Gramie and Pep Are Tired..

We picked Sweet B up on Friday morning and headed for Wells Maine. We stayed at the Belle of Maine that one of my husband's first students owns so it was so fun to catch up. And B loved the salt water pool a lot!

She did get on the beach but decided it was to cold and wanted the pool instead.

The next day we headed to York Wild Animal Kingdom where she saw tigers...

And walked among the butterflies, this blue one from Africa is so pretty and when it folds it wings it looks like this...

And as my 7 year old grand daughter explained it looked like that to scare any predators.  

Beautiful tigers... but her favorite???

Yep goats she and pep are buying the feed and she fed each baby while talking to each one we had to finally get her to move on to the other animals. I hadn't been there since her mother was little and they have a much larger selection of birds and animals.

On the way out of the animal park we walked over to the Golden Rod to show her how the taffy is made (We love pressing our noses on the window and watching the process )and how it tastes. Very yummy is her verdict.

After we headed to friends for pizza and a game of cards which she loves.

Some down time she grabs my phone and I have about 20 selfies and a video of her, funny girl!

On our way home from the beach we stopped at fun spot

She makes her fist spin and wins a 1000 tickets! so in the end she had 1800 tickets! she got her self a watch and a few other goodies.

Today our last day we head to clark's trained bears in Lincoln NH. This is Pep saving her from the wolf man on the train

Wolf man looking for some help in his mine.

They have bear shows and acrobatic's. We went mining for gold 

and splashed the people on the bumper boats.

On our way to drop her off at her other Gramie's we headed across the kanc so scenic and wonderful. My daughter and Son in law are on a 10th anniversary trip so we are taking turns having her. I have no idea where 10 years went but glad to have the time with B.

After I got home started some pasta sauce from all my tomatoes.

It is happily bubbling on the stove. I have my feet up on the porch and resting. 

What a fun few days, we saw friends and had cookouts, we played cards and had pizza, We swam and swam and went to a couple of great parks. A great 4 days.

***

The beach was beautiful but had a pretty bad thunder storm Sat evening with down pouring rain. I hear we are headed back to the heat yeck!

 have a great week.

A Rainy Sunday

On Wed we had our women's group gathering for July.

This is an older picture with just a few of us, there were 13 of us this time. We have been getting together for about 13 years the host makes the main dish we bring everything else including the wine. I always love getting together with this amazing group of ladies!

I was weeding my gardens and this butterfly showed up and stayed with me for quite awhile. 

Thursday night we headed to a local Irish restaurant and they had

amazing music from Cape Breton NS. Not sure if it will play or not but she is dancing. It is a mix of Irish step dancing and the dance of Nova Scotia. 

Sat we headed to the another area of NH to do a garden tour. 

And it did not disappoint! This is a historic house that was 

built by John Hay called the Fells. He was a statesman and secretary to President Lincoln. 

We toured the house and gardens those doors open onto a patio and looks towards the lake.

This was the serving pantry or the butlers pantry.

This is from the upstairs hallway.

A door in the bedroom curved top.

Hangers for those beautiful long dresses.

These gardens had lots of textures 

This was a rock garden again textures.

 

A beautiful tree (No scent) but I have no idea what

it is. 

From there we went to 4 other gardens 3 on the lake and then this one oh my heart this one!

The entrance to this house you drive a mile up on a mountain!

There was a circular drive that had jaw dropping plantings.

This is the back side or the side that faces the view down the mountain not a good picture but be still my heart!

These plantings are closer to the house this picture does nothing for it.

They made their own pond...

And have the sweetest vegetable garden ever.

I took lots of pictures of the fence.(I want one)

The steps and 1/2 of the gate that goes up on the lawn to the pool.

The pool how I love this pool no cement surrounding it just lush grass. and see the pool house in the back almost as large as our house .

A sneak photo of their screened porch of the pool house.

sigh....

The view was breath taking the red barn is his also with an antique woody station wagon in the yard.

A better view of the barn. See the swing in the tree?

There was also one outside the kitchen that was a double swing so two could swing together. This family built this house 18 years ago,  they own 200 acres. I have seen large houses before but this is the first one I have seen done right. Not shiny modern, just classic lake house wonderful. The husband was welcoming guests, he was warm and wonderful to everyone. So glad we went. 

And since we were in the area yes we stopped here and really I didn't get much a couple of half yards of wool that's it.

***

I hope your week was wonderful 

And thank you for all the wonderful comments from last week.

A Post From The Porch

I am comfortably perched on the porch under the ceiling fan so 

I thought I would tell you about my week.

I got an odd Thursday off so we packed up the kayaks and headed out. peaceful...

This is a smallish pond no motors allowed so perfect for us and quiet.

And it has blueberries yummy wonderful wild blueberries.

This is husband he wanted the ones higher up but normally we can pick from our kayaks. Yes he had it tied to his foot, and yes it was a comedy show watching him get back in on the slippery rocks without flipping his boat. Oh the things he will do for berries.

I love the tiny blueberries so sweet and wonderful. I did make blueberry muffins from a new recipe. Now I have made a lot of muffins in my day but this was the best muffins ever, everyone agreed.

Not sure if I have readers who are bakers here but if you want the recipe email me.

Sat we met up with friends and headed for a garden walk put on by a local garden club. This was the sweetest house and gardens in a very busy area. 

This garden was right in the city, they had a double lot and they had gardens that went on forever with water features and little places with seats to sit and enjoy the garden. (That would be my sweet friend Lynn.)

I was completely blown away but these gardens how they made an oasis in the city. They even had chickens! I could post a thousand pictures of this property but I will spare you. Just lovely.

The last house we went to in the description it said that the owner was a quilter and was opening their home for you to see their long arm quilter and see some of the quilts. So in we went and my jaw dropped to the floor!

His wife was an amazing rug hooker!!! Not one mention of her being an artist and rug hooker! Kind of ticked me off.

Why would anyone not mention her work???

Her name is Diane Pepin just a lovely woman and artist 

she was working on a stain glass window from her church in a 2 cuts yikes!

What wonderful work she does,great color.

I finally hung my cupboard or husband did. I am off center not the cupboard.

And here it sits in the family room over an old shipping crate

that husband made legs for.

***

we are in the heat again but we have been blessed with wonderful weather. Cool breezy sleeping nights and bright warm days.

I hope you are enjoying your summer it is slipping way fast.

Have a great week.

Sweet Sounds Of Silence

 

The heat finally broke Friday afternoon

So I shut off the two ancient,rattling, air conditioners.

!

And Ahh sweet, sweet silence.

I was in heaven we went from 96 degrees and 87% humidity

to 70 degrees and dry as a bone!!

Because I have been hiding out I did not see that a couple of my tomatoes turned red. I had them this weekend and they were the best.

Friday we had sweet B over night and she wanted to do the sculpture walk in the next town. She just loved it. 

Star Dancers.

This was used as a coffee table near two outside chairs by the lake.

A cement chair that over looked the lake.

Black Sail boat and we all agreed that this was our favorite.

If we had lots of money we would want it at our house. 

It turned in the wind so pretty.

The pretty glass was reflecting the sunlight.

We saw a lot more of them them but did not get to each one.

maybe another time. But B loved it and thought we all should have sculptures in our yards.

***

I was helping a guy clean out books from one of his apartments.

I saw this it is in really bad shape but I took it apart and cleaned it up. It was from Fleishman's yeast. But it looks worn and wonderful on my porch.

***

Sat we went to a cookout at my brother in laws.

Just burgers and hot dogs but still lots of laughs.

This little one was ready for the pool or water fights what ever came first.

***

I got up early, slipped on my sneakers and headed out for a nice long walk. I have not walked in the heat. So it felt good in the early morning chill. I looked down and this rock was in the road. Just how I felt at peace and grateful.

***

I have some new followers thank you so much please leave me a 

comment so I can find you and your blog if you have one.

We are back in the heat Monday but only lasting a couple of days.

We are headed out for a garden walk next weekend with friends put on by the local garden club.

have a wonderful week!