Monday morning

I felt a taste of fall this morning, a slight chill to the air that had me pulling up the coverlet on the bed to get warm in the wee hours of the night. Later, when I felt my husband wake up, I fell back to sleep listening to two owls as they spoke to each other back and forth, from one side of the property to the other.

I spent the weekend relaxing, reading, and snapping some images in the backyard. I can feel summer winding down.

 

I have more photos to share with you later, but for now, here’s my tribute to the start of what I hope will be a good week.

What do you hope for?

Oh, deer

Yesterday afternoon, I opened an e-mail from one of my sisters who asked if everything was ok because “you haven’t posted all week on your blog.” I hadn’t realized that – and I wrote her right away to allay her fears.

Regular readers of this blog know that when they haven’t heard from me for awhile, it’s likely that something’s wrong and it usually has something to do with my husband’s cancer. But honestly, I just haven’t had the inclination to write.

I’ve been working like a dog, staying longer hours and trying to get things ready for the school to start on the 27th. And I’ve been consumed with a biography I’ve been reading on someone I find fascinating – Frederick Law Olmsted.

Please don’t say, “who?” Not enough people in this country know who he is, and I think that’s a crying shame. I’ll write more on him later, but for now I give you what happened yesterday evening. No need to get excited because it’s really nothing much.

 

These are three of the four deer who visit the grounds at the manor house on a regular basis. They come from the woods behind the barn at the north side of the property, taking the same route always. I was ensconced in my book, curled up on the loveseat, when I saw George get up from where he lay at my feet, go to the window and begin wagging his tail. My husband and I went over to see what had gotten him excited and saw the scene below.

 

There was much frolicking and cavorting going on out there. Racing back and forth were the two young does and the spike buck as the buck with the crooked antler stood and watched. We watched from the window for a moment until I decided to get my camera.

 

I snuck quietly around the back of the house and proceeded to get a few test images, realizing that the P mode wasn’t going to work for me in this light. So I set the camera to manual and fired off several shots.

 

It was dusk, but I was able to better capture the beauty of these animals who visit here every night. In early to mid-summer, there are plenty of berries for them to eat along the edges of the woods here which is one of the reasons they take this route.

 

The spikes are getting really big.

Here he is on July 4 when they were smaller.

 

I love living here.

 

And everything is ok. For now, at least – and that’s good enough for me.

 

Have a lovely Sunday, all ~

And thanks for coming by to visit. It’s always nice to see you here.

Don’t think twice, it’s alright

Hello. Not much to say today other than the fact that the weather is a little more bearable lately, and everything here is quiet and, well - kind of ok. A lot of things have been going on lately, none of which I feel inclined to complain blog about. So how’s about I just share these random shots with you, all of which were taken over the weekend.

 

The red was so deep.

 

 

The pink background was caused by the bricks of the patio in the afternoon sun.

 

 

Part of my husband’s collection.

 

 

I love these.

 

And a couple of Instagram shots:

 

I snapped this last week when I had arrived home from work one day. This is my favorite seat in our living room and it looks like someone wanted to play. I got the hint, George.

He had taken several of his toys out of his box and put them on my seat. At least, that’s the story my husband told me . . .

 

My husband, a man of few words, pointed to the dashboard Saturday morning as we were driving. I took out my cell phone and caught it. We were listening to 93.3 (WMMR, out of Philadelphia) and it was 9:33 a.m. Please try to control your excitement.

 

 

Let Miss Blackie demonstrate.

See? This is how it’s done.

 

She might be pretty,

 

but this one’s kinda funny:

 

* snort *

 

And with that, I bid you adieu.

 

Hope you have a great week, all ~

 

Sometimes I just prefer black & white

It’s been a relaxing weekend here at the manor house on the hill, and it’s been a beautiful one, as well. Today the weather was so nice that we turned off the air conditioning and I was able to sit outside in the shade among the birds and the little garden I’ve got under the dogwood tree and be comfortable.

It’s been a couple of months since I’ve been able to sit outside here.

I took some photographs and got into sort of a black & white mood with them all.





I mean, this was ok (I guess) in color, but it wasn’t until I saw it in black & white that I realized how much I liked it. I even put it up on my etsy site for sale.

Both photos processed using Kevin Kubota’s BW via Lab with Color action.

I cut some of the smaller zinnias and put them into a little vase.

The vase is about 3” high and was formerly an Agraria diffuser.

Then I processed one of the shots using the Cappuccino action from Red Leaf Studios.

I like it fine.

The deer that visit here daily.

That’s the spike buck from back in early July. He’s with the same doe.

I think.

Our kitty, Miss Blackie.

And what she was looking at when I took her portrait.

And, of course, himself.

: : :

Watching the wrap-up of the 30th Olympic Games before the Closing Ceremony begins. It’s been wonderful these past two weeks seeing all these great athletes, hasn’t it? Hometown boy, Michael Phelps, did not disappoint. And our women were phenomenal!

So many uplifting stories from these games.

: : :

Hope your weekend was a good one.

Thanks for stopping by and spending some time with me here ~

(It’s always nice having you visit).

ps – you'll be proud of me: I even got some vacuuming done!

Saturday morning

It’s early Saturday as I write this. I thought I was going to the county dump this morning, but my husband decided he’d do the job after his normal routine of getting the car completely packed with recycling and household trash. He does a grand job at this, and when his bit is done, it’s mine to take it to the dump and unload it all. After I let out a secret cheer at not having to go, I walked around the backyard a little bit with my camera and my cup of coffee, then came inside to savor the quiet.

Not that it isn’t always quiet here.

And right away, I thought, “I should be vacuuming!” You see, my husband can’t stand the sound of the vacuum. Don’t go thinking that it’s because of the brain surgeries he’s been through because it’s not, really. He’s always been this way. I’m not complaining about it, but it does make it rather difficult to complete the task when he’s in the house. It’s one of the reasons I bought a Miele (they have a quiet setting).




I’m not vacuuming, though. I’m going to savor my coffee while I slowly wake up and enjoy the peace and quiet outside with George, the kitty, and the birds that come to the feeders.

It’s been a busy week at my job trying to get ready for school to start on the 27th, and I made a lot of progress, so this weekend, I'm just going to try and relax.

And maybe I'll even get some vacuuming done ~

See you later.



The photo was taken earlier this month when the hostas were in bloom.

Lunch at Jordan Pond House, Maine

Yes, I’m still posting images from my trip to Maine two weeks ago. I’m posting them because I want to, because Maine is beautiful, and because I miss it there.

Today’s images are from lunch at Jordan Pond House in Acadia National Park, something I’d never before experienced. I’ve hiked past the place with my husband, and we usually hike the 3-mile loop trail around the pond you can see in the photo below, but we’ve never been inside the restaurant.

My blogging friend, Lili, along with her husband, Henri, were taking me to lunch.

 

I posted the photo above on my Picture A Day blog as well. I hadn’t updated over there since the end of 2010. Ah, well.

See those two mountains in the distance? They are the North and South Bubbles. I’d like to hike that trail on my next journey to the national park.

 

I was lucky to get the shots without any people in them. The restaurant was getting quite packed, and there were hikers everywhere. But it’s all about timing, you know.

 

I was definitely going to have the popovers. Jordan Pond House is famous for their delicious popovers with sweet creamery butter and homemade strawberry jam on the side.

 

Perfection.

 

Delicious clam chowdah.

 

Henri’s he-man lunch.

 

Lili and I each had the walnut, apple, and dried cranberry salad with a delicious vinaigrette.

 

Then, for dessert, we shared a slice of chocolate cake and homemade vanilla ice cream.

 

The Jordan Pond House has been in existence as a restaurant since the 1870’s. John D. Rockefeller bought the place around 1946, bequeathing it to the national park to ensure its continuation. The Acadia Corporation, a small group of locals, have been operating the restaurant since then and are committed to preserving its traditions.

 

Sometimes when I’m in Maine, I feel like I’ve stepped back in time.

 

 

Lili tells me that this is hers and Henri’s favorite restaurant in the entire area. They’ve had dinner here too, and have never been disappointed. I highly recommend this place but will warn you – it can get packed in the summertime. We arrived at 11:15 or so and waited in line until they opened their doors at 11:30. When we left about an hour later, there wasn’t a spot left in the parking lot and there was a bit of a line to get an outside table.

 

One of the best things . . . you can bring your dog.

 

But the best thing, the very best thing . . . is enjoying an awesome meal with this wonderful view.

A stroll through the Thuya Gardens, Maine

Another slide show for you today - this one from the Thuya Gardens in Northeast Harbor, Maine. When I’m heavy on the photographs, it’s much easier incorporating them into a slide show for you. While in Maine a couple of weeks ago, my blogging friend, Lili, and her husband, Henri, picked me up one morning to do a little sightseeing. I had told them that I’d never been to the Thuya Gardens and had asked if they would mind taking me there.

So off we went, planning on having lunch at Jordan Pond House afterward. I found out a lot about the gardens, and the house (Thuya Lodge) that sits on the property. What I hadn’t known was that the gardens were actually started with plantings from the 1956 dismantling of Beatrix Jones Ferrand’s family home, Reef Point Estate, in Bar Harbor. Mrs. Ferrand was a landscape gardener and landscape architect whose designs graced estates, college campuses, public parks, and even the White House.

Charles Savage, a landscape designer, and trustee of Joseph H. Curtis’ Thuya Lodge, designed the Thuya Gardens at the site of an old orchard. Mr. Curtis passed away in 1928 and his 140-acre property was gifted to the citizens of Mt. Desert through a trust he established. The storybook-English style Thuya Gardens is part of the Mount Desert Land & Garden Preserve.






If you’re really interested, the link below leads to a wonderful article from the Down East Dilettante and includes lots of historic significance.

Saving Mrs. Ferrand’s Plants


Hope you enjoyed the photos. It was a perfect day for shooting flowers: overcast, with a hint of rain in the air. I loved it!

Beatrix Farrand was one of the founding eleven members, and the only woman, of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Farrand is one of the most accomplished persons, and women, recognized in both the first decades of the landscape architecture profession and the centuries of landscape garden design arts and accomplishments.  ~Wikipedia

A walk at low tide to Bar Island

When I started working on this post yesterday, I realized that I had a whopping 20 photos to go with it. That’s way too many to put into a post, so I decided to incorporate them into a slide show using Flickr.

I hope you’re not getting sick of posts about my trip to Mt. Desert Island, Maine but the scenery is just so different and beautiful and it’s difficult not to share them with you. And besides, this is my blog and I can do what I want, right?

I’d always wanted to go out to Bar Island at low tide, just to see what I could see. And this year, we did it. Before you go, you need to be aware of the tide schedule, have the proper footwear, take some water and plan on leaving about an hour and half to walk out, hike to the view, and then come back before the flow tide begins. You could also leave some time for exploring the sand at low tide (I found a starfish).

If I remember correctly, on Wed., July 25, low tide was scheduled for 9:47. We arrived at about 8:00 and were back to our car by 9:15, beating the crowds (which was our goal). In the last photo, you can see that a lot of people are beginning their walk.

 

The photo above was taken from Cadillac Mountain. In the distance, you can see the strip of sand that we’ll be taking to get to Bar Island. For the slide show, I took a photo of the water at high tide, then the water beginning to recede. Then we drove down the road and found the ruins, returning for the walk to Bar Island at ebb tide.

 

Hope you all have a wonderful week ~

I’m just trying to stay cool here.

Congratulations to the winner!

 

Congratulations to SABRINA, who was chosen by the Random Number Generator at random.org. Sabrina will receive an archival quality 8x12 print of my Northern Spotted Owl.

Thanks to everyone who played along, and welcome to the new faces I’m seeing here. Hope you all have a great weekend!

I will eventually be adding the owl print to my etsy shop which is in desperate need of updating.

Giveaway: Owl print

To show my appreciation for you, the readers of this blog, I’d like to offer one of my most recent images taken during my vacation last week to the coast of Maine.

This archival quality 8x12 image of two young northern spotted owls will be printed on Kodak supra endura vc digital paper and sent directly to the winner from my lab. If you’ve been reading this blog, you’ll know how I came to get this shot, how excited I was to have achieved it in such low light, and how angry my husband was at me for having dawdled so long during our walk that he left me lost in the woods afterward.

Actually that last part is only partly true.

All you have to do is be a follower of this blog, and leave a comment.







RULES


There are only two rules.

One: You must be a follower of this blog. If you are not able to follow by clicking 'join this site' on the right sidebar, e-mail me at katydid56@gmail.com and I’ll help you out.

Two: Leave me a way to contact you if you win. This is important, so leave your e-mail address. If you are wary of leaving your contact info in this comment section, e-mail me personally at the above address.

That’s it! Just leave a comment telling me you would like to win. This contest is open to everyone that follows this blog regardless of where they live. It’s my way of saying thank you for coming here in the first place. And remember, if you’re not able to follow, please write me so that I can add your name to the contest.

I’ll leave this Giveaway up until SATURDAY, AUGUST 4 until 9 AM (EST). Winner will be contacted via e-mail, and I will announce their name on this blog Saturday morning. I’ll be using use the random integer method at Random.org to determine the winner.

Good luck to all! And once again, thank you for your support, your words of kindness, and for just coming here in the first place. You make it all worthwhile.