Frenchmans Bay Tea Co.

Sometimes real life holds many more surprises for us than perhaps what our imaginations could even conjure up to write about.  I thought it time to reveal to you the reason for my long absence on this blog.  It's because  of what I am announcing over on my other blog frenchmans bay tea co.  I hope you pay me a visit to find out.  It's also the reason why I have not been able to connect lately with so many of my blog friends that I adore.  Please bear with me as I slowly get back in touch with all of you!

Please click HERE to find out just what we have been up to now!  Thank you so much my friends.  

Finding Comfort

You all have helped me so much to find comfort after the loss of my beloved parrot Simon with your many comments, correspondence and words of encouragement.   Thank you so much for that.  And, for your patience with me finding my way back into blog land again.  I am way overdue to visit with each of you again and I plan to remedy that in the days to come.  

Until recently, it had been a long while since I last picked up my camera.  So long in fact, that my tulips were still in bloom.   Back when it was early spring.  

And I had yet to plant my white geraniums in my cherub flower pots that reside at the entrance of my tiny greenhouse.

The day that I actually picked up my camera again, this is one of the first photos I took.  It was not until I got home and saw this photo that I realized what this gull was up to.  It was a lucky shot indeed.  Like a gift to remind me of the simple beauty in everyday events that are always unfolding all around us.

So lately, I have gotten back into the habit of picture taking.  And Henri and I have been going fishing too.

Although I may not divulge our favorite fishing hole, I will tell you it is a lake somewhere in Acadia National Park.  It has been a very healing experience for me there.

And at the end of the day we even end up with something good for dinner.

They are called brook trout and they are very tasty.  Here's a closer picture of our catch.

In case you wonder, it was me that scored the largest catch of the day.  In fact, I even caught the smallest one you see right there too. Said another way, Henri caught the one in the middle.  I suppose I could have just told you that to begin with.  But either way, it makes for a fine looking trio...don't you think?  

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It sure feels good to be back posting again.  Thank you all for bearing with me and for all your support in my continued healing.  

Heartbroken

My sweet parrot Simon passed away early this morning.  I will miss that boy even more than I am able to express in words.  I am so grateful for the many years that he was in my life.

I brought him home with me in September 1976 when I was just 22 years old.  I had wandered into a local pet store and was casually walking by a cage he was sitting on top of when he suddenly grabbed at my shirt and climbed up onto my shoulder.  The pet store employees were all upset and nervous as they were trying to figure out how to safely remove him.  He apparently didn't like the guys, and it was the guys that were afraid of him.     The next day I went into my local credit union to ask for a loan of $500 to take him home with me.  As you can imagine, the loan officer didn't think she heard me quite right and dropped her pen on the desk when I repeated my request.  The next day she called and told me to come pick up my check.  I immediately called the pet store and asked if they still had the bird named "Buddy," and if so, would they do me a favor and start calling him Simon as I was on my way to pick him up.

Me and Simon during our younger years.  

Goodbye my sweet bud.  Thank you for all the love you gave me.  I know you're with Grandpa right now eating peanuts out of his hand once again.  You know my love for you will never end.   

The Romance of the Sea

Whether you call them Windjammers, Clipper Ships, or Schooners,  these classic 19th century sailing vessels are what I find myself more and more drawn to lately.   This is a shot I took last May of the 4-masted schooner known as the Margaret Todd that sails out of Bar Harbor, Maine.  

Since then I have managed to find a few items that have turned my interest into a minor passion for them.  For the record, I've only been sailing one time and I don't prefer it, but I just love the romance the image of these ships conjure up for me.  Here's a scrimshaw brooch that I found at a local thrift store.

My fabric with a repeat of this iconic image in blue was perhaps what started my interest to begin with.   It's not that I intentionally went out looking for these things, but rather they unexpectedly starting appearing before me.  And I started taking them home with me.

I was pretty smitten when I came across this sealing wax stamp.

Can you imagine the romance of letting a candle drip over the envelope of a handwritten letter to your love?

Here, I just used glue gun sealing wax to make them.  They are such fun to use, I may even include them on my bills.

Then, a couple of Sundays ago we were out with friends and stopped by an Antique Mall in Searsport, where we found an authentic ship's wheel.  Here it is on my mantel.

Although I didn't need much convincing, when our friend Danny pointed out the places on the outer spokes that were worn from where the becket lines were tied during a storm to keep the helm secure, I knew this bad boy was coming home with me.

It was also his opinion judging by the patina of the wood that this wheel must have spent some time at the bottom of the ocean, much like my barnacled bottles that I have displayed alongside my new treasure.

It's interesting how our collections are often influenced by the world that can be seen right outside our window.  I feel so lucky to be able to live by the ocean.  It was always a dream of mine and now a reality that I truly savor.

Still Life

I took this picture back in January and never posted it because it just didn't seem to fit in with any of my other pictures in my posts.  Until today.

While I was in town today picking up a few groceries I had planned to pick up some more tulips for my kitchen.  However, when I got there and saw the available selection they were a little rough looking.  Then my eye caught the sight of some roses.

A small colorful bouquet for the same price as the tulips.  Can you believe just a little over $5?!  

I couldn't resist trying to photograph them in the fading light of our bedroom.  First on our French settee and then in front of our favorite marine painting of a night seascape.  It is particularly dark in there because our bedroom is painted black, a Sherwin-Williams color called sealskin.  We get teased for having a "boudoir" look in there, so you can chuckle if you want to, we're used to it.

I like how they look inside my silver plate teapot.  The lid to the teapot is broken, so it works out really well as a vase.

I normally like to buy roses in all one color, but I think this is my new favorite.  I like the drama of them against the dark background.  

Plus the colors go so well with the sunsets we often find around here.  And most importantly I was finally able to show you the drama that a local mussel dragger silhouetted against a January sunset can have too.  

March in Maine

March is windy. 

The extra light at the end of the day is most appreciated by all.  

Here's what the moon looked like a couple days ago during our walk.  Even though I know it's a full one tonight, I think it's very beautiful at this stage too.     

While driving along the shore we noticed this lobster boat and we stopped to capture a few shots.

Even though we were far away, we were spotted.  It's also very lonely here this time of year before the summer people return.

 Taken today in Sorrento Harbor on our way back from the post office.

It was 57 degrees here today and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to mention it in contrast to the snowstorm we just had this past Monday.  March is surprising like that.  

Creatures of Habit

Across the street is a small pond that I can see outside my kitchen window.  Every once in a while we'll catch a glimpse of a fox over there like we did yesterday. 

Just look at the size of the cattails over there. At least I think that's what they are.

We decided to start walking over there to avoid the dust from passing cars while there's still so much sand on the roads.  That's Henri over there on the shore dressed in black.

The pond is unsafe to walk on, so maneuvering the field requires using a whole new set of leg muscles.  It's good to change it up now and then, right?  Too often we become creatures of habit.

As evidenced by the fact that we went walking over there again today.  Right before it started to snow really hard.

By the time we finished lunch the snow was starting to collect and so were the finches looking for food that Henri scatters inside our empty flower boxes.

Henri captured this sweet little creature for me while I was writing up this post.

Outside, as our front yard fills up with white . . .

Inside, our kitchen counter looks a bit more spring-like.

I'm thinking the winter has finally found it's way to our place this season after all.  It seems as if just when we were getting used to the lack of snow, Mother Nature has decided it's time to change things up a bit too.