This & That - July 2016

July began with a get-together of our sons and their families to celebrate two birthdays plus the two we missed in the Spring when the babies were born.  While Olivia June was here I showed her the new bridge in the Enchanted Woods leading to the Faerie door. . . .

Out and About - April 2016

I don't have much to show you even though it was a busy month!  On the 1st we flew to Phoenix for Ken's nephew's wedding.  It was a lovely affair and we got to spend time with several other family members we hadn't seen in awhile.  I captured the sun setting just over Ken's greatniece's head. . . . 

Out and About - January 2016

♫Dream of Flying♫

January started off with my catching my husband's New Year's cold but I used the stay-in-bed time to look through all my collection of artists' journals to see which one I wanted to use to guide me through the year in my drawing challenge.  It soon became clear that Beatrix Potter's characters would be just what I needed.  You can read about that here. . . .

Out and About - December 2015

♫White Christmas♫

I didn't get my White Christmas but because December was unseasonably warm it was nice for our two evening outings.  The first outing was the Frederick Holiday House Tour.  It is held the First Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon in December.  I especially like going to the evening tour because of all the holiday lights. . . .

View Outside My Window - December

♫It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas♫

This is the view outside the bay window in my living room. . . .

Out and About - October 2015

♫Loreena McKennitt♫

October was filled with family time.  Last month, as you will recall, ended with our mini-family reunion when Ken's older brother and his wife came for a visit.  Their RV camper needed a new engine which meant they'd need to stay an extra week.  Well, as things happen, there was a problem with the installation of the new engine which required an extra two weeks to repair.  Thankfully, they were wonderful to have around. ☺︎ The first week it rained a lot so we went to several used book sales.  Finally, we were able to do some more sightseeing.  We took them to the Rural Heritage Museum. . . .

The Brigadoon of Pennsylvania

♫Almost Like Being in Love♫

In the movie, Brigadoon, two American hunters in Scotland stumble upon a village that only appears once every century for a day.  This is so that the village would never be changed or destroyed by the outside world.  October last year I felt we'd stumbled upon such a place in the mountains of north central Pennsylvania when we spent two nights in Eagles Mere, "the village that time forgot," on our way home from my niece's wedding in Connecticut.  I did a post about it called Endless Mountains.  It was a gorgeous Autumn late afternoon when we arrived that Sunday last year.  The next day, however, it rained.  We did not let that deter us from hiking in a nearby State Park.  I knew, though, I needed to come back and explore the lake itself in Eagles Mere.  I'd tried to get my family together for a week last summer, but schedules and rental availability kept that from happening.  So this past Columbus Day weekend we were all able to gather at a house within a short walk of the lake.  Our little home away from home was named Pine Cone Cottage. . . .

Out and About - September 2015

♫Sail Away♫

September has just sailed away from me!  I'm very much a "routine" kind of person, but it seems that the Powers That Be are forcing me to be more flexible.  Here is what I've been doing. . . .As  you can see, our Spruce has not perked up at all this summer.  Behind it are the wild turkeys that have been visiting off and on for a few weeks now. . . .

Out and About - August 2015

♫For Everything There Is A Season♫

August has been all about getting ready for the Maryland Chapter of the Tasha Tudor Museum Society's Tasha Tudor 100th Birthday Celebration on the 28th.  Even my View Outside My Window post was about my plans for the upcoming celebration.  

We've been needing a new roof put on the house so we scheduled it on the 10th to get that out of the way. . . . 

Out and About - July 2015

♫Can't Help Falling In Love♫

We did a lot this month that I didn't photograph so I don't have much to show you.    But this is what I do have.....a visit to Brookside Gardens where we went in the Butterfly house. . . .

Out and About - February 2015

♫Vivaldi's Winter♫

February is a short month, but I think it's been the longest month on record for me.  It's the month of our youngest's birthday, our anniversary, and Valentine's Day.  I needed to have some dental work done, but that was all that was on our agenda.  The month started off quietly enough as I finished preparations for my Tasha Tudor gathering on the 5th.  We made Sparrow Post boxes and Valentines. . . . .

View Outside My Kitchen Window - November

♫Thanksgiving♫

November is synonymous with Thanksgiving.  It's when we turn our thoughts to getting together with family.  When I was a young child we'd always go to my Mamaw and Papaw's farm for Thanksgiving.  I remember going down the gravel road a few miles to pick out our live turkey from another farm.  Then we moved north when I was 11 and we'd sometimes go to my grandmother and grandfather's house but more than likely my mother hosted Thanksgiving.  Now that I think about it, I wonder why we didn't go to my mother's mother's on Thanksgiving like we did my father's mother.  I can't ask my mother because she's been gone now 20 years just after Thanksgiving that year, but this year her death date falls on Thanksgiving.  This is what I've been thinking about while looking at the view outside my kitchen window this month. . . . .

Out and About - November

♫Music♫

We'd been saving our day trip on the back roads to Gettysburg until it was warm enough to put the top down on the Roadster.  The clouds were finally moving on out of the area....

Plumb Nilly

♫18th Century Music♫

We recently celebrated our 44th wedding anniversary by treating our sons and daughters-in-law to a long weekend in a rental outside of Philadelphia called Plumb Nilly....

Built in 1736 by a Welsh farmer, it was added onto at some later date and totally renovated in the 1920's by architect, R. Brognard Okie, who had also overhauled William Penn's estate, Pennsbury Manor.

My purpose in choosing such a place was because my 5th great-grandfather lived in and around the Philadelphia area from 1740 to 1780.  I have located the three properties where he lived, but only one house remains standing and that one is in Chester County not too far from Plumb Nilly....

It has been expanded onto, like Plumb Nilly, and the oldest part, where he lived, now houses a country post office.  Several years ago I was able to stand inside and experience, for a moment, where my predecessors had lived from 1751 to 1780.  This was especially important to me because for the past 20 years I've been researching and writing the stories of my father's ancestors.  When you think about it, each generation is affected in some way by the previous generation.  There is a common thread that may run through families beyond DNA.  So I was thrilled to celebrate the continuity of our family in such a setting.  

I began the weekend by giving each of our offspring a mug with our picture on it--a photo taken in the 1970's before we started our family....

Since our anniversary is the day after Valentine's Day I chose this for the other side of the cup because it looked like a Family Tree.  I loved that the hearts represented the love we have for one another....





I spent a lot of time just sitting in the various rooms in the 4-story house....absorbing its history--all the families that have come and gone.  Sometimes all we may leave behind for future generations are the houses we lived our lives in, but that is enough if love was shared in those houses with those who lived and visited there.  

Here are some more photos of Plumb Nilly....

This entrance leads into a cozy den with fireplace

This is the entrance to the second floor that we used

That's the door we entered...behind the stairs are the stairs to the first floor kitchen/dining room

That's the door at the bottom of the stairs into the dining room

I absolutely LOVED this room and wished I could transport it to my house

Back up to the 2nd floor.  That's the view into the formal living room

This formal room was bright and cheery

Up the stairs to the 3rd floor bedrooms

This bedroom had its own bath

Back out in the hall to reach the Master bedroom around the corner

I came home and hung curtains on my 4-poster bed

This is the sitting room in the Master bedroom--there is a working fireplace just to the right

To reach the 4th floor bedrooms you had to open an attic door and climb some very steep stairs

Here is the other 4th-floor bedroom--there is a bathroom on this floor as well

Back down the stairs....

To that cozy den with the fireplace where we kept a fire burning each night

Adjacent to the den was another sitting room

It also contained a working fireplace

Plumb Nilly has been the summer home for a lovely lady from NYC for the past 28 years, but now it is up for sale because her family has grown up and find little time to come "home".  Another family will take their place, add their stories, share their love.  I felt privileged to spend a few days and nights there.  Thank you, Etan.  It was such a pleasure to meet you and to spend some time in your lovely home-away-from home.

Freedom

♫Ocean Waves♫

♫"Wind" by Brian Crain♫

Yesterday was Memorial Day.  This holiday is meant to honor those who gave their lives so that we might be free from tyranny.  We spent the long holiday weekend at a beautiful beach house on the Chesapeake Bay in Scotland, Maryland, with our grown children and their spouses.  The breeze off the Bay brought the cooling wind and the soothing sound of the waves.  Here are some photos that capture the feel of our lovely experience.  If you haven't already, click on both songs above so you'll get the full experience:

The back of the house from the driveway leading to our little bit of paradise

A side view

This is the front facing the bay

Our view of the Bay from the 3rd floor living room 

And the view from the side of the pond behind

Looking down the stairwell from the sitting area of the 4th floor master suite 

The view from the 3rd floor

The rest of the front view from the 3rd floor 

The view from the side toward the beach--Point Lookout State Park is in the far distance--the former site of a fort built by Confederate prisoners of war

And the rest of the view from the side toward the pond

Our first morning's sunrise!

Even Gabriel is captivated by the views

And here it comes....the sun!

The sunrise from the outside dining porch on the 3rd floor

There I am reading my morning devotionals from our 4th floor bedroom porch

The view of the pond from the 4th floor balcony off the back of the house

This bird is at the top of one of the pine trees

Some of our crew are taking the kayaks out

Meanwhile we take Gabriel for a walk on the beach

One of his discoveries

Our kayakers are heading up the shoreline to an estuary

A walk along the shoreline brought this interesting scene

This is where the estuary empties into the Bay

An Osprey on an abandoned pier

A lone Daylily 

One of the crabs they caught in the estuary

Our last evening we built a campfire and made Smores.  Ah.......

When we were younger we never dreamed we'd ever be able to spend a long weekend in such a beautiful place.  The years of just getting by, the unexpected expenses along the way....but wise investments, and steady work have afforded us special moments like this in our retirement.  We're more than grateful for these moments and being able to share them with our family only makes me even more appreciative of all that we've been given in the way of opportunities to build a life we cherish. 

This is what true freedom is all about--being given a chance to live your life to the fullest.  Thank you to the many who have sacrificed their lives and to all those who loved them so that we may have this freedom.