quiet mornings

It has been a busy week. And not quite half over! With the weather cooling off a bit, the gentleman and I have started taking early morning walks. The streets are still quiet and the light is beautiful. We don't talk much, both still wiping sleep from our eyes and dreaming of caffeine. But, he'll hold my hand, and we'll stop occasionally to silently admire a building or peek through a garden gate. Sometimes the best part of being with someone is not having to say anything at all.

Some things:

* 5 Beekman Street (thanks Anne!)
* bread from Gran's Kitchen
* and Always With Butter

Enjoy!

trouvée: the picnic

No date. No inscriptions. Just two lovers in the woods. My favorite photo find of the year. {click image to view larger}

Some beauties today:

* From the Winter Woods
* Bucks Mill Cabin
* and 3191 gets a makeover!

Here's wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

I have something very nice planned. . .

. . . but before that, the gentleman is taking me out to dinner.

xo

in the wild

While we were in Maine my parents held a lobster bake so that the gentleman and I could celebrate our marriage with family and friends in true New England style. We were tasked with gathering wild flowers for the centerpieces (such an awful job, right?), and so trotted off with baskets in hand. Besides masses of the ubiquitous Queen Anne's Lace, we managed to scrounge up some pink clover, yarrow, mallow, early golden rod, and wild sweet peas (my very favorite discovery) !! Along the way we snacked on wild blueberries as the bugs snacked on us.

Ahhhh, fleurs. . . .

Happy tuesday all!

fields of yellow

Buttercups. The next best thing to Queen Anne's Lace.

I want you to know that I ran gleefully into this field to get these shots, only to emerge covered with slugs. Ahhh, what price beauty? Bugs and slugs. And an army of Japanese beetles. I'm always amazed at the wild life that crawls out of an armful of wildflowers.

Anyway, just a bit of yellow for now.

Until tomorrow. . . enjoy.

an evening in maine

Drinking wine and watching the sun set through the Queen Anne's Lace. That's about as close to perfection as one gets.

Oh, my gosh:

* these beautiful flowers

* this photograph

* and this one

* Kate in Tennessee

* and some risotto (the gentleman is cooking dinner!)

Cheers all.

Have a good weekend.

xo

a breath of fresh air

Hello all! We are just back from Maine, happy from our time in the salt air and sunshine (and not at all ready for the furnace-blast of hot air that greeted us on our return!).

A random list of things today:

* The Invention of the Past (already on my wish list)
* a house in Belgium (oh, the gardens!)
* and a bit of architectural archaeology

Lots more to come from Maine in the next few days.

Hope you are all well. . . cheers!

the peach

When peach season arrives I pretty much drop all other fruits. I will not buy a peach at any other time of the year. They have to be local. So when they're in season, I go crazy. I find a way to sneak peaches into everything. Add them into salads. Or by themselves with a little balsamic vinegar, some olive oil, sea salt, pepper, some basil, and a sprinkle of feta ~ divine. Grilled peaches and shrimp with curry and honey. Peach crisp, peach pie, peach tarts. . . and omg, peaches with blue cheese.

Ahhh. . . the peach:

* Georgia peaches
* peach gnocchi

Yum! I'm off to Maine tomorrow. . . where I hear blueberries are in season (okay, so I am fickle).

Cheers.

on a hot day

Some greens from the vegetable garden at Longwood. If I had a proper garden, it would look just like this! Some day perhaps.

At the moment I am wilting in the 103-degree heat. And tomorrow the same.

Stay cool friends.

Have a good weekend!

keeping it simple

Summer is about keeping it simple. It is too hot for anything else. A white linen shirt, an easy dinner of green salad and fresh corn, a spot in the shade. Bare feet!

Some things I love:

* a trip to Vermont

* the photographs of Rhine Allen

* and the Taste of Stilton Cheese !

Happy tuesday.

an evening walk

I love an evening walk, just as the sun begins to sink toward the horizon. Light sparkles through the trees, and the worst of the afternoon heat is over. Last night, the gentleman and I took advantage of the (relatively) moderate weather and went for a stroll in Georgetown. We lingered in the golden sunlight, tripping over brick sidewalks, and peeking through garden walls. Content.

The weekend was spent on the Eastern Shore with old friends, saturday evening by the bay with steamed crabs and the first corn of the season. On my way home yesterday, I stopped at a farm stand and picked up tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, corn, and big, fat blackberries! The blackberries picked that morning, still warm from the sun. Summer bounty.

And, while on the topic of food. . . I have been enjoying honey & jam!

Happy monday.

trouvée: at the shore

This was given to me by a dear friend, one of many photographs I will treasure. There is no inscription or date.

I am off to the Eastern Shore for the weekend with some old college friends. Not sure I'll wear my pearls, but my old straw hat will be a must! As will a pile of Maryland crabs and some cold beer.

Here's wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and if you have time, check out the new Kinfolk magazine. Beautiful photography and recipes!

Cheers!

on a hot afternoon

I am dreaming of cool, green shade. After a week of days in the 90s and 100s, I am wiped out! Being a northern girl, I am not made for southern summers.

Ah, well, just looking at these beauties makes me feel cooler:

* parasols
* tea sandwiches
* radishes
* and some berries!

Happy Bastille Day to all of my French friends! Salut!

Cheers all.

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}