FEARLESS NESTING

Edible Pebbles For A Hardworking Man

2012-01-11T20:44:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen these cute little milk chocolate bits that look like beach pebbles? They taste a little like a popular milk chocolate crunch bar and are surprisingly soft and melty in your mouth. Anyway, I found them at a local candy store and decided to include them on top of my freshly baked spice cupcakes.

It's not that they look so much like our beach pebbles. I checked. For comparison, here's a pic I took on our walk after making them. When I uploaded the picture, I noticed there was a piece of white sea glass that I missed while I was there in person.

So when I was making these up, I remembered something funny Henri's mother once told me about him.

She told me that when he was about 5 years old

he used to pick up rocks from the ground

and put them in his mouth and try to eat them.

I'm pretty sure edible beach pebbles weren't around in 1957. I also made a batch of lentil soup for lunch and I had to laugh when I realized how well it went with my edible beach pebble theme for the day. I honestly didn't even give it a thought until I remembered his mother's story.

While I was inside working on my pebble-themed lunch, Henri was down in our backyard hard at work. I took a few pics of what caught my eye out there when I went out to check on him.

Here he is sawing up all the blowdowns, hauling them back up the hill and splitting the wood while it is freshly cut to ensure we will have a little extra wood in case winter lingers a little longer this year. And yes that's a small plow you see on the ATV that will be put to good use for the snow we're expecting tomorrow. You can never have too many plows here in Maine. Or wood for that matter.

My hardworking man deserves a cupcake, don't you think?

For the record, no teeth were harmed in the telling of this story.

All Is Merry and Bright

2011-12-23T18:58:00.000-05:00

Thanks for stopping by on a day so close to Christmas. I know you must be busy, so if you're reading this in the midst of this holiday season, I am especially thankful for your visit. Today, our wish for a white Christmas was granted by a freshly fallen blanket of snow. Here's a peek of my attempt at snowflake making.

It's not that I'm fickle with my lighting, but I do admit this is the 3rd fixture in my kitchen that Henri has installed for me in the last few years. This one's a keeper though. I'm sure of it. I am totally in love with my new kitchen chandelier.

So if the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, a way to my heart is through bright and shiny things and Henri must know this. While I'm in the kitchen gazing at my new light fixture I might as well keep baking. My freshly baked Russian Tea Cakes that I boxed up for Christmas Eve.

While browsing Pinterest I came across a recipe for pistachio cranberry cookies that are ridiculously easy to make. Just add a small box of pistachio instant pudding & pie filling, 1/2 cup of dried cranberries and 1 cup of roasted pistachio nuts (shelled) to a Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix. We've been sampling the cookies as I bake them and I have to say these are pretty darn good too.

So yesterday, while we were out trying our best to walk off all this cookie sampling, here's a shot I took of some pretty red rose hips. Later, when I loaded up my pictures, I noticed I caught the blur of a couple lobstermen passing in a skiff as they headed out to their boat.

Then today while it was snowing (and in-between baking) I snapped a shot of this cardinal as he briefly lit on a branch. It's badly out of focus, but I like the contrast of color in the snow.

Henri took this one today, but we don't know what kind of bird it is. (We only know it's not a chickadee.) I haven't looked it up yet, so if you know and have time to comment, please do tell us.

I just realized I have never even shown you a picture of a lighthouse in Maine before. So here's a close second for you. Our lighthouse bird feeder mounted on the railing of our deck. And for your viewing pleasure, here it is in today's freshly fallen snow.

Nightfall in my kitchen.

I hope your holidays are all Merry and Bright too. Merry Christmas everyone!

Sweet Surprises

2011-12-08T12:48:00.000-05:00

This is what I found on my camera this morning, even though I slept right through sunrise. The view from our bedroom window that Henri captured for this sleepyhead.

Want a quick snack idea? I found the "everything bagel" pretzels at the grocery store last night and thought I might dip them in some white chocolate morsels for a sweet and salty treat.

And then this morning inspiration hit me as I melted the morsels and then got distracted. The white chocolate set up too fast and so I just slathered it on between 2 pretzels.

Just look what Lee from The Way I See It sent me in the mail recently. A lovely handcrafted rose pin. All I did was leave a comment on her post and she awarded me with this beautiful customized creation. I just love it!

She has had her artwork featured in Somerset Apprentice, and she lives right here in Maine too. Thank you so much Lee, it was a very sweet surprise!

Evergreens and Gingerbread

2011-12-04T20:01:00.000-05:00

This year I have a freshly cut tree. And a new buffet in my downstairs kitchen. I'm excited about both.

The buffet is a chippy white painted dresser that I discovered was the same height as my kitchen counter top. So I filled it up with some freshly baked gingerbread men.

And a fresh cut spruce that I added as a table top tree inside my crackle painted urn.

Everything smells so fa-la-la- lovely! The scents of Christmas time gathered all together on my new buffet.

My glittered pine cones have a wonderful cinnamon scent as well.

I even have some paper whites growing in a Terra cotta pot.

My table top spruce is decorated with a few mercury glass ornaments.

I added some vintage and very distressed silver ornaments under a glass cloche atop a silver plated pedestal dish. If you look closely, you'll see a starfish and white sea shell tucked in along side them.

Truth be told, the gingerbread men you see in this picture are the first batch I baked. Today I made another batch and then I moved the contents of the buffet around twice. Just playing and having fun.

The day sure does go quickly this time of year. It gets dark here at 4:00 pm.

Thanks for stopping by and taking a look at what I have been up too. I hope your day was just as enjoyable as mine was!

Here It Comes

2011-11-23T14:52:00.000-05:00

This year's first plowable snow.

And the first images I have captured of our Fearless truck in the snow . . . showing some teeth courtesy of the customized paint job Henri added to the plow.

I took these a couple hours ago, and it's still coming down out there. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Manual Labor

2011-11-20T22:37:00.000-05:00

Has it really been 3 weeks since I last posted? Since then, I have been out practicing with my camera. It was finally time for me to take the big plunge and convince myself that moving that little dial on my camera to Manual mode would provide me with a new challenge that would be good for me. So I did it. And I was frustrated for a while, but determined to get past it, promising myself that I could go back to the Auto mode if it still didn't "click" for me after giving it a week.

What I found, was that I am lazy about reading and all that information about ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed and trying to figure out how they all relate to each other was almost too much for me. Yet somehow, I got past it and found my own unique way of playing with my settings until I was able to capture a picture I was proud of. And you know, that felt really good. So I continued. Below is a shot of the fountain over in Bar Harbor where I became fascinated with the droplets of water.

Okay, I went a little overboard with my fascination of the water and shot two more of that same fountain.

I realize these aren't really that interesting, but my need to document it, is so I can look back on them in the future and hopefully see improvement.

My attempt to capture something in motion (for practice, just in case I panic when I spot an eagle and want to revert back to Auto mode).

Or just in case we have a really big storm, I need to practice my timing of the crashing waves too.

I want it all to become second nature to me.

And someday, I hope to capture the way the setting sun sometimes fills up the cabin of a lobster boat and makes it look like it's on fire.

But for now, thanks so much for indulging me with my new found interest. I have lots to learn and work on, but I can't help but feel a sense of freedom of taking that first step away from relying on my camera's Auto setting.

The Crowning Touch

2011-10-27T19:04:00.001-04:00

Michael over at Inspired By Charm is hosting a link party today where he has invited his readers to join him in sharing a makeover inspiration from a thrift store find. Here's a close up of my entry.

Can you guess what it is? Or was?

What it was, was a dispenser to keep rolls of either foil, plastic or wax paper handy in the kitchen. Below each spindle is a bar with a serrated edge for cutting. It was priced at $1.99 from my local Goodwill.

It's new purpose will be to help inspire me in my craft area.

It will be mounted on the wall of my newly redone space and I will use it as a place to gather and hold adornments for the crowning touch on my future hat creations.

But there is another reason why I want it in there.

Because it was inspired by the memory of my Grandmother Mayfair, who passed away 29 years ago today, who I can still envision all dressed up and wearing a hat.

Linking up with Michael at Inspired By Charm.

Home Made Dark Chocolate Nonpareils

2011-10-19T20:53:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I just crave these. Although you may know them as "snow caps."

Making them at home is so simple. Get out your double boiler and pour a half bag of Hershey's special dark chocolate morsels in the top. I don't have an official double boiler, so I use one of my sauce pans with a tin mixing bowl. They get all melty in just a matter of minutes so as soon as you see them start to melt, stir and go ahead and remove the pan from the heat.

Next, just pour your sprinkles into a small shallow tray.

Then drop half teaspoonful circles of the melted chocolate right on top, making sure you have a nice bed of nonpareils (sprinkles) underneath. If they are too shallow you won't get an even coverage and they may stick to the bottom of your tray. (Just don't ask me how I know this.)

Then, very gently shake the tray a little from side to side to help level out the chocolate a bit. Some of the circles will turn out a little larger than others, just be careful to leave plenty of room so they don't touch each other. (But don't worry, if any of them happen to accidentally stick together, I recommend you just pop them into your mouth, no sense flaunting our mistakes.)

Then put them in the fridge for about 10 minutes or so and that's all there is to it! I've tucked a few into a little French inspired box for later.

You want some don't you? So did I. It's a bad craving. Here are some more colorful ones I made.

Yesterday's sunset at Sullivan Harbor.

A sweet place to walk off the calories of my bad cravings. N'est-ce pas?

The Arrival of Fall

2011-10-13T11:04:00.001-04:00

It was still pretty green here last Thursday when I made my first apple pie of the season. But for some reason the smell of apple pie coming from the kitchen is a signal to Henri that leaf peeping must begin immediately.

Just needs the top crust and into the oven it will go. But my mind was on an early rise in the morning so this is the last you will see of the pie. For the record, it was YUM.

The next morning, we were up before the crack of dawn and headed to the Western mountains of Maine with our sights set on Rangeley. The foliage was at full peak, even though my attempts to capture it were thwarted by the glare and shadows created by the noon day sun.

While parked and enjoying our picnic lunch, we watched as this seaplane descended and I managed to find my camera just in time to catch a shot of it's water landing.

One of Henri's captures.

He even found a white pumpkin for me in Rangeley and then later, surprised me with a carving. Check out my newly created galvanized pedestal stands that I'm using to display my pumpkins. All it took was riveting some affordable hardware store parts together with some flan pans I found at Goodwill.

The green pumpkin is a cross between a buttercup and a blue Hubbard. Using dried hydrangeas and zinnias from my garden, I had fun arranging them into fall vignettes, tucking them into a rustic, wooden tool caddy I found while thrifting.

This corn is from last year. Glad I saved it as the colors are still pretty vibrant.

I took this picture just yesterday over in Blue Hill of the blueberry barrens just coming into color. Soon it will be peak foliage here too.

A shot from Sorrento Harbor, where rain is in the forecast, after our nearly week-long stretch of warm, sunny weather.

But this rain is really just a figment of my imagination. The above photo was made using a free stock texture found here and pairing it with my own photograph by using the software program called Gimp that you can download for free here. Pretty cool, huh?

It Was Love At First Sight

2011-09-30T16:40:00.004-04:00

So Henri finally got his truck.

And sort of a new look to go with it.

Well actually it was my idea to take some Fall inspired shots with it on our way back from town.

Lest you think this is our backyard, I will tell you the backdrop is really of a saltwater farm right up the road from us.

We had just come back from town where we picked up some Fall decor for outside.

Only thing is, I think I like the way it looks inside the truck.

Tailgate up or not. Just between you and me, I am more than a little smitten with it too. Hayride anyone?

Adding Romantic Touches to My Tiny Greenhouse

2011-09-20T09:55:00.001-04:00

My backyard greenhouse measures just 6' x 8' and with the exception of the added trim embellishment to the top, it is straight out of the box. The trim is plastic garden edging (found at a thrift store for a dollar) that I spray painted silver. I adore the touch of romance it adds to the overall look.

It's rather late in the season for allysum, but here it is still blooming in one of my concrete cherub pots that flank each side of my greenhouse.

The other one holds beautiful penny denim violas that have been blooming since early spring here too. They were in the shade up until a couple weeks ago when I had the idea to make them a focal point for my greenhouse.

Any violas that I accidentally uproot now and again get added as floating flowers to a tarnished silver plate bowl right alongside my other potted plants.

It would be a shame to just throw them on the ground when they are still so pretty!

Same goes with my zinnias that I grew from seed for the purpose of cutting. I end up enjoying them right where they are planted inside our huge garden tee pee.

But the ones that veer off sideways, or get broken stems, end up as floating pretties too.

A closeup showing the fleur de lis pattern of trim on the top. Notice that peek of my new hydrangea tree (a birthday present from Henri) that is planted outside of the greenhouse.

It's a Limelight Hydrangea that is hardy to Zone 4! Surprisingly hardy for something so beautiful and delicate.

Enjoying more zinnias inside vintage bottles added to a galvanized tray carrier I found at Sweet Pea Gardens.

With a technique I learned from a post over at Heaven's Walk, here's a close up of a clay pot I altered with a free French graphic I found over the The Graphics Fairy.

It's potted up with some fragrant oregano. I wish I remembered the variety, as I adore the purple shade on the underside of the leaves.

See my tiny chandelier hanging at the peak? It holds a rose scented votive candle that adds to the heavenly fragrance in here!

Thanks for stopping by to see what I've been up to. Hope you have enjoyed your visit as much as I've enjoyed being able to share it with you!

Turn Your Photography Into Art With Easy Canvas Prints

2011-09-07T09:48:00.001-04:00

I was so tickled when Brendan from Easy Canvas Prints contacted me to see if I would be interested in writing a product review in exchange for a free canvas made up from one of my images. All I had to do was pick a photograph that I would like to see printed up on canvas. It was surprising to me just how hard it was to decide, but here was my first choice -- a winter scene overlooking the golf course right here in Sorrento. To me it felt like something that would translate well on canvas.

Unbeknownst to me, the resolution on the image was far too low for the size print I had chosen, but their Art Department caught it and contacted me right away to let me know. I was so glad for this important checkpoint in their process! However, that meant I needed to select another image. I finally settled on one I had taken while we were out hiking one of our favorite trails in Acadia National Park -- the trail around Jordan Pond.

Since I already had a frame in mind for my print, I chose the standard 3/4" thick canvas, but a really cool option is to have the image wrapped around a thicker 1-1/2" canvas which I think would look very artful. I was delighted to discover that Easy Canvas Prints had an option to choose a custom size canvas too, as the size of my frame was not standard. The whole ordering process was so simple and everything is confirmed with you via email right away. I like that. They even notified me when my canvas was being shipped out, including an estimated delivery date along with tracking information, and I noted it came right on time in a very sturdy and carefully wrapped package. So here it is all framed and propped up on the ledge of our mantle ready to enjoy.

What a kick to see one of my photographs on canvas! It actually reminds me of a painting all framed up like that. I love it. Thanks Brendan, this is such a cool product and I would definitely recommend Easy Canvas Prints for their quality product and professional service.

The image on the print is so sharp and clear, why it seems to have even caught the attention of some local wildlife too!

I've included a link to Easy Canvas Prints over on my sidebar so you can check them out too. So do you have a favorite image that you would like to see captured on canvas? I tell you, the hardest part for me was to choose my image, but the rest of the process was a breeze!

Tending My Garden

2011-08-28T00:10:00.000-04:00

My tiny backyard greenhouse is still a work in progress, but since I did promise you a day visit, come on in and I'll show you what I've been working on. I wanted the floor to be covered in mussel shells, so I continue to collect and lug bucketfuls back here from the shore.

I still have lots more trips to make. And yes, that is a tiny watermelon you see growing right there in that tray.

Notice my toolbox (that I've been using for a cordial caddy for now) that got a little French makeover. I found the free vintage clip art for this project from Karen over at the The Graphics Fairy and have been a little addicted to her site ever since. I used Mod Podge to apply it as a transfer onto the toolbox. Karen shows you how to do this, plus tons of other crafts over there.

Here's an old galvanized ash bucket I am using to hold my potting soil. I decided a little bee mascot would jazz it up a bit.

Karen over at The Graphics Fairy had posted this beautiful vintage golden bee image that I knew would be perfect as soon as I first saw it. I tell you, her site is addictive.

Outside my greenhouse, most all of my herbs that I planted from seeds are now flowering. That's my dill you see in the foreground.

My cilantro and swiss chard are in a state of beautiful chaos too.

Time to bring some inside for a cool bath before enjoying.

I figure if we're going to have a salad, I might as well make a pie for us to eat. (Feel free to use my logic on this.)

The blackberries I used to make this pie were courtesy of a backyard harvest gathered by Henri. I just hope Irene doesn't harvest the next batch. To all my friends in the path of Irene, I pray she passes quickly and goes a little easy on us all!

Garden Discoveries

2011-08-21T08:53:00.000-04:00

They're here! All my little sunflower faces, burst wide open and waiting for me in my garden this morning. Grown from a pack of seeds, it really is remarkable to see them for the first time.

And I discover my sunny yellow, pear shaped tomatoes have started to ripen too.

Even with 3 seasons under my belt, it still gives me a thrill to find real food growing right here in my tiny garden. Yesterday's harvest. New red potatoes, zucchini, my fun multi-colored carrots, 2 remaining purple beans, a snap pea and a newly ripened cherry tomato.

So how do I choose to prepare it for lunch?

Deep fry it. Oh my! It almost seems a shame to alter it with hot oil, but have you ever tasted fried zucchini with a side of Boursin cheese?

Might as well fry up the potatoes too while I'm at it, and add a little side of BBQ sauce for dipping.

It's enough to make a health conscious chef faint dead away. But still, it was pretty good.

Rendezvous in a greenhouse.

2011-08-15T18:26:00.000-04:00

I would like to say my first moon lit visit to my greenhouse was spent with Henri, but that’s not the way fate had planned it.

My friend, G., on the 3rd anniversary date of her father’s passing, had phoned to alert me that her precocious patient was at that very moment making a beeline toward our front door. Said patient, our elderly neighbor, was hoping to somehow ditch the watchful eyes of her caregiver, who she thought she had just unwittingly snuck out on. Me, prepared for the unexpected, opened the front door to greet my hopeful neighbor exclaiming “You’re just in time for coffee and lemon cake with Henri. And look, your favorite TV show is on too!” Glancing backwards she quickly stepped inside leaving her caregiver patiently waiting outside.

Silently mouthing the words “meet me out in the greenhouse” to G., I nodded to Henri to take charge. Leaving the room, I had a plan whose time had come. A new batch of my home made raspberry liqueur was ready, and that morning I had remembered to decant it.

After making sure my inside duo was settled in with their cake and coffee, I grabbed the liqueur with a couple cordial glasses and headed out the back door as the full moon lit my way out to the greenhouse.

Giggling at the shear craziness of the events that precipitated this impromptu escape to the greenhouse, G. and I lifted our glasses to acknowledge this date on the calendar. The anniversary date of her father’s passing.

As she spoke of her last hours with him, a quiet, almost physical sensation of melting into calm could be felt. It’s really all she needed. Just a brief moment to remember the day he left.

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Knowing we couldn’t remain out there for too much longer, the term "lunatic" came to mind as we gathered our courage to high tail it back to the house, keeping a watchful eye for the bear, or the family of raccoons that have been seen around the neighborhood as of late.

Safely back inside, we heard the familiar sounds and laughter from the rerun television show involving one Archie Bunker. All was well again and our brief absence was hardly even noticed.

Later, reflecting on the evening's events, I smiled at the special bond I now felt with my newly acquired greenhouse and the unexpected role it had played in its ability to provide comfort.

Next time, I promise you a day visit.

Speaking Words of Wisdom

2011-08-09T22:41:00.000-04:00

Henri and I had such a fun and exciting day today. We met yet another blog friend in person. But before I tell you about it, here is a little peek at one of the shelves in my new tiny backyard greenhouse that Henri recently bought for me after we sold our lobster boat Fearless. I found this vintage planter at a thrift shop and immediately knew I wanted her in my new greenhouse, planted with a little rosemary, of course.

Here's another peek of some more of my greenhouse that I've been busy filling with edible plants. It's fast becoming my own little playhouse too, as I could not resist even adding a little bistro set in there!

More later on the rest of my greenhouse. But now, let me tell you who we met today. None other than the very lovely Sharon Lovejoy, award-winning author, illustrator, lecturer and gardening expert who just happens to summer right here in Maine! And who gave a lecture today at the Maine Maritime Academy in Castine that we attended. Here's a shot of us together.

And there's more! Sharon, who I first became acquainted with through her incredible blog, asked us if we wanted to join her and her husband Jeff for lunch and a visit to a local flower and garden shop that she had been meaning to visit.

I cannot do this place justice with the photos I took today, so I will just show some little snippets that I took while we were there. To immerse yourself in the complete yumminess of this place go here! Here's a peek at the amazing succulents that were growing in the flower boxes before you stepped inside.

And here is the owner, Susan Keating, who I also had the pleasure of meeting. This will be my new favorite place to go, and I can't believe I've never stopped in here before this!

Susan said they change up the displays in here frequently, which just boggles my mind as I found so much inspiration in here that I can hardly wait to come back!

So as you can imagine, my day was pretty awesome. I didn't even get a chance to get any pictures of the place we had lunch at in Blue Hill, but take my word, we had a lovely, lovely day with Sharon and Jeff.

I'm going to savor the events of this day for a long time to come. Thank you so much Sharon, your passion for gardening is pretty darn infectious and I for one believe I have just come down with an incredible fever!

An Afternoon Date For Our 28th

2011-08-05T23:12:00.069-04:00

It was a picture perfect day and who could ask for anything more for celebrating our 28 years together. We dined under an umbrella, out on the lawn at the Jordan Pond House in Acadia National Park.

A place known for their popovers.

How about just one more bite Henri?

My seafood chowder was so good!

Look! Two more popovers with his meal. This place is awesome!

Me, trying to savor the moments before they pass too quickly.

Pinch me, I just love it here. It's casual, yet such a dreamy setting.

You can even bring your favorite pooch if you want.

And the service, perfection.

The best part of an afternoon date, is that you make it back home before dark in time to watch everyone leaving for their sunset cruise while you take your evening stroll.

We are so very blessed to get to share yet another August 5th together. And for that we remain very thankful and a little dazed by how fast 28 years seems to have flown by for us.

Pearls, Peas and Purple Beans

2011-08-01T21:23:00.000-04:00

What a lovely surprise was waiting for me at the Post Office today. I knew it was on it's way, but it was still a surprise to actually see it in person. I recently won a beautiful pearl and leather bracelet from a giveaway the very sweet and uber talented Mickey had over at Nicholas Landon Jewelry. It's from her Jackie Kennedy line, and here's what is written about it . . .

Le Classique Freshwater pearls
Our own cut and rolled by hand leather…the quintessential set of pearls knotted on fine leather gracefully encircles the wrist for an instant look of simple elegance…this classic set reminds me of the famous pearls worn by Jackie Kennedy...i think she would have loved that she could wear these sailing, swimming or for a stroll along the beach...

Let me say, these are the very first real pearls I have ever owned and I absolutely adore this bracelet! I put it on as soon as I opened it and let me tell you, it felt luxurious and I am spoiled. Just look at me wearing it to the shore for some beach combing!

Back home I headed out to the garden to harvest some of my peas that seemed to have appeared almost overnight.

This is my first year for growing peas and didn't get the early start on them like I know you're supposed to do, but I remembered I had a special little covered aluminum pea pot that I ran inside to get to harvest them with.

And here are my organic purple beans that I grew from seed too.

Fun with peas and pearls!

Then add some purple beans and marvel at the surprise on the inside. Yes, they are green too!!

Henri took this picture today while I continued to beach comb.

Henri, who of the two of us, was the first to own a real pearl (also from Mickey). You can read all about it here. I still can't believe I won this gorgeous bracelet, but it has fast become a cherished treasure from a very special blog friend. Thank you so much Mickey!

The Post Where You Learn That I Can Really Talk Up A Blue Streak

2011-07-28T20:58:00.000-04:00

After selling our lobster boat, Fearless, I had been struggling with continuing on with this blog. Because after all Fearless was the whole inspiration for my blog title. Then out of the clear blue I received what I believe was the answer I was looking for in the form of 2 separate emails from 2 very lovely ladies whom I have never met, nor even knew were reading my blog. Their emails came in within a day of each other, the first from Georgia, and the second one from Las Vegas. I must tell you they were both so encouraging and complimentary to me, that I decided right then and there that this was the sign I had been looking for, never even realizing it would come to me with such clarity! So I suppose what I'm trying to say is, it looks like y'all are stuck with me now. Thank you Linda and Kathleen!!

So on to the fun stuff that's been happening around here. Just last week I met Kate from the lovely blog she writes known as Chronicles of a Country Girl. I was just so giddy and wound up to finally meet her, as I have been such a fan of her writing and photography since I first found her here in blog land. I liked her instantly, and so did Henri AND our parrot Simon who never lets anyone but me pet him. Before I could even warn her about that, we discovered he just calmly sat right there on his perch while she reached over to pet him!

When Kate asked to take a picture of Henri and I, we couldn't help but feel a little special watching her photograph us. Let me tell you, that lady knows her way around a camera and we felt a little wowed by seeing her in action. I noticed that Kate really didn't take a whole lot of pictures, but rather she was selective of what she photographed and I thought that was so cool, since I think she instinctively knows just where to stand and just what to capture when. I so enjoyed every single minute I got to spend with her!

Oh and then my Mom even got to meet her. My former "blog shy" Mom, who unexpectedly gave me permission to post a picture of her now. I think meeting Kate in person convinced her that blog friends are normal, harmless people after all and are really not the axe murderers we often worry are lurking out there. So, here is my first ever blog-shared pic of my Mom and my step Dad sitting high atop Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, where we recently went together when my step Brother was visiting from Florida.

I really adore this shot I got of my step Dad digging into his long awaited lobster dinner after having dragged them around all day sight seeing. If you only knew how much he enjoys a good lobster!

And here's a shot of my step Brother Karl at a lovely place known as Grindstone Neck. He's right down there on the shore taking in the last bit of that cool ocean breeze on the last day of his visit before heading back into Florida's much steamier climate.

Some scenes from Seawall in Acadia National Park where we recently went for a picnic. You just couldn't get a better view like this in even the most upscale of restaurants. I always revel at the thought that I can sit and gaze out on vistas such as this while we are dining. And to think the scenes are free for the taking!

Going back even further, here are a couple shots I took while visiting our newly organized local Farmer's Market right up the road from us. I was struck by the artistry of the vendors and their offerings. A simple display of organic eggs. Notice the subtle difference in shades.

And some early lettuce, vividly accented with a delicious sprinkling of edible violas.

So for now, I'll leave you with a scene from right here in Sorrento.

And I encourage you to pop over to a recent post Kate wrote after her visit here. I thought it was so lovely, and not just because she included images of me and Henri there, but because I simply admire looking at Sorrento from what she was able to capture through her lens.

If you're still reading this, I thank you for sticking with me and perhaps if I just post more often I won't feel the need to stuff so much into one post. But for now, you're almost caught up with our goings on. Just wait 'til you see the tiny backyard greenhouse that Henri and I just finished putting together today. But first, we're off on the never ending search for a good used truck to replace the one that Toyota recently bought back from us due to a frame recall. More about that later! Did I tell you how good it feels to be back on here blogging? Thank you all so much for encouraging me with the comments you always leave me!

Better As A Memory

2011-07-09T23:22:00.000-04:00

After enjoying 3 seasons with our lobster boat Fearless, we made the decision to say goodbye to her. We sold her yesterday to a commercial lobsterman who will fish with her out of Gouldsboro Harbor.

So turn up your speakers and have a listen to my first ever video compiled from images I have taken over the past 3 seasons. We remain truly humbled to have been given this opportunity and are so blessed to have been able to learn and experience all the joys and discoveries recreational lobstering on the coast of Maine can afford.

The High Point of Our Summer

2011-07-04T21:54:00.000-04:00

Henri and me posing with our daughters this past week.

This is the first time in several years they have come here together at the same time. Here's the view from the summer house they rented right here in Sorrento named Highpoint.

Our oldest daughter Jen and her family.

Our youngest daughter Angie and her family.

The youngest grandchild is 22 mos., but that didn't stop us from all going on a 3 mile hike together.

A good friend of mine that I have known since high school was here visiting as well, so there were 16 of us all together on that hike. Our 4 year old grandson Noah bringing up the rear. I'm so proud of all of the little ones for being able to complete the not so easy hike around Jordan Pond with us.

During their week long visit we only had a couple overcast days, but that didn't stop the little ones from wanting to go swimming at this local lake known as Flanders Pond. The water was cold and the air was only about 60 degrees that day, but another beautiful memory was made.

Our oldest daughter and their Yorkie, Emma in Bar Harbor where we all went to go shopping and eat ice cream.

More hiking together on Ship Harbor Trail in Acadia. Little Emerson Rose had the best seat in the house on the trails.

And right across from the summer house rental was another great seat.

Our oldest daughter Jen out collecting buttercups for the summer house on the first day they arrived.

Our son-in-law Danny Mac finds some perfectly frosted sea glass on the shore.

Our son-in-law Joey taking a boat ride with our grandson "Captain" Noah.

Our grandson Michael found a metal toy tank while out hunting for sea glass.

Our grand daughter Taylor found one of the best pieces of sea glass I have ever seen here in Sorrento. It's purple with an impressed pattern. And check out that pretty piece of blue and white china she found too. The 7up piece in the photo above was also one of her finds.

Tonight Sorrento is just not the same here without them all.

It's always so hard saying goodbye to them at the end of their stay and I can't even tell you how very lonely it is here tonight without them.

Lost in a Sea of Lupines

2011-06-16T00:21:00.001-04:00

Right now in Sorrento, the lupines are the star of the show.

After 2 days of cold and rain I brought my camera on today's walk to try and capture them while the sun was still out.

We were busy discussing our neighborhood's annual bulky trash pick-up scheduled for this weekend, when we saw something that took us both by surprise.

You're going to think it sounds a little Peyton Place-like if I don't explain it right though.

So here goes. There is this couple we know that were for a long time not together anymore. And today while we were out walking, they drove past us smiling and waving, just like it was old times. It felt good to see that.

Between the scent of the lupines (I think they smell like patchouli) and the sea roses, I almost failed to notice the pile of cast off items way up ahead of us.

Items that were put out for the bulky trash pick up that is scheduled for this weekend. So just what is this bulky trash pick up you ask? What it is, is pure delight. Everyone in Sorrento gets to dispose of items they no longer want and are too bulky for a normal trash pick up. Most of the items kicked to the curb never actually get picked up by the garbage truck. It becomes more of a neighborhood swap and anyone is welcome to anything they can find in each other's bulky trash. The good stuff goes fast. Like this painting we spotted tonight. It's not quite finished though, but I was instantly drawn to it and immediately recognized the spot in Sorrento where it was painted.

Henri's spur of the moment reaction to seeing that couple together again.

Amidst the salt air, lupines and roses, it really is a lovely place to be in love.

And to get the chance to lay claim to a discarded treasure for your very own too.

Scenes From Our Sunday Hike With Friends

2011-06-06T10:22:00.001-04:00

We started off with a leisurely stroll at Asticou Azalea Garden in Northeast Harbor.

Well, actually after a hardy brunch we got as far as the parking lot before we dug into our little white bakery take out bags.

Ever notice how fresh air makes you hungry?

The day was glorious, yet still a bit chilly in the shade.

But we had places to go and things to see.

Maintenance had to be called in at one point though.

When someone made a footprint in the Japanese Zen garden.

At least that's what I think I saw happen. Not that I have any incriminating evidence.

As you see, I was too busy taking pictures.

Creating enough havoc in the garden for one day, we decided to head over to Acadia to do the 3 mile loop around Jordan Pond.

I'm not saying we had a "whiner" with us, but at one point I heard him muttering about his leg being broken and that there was no way this was only 3 miles. (We found it best just to ignore him.) What would we do without our Danny constantly entertaining us though? We love you man!

We did a lot of picture taking and posing against this gorgeous backdrop.

Henri checking the water temp. Still cold.

A rustic bridge at the half way point.

View from the bridge looking up from the right.

Oh I almost forgot this shot Diane took of us posing at Northeast Harbor at the beginning of our day. You can just make out the tight grip Henri has on that white bakery bag.

What a great time we had enjoying a hike with friends.

And communing with nature.

Crushed

2011-05-27T19:30:00.000-04:00

If you asked Henri, he would say it's the most favorite vehicle he's ever owned. So it was only fitting that I took a picture of it yesterday sitting in our driveway before we left for a 5:30 appointment at the Toyota dealership. It's a 1997 with 118,000 miles without a speck of rust.

It's been a couple weeks since we've been out for a walk due to all the rain we've had here lately. Here are some scenes from our walk tonight.

Just for fun, we took a different route than what we normally take.

This is a view from Sorrento Fish & Lobster. In the foreground is the pen where they keep the lobsters until distribution.

Near the end of our walk we noticed the fog was starting to roll in over Sorrento Harbor.

Henri walking away from his beloved truck for the last time last night. Toyota bought is back due to a failure on the frame. He was crushed.

We asked them what they will do with the truck. We were told it would be crushed. Even though we suspected that was the case, we couldn't help but physically wince a little when we heard it. On the upside, we were given one and a half times the blue book value for it that will go toward our next used vehicle. But he really did love that truck.

It's Been Way Too Long

2011-05-21T18:38:00.000-04:00

When a few of you recently checked on me to ask if I was okay, it made me realize how long it had been since I last posted. And it also made me feel fortunate to know I was missed. Thank you guys for that! So in between all the rain we've been having here lately, here are a few shots of the happenings right outside my window.

It's getting awfully green around here.

Everyone is so hungry!

Henri found a new use for our raku pottery.

And from where I sit at my laptop, thanks to Henri I now have some pretty pink flowers planted inside my flower boxes.

The view as the fog rolled in this morning just before we left for our trip to Bar Harbor.

So I've been having a food craving ever since I bought these adorable little whoopie pie earrings from Lisa over at Pink Porches. She hand crafts all sorts of items to look exactly like the real deal over at her Etsy shop, and she does custom orders too!

The one and only place that has my most favorite edible version of them is Epi's in Bar Harbor. They are so fresh, individually wrapped in saran wrap. See it right there on the top of our takeout lunch?

Objects may appear larger than life when you get to eat the entire whoppie pie all by yourself. Mmmmm.

Foggy and misty, it's still a nice day to visit Bar Harbor.

Gearing up for tourist season there's that certain excitement in the air again around here.

I just love seeing the old familiar sights and sounds again.

And belly full we head home, content that all is well in Bar Harbor land. Let the season begin! Thanks so much for stopping by to see what's up in our neck of the woods, you really do know how to make a gal feel special, you know!

Lavender and Lime (My Embroidered Bird Duvet Cover)

2011-04-20T15:15:00.000-04:00

Before we left on our long road trip, I bought a yard of muslin, some lavender embroidery thread and printed off some free bird templates available here from Martha Stewart. By the time we had returned from our trip I was finishing up my last square. Once home, I bought some paper-backed fusible web and attached them onto a rose print fabric I found in a soft shade of lime.

I stitched a length of ribbon along all four sides to permanently adhere them to the fabric.

I just love how the distressed surface of this Terra cotta pot looks with the fabric.

It holds a lily of the valley that I will transplant outdoors after this year's last frost date here (around May 11!).

I had such good luck with my seed started zinnias last year, that when I came across this unique color I just couldn't pass it up. Perhaps a little dull compared to others, but I have in mind to cut some of these flowers to go in the room with my duvet cover.

Before we left on our trip I filled 2 biodegradable egg cartons with some seed starter discs, planted a lavender seed in each, watered them well and sat them covered in the refrigerator where (finger's crossed) they will sprout in about 6-8 weeks time. (Those are my basil sprouts in the foreground.)

Here's the finished duvet cover in our guest bedroom. I used the same ribbon at the top to secure the comforter inside.

Before leaving on our trip, I watched the video found here to learn the chain stitch that I used on all 9 of the embroidered squares.

And the really exciting part for me was that 2 of our 7 grand kids now know how to do this too! This is our 10 year old grandson Michael working on a peace sign. The other one that learned is our 8 year old granddaughter Grace. I had so much fun spending time with them doing this.

In between their trips going fishing with Grandpa that is.

What We've Been Up To

2011-04-11T16:01:00.000-04:00

A trip to Ohio to visit our Grandkids that we are missing so much, now that we're back home.

Here's the youngest (now walking), with the oldest, who just recently got her driver's license.

I had to capture my first ride with her. She looks so much like her Mama at that age that it instantly took me back.

We even had a birthday celebration while we were there.

Grandpa likes to assist with anything involving cake.

And before we left, a picture of the whole crew together.

Then on to Charlotte, NC where we visited Henri's Mom and Sister and dined outside in the glorious weather!

And for all my bloggy friends that live in between the route we traveled, I thought of each and every one of you as we passed through your State on our 2 week trip. Now I'm off to get caught up with all the posts I've missed from you while we were gone!

Darn It!

2011-03-24T11:09:00.000-04:00

Have you ever heard of dragonflies referred to as "darning needles"?

Growing up I remember being told that's what they were. And they had the power to sew up your mouth if you were caught saying a bad word, or even if you were talking too much. Good thing I made up a batch of these the other day.

Because I may have wanted to say bad words when I caught a glimpse of our lilac bush right outside the window.

And how can I envision Spring with this addition to our flower boxes?

So for now I busy myself with some needlework of my own. A remnant of burlap that I stenciled the words "Frenchman's Bay Tea Co." for an idea I had for a pillow.

My progress so far. And I'll be using my recently found ship fabric for the back of the pillow.

This is Frenchman's Bay, taken right here in Sorrento yesterday. The "Tea Co." part is fictional, as far as I know.

Anyway, the cookies are slowly dwindling, right along with the snow.

We continue to have daily snow showers, but thankfully the ground has warmed up enough to make the snow disappear fairly quickly. And for now, no more bad words needed.

My Favorite Shades of Aqua

2011-03-19T16:01:00.002-04:00

Yesterday the water was a beautiful shade of aqua during our walk.

It's so nice to know the Winter is slowly releasing it's icy grip.

Can you believe it was a balmy 61 degrees here, and our inland areas broke a record at 68 degrees.

Here's a Cooper's Hawk I tried to get a clear shot of the other day through my window. It's a little out of focus but he was in between branches the entire time and this was the best I could do.

Here's a bundle of miniature roses I picked up on our last trip to the grocery store.

I bought them right after I found this trio of vintage aqua bottles at a thrift store.

We're already enjoying our taste of Spring, both inside and outside.

Good thing because next up is Mud season, of which I will spare you any pictures from.

Sewing By The Sea

2011-03-09T20:03:00.001-05:00

I borrowed the title of this post from a nearby fabric shop that I recently became fascinated with after I came across an article written about this shop. The article explains that it is run by the wives of some local fishermen. In all the times we have driven by this shop I have never once stopped in, until this past Monday. Turns out it is closed on Mondays. But until I can make it there, I have built it up in my mind of what I may find inside. Whenever I come across unusual sea-inspired fabric I'm like a kid in a candy store.

I have this romantic image of old steamer trunks filled with exotic fabrics carried by ancient seafaring vessels. And of course there would be containers of exotic teas inside too. I just love how these two fabrics look together, but I have yet to decide what to make with them. Any ideas for me? Keep in mind my skills are basic though.

Several years ago I found a single linen napkin with an embroidered blue lobster that I kept even though it was badly stained thinking I would eventually think of something to do with it. The other day I happened to remember my blue lobster and decided it would go nicely on my new white hoodie.

After tacking it down with a few hand stitches to hold it in place, I headed to my sewing machine. The fanciest stitch I ever do is a zigzag and I found out it needed several passes around to cover up my hand stitches. It's not perfect, but I like it and most people would not ever get a look of it this close up anyway. But here it is.

Since I was on a roll, I remembered another fabric I had in my stash that I thought would make a nice strap cover for my camera. Mind you, I have never made a camera strap cover before, but after looking at a few samples on-line I realized they were much narrower than than 5 inch width that would show all the pattern repeats of my fabric. Below is the width I originally wanted, but it was way too wide for my camera.

I ended up making it with a 2" width with the pattern wrapping around the strap. Here it is on my camera. I like it and it probably won't show all the grime from the elements that I constantly seem to drag my camera through everyday.

But before I go I wanted to show you what a difference just one day of rain made here recently. This is a scene from our harbor just before it began to rain the other day.

The next day during our walk we saw all this ice! The ice was from the more shallow coves and the rain caused it to break up and flow out of the coves.

We didn't see any evidence of it left today, but I'm sure it was a challenge for the fisherman to get out to their boats when it first showed up! Or, even for trunks of exotic fabric to make it safely into our harbor. Sure glad it's gone!

Winter Hungries

2011-03-05T19:05:00.000-05:00

We love to visit Bar Harbor off season, but it's slim pickings in the eating department there this time of year until around May 15, which is the typical start of the tourist season. It was a bit blustery on the town pier where I spotted a few gulls wandering around. I can only imagine that they were out looking for a few scraps to eat too.

We continued on to this pretty scene in Somesville. While it's still a lovely spot in the winter, I missed the cheerful sight of flower boxes filled with cascading blooms and I imagined how nice it would be to just head over to Jordan Pond House for maybe a popover or perhaps a scone or two.

I asked Henri if he was hungry for a scone. He was. So we stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few items that I could use to whip up some goodies for us to eat at our own little diner booth back at home.

First up, was a simple recipe for coffeehouse scones that I found here.

And they were melt in your mouth good covered in some store-bought lemon curd.

Then yesterday with St. Patrick's Day looming, I decided to try my hand at some Irish Soda Bread. Here's the ultra easy recipe I used. Except I added 1/2 cup of currants, 2 teaspoons of sugar and baked it for about 15 minutes longer.

And finally, today I made up my own little super easy recipe for a quick tuna au gratin that I baked up in some scallop shells. Just flake up 2 small cans of tuna with some mayo, 1/2 stalk of minced celery, some minced red bell pepper, and a little lemon juice. Add mixture to shell and sprinkle with some crushed Ritz crackers, paprika and some shredded Cabot's Seriously Sharp white cheddar cheese.

Bake for 25 min. at 350 degrees and serve with some jumbo shrimp. And to make it easy on yourself, serve them with a side of store-bought shrimp cocktail sauce.

You don't even have to do the dishes, although you might want to so you can make this again sometime.

The leftover stalk of celery goes to the green bird inside.

And good heavens, don't forget to fill the feeders for all the outside feathered friends too!

If you can manage it, I highly recommend dining aside a pretty bowl of candle lit sea glass.

Then sit back and enjoy, because surely May 15 will be here before you know it!

Snow Birds

2011-02-28T20:01:00.000-05:00

The enjoyment of a Maine Summer is all the sweeter knowing you can handle a brutal Maine Winter, much like we've been having this year. Henri plans to eventually turn us into snow birds, but for now, I'm content to enjoy the bright spots of our winters.

I'm reminded of an old Maine expression that goes: "If you can't take the Winter, you don't deserve the Summer."

Guess I'll have to come up with a retort for that when we eventually head South for the winters.

So that's why I've decided to take lots of pictures showing I do indeed deserve the summers.

Although the birds are the ones doing the enduring, as I sit inside by a cozy woodstove with my camera.

I'm not saying we've completely lost it with this year's huge amount of snowfall, but secretly we think the starlings mean to taunt us with the sight of their snow dotted feathers.

No, really, we're good. But now is that a downy woodpecker?

Why yes, I do believe it is. So, how's the weather been lately in your neck of the woods?

Getting Through Winter

2011-02-18T15:35:00.000-05:00

At the peak of our winter this year, here's what it looked like outside our place.

But life has a way of providing warmth both physically and inwardly when you least expect it. Like yesterday when I received this cheerful and very warm sweater cowl from my sweet friend Vicki over at 2 Bags Full that I was lucky to win in her most recent giveaway. Vicki also sells these lovely upcycled sweater cowls in her Etsy Shop that she creates out of retired or vintage sweaters.

She also included this beautiful card with a handwritten message sending me more warm hugs and bloggy love.

And then, out of the clear blue my sweet friend Kat of Low Tide High Style brightened up my day with a beautiful metallic print of her amazing photography!

Kat just recently opened an Etsy Shop too where you can order notecards that she had made up from her beautiful captures. They are the perfect breath of fresh air when Spring can't come quick enough!

And now I will show you something that my dear Henri gave to me too. Permission to paint over his beloved knotty pine wood in this one small area of our home. (We have a whole room full downstairs, but for now I'm just happy for this one small spot over our woodstove.)

All I can say is Ahhhhhh! I have been wanting to do this for a long time.

It's amazing how a small thing like this can really change the entire mood of the room.

So take that Winter. How much worse could it possibly get now anyway?

Oops! Well actually, Henri took this one in the parking lot of our local Home Depot a couple weeks ago while I was inside buying the paint to cover that knotty pine. It IS kind of scary though, isn't it?

Local Dives

2011-02-15T18:35:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday we met up with friends at a local place known as The Galley By The Bridge. I love this place. Especially in the middle of Winter. The traditional rush of tourist season where lingering too long after your meal would be rude, no longer applies this time of year. Besides the casual atmosphere, variety of menu offerings (even pizza!), and the panoramic views from every table, there is another reason why I enjoy coming here.

There is a display case full of treasures recovered from a few of the locally known shipwrecks that occurred in this area a long time ago. You see, the owners of this place are local dive instructors. A husband and wife team with over 30 years of experience diving together.

I am smitten with this pattern of transferware.

The notes included along with each treasure, no doubt add to my fascination with them. Before 1900, the town of Sorrento was part of present day Sullivan. Who knows, this soap dish may have been slated for delivery to the Hotel Sorrento.

And here is a stack of ironstone treasures that I have found in the area. Except all of mine were found above water.

Meakin transferware plates that I have hanging on my wall.

Here are some of my old bottles too. But they don't have any barnacles like the ones in the display case at the restaurant.

There are numerous other fascinating items in the display case, but due to the glare from the glass, the other pictures I took did not turn out like I had hoped. So instead, I will leave you with a picture of Sorrento's Treasure Island, which may have gotten its name from something I recently learned from the owner of this restaurant.

Apparently there is an abandoned gold mine located there. But I will have to wait until July to find out more about this, when he is scheduled to give a lecture about it at our local historical society.

Kindness That Warms The Heart

2011-02-05T23:30:00.002-05:00

Today I received a surprise package in the mail from Rachel, a blogger friend that I had the pleasure to meet in person this past summer. Oh if she could only see the ice forming in the very ocean that she and her husband went kayaking in while on their honeymoon here.

When I saw her name on the return address of the parcel that was delivered to me today, it made me smile. When I saw what was inside, it warmed my heart. Because she knows I love sprinkles.

And then to discover that she hand made something for me too. I was so touched by that.

Rachel's thoughtfulness came from her desire to participate in a Pay It Forward event. A powerful gesture to inspire kindness to others.

No matter how remote we may be from each other in distance, this world of blogging has a way of drawing us closer.

Connecting us with people that we may have never known,

oftentimes inexplicably, from just the random click of a mouse.

Things That Caught My Eye Today

2011-01-30T21:10:00.001-05:00

Sometimes while we're out walking, I remember to capture a shot of what may be an unusual sight in other parts of the country.

Part of someone's morning commute. Because it's not like you can just walk around to clear off the other side.

And then, imagine going to such great lengths only to remember it's a Sunday, or that you forgot your keys. Yeah, that would not be fun. As I watched him head back to shore just moments later, those are the thoughts that crossed my mind though.

As I stood on shore watching and snapping pictures, I couldn't help but imagine that not much in the scene I was gazing out on had really changed in the past 100 years or so. Except for maybe the bench, of course.

The scene is Sorrento's Village Green, looking across Frenchman's Bay toward the mountains of Acadia National Park. A place that I'm lucky to be able to visit every day.

I even found a lovely piece of sea glass along the shore right there today. Often, whenever I find a piece of sea glass, it makes me wonder how it came to be mine. This particular one, deposited right here at my feet, completely smoothed and hydrated from a 50+ year journey that perhaps began as a bottle of 7up.

And of course, it's always the bright colors that catch my eye. Especially in winter.

And especially if they're right outside my livingroom window.

A Painfully Beautiful Time of Year

2011-01-24T19:45:00.000-05:00

This little birdie doesn't seem to mind the blizzardly conditions our Winter has bestowed upon us this year.

Within this clump of clinging white outside our window the birds gather to wait their turn at the feeders.

No church services until July at Sorrento's Church of the Redeemer. Pity, as most of the summer parishioners may never know what they have missed out on during the winter months.

We may as well let them believe that winter here is just grey and gloomy. And that the sun never shines.

And the only thing the moon shines down on is a frozen tundra in the middle of winter.

Never to be seen peering above blue skies near dusk.

Impatiently awaiting its turn after sundown.

If you finally tire of winter, inside a reprieve, tucked here and there can help tide you over.

Courtesy of someone who had the forethought to plan for times such as these.

Even if it is just more white.

If someone in your household feels the need to make a statement about the conditions this time of year.

I always find it best to just humor them and snap a picture. And be thankful that at least he hasn't lost his sense of humor.

Starbird

2011-01-22T23:53:00.002-05:00

Stormy, snowy winter days are a perfect time to make a few changes around the house. And my changes started out when I decided to give a name to our upstairs kitchen.

Then I came up with an idea to convert one of my glass insulators into a shade to replace a pendant light that I had grown tired off. I just had the local glass shop drill a hole in the top, and then Henri masterfully replaced it for me using the same hardware from our previous fixture. If you would like to do this too, I found out the hard way that only a very small and very low watt bulb (15W) will work. My use of a larger 40W bulb heated up the glass too much and caused my previously perfect insulator to sprout a sudden small crack, complete with sound effects, right before my eyes! Fortunately the light switch was handy enough for me to react quickly to stop the damage. So now the fixture has a bit more character on one side than I had planned, and that's okay with me too!

Oh, and here is the reason I named the kitchen Starbird. Our Simon who is 38 years old. The kitchen is where he spends most of his day.

I also decided to dress up his cage with some sea shells that I added to some frayed tie-top curtains I made.

He hangs out on the top of his cage during the day. The only time he actually goes into his cage is at night. Also, I did the ceiling in that embossed paper that is supposed to make it look like tin. I have not yet painted it though. I may just leave it white.

Across from his cage he has a friendly tin seahorse to keep him company.

See his reflection in the porthole mirror right there?

I also added touches of gold leaf to my previously distressed cabinet doors that I painted black.

Here's a close up of the gold leaf on a shell embellishment that I found at the hardware store.

I should also mention that the color of my new light fixture, along with the name I gave the kitchen, might just be a nod to a common navigational sign you may be familiar with.

In a previous post I confessed a little trick of how I always remember my left from my right, navigational-ly speaking, that is.

Red for Port. Green for Starboard {Starbird}. Just a little visual in case you need help to remember that too!

Sorrento After Dark, A Spooky Post

2011-01-11T22:12:00.002-05:00

In our resolve to get our walk in on a day when our schedule stretched past sunset, we headed out with flashlight in hand along Sorrento's Ocean Avenue making a loop around the downtown peninsula. Upon reviewing the few shots that I stopped to take I noticed something a little strange. Keep your eye on that looming dark shadow there on the left.

And then just as we were about to pass the Sorrento Public Library (open only in the summer months of July and August), it appears I captured an eerie shadow of a shadow.

[Okay, that's really Henri, but it is rather strange looking, no?]

So, here we are winding our way back to Ocean Avenue near the site of the infamous "cocktail rocks" where a ghostly shadow of one of Sorrento's former residents has been seen. Why is this dark looming shadow still in the picture frame on the left? The first picture with the same shadow was taken at least a half mile away!

Since I didn't use my flash for this one, it was completely pitch black except for a white light until I lightened up the image. Not to worry, that's just a boat returning to the harbor this evening.

Gosh I'm sure glad you went along on the walk with us tonight, it was kind of spooky now wasn't it?

Sepia Tones & Exotic Fare

2011-01-08T22:29:00.000-05:00

Late afternoon as we passed Sorrento's golf course on our way to get our walk in, it was still snowing. I tried to capture the soft hazy glow through the trees of where the sky meets the ocean.

Here's the town landing, where we park and begin our walk. With daylight fading I liked how the lit tree stood out against the fresh cover of white. Henri reminded me it was snowing and not good for the camera.

As we continued on our walk I sheltered my camera inside my coat from the falling snow and when Henri wasn't looking I quickly pulled it out to try and capture a scene or two. On this image, I used a sepia tone effect which I think helps to highlight the falling snow.

One more that I took. I couldn't help it. Don't tell Henri though. He keeps telling me how bad moisture is for a camera. But in my defense, the snow let up for this one.

So anyway, back at home, Henri knew he was in store for a treat. This is a "care package" of sorts that his Mother sent, because I mentioned to her the other day he was craving Indonesian food. Henri was born in Djakarta, Indonesia. I was born in Maine, yet I was craving it too.

This is his Mother's recipe of Nasi Kuning (yellow rice) and some of the ingredients that I used to make it for him.

Lucky for me, my rice cooker makes cooking it a breeze.

Suet for the woodpeckers outside.

Inside, Nasi Kuning covered with stinky, salty fish for us.

The fish really are stinky too. For the first 15 years of our marriage I would make Henri eat them outside, until one day I got the nerve to try them and I couldn't believe what I had been missing! Besides it's just way too cold to eat outside this time of year.

We Eat, Therefore We Walk.

2011-01-05T20:59:00.000-05:00

So far this year we're getting our daily walk in. Mostly at sunset.

5 down, 360 to go. At least that's the plan.

Sometimes after walking we just get in the truck and drive around to take more pictures.

Like this evening. But we really should concentrate more on our walking.

Do you know how easy it is for us to get side tracked while out walking around here?

Like when we run into someone else out for their daily walk.

Hi Jake. Paw.

Because mostly when we're not out walking, we're usually eating. This is what happens when you get a new diversion, like say, a new cookie stamp.

It's already my 2nd batch this year. Oh dear.

And then there's our evening cup of hot cocoa too.

Our new resolution: No walkie, no eatie.

We Just Wanted To Wish You A Happy New Year From Sorrento Maine

2011-01-01T16:47:00.000-05:00

But I didn't realize I was that short.

I have long arms though. [See Henri's glasses for details.]

Winter Whites

2010-12-30T19:22:00.000-05:00

Today's weather reached a high of 40 degrees and this is what's left of the snow that blanketed our area a few days ago.

Although right in the midst of clearing the first round, I'm not sure Henri was really enjoying himself.

But today during our walk, see, the snow is almost all gone!

The day after the storm, sunny blue skies.

And everywhere you looked, a beautiful blanket of snow.

This time of year, we have a habit of ending the day with a hot cup of cocoa.

So tonight I just got through whirring up a little white fluff with my favorite kitchen machine.

Home made marshmallows. Here's the recipe. They are so easy to make too. Ready in a couple hours.

Just in time for our New Year's Eve cup of cocoa tomorrow night. And truth be known, that's as wild as we ever get on New Year's Eve. I hope you enjoy yours too!

Visions of Sugar Plums

2010-12-23T23:54:00.001-05:00

We have freshly fallen snow here on the coast.

And a few pretty sea urchins that I collected from the shore.

I just added a little gold leaf to glam them up a bit.

Stacked up in hues of sea washed greens and soft plums they are tiny gifts from the ocean.

Inspired, I head into the kitchen to bake up a batch of cookies that I could perhaps decorate in the same colors. Although laden with sprinkles, my freshly baked sugar cookies looked more like sea urchin wannabees, rather than the lovely vision of sea urchin confections still dancing in my head.

However, they do pack quite a sugary punch and I like the way they sparkle.

Yesterday's snow was an all day event.

A mesmerizing, swirling pattern of motion.

Contented to stay inside and wrap packages, I made pom-poms out of white tissue paper and hand stamped birdies on plain manila tags.

Simplicity became my mantra.

And I enjoyed my day immensely.

And just so you know, there are plum colored sprinkles all over my floors. Merry Christmas y'all!

A Bit of My Christmas Decor

2010-12-04T13:02:00.000-05:00

Not sure if this is netting from a local fisherman, but it was set out for trash this past summer when I scooped it up and stapled it to the back of an empty old frame I had. Then I found some winter inspired bits of jewelry to add to it.

I found several boxes of recycled ornaments at the thrift store to make this wreath I had been wanting to make ever since I saw this gorgeous one on a post by Heather Bullard.

I just used one of those thin single wire wreath rings and snipped it apart at the top and started stringing my ornaments, alternating between sizes.

Then I got out a can of faux snow and did several bursts of spray to tone it down a bit.

This is my favorite Christmas tree holder ever. I found it a local closeout store and it actually has a place to hold your tree inside. It's heavy and the finish is a beautiful aged pale chippy pink. I added some aqua tulle over the top, and a hand stamped Merry Christmas tag.

Here's the tree I put inside, a small faux evergreen with pine cones.

Here it is with the pale pink and clear garland I found to wrap it up with.

Since I still had more ornaments I made another wreath.

I had another tree that I wanted to add some snow to, but my snow spray was not thick enough. I found out that I could make the thicker snow with Ivory soap.

I just used an old grater and then added some warm water and some spray starch until I got a paste that I could paint on.

It was a bit messy, but it worked out. It wasn't the look I was going for, I wanted it all to be white, but this works too.

We had our first snow right after Thanksgiving, it was barely a dusting but I captured this little butterball eating leftovers.

Here are some of all the others that kept Henri filling the bird feeders that day.

And what is more beautiful than having a bit of live Christmas decor outside, courtesy of our little feathered friends!

The Family Crust

2010-11-24T21:16:00.001-05:00

Last week when we arrived at my Mother's house, she had just taken an apple pie out of the oven and had sat it aside to cool. For some reason the design on the top caught my eye and I asked her if it was something new she had just come up with. Well. Let me tell you I was caught off guard to find out that it was the same design that my Grandmother and perhaps even my Great Grandmother had always done on all their double crust pies. I never even knew there was a family crust!

Tonight in the midst of my Thanksgiving preparations, it was as if I could feel the presence of both my Grandmothers peering over my shoulders as I set off to recreate this family tradition in the blueberry pie I was baking. I suspect they would be smiling and nodding to each other as they patiently waited for me perform this rite of passage.

Could I get it right the first time? Could my Grandmothers really be watching me do this? I actually felt a bit nervous.

It reminds me how thankful I am to still have my Mother. Someone I can still see, hear and embrace in real life. Who I can still share giggles with and memories of growing up and spending Thanksgiving as a child at my Grandmother's house. The white farmhouse with the beautiful floral pattern wallpaper in the dining room where we sat at the long wooden table, together, so many years ago. With pies that all had that same distinctive family crust of which I realize now I hadn't remembered as a child.

As I add my own touch to the family crust, a sprinkling of coarse sugar crystals, I snap a quick picture to document it for future generations that may wonder what that shiny stuff was on the pie.

Wishing all my sweet readers out in blogland a very blessed Thanksgiving Day and hoping you always leave enough room at Thanksgiving for some pie!

I Bough To You

2010-11-19T22:47:00.000-05:00

I usually wait until December 1, which is the day after Henri's birthday, before I start my Christmas decorating. But that was before I read this article written by the talented Sharon Lovejoy, for Lowe's Creative Ideas for Home and Garden. Sharon, who I have gotten to know through her blog, divides up her time between living on an island off the coast of Maine in the warmer months and then as cooler weather approaches heads back to California to enjoy the winter! The article she wrote inspired me to simply shop my own backyard to decorate for the holiday season.

I don't know how, but Henri recently moved this heavy wrought iron birdcage from where it was sitting in our backyard, up onto our small deck all by himself. He also attached 3 birdhouses to the top of the rail for me. (My steadily growing collection of birdhouses that I still hadn't figured out what to do with yet.) He did this as a surpise for me and waited for me to discover it by myself. I was thrilled and Sharon's tips of how to decorate for the season using nature's bounty were all I could think of!

My favorite of the 3 birdhouses is this red one.

A diagonal sweep of pine boughs is all this cage really needed with a few rose hips tucked here and there.

The yellow are fruit that were scattered around all over the ground right below my Japanese Quince bush.

This birdhouse cried out for a few pine cones, the only ones I found right near the quince bush.

The most rustic and weathered of the birdhouses.

The metal trim on the roof and entry add to its rustic charm.

From inside looking out, a geranium in the foreground that Henri brought inside for the winter.

As evening approaches, a decision to add a strand of icicle lights had me getting a little carried away. When it got too dark to do any more gathering I decided it was good enough.

See what happens when you get a little blog inspiration. Next thing you know, I'll be inside baking Christmas cookies!

Simply Stated

2010-11-16T20:36:00.000-05:00

Look what I won from a giveaway Rebecca had over at Simply Stated. This gorgeous pair of pineapple finials! Rebecca runs an antique shop in Campbell, New York, is an amazing photographer, AND she makes cakes too! It's no wonder I always enjoy my visits over there.

Here's a close up to show the richness of color on these beauties. Thank you so much Rebecca, they are simply beautiful!

Speaking of color, here's my most recent painting I did in my Adult Finger Painting class.

I call it "Chinese Lantern Plant In Vase". At least that is what it was SUPPOSED to be anyway!

A Carousel For My Nonpareils

2010-11-07T20:17:00.004-05:00

With a little liquid gold leaf, I gave this lazy susan I found at a thrift store a quick Parisian makeover.

Since then I have been collecting glass stoppers and interesting lids to fit into glass bottles to use as a place to display my sprinkles. And I do love a French inspired theme.

So now I have taken to collecting sprinkles.

Wondrous and beautiful sprinkles like these sugar pearls and pink nonpareils. Have you ever even seen pink nonpareils before?

Did you know sprinkles are relatively inexpensive?

Wouldn't these pink nonpareils look stunning on some dark chocolate?

All I had on hand tonight was some white chocolate morsels, so I made up a handful of candies for our after dinner snack.

Check out these vivid canary yellow nonpareils. Who knew? I hereby declare that sprinkles are my latest obsession!

It's such a happy obsession though, anyone care to join me?

Linking up with Michael from Inspired By Charm

Late Fall in Maine

2010-11-01T23:14:00.000-04:00

Post Halloween at our place, with more leaves on the ground than in the trees.

The grackles have been coming to our feeders in droves today. Every time I grabbed my camera they would see me and scatter, but I managed to get this shot through the window before they saw me.

There is still some pretty color left along the route we take on our daily walk.

Yet by the time we finish our walk, we've noticed it gets darker a little bit earlier each day.

Henri took this zoomed in shot of the early morning fog right outside our window when he woke up at the crack of dawn the other day.

We just got finished unloading 2 tons of bio bricks into our cellar that the delivery guy brought tonight after dark.

Now I think this tired Maine gal will retire for the evening and thoroughly enjoy a good night's rest. And we'll see whose feet hit the deck at the crack of dawn tomorrow. I already know it won't be mine.

My Shabby Textured Harvest Decor

2010-10-21T23:08:00.000-04:00

I think I found the last 3 white pumpkins available in the entire State of Maine. And I am so in love with them. I love this one because of it's texture.

I paired my pumpkins with a ceramic pheasant and then captured a shot of them through the shabby mercury surface of one of my vintage mirrors.

Gosh, I really love all that added texture that the mirrored image gives.

Here's a closer look at the actual pumpkin in the foreground, compared with it's more textured reflection in the mirror.

Then I remembered I had brought in the last of my cilantro the other day and left it on the counter of my downstairs kitchen.

I am lucky to have 2 kitchens where we live and this one is not the one I cook in everyday, so I decided to just make it part of my harvest decor too.

So why not harvest the seeds to use as a spice.

So far I have no idea what recipe I could use these cilantro seeds in though.

But I really like the color and texture, as well as the fragrance that has managed to envelop the entire space. So there you have it, the extent of my harvest decor so far.

Oh and Simon says hello to everyone too.

I think he has probably taken notice of that pheasant in the downstairs kitchen.

The Way Out

2010-10-20T20:14:00.000-04:00

Starting out on this sunny 57 degree day I was fine, but after the first couple of miles my hands were cold and the wind was making me shiver.

But oh the scenery just kept getting better and better.

In addition to letting me drive, Henri brought chocolate.

He also found some gloves for me to wear, pulled up my hood and let me have the last piece of chocolate.

Yes, yes this IS fun and I like it very much! He just forgot to tell me I had chocolate on my lip.

We ended up riding 36 exhilarating miles on this glorious autumn day in Maine breathing in the smell of the pine scented woods and fading autumn leaves as the trail led us through a tranquil wilderness bog surrounded by wildlife and the calm serenity of a windswept open field.

Nearly back to where we started out we came upon Jasmine and her master just starting off on their journey.

I do believe I even saw her wink at me as if to say "I always have fun here too."