Backyard Bliss

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me,

fluttering from the autumn tree."

Emily Bronte

We've all seen this quote.

Many times.

On many memes.

This fall I have discovered something new about this seasonal bliss....

When the leaves are speaking to you

from your very own back yard,

the bliss-full, autumn tales

are even more melodious.

And soothing.

And mesmerizing.

I have

{literally}

spent hours watching the leaves change

and float

and dance

and frolic

across my {did I mention this?} very own back yard!

Joining Tamar and Lisa

Telling Stories

Do you want to know my favorite things about visiting museums?

Well, it's not all the old, historical stuff.

Though these signs and water-can back packs are pretty cool.

My favorite part is meeting the story tellers.

Listening and learning from those that have gone before,

and those who have learned from those who have gone before.

The passion they hold for the stories they tell,

and the touching details they share never fail to move me.

This was the old Salem fire house decked out for Salem Fest, and the chief told us wonderful stories that day.

Linking up with

The Good. The Random. The Fun.

Wednesday's Around the World

and

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

Museum Reflections

A small journey back in time

always stirs my heart

and sharpens my reflection.

{Town History Museum, Salem Town Hall, Salem, NH}

Sharing with

Little Things

and

Weekend Reflections

Salem Fest

It was festival day in my new little home town on Saturday.

All the historic buildings were open

and my daughter and I had a nice wander

back through the ages.

This old building was a schoolhouse from 1861-1895

and the town library from 1895-1966.

Stay tuned through the week for more town history!

Joining Tamar for some

Good. Random. Fun.

Maritime Reflections

Just a girl and her camera

{and her iPhone camera}

on a ferry ride to Martha's Vineyard.

When we got onto the ferry, the fog cover was thick,

but the sun quickly burned it away

and we were treated to a perfect-blue-sky kinda day!

My favorite sight during the short journey was the sailboats against the horizon.

I was particularly pleased to catch their reflection in the ferry windows!

Enjoy the weekend folks!

Joining James for

Weekend Reflections

ZBB

Last night was one of those perfect summer nights.

Just warm enough.

Ever so slightly breezy.

And I found myself on Yawkee way, standing in front of the ticket office,

basking in the glow of one of my favorite Boston landmarks.

I was at Fenway!

The big news is, however, that I was NOT there for a Red Sox Game...

Nope.

I was there to see the Zac Brown Band!

This is a pretty big deal for me.

If you add up all the concerts I've seen in my life,

including last night's,

the total would be less than ten.

For real.

You see, 

I really really really really really really

don't like crowds.

In a "breathing-gets-shallow-nauseous-loose-my-knees" kinda way.

So I have to really really really really want to be somewhere for me to brave a crowd.

Like at a Sox game.

Or, as it turns out, at a Zac Brown concert!

Just my luck,

the place was at capacity.

Set a record, in fact!

Largest crowd in the history of Fenway!

Oh my!

It's a good thing the concert was amazing,

cause the 20  minutes it took to exit the park were not.

Good news is,

I lived to tell the story!

Incredible sky.

Spectacular light show!

A fiddler I could listen to forever.

Iconic park.

Thousands of little lights.

This guy.

Such a voice.

So much guitar!

And turns out, he's a mush! Full of feeling!

The silhouette.

With the hat.

I think this is my favorite shot - the crowd illuminated, the stage, the silhouette.

Gotta love iPhones.

No big girl cameras allowed!

And,

for the encore,

out he came in a Sox cap.

Stellar.

This was one AMAZING night!

Joining Tamar today

Stillness

fire engine red

you caught my eye

tip toe i did

had to try and try

until still you stayed

and let me near

thank you little creature

who i hold dear

Joining Tamar for Little Things

Hashtag

#TGIF

#BeautifulDayInTheNeighborhood

#ObsessedWithReflections

#CottonCandySky

#WhyOhWhyAmIStuckInAnOffice

#HappyWeekendEveryone

Joining James for Weekend Reflections

Regatta Reflections

Several weeks ago I journeyed further north in my new home state to a town called Hookset. The daughter of a good friend (who lives in Maine) was in a regatta and I used the race as an excuse to do a little exploring and to hang out with my friend! It was a picture perfect day, and we thouroughly enjoyed our time along the banks of the Merrimack River.

In order to keep boats from rambling too close to a dam/waterfall/power plant, these delightfully orange floating balls were strung all the way across the river. I couldn't help but be attracted to the reflection they made on top of the water!

Once at the boating club, I enjoyed watching the hustle and bustle that comes with readying the shells and getting them, the oars and the rowers on to the river. Truth be told, the travel, unloading, prep and re-loading take considerably longer than the race itself! My camera lens and I were, of course, on the look out for reflections the entire time!

My friend's daughter is the one with the pretty smile, not the one reflected in the shiny boat! It was really fun to get to watch her do what she so enjoys!

"Rivers know this:

There is no hurry.

We shall get there someday."

A. A. Milne

Linking with Kim for
Little Things Thursday

Joining James for

Weekend Reflections

Good. Random. Fun {Weeks 20 & 21}

These last few weeks have centered around two things:

Finishing up some of the last unpacking minutia

and

beginning to explore the area.

I have two old printer's trays...one for nick-nacks and one for jewelry.

I could unpack two whole rooms in the time it took me to

hang, unwrap, clean off and re-fill these two "antiques" ...

good thing I love the end result so much!

We've also begun to buy a few house plants ~ the 'finishing touch' for this otherwise empty corner of the main room.

The peach hibiscus we bought has NOT disappointed!

So many blooms already!

One of the funniest, most random and unexpected thing we've discovered at our place

is the nightly frog serenade!

I will try and get a recording that I can upload - I mean they are SO LOUD we can hear them

with the windows closed and the television on...ribbit!

I have had tons of fun beginning to explore my area.

The history is rich and I look forward to many new discoveries!

This past weekend we had our first official {non-family} dinner guests.

My boss and his wife...friends for more years than we'd like to admit...hung out Saturday night.

When the realtor first asked me to describe what I wanted in a house,

I told her that I was hoping we'd find a gathering place.

A place where family and friends are always welcome.

I so loved fixing dinner and getting everything ready for our friends...

This place is made for parties!!

Linking up with The Good. The Random. The Fun. and Life Through the Lens