Living wreath

My friend Carolyn has an incredible collection of succulent plants. I am talking hundreds! Well, she came up with a great idea of taking cuttings and making a living wreath. She gave me some cuttings and got me started on my own wreath. I wrapped a wire frame with moss and fill it with dirt and arranged all the plants and then tied it all together with fishing line so you could not see the seams. Here is the result. I am hoping that it will grow this summer and fill in even more.

Darts and Corks

What is this you ask? Well, as many of you know I have been collecting wine corks since forever and while they are small and lightweight and don't really take up much space, they do add up. So what to do with them? My dear friend Rog makes wonderful cork boards for everyone and while we all love them, I am sure he is sick of making them! Combine this with my love for playing darts. I played darts for years when I was living overseas. I played on a dart league with other Americans, some Brits (of course), Canadians and South African friends. I even had a dart board hanging behind my desk when I was assigned to the consulate in Lubumbashi. My colleagues would announce that it was break time and a dart game began. As the darts flew over my head, I really had no choice but to join in!

With no place in the house to hang my dart board, I made this huge cork board which is now hung at the proper height on the grape arbor. I'm pretty excited about it and enjoyed throwing a few as soon as it was hung! Now I'll have a chance to brush up before heading to the UK this fall. Can't let this Yankee embarrass the USA in the pubs!

Village of Menemsha

Took a drive to Menemsha on this gorgeous day. Not too much activity in this picturesque fishing village situated on Menemsha Pond and the Vineyard Sound but by the time July 4th comes all the slips will be filled with yachts. Menemsha is a historic harbor with unique shops, great restaurants, and lots of fishing boats; both commercial and charter fishing services. We had lunch outside watching the commercial fishermen unload their catch. Today it was lobsters!

The British are coming!

While in Sudbury, a visit to Lexington and Concord was in order. We visited the spot on Battle Road where Paul Revere was captured by the British as he made his famous "Midnight Ride". After being questioned he was later released, although they kept his horse and he walked back to Lexington in time to hear the gunfire at dawn on the town Common . The first picture is of the Minuteman statue in the Lexington town Common.

Sudbury

Had a great visit with my cousin Molly in Sudbury. Thanks Molly! She took me to a wonderful local nursery/farm stand that sold the most gorgeous flowers, plants and fruits and vegetables. I am sure everyone thought I was nuts taking pictures of everything! See what I mean!

Biker week

Imagine 250,000 + motorcycles descending on a small town for a week! Well that is exactly what happens here in central New Hampshire every year. Bikers EVERYWHERE! The streets around the lake are full of beer tents, live music and tons of police who are hired from Mass and Conn and Vermont to help control the masses! It is a sight! Black leather everywhere! Today was the ladies ride around the lake, tomorrow is the "Freedom" ride and who know what the rest of the week holds! Fun to see for one day but that's enough for me! I'm heading on to my next adventure!

Sunrise on the lake

These were taken at 5 am this morning as the sun was rising. The lake looked like glass. Just beautiful!

Lake Winnipesaukee

This week I am spending some time with my dear friend Carolyn and her husband Dan. We are enjoying some gorgeous weather and breathtaking scenery in New Hampshire. Carolyn has lived in New Hampshire since we finished college and she has lived all around the lake. This spot is surely my favorite! I do have some fond memories of ice fishing in February on the lake but you can't beat a clear June day!

First, here's a little info on Lake Winnipesaukee:

Location = Central New Hampshire, USA
Area of water surface = 72 square miles
Number of islands = 253
Distance around lake = 182 miles
Height above sea level = 504 feet

And some shots of their house and the views from the back deck.

Les Coquelicots

As a young girl growing up in France I always loved seeing the wild poppies in the French countryside as we spent our summers traveling around the country. I think I liked saying the french word for poppies "coquelicots' as much as I loved seeing them! It tends to just roll off your tongue! Every spring when my poppies bloom it takes me back to my childhood memories. Here are a couple of my cherished coquelicots!




From Wikipedia: "A poppy is one of a group of a flowering plants belonging to the poppy family, many grown in gardens for their colorful flowers. Poppy flowers have 4 to 6 petals. Petals may be almost any color, and some have markings. Prior to blooming, the petals are crumpled in the bud, and as blooming finishes, the petals often lie flat before falling away. A whorl of stamens is in the center of the flower. The pollen of the oriental poppy, Papaver orientale, is dark blue. The pollen of the field poppy or corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) is dark blue to grey. Bees will use poppies as a pollen source."

Hanging Strawberry Planter

Now here is a clever idea! Carole and Rog get all the credit for finding this! I had seen and done the upside down tomato thing but this is truly the perfect use for this. It holds 15 plants which should yield many strawberries. We filled it with nice healthy plants, some good soil and found a nice sunny spot for it and if kept watered daily we should be eating strawberry shortcake in no time!

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

54 years ago on this day.....June 2, 1956, my parents were married on Martha's Vineyard. We drove by the little church today. The reception was at my grandparents house which is where this picture was taken.

Crab feast

Memorial Day weekend has come and gone but summer has officially begun! There is no better way to kick off summer than to enjoy some Maryland Crabs with family. Everyone had a great day at Captain Billy's Crab house! Weather was cool and we were able to get a great table outside overlooking the water. Some crabs and a pitcher of beer - doesn't get any better!
Our first dozen!

Zeb is the master picker!

Sara goofing on her brother!

Two more victims to Sara's pranks!