On empty nests, weddings, and iced coffee...

Empty Nests
Change is in the air...

With his nose in the air, Spotty can smell it...

... and from the look of his laid-back ears, I don't think he likes it.

And our Tiger is missing... Not literally. She is here, somewhere, inside the house. But when our little shy Tiger gets stressed, she disappears (in 16 years we've yet to find where she goes, so suffice to say she'd ace a game of Hide & Seek with anyone)... Her green blanket at the end of Amanda's bed, where she spends 99.5% of her time is empty (the other .5% of her time is spent eating, but she's MIA from the kitchen as well)...

Strange furniture has started to appear in the house, along with a new rechargeable cordless screwdriver (in the package on top of the chest) that makes God-awful noises...

The sofa is constantly covered with piles of laundry waiting to be folded and sorted, and all the while the old washer & dryer hums and rumbles continuously in the background, churning out load after load...

Hard hats should be required before entering Court's room downstairs (trust me on that one)...

Yet another sofa where clothes are being sorted with reckless abandon, with "Will I really need this at college?" being Court's current mantra...

Amanda has started piling her belongings near the windowseat in the family room...


Life was so simple back when these photos were taken... A new dress, a new pair of shoes, and it was only a matter of hours before I had them back at home at the end of the day... So when did they go from these sweet little girls...


... to these equally sweet, beautiful young women who are so wonderfully silly and funny and who I am going to miss so much!!!!!!!!!... And how on earth did it happen so fast?

So as you head back to college this year, my Courtkins, and as you move into your very first apartment, my Amanda-Pooh, know that even though I won't be physically with you, my heart and my love will be with you every single minute of every single day... And as much as I will miss you (mental note: stock up on kleenex), I am even more excited for the new adventures that are waiting for you both! I love you, girls!

On weddings

Hubby and I were honored with an invitation a friend's son's wedding this weekend....

After a week of GORGEOUS weather, Saturday rained buckets, but that did nothing to dampen the spirits of the beautiful bride and handsome groom... I think if the bride heard it once, she heard it dozens of times, that rain is a sign of good luck on a wedding day. It was a day filled with great fun, great music, great friends, and great food!

My haddock dinner...

... and hubby's chicken dinner...

...beautiful centerpieces on the tables...

... and excellent cake and coffee - YES, I FORGOT TO TAKE A PHOTO OF THE CAKE!! Can you believe it? You'll have to trust me - it was fantastic!!!!

ON ICED COFFEE

On the way home from the reception, we swung through McDonalds so I could get an iced coffee... When we got up to the the drive-through window the McDonalds cashier said to me, "Oh wow, you're all dressed up tonight." So not only does he recognize me, but he was aware that I wasn't in my usual jeans and t-shirt... If there was ever proof that I need to cut back on my iced coffee consumption, that was it!

Now I need to go fix two lasagnas for supper tonight, one vegetarian and one with sausage (it's what both girls requested for their last meals before moving out)...

Wishing you all a wonderful week...

Donna

The shadows of dusk...

One of my favorite times of the day.


I love being out in the garden as the sun sets...


It's when the hummer feeders are most active...


and when beautiful shadows are being cast...

...on chippy garden statues....

...and weathered birdhouses...

The perfect end to another beautiful summer day...

Donna

The garden's end-of-summer blooms....

A while back I showed you photos of our purple butterfly bush... At that time, our white one hadn't yet bloomed (more than likely because it didn't get as much sun as the purple one)....


...but, as you can see, it has now started blooming...


It has beautiful little white blossoms with tiny yellow centers....


There were no butterflies when I went out to photograph it, but this busy little bee said he'd happily pose for photos...

The salvia has made a second comeback, although not nearly as profound as the first time it bloomed. But it still gives that little burst of color around the base of the birdhouse....

And the scarlet runner bean (whose flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds) are winding their way up the pole with reckless abandon.

The tall garden phlox are now in bloom, although once again, I am hampered by a lack of sun here in the backyard.

The alternative would be to cut down some of our trees, which I am absolutely not willing to do, so we will just settle for a mostly shade/partial sun backyard...

I finally got one photo that showed the true colors of the phlox - they are breathtaking!


My red monarda, which bloomed first, is on the way out....

....and now the pale lilac monarda are taking center stage.


For the first year after being planted, I'm pleased with how the flowers are doing. Not being a natural at gardening, it is definitely a hit or miss process for me so I'm sure I'll be tweaking and moving things around for years to come!

But not today... It's too bloody MUGGY out and Sammy and I would rather just relax and enjoy the garden, just as it is... After all, there are only a few weeks left before the crisper, cooler fall air makes its arrival!!

Wishing you all a relaxing end to your summers!!

COMMENT UPDATE: Lyn, Sammy was taking a siesta on the deck railing, but he looked up when he saw me at the slider with the camera. When the weather is this hot and muggy, all our Sammy's lay as flat as pancakes on railings or tree branches and their little hind legs look like frog legs!

COMMENT UPDATE #2: Hi Betty! I got my birdhouse in the summer of 2008 from The Christmas Tree Shop, a chain of stores here in the Northeast. I did not see any this summer, however... If you do a search on-line, there are lots of great birdhouses available so I bet you'll be able to find just what you're looking for!

Donna

I can see clearly now...

Last month I shared photos of my office/studio, including my shelf of Mary statues, paintings, and prints.


If you look just to the right of my Mary display...


...you'll see where I hang my reading glasses.


I think somewhere in my youth, the 1959 "Time Enough At Last" Twilight Zone episode about Henry Bemis, whose (reading) glasses broke just as he discovered The Public Library in a post-apocalyptic world, made quite an impression on me...


...because, as you can clearly see, I am prepared should I break (or lose) a pair of my readers!

Donna

They're not your mother's readers...

Witchy Woman (from last fall) and Wintry Woman (from last winter) transformed into Winsome Woman for the spring and summer months, complete with a pink straw hat and vintage scarf!


WW asked if she could model a pair of my reading glasses for you (she thought this pair was a good match for her outfit!)...


It appears that all those elephant ears from Rockport didn't affect my weigh-in this week as I was down 4 pounds! Woo hoo!!! And I couldn't do it without my reading glasses!



There's no way I could read nutrition labels or calculate points without these babies! At my eye exam earlier this year, I asked my doctor if I needed prescription glasses or if I could continue with my array of (cheap) readers. She told me the cheap readers would be fine and I was using the perfect strength for my eyes.

Good news because I've actually got quite a collection of inexpensive readers (some from The Christmas Tree Shop, some from Michael's or AC Moore). I found the blue pair above this summer and I love them - they remind me of Claudia's pretty blue glasses! Tomorrow I'll show you where I store them!

Stay cool whereever you are - it's HOT HOT HOT in the Northeast, but worse than the heat is the HIGH HUMIDITY!!!

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