Road trip!

A couple of weekends ago Amanda and I embarked on an impromptu road trip.

The views, coming and going, were spectacular!

At times the skies were filled ...

... with layers of clouds.

At other times, the vast blue sky was only dotted with fluffy white clouds.

We meandered through quiet country roads....

...and worked our way through busy streets...

... and highways.
There were times when we wondered if this was the best day for our trip...

...  since the skies looked pretty threatening on more than one occasion,
and our plans included being outside all day.

But there was no need to worry. It ended up being the most perfect day ever...

... with moderate to mild temperatures and no humidity. 

We ended up on Route 66 for a stretch on our way home. Not the Route 66, but it was pretty cool just the same!

In my next post I'll share where we went and what we did.

Suffice to say, if there is a book store in whatever town we visit, Amanda is in 7th heaven!

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend.

Donna

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

The Mid-Century Department Store Santa...

(My sister and I visiting Santa at Jordan Marsh, Boston, circa 1958.

She's the cute one looking up. I'm the one catching flies.)

 

Go to bed early tonight, boys and girls, because you-know-who will be making his rounds!

 

Ho Ho Ho!!!!!

 

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!!

 

Inspired by Claudia (Mockingbird Hill Cottage)

who posted old photos of her family with Santa!

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