Melrose Victorian Fair

It's September and that means it's time for the Melrose Victorian Fair. Each year the fair seems to get bigger and bigger.  Booth spaces numbered 187 at last check and then there were the artists and crafters at Artisan Alley. A large section of Main Street is closed every year to accomodate the crowds.  Some years, the attendance is over 10,000.

This year's fair was a wonderful blend of community organizations and the business sector. Students sold items as fundraisers for their sports teams.

I went clothes shopping at my favorite booths, hoping to achieve the Melrose chic look like this staffer at the Rada Boutique booth.

My co-workers were on hand to answer questions about banking and to give away some cool items.

The day started out cloudy and then the sun came out and the temperature was perfect.

In my opinion, the best giveaway at the fair was a Tshirt from Full Circle Design.

Some people brought their dogs. In fact, I saw almost as many dogs as babies.

Turner's Seafood did a brisk business.  They were serving mini lobster rolls and clam chowder.

Center stage had a variety of performers. One could see Irish step dancers, karate demonstrations, and choral groups.

A municipal parking lot served as a mini carnival with games and rides.

Another cute dog takes it all in from street level.  I hope he enjoyed himself.

I liked these costumes the best of all the center stage performers. Melrose chic, mais oui!

I was asked to take a photo of this man who is 90+ years old.  He rode his bike to the fair and then relaxed outside the local Starbucks at the heart of all the action.

I told you dogs were plentiful.

Center stage was not the only place for performers. There were clowns and living statues.

This man wanted to talk about free speech and the democracy amendment question on the November ballot.

Kudos to the Melrose Chamber for organizing another first class Victorian Fair. It was a perfect day.

Charming Antiques

"Every once in a while, a girl has to indulge herself" those are the words of the character Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City.  I tend to agree with Carrie so last Saturday I set out for Concord, Massachusetts for a little retail therapy.

I knew in advance the two shops I was going to hit. One was Nesting on Main and the other was Jack and Toba. These are my favorite shops in the area.

Years ago, when I would go out shopping it would be for clothes.  I still enjoy fashion but clothes shopping has lost it's lustre. I think it is mainly because of two things: one, I am older now and two, I have gained weight and it's harder to buy clothes off the rack and they don't look as good as they did when I was thinner.

I gravitate towards stores that sell items for the home. Since I bought my condo I am more interested in home decor. I get inspired by reading blogs and then I want to redo all the rooms in my home. So off to Concord I went and my first stop was of course Nesting on Main. I've posted about Nesting before and on Saturday they did not disappoint.

The price tag listed this as a planter but to me it has pot rack written all over it! It was a cool chippy green.  Loved it but it would be too big for my kitchen.

Ooh, vintage cameras! Tempting to add one more to my collection but no.

I do like old signs but red is not in my color scheme and this is a big sign. I do like this lamp and it would go with my decor but I didn't need it.

I thought about this rack with hooks.  It is old and it would be perfect for the hallway outside my door. There are holes in the wall of my hallway courtesy of the previous owner.  I think I might need to go back to Nesting.

Time to stop by the next shop. Goodbye to Nesting for now. I love your displays and product selection, a mix of old and new.

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On to Jack + Toba, an eclectic selection of furniture, housewares, gifts and clothing. If you buy something at this shop you will feel that it is a one of a kind item.

Wouldn't this entrance peak your interest? Love the vintage clothing the coats.

And how come I didn't notice that necklace until I was leaving?  That's a smart outfit too!

These bottles look pretty in the window.  Not sure if they were cooking oils or bath products.

Artful displays are everywhere in this store. Owner Suzy has a real knack for finding unique items and setting up interesting vignettes.

I love bath and laundry products. If I hadn't just restocked my laundry detergent and fabric softeners, I would have tried this line. I just bought the Beach Days product from Good Home Company and I love the scent!

More cleaning and bath products. The line is Laundress and it smells heavenly! Next time.

I do love this sideboard and it's such a pretty color.  It would be perfect in the dining room.

I did buy something here. Something for me and something for you. I am going to have a blog giveaway soon and it will be revealed. I also bought something for my new home office and when it comes together you will see it.

At Nesting, I got a burlap market bag which I have already used for groceries and a vintage beaded lampshade. I have the perfect base for the lampshade, wait till you see it!

Whenever I drive to Concord I look for Drummer, the horse I saw almost two years ago at Christmas time. Drummer was rescued by some kind people and he is living at their Concord farm.  He was alone two years ago but now he has a companion and I am sure he is happy.

Antique Old House

I did not take a Summer vacation this year. Since I started my new job in June, I haven't earned any days off yet. I missed being able to take a few dsys off to go to the Cape or Maine.

Luckily my friends once again rented a cottage in York, Maine and my sister and I were invited up for the day on Sunday of this weekend.

The weather was cool when we first got to York, Maine but later on it warmed up. The clouds were amazing all day. We relaxed at the cottage for a while and had a lunch of frittata and sour dough bread with dipping sauce. It was made by our friend Mary and it was delicious.  This is the view from the cottage. I could sit here for houts and look at the lighthouse.

I did not bring my tripod down on the rocks but this guy did.  In fact, we used my friend Don's tripod for the night time shots.

I think this is the location of many Christmas card photo shoots. We saw a lot of families posing in front of the lighthouse.

We had to take our annual photo in front of the lighthouse too! It was mighty windy and
we all have that wind blown look.  We were wearing jackets and it's still Summer!

I wanted to sit in one of those chairs but the sign was not welcoming. They must have a lot of trespassers during the Summer season.

The scene at the lighthouse changes hour by hour.  The sky was blue and then gray and it rained briefly. No matter what the weather, Nubble Light is always breathtaking.

The cottages are so adorable.  Each one is a little different. I think they all have two bedrooms and one bath and a fantastic deck for lighthouse viewing.

The sun came out and it got warm. We didn't need our jackets anymore and we headed back to the cottage for a snack of sweet potato chips.

Here is our view as we ate our snack. I would love to spend a week or two here in thias cottage.. How relaxing would that be?

Mary prepared our dinner. Such a sweet little kitchen.  You don't really need more than that.

This little guy came by for a meal but he was disappointed. He settled for eating just grass.

After dinner, we waited to see the sunset and the colors of the sky changed again. We waited a long time for the moonrise. We thought we might not see it becausec of the cloud cover but eventually it did appear.

Here's the front of the cottage. It was a little chilly to sit on the deck. Some years it is too hot to sit there but we've been lucky over the years. The weather is usually perfect. 

All the lanterns and the candles are lit for the evening. It gets pretty dark here as there are not many outside light. The sky is filled with stars. Gorgeous!

Don had the tripod all set up for some moonrise shots. We decided to take the tripod down to the lighthouse and I got a lesson in nighttime photography.

My first attempt photographing the moon and the lighthouse in one shot. Don told me to play around with the timer and the white balance settings.  It's hard to compose the shot when everything is pitch black around you.

A different setting and an eerie effect from some car headlights on the rocks. A car pulled up right as I hit the shutter.  Oh well, I still like the shot.

The last shot before calling it a day.  Can you see the stars? We went back to the cottage and my sister and I headed home. We had a nice long day in York.  Sometimes it only takes ome day by the ocean to make you feel as if you've had a vacation.