Sand In My Sneakers

My daughter turns the big 4-0 this year! 

My Son in law gave her an early surprise party at the local country club. This is the view on their deck. (also, a golf course)

I am not quite sure how she could possibly be turning 40 when I don't think I feel much older than that lol. She had quite a gathering of friends and family and it was a pure surprise! 

A few days later we headed for the beach in Maine. We stayed in David's cousin's cottage. I walked the beach most mornings. 

Saw the surfers getting in some early runs. There were red flag warnings on one day. Bad undertow and blue flag another day. Dangerous marine animals. (I saw one jelly fish.) 

I walked to the jetty and back I do think it is about 2 miles round trip. I saw so many people running and walking on the beach with ear buds in their ears? Didn't they pay good money to come to the beach? why not listen to the surf and the birds?? I just don't understand it. 

Last post I described these as sea roses nope they are beach roses. And they are all over the coast. 

One evening while we were there, we headed to Bently's for the car show and what a show it was! 

Shiny like right off the showroom floor!

Husband loved it!

They had old fire trucks too.

This is husband's cousin and my partner in crime at rug hooking retreats. She recognized this guy he is one of three guys that have been to every Super Bowl! He is well into his 80's and hopes to make one more. There have been 56 Super Bowl's! Yes, football already lol. 

While we were there the super moon happened! I did not get a good picture of it, but it was bright orange and behind some clouds when it first came up. 

It was so beautiful to be at the beach to see it rise. The tide was coming in, so it caused some very high tides but no flooding.

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We saw longtime friends and lots of family that we don't get to see very often. We ate until we couldn't eat anymore and had some wonderful cocktails. But all good things must come to an end, and we headed home Saturday. But this Friday we are headed back to our friend's cottage down the road from Donna's for a day or two. 

How amazingly lucky are we???

We lost an American icon Jimmy Buffett! 

We have spent hours listening to his music. His music gives you pure joy and makes you recall wonderful memories of past vacations. 

I do hope he has a margarita in one hand and has found his lost shaker of salt. 

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Have a wonderful week. 

The weather has been perfect, and the trees are starting to turn. 

I do hope this weather lasts a very long time. 

The Marginal Way

The sun's angle is making for pretty pictures lately. 

Yesterday we made the 2 hrs trip to Maine. We are staying in families cottage for a few days. 

Our first sunset was a good one. We saw family and friends on our first day always wonderful to catch up.

Thus morning we headed for Perkins Cove and walked the marginal way. It is a public path along the ocean. If you look at the point of land you can see fog rolling in there. If you are ever in the area it is not to be missed. 

Most of the sea roses have gone by but we did see a few that were left.                                   Have a wonderful week!

The Slant Of The Sun

The afternoon sun is at a different slant. Can fall be far behind?

 

 The hydrangea is the only thing that flourished in all the rain this summer.

Only one naked lady bloomed this year out of 6. 

I have been working on a halloween project. Spray painting on an old pallet outside. The spider web got decorated too!

We went to the concert on the common tonight and the moon was high and the night was closing in early. 

We have had such lovely days the past few days but very cool evenings. 

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Husband got a game camera to see if the bear is coming and going on our property. The only pictures he has gotten are of me crossing the yard. 

Our grand had orientation today she starts middle school this year. My daughter was having a hard time with it. I told her just wait until you drop her at college! Our daughter went to college 3 hours away from us I cried all the way home. 

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I apologize for not getting back to some if you. I need to do much better. But I have read each comment and appreciate each of your visits. 

Have a great week.

A Long Trip

The drive Friday was so horrid it was pouring!! and I mean pouring!!

Because of the amount of traffic and the trailer trucks it was as bad as any snowstorm I have I ever driven in. The spray from the vehicles and the ponding on the road was horrendous. But we made it a little over 3 hours to my cousin's house where we stayed the night. 

The next morning up and out early for another 3 plus hours' drive to my dear aunt's funeral.

We arrived at the cemetery a bit early so my husband and I took a walk around this very old cemetery. 

This fencing intrigued me to no end I have never seen anything like it and I loved it!

Each fence post looked like a tree branch with a vine running up it. 

And the corner posts were larger tree branches painted green or were they copper not sure.

It was all very thick old Iron. So pretty and it stood the test of time. 

I know this is a newish, but it looks like an old grinding stone a creative headstone. 

This stone was in the fenced enclosure.  In case Emily forgot which way to go they had a finger pointing up with the word hope. 

Some of the stone reads:

In good hope in heaven and charity towards all of her fellow creatures

She was 48 years old. 

Benjamin Foster 

Born 1793 died 1869

He was 76 a ripe old age at that time. 

This is John D.

Son of 

John and Lydia Kilby

Died of Cholera in Bangor Me. 

23years and 21 days old.

Sept 1849

Cholera comes from contaminated water and is easily cured now. But there are only a handful of cased a year in the US now days but then it was deadly. 

This is Jane, John's sister he would have been 

7 when she passed in 1835 at 11 years old it does not 

say how she passed. Such a sad family but I think not unusual at that time. 

I took lots and lots of pictures of beautiful stones and sad sinking stones. It makes me sad to see these stones in that state. 

And a very large maple tree. My mother always said you will find the best trees in a cemetery they are filled with old souls. 

So, we started the long trip home of 6 plus hours. 

This is not a great picture we were moving but in this little town in Maine they had lined both sides of the road with American flags and signs with the pledge of allegiance with the flags. So, as you drove by there were a few words on each sign so you could read it or say it as you drove by.  Such a lovely sight! 

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I wish I had more time to take pictures and see more of that area again. I spent lovely summers at my grandparents in that area as a child . 

But my husband was tired and not feeling well so we made the trip home with no side trips. The colors were starting to show and the weather there was crisp and clean. This is the state where the Christmas tree grows so lots of lovely balsams. And this part of Maine is soooo very different than the southern part. So much calmer and lovelier with rocky beaches and cliffs. 

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I started my next quilt block and I have some cleaning to do

Have a great week!

August

The morning sun after a rainy night. 

We have had chilly mornings so I wrap up in a shawl and have coffee on the porch anyway. The days are getting short on how many more mornings I have to have coffee out on the porch in the mornings. 

I am getting a handful of blueberries a day. Trying to get them early before the birds and bears beat me to them.

Lately I have gotten a few new cookbooks at our local dump.

. 

So far this is the only recipe I have tried. I marinated chicken in it, and it was delicious! Tarragon is one of my favorite herbs.

I have two more blocks done to my quilt. 

There are lots of mistakes and I am playing fast and loose with colors.

Now on to block 6. I plan on using this quilt when it is done. 

I would like to say that August is slowly slipping by but truly it is going by faster every day.

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So, the devil returned my favorite chopping knife in the most unusual place ever. Truly I was shocked, and I can't think I would have put it there. It was among the wooden spoons I keep on my counter in a container and the blade was straight up! I use those spoons all the time but when I was looking for a particular spoon and spun the container yikes!

Thanks for some of the laughs on where the devil put your things. 

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Our grand dog is still here until Friday. 

Tomorrow night I am meeting my sweet friend for a night at the summer theater.

Have a wonderful rest of your week. 

The Devil Has It

There have been several things go missing in our house recently.

My grandmother always said when things went missing "The devil has them and when he is done, he will bring them back." 

He did bring back my favorite salad bowl yesterday after it had been missing 2 weeks and today, I found my medical necklace that had been missing for several days. But I would like to know what he is doing with my favorite chopping knife that has been missing since June. 

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Last night we went to a friend's house for a bit of fun. 

He had someone playing some great music.

And we watched the sunset. 

Some people came by boat and their dog was having none of it and he stayed on the boat, so sweet. 

Speaking of sweet we have a house guest for the next few days while her family is on vacation. On our first walk we saw a bear cub and the mom. Thankfully we were on the top of the hill, and they were at the bottom. She smelled them right away, but they did not seem to notice us thankfully (she is not a barker) we turned and retreated quickly. In all the years I have walked that road this is the first time I have seen a bear. I guess they are everywhere this year. 

And we see the first signs of fall. The trees are turning a bit right now I think because they are so stressed from all the rain this year. 

Have a wonderful week!