New England vacation

The next day we drove to Ipswich, Massachusetts to stay at the Rogers and Brown house, a bed and breakfast. The room where we stayed was original to 1680 and had floorboards that were over twelve inches wide. The mural on the wall was painted by our host, Joanne.









Joanne had a lifetime of antique collectibles and was featured in a five page spread in the Country Sampler magazine. Her winter painting was also on the cover of a country magazine.

The next morning we were served a wonderful breakfast by Frank with a cranberry walnut coffee cake, fresh pineapple, raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries, orange juice, quiche, and potatoes. It was a wonderful experience staying there and talking to the other guests.

That evening we ate at the Clam Box.

New England vacation

We spent part of the day in Ipswich on the beach.

The Poconos

The last day of our trip we spent in the Poconos near Lake Wallenpaupeck. It was a very contemporary hotel named Ledges. There were terraces overlooking softly falling waterfalls.
The building had been an old stone glass factory built in the 1800’s. The rooms were very modern and the bathroom had a sink made of light green glass and had a rain showerhead.

We went to the shore and Don was able to fish while I laid on a blanket and read.
It was a great getaway for the end of the summer.

 

On the beach

How peaceful the beach was in Ipswich, Massachusetts. We just returned from vacation in New England and more pictures will follow when I have time. As I sat on this beach under my blue beach umbrella I was thinking how lucky I have been to have waded in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Baltic Sea off Denmark. Each beach was unique and just being by the ocean gives a relaxing feeling that the mountains can’t match.

Sara’s eyes

The Help

Often I’ve gone to the movies after I have read the same book and said, “The movie was good, but the book was better.” But not THE HELP. Yesterday was the first day of release for the movie The Help and I was one of the first people to see it at a matinee in Olean. Look out Oscars..cause here it comes! What a sensational movie. There were no huge well know actors in the movie which was to its credit because you weren’t comparing past performances. There was just excellent acting. Set in the sixties in Jackson, Mississippi the story told of the black maids and their point of view serving the upper-crust white women of the town. The story rang true in its discrimination and racism and had undertones of the civil rights movement. For me, who was born in the south, it was authentic in its set decoration and costuming and reminded me of the sights that I saw when I visited Georgia each year of my childhood. The movie was true to the book…which is a rarity…and I came out of there saying…”I loved everything about the movie!” Rush to your theater!

More Photoshop fun

SAME PICTURE… I TOOK THIS PICTURE OF MY CONEFLOWERS IN MY BACK YARD…..DIFFERENT TEXTURES.

Texture Tuesday

Kim Klassen, you have rocked my world and have changed my life.


Today I join Kim Klassen’s cafe and her chance to show our creations in Texture Tuesday. When I discovered Kim on the web I immediately signed up for a free class. Little did I know that it would open up a whole new avenue of exploration for me. I have had Photoshop Elements for a few years now and little by little (read..steep learning curve) I have learned to use it. Then Kim came along and with her great tutorials and free textures has taught me how to use the photos that I have taken and turn them into masterpieces. Thank you Kim for all your help.

Things heard around town

Weather seems to be the topic of choice around town these days. In the winter we long for warm summer days and now that they are here we are getting them in overkill. Without central air people in our town are starting to suffer with these constant temperatures over eighty every day. We have always celebrated our glorious summers with average temps in the seventies. But this year…woo-ee! It’s just hot…leading to a lot of complaining, grumpiness and just plain lethargy. People want to do things outside, but it’s too hot for them…and too hot to stay inside too. So people are huddled around fans or stuck in one room with a window air conditioner. We welcomed the rain yesterday and are hoping for more today.

Sweet Saturday

We are having a gentle rain and it’s 66 degrees this morning. After our hot temperatures this is a welcome relief. It had been so dry that some leaves were turning colors and falling off. This will be good for the gardens.
    Don has just left for town to go to the Farmer’s Market to buy some corn and zucchini for supper. We have a few tomatoes coming in now and will have a nice fresh feast.
    Today I plan to read, and read, and do all the weekly laundry. It’s nice to have a day that I don’t have to leave home and can get some chores done. Don is busy organizing and painting the shelves in the garage.

Summer pictures

Here are some summer pictures that I made with Photoscape.



When I saw this star on a fellow blogger’s site, I knew I MUST have it!

La Fleur

I had a little touch of Provence yesterday when my friends and I went to Mayville, New York which is on Chautauqua Lake. It’s always beautiful in that area in the summer and yesterday was no exception despite beginning the trip with rain. It cleared up and we enjoyed a lovely lunch at the La Fleur restaurant at the Red Brick Farm.

The tables were all set up with blue and white dishes, crisp white linens, and cobalt blue goblets.
The menu offered quiches, sandwiches and salads for lunch.
I had Quiche Lorraine with a salad. Warm slices of homemade wheat and rosemary bread were served with butter rosettes.







It was a lovely lunch with lovely company.




We were disappointed that so many of the stores we always loved at the Red Brick Farm had gone out of business. There was one gift store left.

The flowers were beautiful.