settling in

It seems strange to be posting these images from the summer, as we have just had our first frost up here in Maine. Since I last wrote in April, much has changed in our lives. The gentleman and I packed up our things and headed north, leaving behind the hustle and bustle of Washington. And though it was hard for me to say goodbye to friends of almost 20 years, it has been a good change. We are in awe of the beauty surrounding us, and the kindness of people who just four months ago were strangers to us.

We have begun a love affair with an old blue house. Its weather-beaten clapboards are in desperate need of paint, and there is a horrible lack of closets and bookshelves ~ but we couldn't imagine anything more perfect. Inside there is delightful mix of Georgian and Federal woodwork, rough plaster, wavy old glass, brick fireplaces, and uneven pine floors. Outside, there are masses of hydrangea bushes, blue thistles, lilacs, and an ancient apple tree. Our neighbor's apples and pears spill over the fence, and the huge old fir trees drop pine needles all over the driveway.

There have been challenges for both of us ~ starting new jobs, making new friends, and navigating a new grocery store. We have accomplished the daunting task of unpacking and settling in, and have finally have time to explore new roads. I don't know where this blog will go from here, but I know it will be both the same and different. How can it not be? Regardless, it will be an adventure.