Party till the cows come home...

 This may be the cutest group of party animals you'll ever see!

 We took a different route while driving Amanda back to the city Monday morning...

... and because of that, we were treated with some new scenery -
a pasture full of beautiful bovines!

 A local, who had also pulled over to take photos, told us that these are all heritage breeds.

 They're much shaggier than the cows I'm used to seeing.

I could get lost in this cow's eyes...

Just look at that sweet little face!

This guy was massive!

He stood head and shoulders above everyone else!

It was unseasonably warm for mid-January in New England...

... and these fellows were clearly enjoying the high 50 degree temps.

And, of course, the warmer than normal temps also meant that love was in the air, 

... here, there...

... and everywhere!

We left the boys to butt heads (in the background) and battle it out over who would get the girl.

We hated to say goodbye, but Amanda had to get to work so we went on our way...

But before we left,here is a video of:

...the "head butting to win the lady..."

... the winner (also known as "Love in in the air")

... and a "Mooooo-ving" goodbye as we were leaving.

Have a lovely week, everyone!

We're bracing for temps more in line with mid-January in New England ... brrrrrrr!

Donna

Do you believe in ghosts?

Many people believe that The Colonial Inn, located in historic Concord, Massachusetts, has visitors (not of this world) staying at the Inn and in some of its other buildings...


This beautiful old Inn is located in the heart of Concord Center.


...so when Amanda and I headed to Concord last Friday we knew the Inn would be one of our stops.


The Colonial Inn has been the subject of many articles and TV specials on ghosts (I'll provide links at the bottom of this post so you can read more if you'd like)...


You don't have to be a guest of the Inn to enjoy their lovely restaurant. While Amanda and I were visiting lunch was being served and - oh my gosh - the aromas!! We really wanted to stop and have a bite because it smelled soooooooo good! But we had a lot of ground (all over Concord) to cover in very little time so we passed, promising ourselves we'd head back to the Inn restaurant in the very near future.


I love this door knocker on the restaurant door...


All of the doors leading into the Inn are painted bright red.... they're all so striking that I photographed all of them!


A close-up of the etched glass panes...


As luck would have it Room 24, where most of the ghostly activity takes place, was empty. One of the desk clerks was kind enough to bring us upstairs. This is one of the hallways that leads to Room 24. (Ever since The Shining, long hallways in old hotels give me the shivers!!)


Unfortunately, I forgot to change my camera setting once we were inside so all of my photos were taken on the Landscape setting - therefore out of focus and the tint is off... But here is Amanda at the door leading to Room 24.


The room itself is so bright and cheery...


...and on the day we visited, nothing was out of order... The room was very quiet and peaceful. We didn't even capture a single orb (more than I can say about my own house lately, as I showed you in last week's posts!!)

So... would I stay in this room overnight? I dare say I would!! How would I react if anything out of the ordinary actually happened? Now that I don't know!!

You can click on any of these links if you'd like to know a bit more about the Inn:

1) SunCast You Tube Video: A ghost in the Inn (it's the first segment of a short show)

2) Colonial Inn website - Haunted Inn page (scroll all the way down to watch Cambell Brown of the TODAY show's segment on Room 24)

2) Forbes: Transcendental Comfort

3) Boston Globe article: Historic Inn Scares Up a Ghost Story

4) Ghostvillage Radio: Episode 61: The Colonial Inn

5) Spirit Encounters Research Team (SERT)

6) LA Times: Where Redcoats and Walden Pond Meet

7) NY Times: Journeys; 36 Hours - Concord, Mass.

Happy Halloween, everyone!!!!!

Donna

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery...

...in historic Concord, Massachusetts. A perfect place to visit on a crisp October afternoon.

(click any photos to enlarge)

(Am I the only one who sees irony in the "One Way" stone marker above?)


Come along as we head up to Authors Ridge ....


Here we are at the top of Authors Ridge, facing the Alcott family plot...


...where Amanda stopped at Louisa May Alcott's grave.


The monument marking the Alcott family plot is intricately carved...


...but the individual markers are very simple.

"Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead."

(Louisa May Alcott)

Here is the Thoreau family plot...


...where Henry David Thoreau's simple headstone is adorned with gifts left by visitors...

"An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day."

Henry David Thoreau

The Emerson family plot....


Ralph Waldo Emerson spoke at the dedication ceremony for Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in 1855.

"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Hawthorne family plot...

...where, again, visitors have left gifts for Nathaniel Hawthorne.

"Our Creator would never have made such lovely days, and have given us the deep hearts to enjoy them, above and beyond all thought, unless we were meant to be immortal."

Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Miles family plot...

And a beautiful marker for Lucy R. Davis...

SLEEPY HOLLOW by William Ellery Channing

(which he read at the Sleepy Hollow dedication ceremony in 1855)

No abbey's gloom, nor dark cathedral stoops,

No winding torches paint the midnight air;

Here the green pines delight, the aspen droops

Along the modest pathways, and those fair

Pale asters of the season spread their plumes

Around this field, fit garden for our tombs.

And shalt thou pause to hear some funeral bell

Slow stealing o'er thy heart in this calm place,

Not with a throb of pain, a feverish knell,

But in its kind and supplicating grace,

It says, Go, pilgrim, on thy march, be more

Friend to the friendless than thou wast before;

Learn from the loved one's rest serenity;

To-morrow that soft bell for thee shall sound,

And thou repose beneath the whispering tree,

One tribute more to this submissive ground;—

Prison thy soul from malice, bar out pride,

Nor these pale flowers nor this still field deride:

Rather to those ascents of being turn,

Where a ne'er-setting sun illumes the year

Eternal, and the incessant watchfires burn

Of unspent holiness and goodness clear,—

Forget man's littleness, deserve the best,

God's mercy in thy thought and life confest.

I highly recommend a visit to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery if you find yourself in the Concord area. In my next post I'll share some other photos from our little day trip to Concord, including The Colonial Inn (haunted?) and Orchard House, where Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women...




Donna

Day Tripping in Rockport, MA...

Get ready to fall in love....


...with the beautiful seaside town of Rockport, Massachusetts.


If you've ever seen (the movies) The Proposal (2009) or The Love Letter (1999), then you've probably caught glimpses of this quaint New England seaside village.


To say it's a charming place to spend an afternoon is an understatement.


We try to visit Rockport every summer (this photo of the girls is from June 2006)... We rarely go on vacations, but this summer we hadn't even squeezed in a day trip due to conflicting schedules or bad weather. But with the girls both about to leave home in a couple of weeks, we made this past Wednesday our "head to Rockport no matter what the weather" day!

So come on along with me and I'll show you around Rockport...


Many of the waterfront shops, galleries and restaurants are along Bear Skin Neck, and this sign gives a little background as to how it got its name.


One of the prettiest shops in the area, The Pewter Shop, even has a sign depicting the ill-fated bear...
When visiting Rockport you'll see:

Brightly painted doors and trim


Sometimes it looks as though the paint was applied that very morning, the colors are so vivid and bright....





But even those whose trim has succumbed to the heat & humidity of the New England summers and the brutal cold of New England's winters, are quaint and nothing-short-of-charming...






Everywhere you look there are flowers in window boxes....









White picket fences, in a variety of shapes and sizes, add cottage charm to shops and homes:







There are gardens galore, an absolute feast for the eyes:







Are you a dog lover? Rockport loves dogs, and dogs love Rockport...

You'll find dogs who are plain tuckered out and just want to nap....

... and dogs who are ready for an adventure....

... like Zac and his lovely friend (who graciously allowed me to snap their photos).

Rockport is a place for people watching....

...for flower inspiration....

...and for gallery and shop-hopping...

Take a closer look at what's peering out of the second story windows of the Country Store... (click photo to enlarge if you want a closer look! I still say one is a real boy although Amanda says no!)

And when you get tired of walking and your tummy starts to rumble, there are plenty of places to relax and grab a bite to eat.

We thought this place looked cute - the 7th Wave, where you had the option of eating inside or roof top. Since we lucked out on weather (in the 70's, overcast, but no rain in sight), we opted for the roof. After placing our order, we decided to take a few photos until our food arrived...

Roof Top Dining Views:

The kayak rental shop below...

...where you can rent a kayak in any color of the rainbow.

Several of the shops and galleries leading to the waterfront...

The view over the rooftops... I love the seagull on top of the chimney. (My offbeat photo of the fishing shack, Motif No. 1!)

What's that I spy down there with all the lovely flower boxes, right next to the silversmith? Why it's a bakery & candy shop. Okay, we'll definitely be stopping there after lunch! I may have to fiddle around with my WW points for the rest of the week, but it will be worth it!

Smile, girls! Oops... looks like I only got your silhouettes, but the scenery behind you is gorgeous!

Here's Court, showing me how to get a good photo (by holding out her camera and clicking a photo of the 3 of us... I should just have Amanda & Court take my blog photos - they do a much better job than me!) Mmmm, I think I smell our food!

A pineapple burger and onion rings for Court...

A grilled cheese and fries for Amanda...

...and - be still my heart - a lobster roll with broccoli for me! I haven't had a lobster roll in years and years (and when we got the bill, I remembered why!).

The meals were delicious... So now it was time to stop at that cute little bakery/candy store and buy....

Elephant ears!!! We got 3 of them so we could take some home to hubby... These were SO good... Oh my gosh, I'm not sure if there will be a loss at Monday's weigh in!

So I hope you enjoyed this little tour of Rockport. I highly recommend you pay a visit if you're ever in the area!!!

And if you really want a treat, please visit Cafe Chatelaine's gorgeous blog, as she has also posted about Rockport (and you will totally drool over her photos!) Just click here and here to see her inspiring photos and read her posts...

Donna