. We noticed about two weeks a look on her face that told us she wanted to be rescued. Perhaps she knew she was sick and she knew we could help end her suffering.  If we had known she was sick, we would never have put her through the surgery.  I feel terrible that she went through an unnecessary surgery.
At least she must have felt safe and loved after her rescue.  She actually let me stroke her ear the other day.  It was the first time I touched her.

But she touched us right from the start when we first met her nearly two months ago.  And we will miss her terribly. 

My sister said she was wishing for a forever home for Miss Marble but she did not think her forever home would be heaven. She thinks we should be careful what we wish for.

                                                       Rest in Peace Miss Marble.

Cool antique store find

You might remember I visited the city of Gloucester last week. Well after my friend Lori Lee and I had breakfast we checked out a few antique stores.

I found a wonderful old photo album that I just had to have.  Here it is on display in my hallway.

Here's a closer look. I liked the color of the album and noticed it had some of the colors of the lamp.

The album is hand painted and the paint is chipping.  But I don't mind.  It adds character.

Here's an extreme closeup.  It's so cheery. I just love it!

 It must have locked at one time. The fact that it won't lock now doesn't bother me.  My life is an open book, right?

And speaking of open books, when I opened the album I was pleasantly surprised by the condition of the interior.  Also, the book was filled with pristine vintage photographs.

Don't you love the painting around the photos? So gorgeous!

This page is my favorite.  Love the little girl and the embellishment around the photo. It is just so charming.

 Here's a closer view.

And an even closer view of the artwork. Magnificent!

I love this little boy's outfit.  I am not sure what era this is from but I sure am curious. Their names are Fred and Ethel!

For a second, I thought I had an original Abe Lincoln photo and I thought I might be able to retire early. But it turns out this is Gramp Hill, a Lincoln lookalike.  I guess I will have to keep my day job! So perhaps this is a Civil War war album? That would be so cool!

This photo was made of a different material.  Lori Lee thinks it's silver gelatin. Really?

And another stylish toddler.  When I brought this to the shop owner I asked if the price was firm and he discounted it quite a bit.  Then he when he opened the album he asked if I would like to sell the photos back to him.  I said no way.  They're part of it's charm!

I'm joining Cindy from My Romantic Home's Show and Tell Friday. Click here to see more posts.

I am happy to report that Miss Marble was rescued last night.  We started feeding her in the carrier /trap a few days ago and she took right to it.

The rescue was scheduled for yesterday morning with the help of two ladies from the cat society.  Little did we know that the landlord of the building had scheduled lawn mowing and cleanup for the morning. There was so much noise that our little feral did not show up.  The rescue was postponed until last night.

My sister was there.  I couldn't bear to watch.  She reported that Miss Marble did not freak out too much after being trapped.  We had noticed that lately she seemed to want to be caught.

She had lived a hard life. Living outside near a busy street, becoming a mother of 5 kittens, foraging for food, all that at such a young age.

Today she had her surgery. She came through it fine and will be released tomorrow. My sister and I will work together to care for her as she recuperates. Just as we worked as a team when we took turns feeding her.

My sister's landlord at her art studio has offered an empty retail space for Miss Marble.  Seems Miss Marble has won his heart too.  She has a lot of people pulling for her as she transitions from stray semi-feral kitty to indoor kitty and house pet.

We have a few leads for a forever home for her.  My hope is that someone will take her in and love and care for her and spend time with her so she will learn how to trust and show affection.  She is safe from all outdoor dangers now and that is a reward in itself.