An evening in Rockport

I was in Exeter a week ago ( see the last two posts) and I had a great time shopping at the unique stores on Water Street. While I was taking a coffee break, my sister called.  She wanted to know if I wanted to go to Rockport for dinner.  Well as you can see by my phone, the weather was very nice and warm for April so I said sure. I returned home, fed the kitties and headed out for the evening with my sister.

We went straight to the restaurant as my sister was starving. This is the entrance to Brackett's Oceanview. I love that antique sideboard by the window. I fantasize about stealing it everytime I see

the piece but I really never would do it. It would fit in nicely with my condo decor.

After dinner, we walked around the downtown area. We walked past a new concert hall in Rockport. We could see straight to the stage and a harpist was practicing for her performance that night. I will definitely go to a concert there. The audience can view the ocean while watching the performance. How cool is that?

This pretty dog named Rowan watched us intently as we walked by here home.  Her owner said she was watching him since he almost always takes her with him when he goes out.

It was getting dark but I still attempted a shot of the Motif No. 1.

It is a Rockport icon.

This photography studio is so beautiful! I would love to have my own photo

studio in Rockport.

Here's another shot of the gallery.

We walked to the end of Bearskin Neck and the wind was whipping around.  It had

become quite cold but not freezing.  We braved the wind and took in the salt air

and spectacular ocean views.

Despite the wind, it was rather peaceful at the end of Bearskin Neck. Just the sound of the waves

crashing against the rocks and the chilly air slapping at my cheeks. Perfect! I must surely be a New Englander because I prefer cool crisp air to the heat of Summer.

Good night Motif No. 1, I will be back soon!

The Art of Antiquing in Exeter

This post is a continuation of my last post about my daytrip to Exeter, New Hampshire.  I went to my favorite antique store in Exeter, Art N Tiques. This store is so interesting and packed to the gills with the coolest stuff. If you like to rummage, this is your happy place!

I have a blast when I go there. This was my third time visiting and it did not disappoint. I absolutely love to pick through the piles of "treasures".

This time there were lots of boxes and pieces for storage like trunks and vintage suitcases. Be still my heart! I love finding unique ways to store stuff!

This is Charlie, he is Linda the shop owner's dog.  He has to be the sweetest gentlest dog I've ever met.  Charlie was a rescue dog but Linda says she didn't rescue Charlie he rescued her. I think they rescued each other as Linda loves Charlie and Charlie clearly adores Linda.

Oh yes, the vintage suitcases I mentioned earlier.

Frames, yes!  See that gold one in the front? It came home with me and

I have big plans for that. I'm thinking someone can do something to it for

me and it would make a lovely birthday gift!

This is Linda's section of pieces she uses for her art. She doesn't sell these pieces

because many of them are broken and she repurposes them in her art. She invited me to

her show which will be in August in Amesbury.

Here is one of Linda's creations.

Linda obtained some old high school band uniforms . 

This is the jacket from the band uniform. Linda describes it as Sgt Pepper meets Civil War General.

Another thing I love about Linda is her sense of humor.

I know you are dying to know what I bought at this cool store. Well, my big prize was this antique typewriter from 1910. I honed right in on this baby the minute I walked in the store.  It now sits on my hallway table. I'll take a better shot another time.  I also bought a pair of very old skates and the aforementioned frame.  Yes, I did good. Linda asked if I had a shop because I always pick out the most interesting things. I am flattered by that comment.

I hope your travels will take you to Exeter, New Hampshire. When in town stop by Art N Tiques and say hello to Linda and Charlie!

Daytrip to Exeter, New Hampshire

I had a free Saturday so I decided to go to Exeter, New Hampshire. I love the town and there's great shopping there so off I went. 

I took so many photos I will need to do two posts,  This post is about a new store I discovered on Water Street called Reminisce.

Reminisce is a beautiful shop filled with many lovely items. I was of course drawn to the teacups and china plates. In fact, I purchased some plates. I promise to show them to you in another post.

I had a nice conversation with the owner. She worked as the manager of furniture design shop for nearly 20 years. The shop went out of business and she decided to pursue her dream of owning a shop.

At an age when many people are considering retirement, this woman is starting a new venture.
I find that admirable and very cool!

The owner told me she has always shopped flea markets and estate sales so she has the perfect vehicle for displaying her finds.

She carries some vintage clothing too. This sweet dress is from France.

I did like this teacup but I found some china plates that I liked better.

She sells furniture too.  Of course she does, her background is in furniture.

Another lovely set of dishes and I loved these glasses in such a pretty lavender shade.

A gold teapot and yes that is my reflection.  Such a nice selection of tea items!

As I said the china pieces were stunning. I was proud of my self control.  This is just the type of shop
that would cause me to spend my entire paycheck.

The owner of the shop noticed a crack in the wall and she asked a local artist to paint a nest in the crack.  Can you see the original crack?

The artist's work was fantastic. It reminds me of a Marjolein Bastin work. Marjolein paints wonderful
nature themed greeting cards.

And a bird graces another section of the wall. Taking flight and a leap of faith just like the owner of  Reminisce. You can find Reminisce at 109 Water St, Exeter, New Hampshire.

Those quirky kitties

Never a dull moment in my household. Sometimes it's like having 3 kids, toddlers at that.  There's Oscar about to steal my shoe.

And Percy is where he shouldn't be. I've told him a hundred times not to sleep on the cable box.

Obviously Molly is copping a catitude. She's giving me her backside. She must not have liked something I said. It's probably about the late hours she's been keeping.

And Percy thinks he's King. He thinks he's the boss of me but he's not.

When I see them all in the same room together I think 3 cats is a lot.  But I can handle it. Most days.

Easter Recap

I'm sure you all had a busy Easter Sunday. Mine was busy too. It started with Sunday morning Mass then we had Easter Brunch at the condo.

I had the good folks at Pondview Florist in Winchester fill my Harney Tea tin with a spring arrangement to match the tablecloth. White tulips with one blue hydrangea. They did a great job!

The tablecloth was a recent purchase at an estate sale. The photo doesn't do it justice.  It is a lovely shade of pink and definitely from the 50's

My sister made a couscous salad with tomatoes, garlic, basil, and lemon juice.  It was yummy!

I made overnight baked french toast. I make it for Easter and my Wimbledon Breakfast.

A mix of old and new at each place setting. New plates used as chargers and the smaller plate is vintage and was purchased at Brissonte in North Reading.

For dessert, we had a chocolate Easter Egg cake.  It was filled with chocolate cake and chocolate mousse layers. Delish!

Next, my sister and I went to the nursing home to visit my Mom and to take her to the dessert buffet. We didn't eat much. I had a few chocolate dipped strawberries.

They do a really nice job with variety and presentation. The residents at the nursing home looked like  they enjoyed it.

Too bad I wasn't hungry. I would have enjoyed the key lime pie or the caramel cheesecake.

I changed the entire tablesetting for the evening crowd.  I had friends coming over for dessert and coffee and tea.  This time I used a white tablecloth with the lavender table runner with the little LED lights running down the center.

Everyone got a Lindt chocolate bunny to take home. I am so OCD that I replaced all the ribbons on the bunnies' necks.  They came with red ribbons but that would clash with the purples and pastels of the tablescape.  So I used white and pastel colored ribbons instead.

Here's another view of the floral arrangement with tea tin. The beautiful sugar pot was a gift from my friends Mary and Don.

Yes, I did stand on a chair for this shot. I wanted you to have an aerial view of the table and of the lit runner. I wasn't sure I would like it but I do like the white plates on the white tablecloth. Another estate sale find.

Linen napkins from Pier One and violet china was purchased at various antique stores.

Petit fours in pastel colors. These would be so beautiful on a tea tray. I found these at La Patisserie in Winchester.

My friends all brought desserts.  Mary made a cream cheese pie and lemon cookies. Ellie brought brownies on a 100 year old plate that was her mother's. Debbi brought pistachio salad and flowers.

I also made up a fruit and cheese plate to offset all the sweets.  We had multigrain flatbread, water crackers and Triscuits plus red and green grapes for color and herbed goat cheese, a sharp white cheddar and a wedge of brie.

With all that entertaining yesterday, it was tough to get up for work this morning. I was a little tired but it was worth it. I had such a wonderful time with friends and family.