into the woods

As much as I love the Maine coast, I love the Maine woods. The soft floor covered with pine needles and smelling just like a balsam pillow. Lichen and moss in all shades of green. Strange mushrooms in a shocking array of colors and shapes. Ferns. Oh, and pinecones in every size.

I spent a lot of time in those woods as a kid, hunting for elusive Indian Pipes and Jack-in-the-Pulpits (and avoiding poison ivy). I even had a moss collection (which always dried up in a rather disappointing way). The woods have a strange, other-worldly light that makes one dream up the most fantastic stories. There is magic in there. I know it.

Happy weekend!

I'm off to read some John Burroughs.

along the coast

I have to admit I miss the old wooden lobster pots. They are a relic from another age I suppose, now widely replaced with wire mesh. The half-barrel, wooden trap is said to have originated on Cape Cod in 1810, and served the east coast fishermen well for nearly two centuries. The new traps made an appearance about 10 years ago, and are far more efficient (lobsters having figured out how to escape the old ones!). Hard to argue with that.

More from Maine tomorrow.

Happy thursday.

even in the fog

. . . Maine is glorious. I love the sound of the fog horns, and the clanging of invisible buoys. The stillness of the water, and the smell of salt air. I love the comfort of wrapping oneself up with a blanket at night.

Sigh.

It was hard to leave.

summer idyll

After a busy week of work (running around New England), the gentleman and I finally have a few days of down time in Maine ~ reading, writing, beachcombing. Eating (it's a good year for strawberries!).

There's lots to share. . . houses, history, and more. But, it will all have to wait until next week. I am signing off for now ~ it's time to be with family and friends. Time to celebrate our Independence. Wishing those of you stateside a very happy holiday.

A good weekend to all!

up north

In Maine. . . for a bit of a break. Stopping in Boston and Salem along the way (finally had a chance to see the new Art of the Americas wing ~ fantastic!). We have been greeted by grey skies and chilly rain. However, there are bowls of fish chowder and hot haddock sandwiches to warm us up.

Some bits of wonderful from Beantown:

* extraordinary embroideries
* Old North Church
* the Printing Office of Edes & Gill
* and a good meal at Marliave

Cheers all.

the longest day

Welcome Summer (as of 1:16pm est)! Along with your hazy, lazy days. This was taken from my roof top around 9:30pm last night, just as the sun was giving up the day. I'll be top side again this evening, along with my stitching group. We'll greet the season with dinner and drinks (and maybe, maybe a little stitching).

Some things, just for fun:

* oh, the pleasure, the pain: busks
* and some old-time hotties (quite possibly the funniest thing I have seen in a long time)

Happy Solstice. . . what are you all up to?

june roses

At Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania this past weekend, the last of the June roses.

Some important bits of news:

* the Museum of Photographic Arts joins flickr commons
* the British Library goes digital!
* Inigo Jones is online (turn the pages)

. . . and just because it's monday ~ a wee bit of mystery to add intrigue to your day.

Cheers!

trouvée: white linen and boater hats

A tiny snapshot, with big style. Measuring just 2 x 1 1/4 inches. No inscription or date. Simply stamped: "Jenkin's Camera Shop / Jacksonville / Florida." {click image to view larger}

Some photo news:

* Billy the Kid goes to auction
* the "riot kiss" (mystery solved)
* and The Alice Behind Wonderland

Happy weekend!

Cheers.

all in the details

I love the textures and patterns of an old house ~ all the details that tell the story and reveal the history of a place. I am working on a house tour (it has been a busy week!). In the mean time (speaking of history):

* 300 years of Ascot fashion

* a trip to Old Salem
* and bringing new life to an old castle

Happy wednesday!

home sweet home

After a long week of travel, it is good to be home. Ahhh, time to unwind and reconnect with our lives. A day spent with friends, a dinner with neighbors, and a serious gardening session were in order!

The sunday market was bursting at the seams with yummy produce. Cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, fresh eggs, and fragrant lavender. And squash blossoms, that delicacy of summer ~ they hardly made it out of the bag before being stuffed and fried for lunch.

Stay tuned this week for a house tour, and a few other bits from my trip to the midwest.

Cheers!

an evening in st. paul

Hot and sultry in the Midwest! Traveling from Minnesota to Iowa and on to Nebraska, and it just keeps getting hotter in the heartland.

Just visible in the background of this photograph is the oldest extant house in St. Paul. Once the home to Justus Ramsey, an early Minnesota settler, it is now part of the patio at Burger Moe's (where they have a seriously yummy lamb burger with feta cheese and yogurt). Before that it served as a margarita bar for a Mexican restaurant, and the trim was painted a rather shocking pink! But the bones are still good, and there is hope for the old place.

Lots more to come. I'll be home soon.

Stay cool.

trouvée: the three graces

No inscription, no date. Barbara's beautiful women in white made me think to dig this snapshot out. There is just something about summer fabrics and soft breezes. Simply looking at this photograph makes me feel cooler. {click image to view larger}

Lots of goodies this week:

* New York is on the half-shell
* Stéphanie de Rougé is On your Roof (via Simply Photo)
* George Washington's garden is revamped
* and Mary Boykin Chestnut's Diary is reprinted (to mark the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War)

Here's wishing you a wonderful weekend. . . xo.

at home with the gentleman

. . . the 1882 John Crispe House. Perfectly curated, with the eye of an aesthete. Its restoration was a labor of love.

The library contains everything from 19th-century red leather and gilt bound gift books to early copies of Hints on Household Taste and The Book of Mormon.

{click images to view larger}

the long weekend

We are just home from Michigan, visiting the gentleman's family for the Memorial Day holiday. We cooked and grilled, and ate quite a feast ~ a real celebration with friends! And lest we forget why we remember this day, there was a home town parade complete with tractors and vintage cars decked out in their patriotic best.

The vegetable garden was just beginning to stir, but there were irises and coral bells in bloom, and fragrant chives. We came home with armfuls of peonies and fresh rhubarb ~ little reminders of those long summer days in western Michigan.

Three delicious bits of seasonal bounty:

* Keiko Oikawa (thanks to Emile for this link!)
* green gazpacho
* and Donna Hay's Seasons!

And tomorrow. . . a peek inside the old house in Michigan!

I hope you all had a good weekend.

so sweet!

Georgia peaches. The gentleman stuck these in my shopping cart last night. The first of the season. Ridiculously juicy and sweet.

And pretty enough for an impromptu still life.

I am also thrilled to tell you that our wedding is featured on Snippet & Ink today. My very favorite wedding blog! A huge honor ~ thank you to Kathryn, and our wonderful photographer Kate! Everything looks so beautiful.

Happy tuesday all.

market days

Pink peonies for Courtney! Buckets and buckets of them.

I have learned that every now and then one simply needs to give into the season and revel in the bounty. For example:

My mother tells the story of my great-grandmother making strawberry shortcake for sunday lunch. Just that, strawberry shortcake. Served on her pink-flowered Haviland china. So, when I spied fresh local berries at yesterday's market (the first of the season), I decided to continue the family tradition. Hot biscuits baked from scratch, whipped cream with a dash of elderflower syrup, and sweet red berries. All piled high. I think the gentleman was a bit incredulous when I handed him his lunch. For real? Yes, for real. . . enjoy.

xo

trouvée: the back yard

Inscribed: "Kincaid's back yard. / Bethlehem, Pa." Date stamped: July 1954. This one pretty much sums up my personal feelings about the advent of bathing-suit season. {click image to view larger}

Better pull out my straw hat and get my summer reading in order:

* Caleb's Crossing, by Geraldine Brooks
* The Violets of March, by Sarah Jio
* and some Great Food. . . where to start? (I am leaning towards The Joys of Excess)

Warmth is in our forecast.

Have a great weekend.

up in the air

Our little garden on the roof. Anyone need basil? Because we have more than we can handle. The plants love the cool, wet weather.

Container gardening is an interesting challenge, especially 11 stories off the ground! Things don't work the way they do on (or in) the ground. We learned a lot from our mistakes last summer, and seem to be doing very well this year. I have found Gayla Trail's blog You Grow Girl to be a fantastic resource. . . and her book Grow Great Grub has become my gardening bible.

So what to do with all those herbs? Get cookin'! Last night the gentleman made bruschetta, with local mozzarella, tomatoes, big FRESH basil leaves, and a slice of avocado. And I am thinking this chilled leek soup sounds good.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

Or for that matter, growing in your garden. . . ?

hopping the pond

. . . for a bit of Georgian architecture. A snippet from my visit this past February to Dr. Johnson's House in London.

Inspired by Emily's trip in January, I decided to seek out this little gem of a house. Finding it is no easy task, tucked away in the heart of Fleet Street (in fact, had EEE not mentioned the nearby McDonald's, I think I would have thrown my hands up in despair). That the house has survived history is extraordinary. . . literally being blitzed during WWII, and now hemmed in by modernity. As Emily wrote, the house is sparsely furnished, leaving one to conjure up the past without the clutter of objects. After all, it is the stories of the personalities that inhabited the place that really matter. From an architectural perspective, however, it is fascinating to see a Georgian townhouse so intact.

Also not to be missed:

* Danson House
* Fenton House
* and a place in Wales

And I must say ~ I am so impressed by this site: London. . . shh. What a brilliant idea!

oh, palladio!

From our adventures at Arlington House last weekend. It was a ridiculously gorgeous day for the annual outing of the Center for Palladian Studies in America. This year, Washington! From Latrobe to Mills to Thornton, it was an architectural orgy, and an opportunity for me to look at my city from a different perspective. Funny how things can become so familiar that you don't really see them.

Just a little plug ~ but I must say that the CPSA is a great organization. If you are even remotely interested in architecture, it is well worth the $30 to join. The journal alone is worth it!

trouvée: the hollyhock

Don't you wish you knew the story behind this one?! Alas, there is no inscription. But, I think it safe to say that was one prize-winning hollyhock! {click image to view larger}

Some things:

* Howard Sooley (Emile reminded me of his work the other day by mentioning Derek Jarman, whose famous garden Sooley so eloquently photographed)

* and an advance copy of this impressive tome (832 pages) just arrived on my desk! Having had the pleasure of assisting on it over the past 5 years, I can say with authority. . . it is REALLY well done. (You should order a copy.)

Have a great weekend. Cheers.

lately

We have been enjoying the most wonderful evening skies (it's a bit distracting).

There has been good food and wine: i.e. salmon fillets with fresh dill from the garden, roasted chicken with sage, rhubarb sauce, and quiche with local spinach and leeks. Oh, and I discovered the gentleman doesn't like peas! However, for those of you who do ~ yum.

We have been reading, a lot. There are currently piles and piles of books "in progress." Our wedding registry consisted primarily of books, and we received many beautiful, wonderful things, but until recently have had no time to read them. We were also given an extraordinary library by a very special lady ~ it has now been (mostly) catalogued, and we are ever more in awe.

And the garden! It loves the cool spring rains.

Hope you are all well.

a place in the shade

We had a gorgeous weekend here in Washington. Lots of sun and green leaves. Perfect weather for exploring old houses. But, more on that later. . .

For now, two things:

* old + new on the Isle of Coll

* and are you up for editing some Dickens?

Until tomorrow, adieu.

the language of flowers

Of the many details from last week's royal wedding, I was particularly intrigued by the attention paid to the meaning of flowers. According to the official website, Kate’s bouquet, designed by Shane Connolly, was comprised of flowers chosen for their significance to the families of the bride and groom and their meanings according to the Language of Flowers ~ lily-of-the-valley: return of happiness; sweet William: gallantry; hyacinth: constancy of love; ivy: fidelity, marriage, wedded love, friendship, and affection; and myrtle: an emblem of marriage and love.

When I put together my own bridal bouquet, I admit that I did not pay any attention to the meaning of the flowers included. So, curious to know the message carried in those blooms I turned to the gentleman’s extensive library of Victoriana which (naturally) includes a book on deportment, a whole chapter devoted to the Language of Flowers.

The translation:

* white roses: pure love
* ranunculus: radiant charm
* cosmos: beauty (derived from the Latin "kosmos")
* astilbe: “I'll still be waiting”
* blue thistle: austerity, independence, and nobility

Also in the mix were leaves of dusty miller and sprigs of silver brunia berries, which as far as I can tell have no assigned meaning. All together, I think the symbolism is quite perfect. Incidentally, my two matrons-of-honor carried bouquets comprised of the same flowers, but instead of the chocolate cosmos and astilbe, I included white and brown Queen Anne's Lace, signifying "haven, or protection" (rather appropriate, no?).

And what would a groom be without his boutonnière? The gentleman wore a blue thistle with leaves of sage, meaning "domestic virtue and wisdom," and thyme, signifying "thriftiness." After our ceremony my niece stuffed a bright pink clover flower in with everything. Clover, meaning "to live a carefree life of ease, comfort, or prosperity." She may not have realized it, but she gave us a most wonderful wedding wish!

(photographs by Kate Headley)

spring things

Some scenes from our weekend. Nasturtiums for the garden. And lots and lots of asparagus (2 pounds to be exact), which I blanched and served cold with curried mayo. There were also pungent leeks, fresh local spinach, and rhubarb. I love spring things!

Not to be missed:

* Savage Beauty at the Met (opens May 4)

* and a menu fit for royalty

Happy monday!