Early morning in Bar Harbor

Taken at sunrise while driving through town on the last day of our vacation, and on our way home to Maryland. The sun was sparkling on the water and lighting up the painted shops along Main Street. West Street is ahead; Bar Island in the distance. This is the time of day that I like the most in this town - when it's quiet and very early, and the streets are freshly scrubbed from the prior day's onslaught of tourists.

View from Jordan Pond House, Maine

Lunch was delicious, and diners have been enjoying the meals here since the late 1800's. To think I'd never been there before, in all the years I've been going to Maine. For more info, check out the link below.

Jordan Pond House

Zinnia love

No matter the weather here in Maryland, be it drought or deluge, the zinnias in the side yard by the patio never fail to delight me.

Schoodic fog

It's been nearly two years since I've posted in this space and I have no idea why I'm doing so now. It's hot, it's difficult being outside, and I've been going through photos of my recent trip to Maine and just felt like sharing. This isn't my favorite photo from the trip by any means, but am posted it because that's a huge rock-shelf there at the edge of the island, and the waves were almost to the top of it. The curl adds a nice touch, too.

Weekly dose of George: Reflecting

Here is George, who seems to be reflecting on the passing of the old year and the coming of the new. But really, he's scanning the horizon for squirrels who would dare trespass on his territory.
Florabella's retro vintage action coupled with Kim Klassen's October layers texture. Found a cool texture tutorial here, at Shadowhouse Creations. A little different from my normal way of applying, and very interesting.

There's a kind of hush all over the world

Taken this week while visiting NYC. Merry Christmas, all!

Pink skies in the evening

After taking shots of the full moon last night, I turned around and was rewarded with a sky full of beautiful pink tinted clouds. It made me smile.
Thinking of changing the name of this blog to a Picture a Week. I just can't keep up with things sometimes . . .

Mosaic Monday - Leaves

Taken over the past week. I love autumn.

Visit my friend, Mary, at Little Red House, where she hosts a weekly meme theme called Mosaic Monday.

Birds at feeder

An entire week has gone by without a post. Shame on me for neglecting this blog. Here are some birds at our kitchen window feeder over the weekend. Shot using a borrowed Nikon 105mm macro lens. Kim Klassen texture.

Weekly dose of George

Here he is at his master's feet after a rousing game of fetch the giant stick, followed by frisbee catch. Today my husband told me this story: George had fallen asleep in the grass under the warm sun after a big walk. My husband watched as eventually, squirrels were coming closer and closer to him. One got as close as three feet away, when George startled. He saw the squirrel near him and jumped up, chasing him into a tree which he stared at for quite awhile and eventually fell back to sleep.
That's about as exciting as it gets around these parts, folks. And I like it that way.

Chickadee at feeder

Taken in the yard this afternoon on a pleasant October day. I just love this color. Have a wonderful Monday, all!

Magical light

I thought this pair of silver and wood salt & pepper shakers were gorgeous enough to merit a photograph.
Taken on our table at the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia over the weekend.

Cappuccino at the Four Seasons

In Philadelphia on a Saturday night.
Fun. Fun. Fun.

Captive on the carousel of time

And the seasons, they go round and round.
This just happens to be my favorite, is all. Have a beautiful weekend.

Hot cocoa before bed

It's chilly in the house but we're liking it, especially after the summer we've had. The hot chocolate helps to keep warm. And it's good for your soul.

Virginia creeper berries

From Wikipedia: Virginia creeper (or five-leaved ivy) is grown as an ornamental plant, because of its deep red to burgundy fall foliage. It is frequently seen covering telephone poles or trees. The creeper may kill vegetation it covers by shading its support and thus limiting the supporting plants' ability to photosynthesize.

Virginia creeper can be used as a shading vine for buildings on masonry walls. Because the vine, like its relative Boston ivy, adheres to the surface by disks rather than penetrating roots, it will not harm the masonry but will keep a building cooler by shading the wall surface during the summer, saving money on air conditioning. As with ivy, trying to rip the plant from the wall will damage the surface; but if the plant is first killed, such as by severing the vine from the root, the adhesive pads will eventually deteriorate and release their grip.

Native Americans used the plant as an herbal remedy for diarrhea, difficult urination, swelling, and lockjaw.

Also known as "Engelmann's Ivy" in Canada.

I just loved the color. And gee! You learn something new every day, right?

Late September afternoon

Taken late Saturday afternoon, after a long day devoted to housekeeping. It was quite warm and the sky was full of purple martins and dragonflies who were eating all the recently-hatched bugs. Truly magnificent although very difficult to capture.
That's George at the bottom of the dogwood tree. Hanging on it towards the bottom is one of my husband's contraptions. I don't even say anything anymore. Whatever he wants is fine with me and if it's his heart's desire to put an old windowbox planter on the trunk of a tree and fill it with moss and birdseed, well have at it, I say. It's not like the style police will be visiting anytime soon.

Dragonfly Tree

This photo was taken this summer by my friend, Alisa.
It was a hot day and she and her family were visiting Assateague National Park on the coast of Maryland when this stunning scene presented itself to her.
It was a barren tree that was completely covered with dragonflies! I love it.

Mosaic Monday: Caterpillars

I love making mosaics but have been rather lax lately mostly due to the fact that I have two blogs, a full-time job, books to read, scarves to knit, and little time to visit everyone. It's a vicious cycle but still, I do enjoy making these.
Hope you aren't squeamish about bugs! For more (bugless, I'm sure) mosaics of all sorts, please visit my friend, Mary, at Little Red House where she hosts a weekly meme theme called Mosaic Monday.

Shrimp & Pesto Pizza

This is an extremely simple dish to make that packs a big wow. A co-worker had given me a jar of fresh pesto and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. I made it today because we were having company for the afternoon.

SHRIMP & PESTO PIZZA
1 pizza shell (Boboli brand or similar. I used Culinary Circle Multigrain Stone-Cooked Pizza shell)
about 1/2 cup pesto (mine didn't contain parmesan cheese, hence the next ingredient)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
doz. cooked shrimp, cut into bite-sized pieces (I used mine whole)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
sprinkle of Old Bay
sprinkle of basil

Preheat oven to 400 deg. Spread pesto on pizza shell. Grate parmesan cheese on top, then add shrimp. Sprinkle shrimp lightly with Old Bay seasoning and the basil. Top pie with grated mozzarella cheese. Go ahead and grate any leftover parmesan on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes until cheese melts and bread is crispy.