Warm and sunny...for the moment!

It is really warm and sunny at the moment. It feels like summer.  We have been to NY state, MA, VT and all around CT.  I will share some photos with you.

That big Vermont sky is always such  a joy to behold. 

Peaceful, quiet, lovely....

Cambridge, New York,

a very special place...

Lunch in Noank , CT,

4th of July

with a water view!

Let's not forget..

 home sweet home..

the deck on the back of the house!

And a few things were made by me...

and swapped

So far, so good.  The weather has had its extremes but it is a far cry from all of that snow of the winter!  Have been contemplating summer. While we all like photos and videos of people having fun, it seems to me that is frequently a season for the young.  My beach days are in the past.  I do miss long summers with kids home in the days before electronic devices...picnic lunches, using the sprinkler to cool off, reading endless novels, trips to Maine and a  big garden that needed attending. 

Home the summer is treating you well..

that fireflies and butterflies come by to visit! 

Until next time,

enjoy the day!

Another visit to Vermont...

It was so nice this past weekend.  Good weather called to us and off we went to Vermont. The temperature was unusually warm and flowers and trees were blooming everywhere though ski trails still had snow on them.


There are two Vermont Country Store and we visited the original one in Weston.  We were there  early before the crowd rolled in and walked around the green.  (For those of you who don't live in New England, the green is the common spot in most towns where churches and meeting houses were established. It originated in England.)

As you can see, leaves are still not out on a lot of trees but we are getting there!  This building is located right off the green.

This is the actual green itself.

Of course, it would not be Vermont without  a moose of some sort.  This one has turned a bit green and it definitely goofy.  Inside?  The most delicious fudge for sale one could ever imagine!

In our yard the leaves are almost out on the trees, the birds are singing (sometimes too loudly in the middle of the night!) and a family of raccoons spent a few hours luring a child down from the neighbor's tree...right outside our kitchens window.

They tried "talking" and that didn't work so they stretched out and waited...

As it turned out, one of the adult raccoons finally went up and shooed the baby down the tree.  It was happily curled up sleeping and yawning.  It was totally entertainment to watch. Little kids are the same all over!

Now it is almost the weekend again.  Time has been flying!  Hope your time has been flying happily!

Until later,

as always,

enjoy the day!

Lingering snow...

It's March but still not very spring-like in Southern New England.  

We were off to Vermont this past weekend and there is plenty of lingering snow.  Do you like the catalogs from the Vermont Country Store?   We like to visit it when we are in the area. In fact, we visit both of  the store locations.  This is the store in Weston, Vermont.

We find winter and winter skies to be beautiful.  There is hardly a place in New England that doesn't have its own charm.  The skies in Vermont never disappoint in any season.  Can you see the ski trails on the mountain in the horizon?

I actually saw one lone Beltie dining with friends!

Gradually, we are seeing a little warmth and melting in CT.  We still have a long way to go. Two years ago it was in the 70's this week. As it turns out we have the fifth coldest March since recorded weather history stated in 1905.

Meanwhile  "back at the ranch" life goes on as usual. Have made a lot of art lately but haven't taken a lot of photos.  Here are some recent paper projects.

The house is made from scrap lumber wooden blocks that have been sanded, collaged and painted.  The houses appeared on the cover of Cloth Paper Scissors magazine a few months ago with instructions.  There is a little collage and mixed piece on canvas...and some paper feathers.  All of these things are so inexpensive to make. The feathers are made from brown paper bags.  The paint is acrylic and/or watercolor.  If you want to make paper feathers, there are lots of tutorials on line. You can see that I am enjoying this color palette right now!

I did cook corned beef...a traditional New England boiled dinner as it is sometimes called.  It was quite yummy!  Did you celebrate?

Onward to spring! Officially it will be here in a few days!  To my friends who celebrate new year now, wishing you a very happy holiday.   I am very happy to turn to some spring and Easter now. How about you?

As always,

enjoy the day!

Beautiful Vermont...

We have had some really nice weather lately.  The open road was calling... so we drifted north to Vermont.  We ended up in Chester and then on to Weston.  We are not skiers but we love seeing the ski trails on the mountains.  And there is no sky quite like a Vermont sky in mind-winter.

A trip to the Vermont Country Store...

 It's always so cozy inside!

I could look at the sky forever....

It was a relaxing day...

some antiquing...some dining out.

Meanwhile, back here in Connecticut, it has turned bitter cold. It is the same cold front that is chilling a great portion of  country.  Some places have a lot of snow but we just had a dusting...enough to make it clean and pretty for the moment.

Here were are more than halfway through January. It is just me or does Christmas seem long ago?  Yet, there are still many lights and decorations to remind us it was less than one month ago.

Valentine's Day... St. Patrick's Day... and Easter goods have all appeared in the stores around here... though all seem far away to me at the moment.

How is the weather treating you?  I am grateful for warmth and coziness!  Remember my pledge to draw something every day?  So far so good...

Stay warm!

Enjoy the day!

Into the fall...

School has started here and Labor Day has come and gone. (Wishing that fall weather had arrived... but it hasn't.) It's humid and warm and the a/c is on...unheard of in September here and very warm for kids back to school.

We had one cooler day over

 the weekend so we started out from home 

 in good weather for Vermont...

the front of our home

wearing its summer clothes!

We visited many places but one was the

 Vermont Country Store in Weston.

The store was very busy 

but I waited for a quiet moment 

to take this photo

because I respect the fact 

not everyone wants to be photographed

and on display.

 Candy anyone? 

 Oh, the pumpkin fudge is good! 

We sampled cheese and crackers...

dips and chips...

and tiny delicious cookies!

We indulged in maple ice cream 

before we left the store.

The Hoosier  makes a 

fabulous addition to 

outdoor dining areas!

 

 The next day we were in NY state...and northern CT.

It was warmer than the previous day

but sill quite lovely!

On one quiet town green

this polka dotted car was parked in front 

of an old building. Have no idea why...

but it was quite a contrast.

Now it is time for another weekend but it also the beginning of soccer season for our grands.  We will travel to the games but not at such a leisurely pace. We love fall and winter in New England so we are looking forward to these games and being outdoors.

Are you having a good week?  I am looking forward to the fall more than ever after such a hot summer.  Ready to stop eating summer food and start making soup...I put away my white Capris and pants...I am old fashioned that way.

Still need sandals and shorts though...for now!  Wishing you a happy weekend. As always,

enjoy the day!

Beautiful Bennington...

Every so often we wander up to Vermont and visit some of our favorite towns. One of them is Bennington. It's still vibrant, still very arty, and very much steeped in history.

As one approaches from various locales,  a large monument commands the landscape. We always wanted to see exactly where it was and so we did!

Historical homes line the road up to the monument and it is like stepping back in time.

There are wonderful shops and galleries in the old business section of town.  Couldn't help
but stop to get a photo of a dragon bicycle in front of a gallery.

It was a perfect day for looking in antique shops and to have lunch along the way. Trees and flowers are blooming way to early but  so beautiful to see!

On another note, a friend and I are exchanging  prayer flags to put outdoors and let fade as they wave in the wind. They have messages on them but they don't show up in the photos. Paper messages are great as they can disintegrate and be assimilated into the environment.

The one above is made from a piece of an old quilt that I bought many years ago at a tag sale that was filled with holes and ripped and tattered. . I have made so many things from the salvaged part of it and still have some left...as well as a doll blanket I made...a very up-cycled quilt.

Lots of old stuff in the ones above.  These are smaller-- 5" x 8'.  I will have to take photos after the summer sun and weather alters them.

The weekend is here again...and it is Friday the 13th, one of three that will happen in 2012.

Have a lucky day,

a happy weekend, 

 and enjoy the day!

A most enjoyable place...pottery, fiber, and art....

We have been passing this treasure for years and years and never stopped in. In fact, we looked at it, and didn't know it was there.  When I saw that Salley Mavor's work would be featured, we were able to make it up there to see the show. The Brattleboro Museum and Art Center is just a wonderful place!

The large pottery pieces outdoors are part of the sculpture gardens' "Monumental Vessels" by Stephen Proctor.  If you click on his name you can many more examples of his work.

 Located in an old train depot, were pleasantly surprised to see so much wonderful work in such a little jewel box of a gallery!  Please forgive some of my photography. I followed the "no flash" policy and therefore some of them are grainy.

Salley Mavor's work is in what must have been a ticket office.  What a wonderful spot, filled with light.  If you click on my link you can see where other exhibitions will be.   Salley's impeccable work is even more wonderful in person than through photos.

This is what you see 

 when you first enter the museum...

The fiber art is by Tim Seger.

Onward to the work that took away my breath by artist Cathy Osman.  These large and wondrous collages of paint, sewing patterns, and paper resonate with me on a deep level.

The pottery installations were superb...including the pottery installed on the ceiling in a hallway.

Work by Martina Landman

I could not resist taking a photo of the sink in the restroom...I would love a sink like this!

There was another very special exhibit which I will show you in another post...children's art and how glass makers interpreted it.

On different note, we are enjoying spring weather in early February in Southern New England.  It's strange... but wonderful weather. I hope winter is treating you well, though I know that is brutal in Europe right now.


As always,

Enjoy the day!