Pirate In The House

A public message from Simon.

I thought I saw a pirate.

You DO believe me, don't you? I think I even saw treasures.

Yes!

That's definitely a sign there are pirates!

Wonder where they went?

Happy Halloween From The Fearless Nest . . . Where The Only Pirates HERE Are Pretend Ones!

A Walk In The Park

Today we went to Acadia National Park and took a walk around Jordan Pond.

The twin mountains are known as the Bubbles.

On about 1 mile of the 3 mile trail there is a boardwalk to protect the fragile eco-system below.

On parts of the trail, you are surrounded by mountains.

It's so peaceful here.

At one end of the lake you cross a couple rustic built bridges.

This place gives such a feeling of serenity.

In the summer you can sit out on the lawn at the Jordan Pond House and enjoy popovers as you gaze out at the view of the Bubbles.

This is the view from the Jordan Pond House lawn.



We are so fortunate to live very close to this place and are very grateful to be able to enjoy it numerous times throughout the year.

Trip to Old Town, Maine

Hot Morning Mocha goes good with an early morning road trip.

With my favorite guy by my side and scenic views all along the way.

Close to our destination it's just one dam view after another.

And a very lovely day for a trip to spend some time with my Mama.

Spending Time At The Wheel

I spent some time on the wheel today.

Here's a lump of clay I used

that ended up as this simple bowl.

We always have leftover scraps of clay that are too soft to throw.

So that's what I use for my hand built pieces, so it doesn't go to waste.

After a piece is made, there are still several more steps before it is complete. It has to dry for several days before it gets bisque fired. After this, the piece will be ready to be glazed and then can receive the final firing in the raku kiln.

Pottery making is definitely not for the impatient.

The Not So Great Pumpkin Roll

I had hopes to amaze you with pictures of a perfectly baked Pumpkin Roll when I set out today, but instead I will amuse you with what went wrong this time.

I must confess, I have NEVER had success with making this particular autumn dessert, so I don't know why I expected it to be any different this time. Anyway, I thought I had all my bases covered today by having the proper size jelly roll pan, and a good amount of powdered sugar sprinkled over a kitchen towel, which no doubt the lack of before, had previously contributed to my earlier failures.

It all started out so well, me using my favorite rubber spatula (in a shade of pumpkin), to add the Libby's 100% pure pumpkin to the mixture of 3 eggs and 1 cup of sugar.

It was heavenly though, with the whir of my blender releasing that wonderful pumpkin aroma.

Unfortunately, this was where I made my mistake this time. The recipe called for just 2/3 cup of the Libby's 100% pure pumpkin . . . not the entire 29-1/2 oz. can . . . Oops!!!

That's why it wasn't ready in the 13-15 min. at 375 degrees, baking time. And that's when I realized my mistake. So it cooked for say, 40 minutes, or so. I don't know why I just didn't stop right then. Thinking I could salvage it, I went on to the next step after I took it out of the oven, which was to roll it up while it was still warm, onto my waiting kitchen towel and let it cool on a rack.

The next step was to unroll it and add the cream cheese spread to the top.

And then roll it back up and stick it in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic for at least an hour.

This is where I had planned to insert the final picture, with a couple slices displayed that would reveal a perfect swirl of filling for you to oooh and aaaah over. But instead you get this.

Pumpkin pudding, slightly warmed because even the microwave couldn't fix it.

Felted Coastal Evening Bag

I have plenty of black wool left over from my felted flamingo project, as well as a tiny bit of pink. What to do with all this black wool? My only prefelted picture is below. I was going for a small coin clutch and instead, ended up knitting another side to make an evening bag.

I even found use for the tiny bit of leftover pink wool in my finished bag.

But all my raku pendants were way too large for this tiny bag.

So I added this pretty piece of aqua sea glass.

A tiny, wool evening bag perfect for a chilly coastal night out on the town.

Fall Chores

Someone has to do them.

I'm glad that cleaning out the chimney is Henri's chore.

And he does it so well. Here's a bucket full of creosote for his efforts.

He also finished tucking in Fearless for the Winter.

Looks like there's some future creosote that needs stacking Henri. Ok then, maybe I could handle this one since you've handled all the rest.

A post stacking, pre-shower glamour shot I took of myself, very happy to be finished!

And it's still daylight with plenty of time left to enjoy this beautiful autumn day in Maine!

Our burning bush is still vibrant.

As is this maple tree.

Even after several frosts, our front flowerboxes are somehow still hanging in there.

My last bit of fading hydrangeas we can now enjoy from inside.






Along with a good night's rest for me and my favorite hardworking guy.