Hello it’s me

It’s been a decent weekend and today’s weather has been fairly glorious. I woke to chilly temperatures, enough to warrant a light jacket while enjoying my coffee outside on the patio. I took my time waking up, knowing that come tomorrow, it’s back to work and a busy week ahead.

 

I found some wild morning glories growing in some weeds on the property and snapped this with my macro lens and my trusty Nikon.

 

And I baked an apple pie. I never thought of myself as an actual cook but there are some things that I make that don’t require me reading a recipe. This pie is one of them. And hot damn, it is delicious. Recipe here:

{favorite apple pie}

 

And because it felt so much like fall today, I roasted a chicken.

image courtesy taste love and nourish

This is a fabulous and easy recipe. I made a separate dish of roasted vegetables using tiny little yellow potatoes, onions, and carrots. And I made gravy for the first time in my life. I am in my late 50’s and I’ve never made gravy before. It was excellent and I can’t believe how easy it was. Jeez Louize. Here’s the recipe:

{Roasted Herbs de Provence Chicken}

 

Ok, now. Everybody who knows me in real life (and maybe even here on this blog) knows that I’m an Outlander fan. I love the books, the Starz show on TV, and I’m missing it dreadfully. I can’t believe I have to wait until early spring 2016 for the next season to begin. A friend took pity on me, recommending a historical drama on PBS that she thought might be up my alley.

And oh my gosh . . . it is. It’s no Outlander, and Ross Poldark is no Jamie Fraser but he’s a good man and this is a beautifully filmed production. The title character returns to England after nearly dying while fighting against the American rebels during the Revolutionary War. He finds his home in shambles and the woman he loves engaged to another. As he begins to rebuild his life, facing almost insurmountable obstacles, he finds love where he least expects it.

The scenery is exquisite and it’s filmed against the rugged and beautiful backdrop of Cornwall’s coastline. Highly recommend this series, although I’m only on season 1, episode 4. I’ve been watching it here: {Poldark}

 

And lastly, I have a new favorite drink. It’s called a Moscow Mule.

Pour a little vodka over ice, then splash on some ginger beer and top with a squirt of lime.

Delicious ~

 

A walk in the park

Today I took George for a walk in Battery Park, which lies along the Delaware River in Olde Town New Castle, DE. It’s about a half hour drive from my home and it was 72 degrees and gorgeous.

I’d never been to this colonial coastal village before and plan on going back this fall to get some photos of the buildings because they are simply charming. It reminds me a little bit of Williamsburg and even Federal Hill in Baltimore. I was looking for a walk where I could bring a dog, somewhere near the coast so I could feel the breeze and when I got out of the car, the first thing that hit me was the scent. It was fresh and salty and perfect.

 

It was early yet and the park wasn’t very crowded which was good because I could get clear landscape shots.

 

There’s a little beach but it doesn’t allow swimming or wading. On closer inspection, it was full of goose feathers.

 

Flocks of Canada Geese were in attendance.

 

And it was lovely sitting along the shore on a piece of driftwood and watching their graceful landings.

 

They seemed to revel in soaking themselves and then looking for bits to eat.

 

There is a paved path that runs directly along the river with a large grassy space on the other side. People were riding bikes, or jogging, or sitting on benches, children were taking advantage of the playground, and every other person seemed to have a dog with them. There were several steps such as this as well.

 

After a bit, I sat on a bench and called my husband’s parents – something I’ve done every Sunday morning for years. Sometimes I would sometimes forget that it was Sunday and 10:30 and my husband, when he was alive, would always remind me. It was his way, too, of saying hello to his parents once a week. This morning, I hung up as this tanker was slowly making its way down the river, heading south to meet the Atlantic Ocean and points unknown.

 

There were also many large and beautiful trees, some marked with plaques as to their description.

 

George seemed a little concerned at the fact that I might be leaving so I assured him I was only taking a picture.

He loved it here and I received lots of compliments on him which was unexpectedly nice.

 

What a beautiful start to a gorgeous September day.

Hope your Labor Day Weekend is a good one, my friends.

And yes, I know – two posts in the space of a week. Bazinga!

For my sisters (and everyone, really)

I’m sure I’ve mentioned in the past that my three sisters and I write to each other on a regular basis. This is done via group e-mails and has been going on since our mother passed away in 2006. We have always been close, but it was her death that brought us closer and I’m sure she’d be glad to know that.

I actually began this blog about a year later, in 2007, as a way to write to my sisters and incorporate photos I’d taken and wanted to share with them. It was private back then but they liked it and I was encouraged to open it to the public. And so I did. And I became extremely popular in the blogging world.

I’m kidding. Just making sure you’re all still with me.

* snort *

My sisters have been telling me how much they miss my posts.

And after reading the latest group e-mail this morning where my youngest sister, Ginny, asked why I couldn’t just write once a month rather than not at all, it really made me think. I haven’t written anything since the first week of August. Good grief!

And so here I am, coming to you live from the old manor house on the hill on a dark and quite warm night, with George at my feet, Miss Blackie in the windowsill seat nearby, and the gray kitty, who my son has named Squeakers, sitting on the rocking chair.

 

I am sharing photos I’ve taken over the past month – the first three from a tour that I went on with my school this past weekend. We toured the Historic Tome School for Boys in Port Deposit, Maryland which was named a National Historic Site in 1984. It’s been crumbling for many years but the remnants of what it used to be are still there. The buildings were designed in the beaux arts style by one of the premier architectural firms of the times, Boring & Tilton. And the grounds and the Italian Gardens were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.

 

This is the old football field, looking toward the Susquehanna River which is through the trees and down the hill. The buildings surround the field. If you are interested in reading about the old school, which was one of the premier educational institutions on the east coast, here is a link:

Bainbridge Development Corp – Tome School for Boys

And if you want to see more of my photos taken that day, here is my Flickr link:

K.Young Photography Flickr – Tome School for Boys 2015

 

The rest of the photos in this post were taken with my iPhone using VSCO Cam. (Thanks for telling me about it, Daryl). I’m not sure if you remember that I was working on this shade garden back in May but here it is in full bloom. That potted bush is actually a pussy willow that my husband rooted using a bunch of them that I’d brought home from the grocery store several years ago. I’m going to have to plant it in the ground . . .

 

And George, of course.

 

The iPhone 6 takes some pretty good photos and I’ve enjoyed playing with it.

 

Kitty aka Squeakers

(ugh – I really dislike that name)

 

And Miss Blackie who I have to sneak up on because she has this thing about having her photo taken.

 

I met a friend for dinner last week and stumbled on a vintage car show in the nearby town. (The gallery where my photographs are displayed are right up the street).

And well . . . I guess that’s about it.

Oh, except for the fact that school started on Monday and it’s really nice having all the children back. I mean I like summers and all and I can get lots of work done but it’s all about the children. And it’s good to have them all again.

Until next time, my friends. And I’ll try not to make it so long until we meet again ~