Macro view of my garden

The Olympus digital SLR camera came out of the case to receive some freshly charged batteries and start recording a view of the world or more particularly, my gardens. Today’s excursion outside included photographs of the peach lilies in the pond.

peach lily – August 29, 2021

The way that the lens softened the top of the water just fascinates me. And note the fallen oak leaf sneaking into the photo on the very right edge. Just like fall — getting ready to sneak in here and end our glorious summer.

There are actually two lilies blooming out there, but the light and the angle I had to stand to photo the other one just didn’t work. If I had actually been IN the pond, it would have worked fine. Maybe later this week.

And, the real reason for getting this good camera out and back working was evidenced in the prior post — I wanted to get some good sunset photos at the Cape. Well, it was a bit cloudy there in early evenings the past two weeks and there wasn’t much of a sunset to photograph. But this past Thursday, at the Chirp concert in Ridgefield, the sunset wasn’t bad.

sunset in Ballard Park, Ridgefield, August 26, 2021


Walking the flats — August 23, 2021

One of the most peaceful, squishy, pleasant, awe-inspiring things to do on the Cape.

We headed into Orleans for takeout — took it to First Encounter beach where we “watched” the sunset, or what would have been sunset if the cloud bank had not been so thick. However, it was low tide and you could walk “forever” on the flats or as far as you wanted until the returning tide would chase you in. We walked out a bit – nice to be out away from shore — no mosquitoes out there. This is absolutely one of my most favorite things to do here. It’s something about walking out far enough to turn around a look at shore and be standing where you wouldn’t be able to with the tide fully in.

First Encounter flats after sunset Aug 23, 2021
Hubby on First Encounter Flats August 23, 2021

And hopefully, this is the beginning of a new year. I always make new year’s resolutions on my birthday. Going to try blogging once again — as I enjoy looking back at this electronic scrap book.

Hello. It’s me again

I did read that, during the Coronavirus pandemic, people were turning back to writing and blogging to document their feelings and fears. Apparently, blogging has not captured my intention for over a year now, and sporadically prior to that. So, new year’s resolutions abound in my mind. Not New Years Day, you say? Well, according to the calendar, you are correct dear blog. But in my mind, this is a time of new beginnings and I have never been one for resolutions of change around January 1st anyway. Usually I reserve them for nearer my birthday.

But on this, the first full day of Summer in 2020, I am looking at the recent and not so recent past and am going to write about it. I don’t enjoy re-reading this blog without photos, so tomorrow at the table on the patio, I will hook up my phone and see about adding some photos to this here post! In the mean time, a good night’s sleep is on the agenda for the immediate future.

Quilting — Inspiration

Quilting has been my therapy for the past year. Actually, fondling fabric has been a pastime for quite a few years. But in 2018, after my youngest sister passed away, it became a necessity. When in my quilting studio — whether picking and cleaning up, or organizing, or planning, or actually creating — time just seems to fly by. And my worries and cares recede a bit and things get back into perspective.

Colors and the peace that comes from cutting up fabric and putting it back together again into a quilt top are a necessity.

And I hope to be busy in this studio for quite some time — and have named it “The Beehive” — in much positive contrast to the bomb shelter, or bat cave, as I was referring to it in my mind.

So — some photos for inspiration of works in process in The Beehive.

Drinking Bird – CPQG February guild challenge, will hang in the 2020 show
Marlene’s Block Party
words to live by — prayer flag from March work shop with Judy Coates-Perez
Yankee Quilter BOM – block 1 in test fabrics — LOVE IT!

Spring! At least in New Jersey

So, I’m really allergic to the fragrance that comes from Bradford Pear trees (ornamental tree pictured below). However, they are such a sign of early spring that the sniffles are worth it.

We took a beautiful, short walk with our friends Dave and Jane (and Milo) in one of their suburban parks in the middle of New Jersey. This tree was irresistible on a beautiful, sunny Spring morning. It’s hard to argue with this kind of day.

Spring blooms in New Jersey

Milo was riding shotgun and anxiously looking through the windshield as the park appeared on the horizon. Time for a walk! Time for a walk! Time for a walk!

Looking forward always — to where we are going — is it the park???

Dear Blog — It’s 2019? How have you been?

The last I said “hello” was March of 2018 and I think I vowed to start blogging again. What happened? Well, not much blogging, that’s for sure.

So, I’m going to try again. I loved (at one time) looking back at old posts and photos and also loved the challenge of writing something intelligent, witty, insightful, or just at least grammatically correct. Finding that Facebook is causing my writing and sentence structure to deteriorate, I’m going to see if I can improve on things. Of course, this is going to require me to hook my phone up to ye’olde laptop to transfer photos more often.

Just home from a 3 day quilting retreat, I’m thinking about all the fun times we had, all the sewing I got done, and how interesting it was to spend time with 20 women that I had never (or barely) met before. Should be able to write some interesting thoughts here soon.

In the mean time – to insert a photo has become cumbersome on wordpress, but I’m going to try. — and once again, promise to start writing again.

An old photo of some blocks from Cape Cod Log Cabin, which has actually been finished and sits on my coffee table/trunk in the sitting room during spring months. More to come 🙂

Down in the “pits”

Well, not actually. Not plural, it’s only one “pit”. And down being a physical location rather than metaphorical. We were on the patio tonight by the fire pit with a couple glasses of wine and the song “Smoke Gets In Your Hair” running through my mind.

It’s a beautiful place to be here on this evening, the last one of Spring 2016 as tomorrow is the first day of summer. And full moon is at 7:04 am. Wonder what that congruence will bring for the day. Not sure, but I’m up for it whatever it is.

And up for a return to regular blogging, for now at least. I found myself posting on someone else’s blog tonight that I liked reading hers even though I failed to comment and interact much. I also wrote that I found my blog (only read by Hubby and a bunch of spammers) a form of a scrapbook and one that I really enjoyed reviewing. Then, I proceeded to “review” my online scrapbook and found that I hadn’t been doing much blogging and had no good photos to review. So — promising to rectify the situation, here I am. And here is tonight’s Facebook photo and a couple from my “Scenes from a walk” Facebook post this week.

And I do think I have discovered the problem. Facebook posting has taken the place of my blog, but it’s not presented nearly as well and is not so easy to review. So — lookout blog world, here I come.

Down in the pits
Down in the pits

walking feet
walking feet

Scenes from a walk 6-16-16
Scenes from a walk 6-16-16

Markers of Spring

Yes, spring is here! Spring is (finally) here!
There are indications all over our yard.

The PJM azalea is in bloom. Beautiful purple right outside my kitchen window. I call this my “thermometer plant” as I can tell how cold it is in the winter by how curled up the leaves are. This past winter was really hard on it and leaves and blooms are scarce, but it is still alive

The marsh marigold plants are in full bloom in the pond — beautiful yellow.
The forsythia is solid gold up on the hill and by the driveway.
The daffodils are also in full bloom.

Oh yeah, and I’ve played 2 rounds of golf so far. Lots of bogies, which are good for me. Don’t know where this good golfing is coming from, but not worrying about it too much less it go away. 😉

Yes, at last, spring is finally here

(photos to be added later)

Snow day here — holiday update (1)

Leaning tower of ginger
Leaning tower of ginger

So, it snowed about 2 inches here today and I’m enjoying a day where I don’t have to go anywhere or do anything until tonight.  Decided to do a little blog work and so some postings with reflections on the holidays just past.

This photo is from our day trip to Peddler’s Village in Lahaska, PA with our good friends from Jew Jersey.  There is a gingerbread house contest there every year. One of my favorites from this year is the leaning tower of pisa represented in gingerbread.  And guess what is keeping it from falling down?  A bunch of Santa’s reindeer have joined forces to hold it up from the right side.  There are also several in the sleigh cheering them on.  Close up photos will reveal a strained look on the face of the reindeer who is the bottom of the group holding up the tower and a couple of them in the sleigh with their “arms” raised in cheering.  So cute!

Photo taken on almost the last day of the year (Dec 29).  Where did 2014 go?

Happy New Year!

Yes, it’s time for those resolutions again.  Blogging is among them.
Future post — more info on how running alters time./

It most certainly must, because here we are in 2015 and I haven’t posted since October of 2014.

But life is good.