luluBy now I usually have changed things around to reflect fall, but somehow time has passed and summer slipcovers are still in place. We will be leaving this house soon, so I see no reason to struggle with putting fall slips on. Call me lazy, but leaving the sofa and chairs as is will make the spring return easier.
That being said, I can add some little touches to make it look a little more like fall. The easiest change is pillows.
They are a simple and inexpensive way to give chairs and sofas a new look.
Textiles add warmth and color to any room, and I use them at every opportunity. Here a crazy quilt with rich colors and sheaves of wheat in its design becomes a table topper.
A shawl woven in fall colors is handy should anyone want to cozy up to the fire.
Nature provides some little touches. Apples are in season and hydrangeas are cut and drying nicely. Both are great for table tops.
Oh, and let’s not forget about pumpkins and gourds which are my favorite symbols of fall.
Inside or out, you can never have too many.
With a fire burning brightly, there is no question that it is fall with or without little touches!
i so appreciate your visit and the comments you leave behind
Having lived most of my youth in Florida and most of my adult life in Houston, fall in Maine is a new season to me even after 16 years.
Even after stocking up on pumpkins and gourds, if I see someone on the side of the road selling them I can’t resist stopping for one or two more.
In my neighborhood, I pass this tree daily, and it is always the first indication I see that fall is really here. It shows its coat of many colors early, but it seems to lose it when other trees are just turning.
On beautiful fall days, I enjoy getting in the car and with no destination in mind heading out with my camera to see what else is happening with the change of season. In the rural areas, grass is bundled for winter livestock feed
and wood is piled to keep those winter fires burning.
Expanses of wild blueberry fields have turned crimson
and ponds and lakes reflect the color on their banks.
Driving down any road reveals beauty that in its splendor reveals that God is, indeed, a master artist and my heart fills with gratitude.
Who knows how many more years Maine will be my part time home, but however long that is, I doubt I will tire of fall and the drama of its colors and textures.
What used to be a softball field has been converted to gardens and greenhouses where seasonal produce provides most of the ingredients for the meal.
One greenhouse serves as a dining hall where long tables and mismatched chairs are set up for forty guests.
The table decor, candles and simple arrangements of flowers in bottles, is just my style.
The menu features what is in season and no two are the same which makes eating there a real treat.
With it comes a beautiful salad topped with an array of edible flowers.
Finishing the main course is a perfectly roasted combination of seasonal vegetables.
By the time dessert comes, there’s scarcely any room for it, but there are 40 smiling faces around the table!
It’s that time of year when boating is all but over. Pipe Dreams is put away for the season leaving only the kayak for a last outing. No matter how many times I paddle Rockport Harbor it’s always different. This time I want to take it all in as what I see will be stored in my head as memories for winter.
The tide is low which fully exposes the seaweed attached to the rocks. Its texture reminds me of a witch’s hair, appropriate, I guess, as it’s that time of year.
Until I spotted some movement, I completely missed the ducks marching across the rocks. What a perfect blend!
Sailboats line the mouth of the harbor waiting their turn to be hauled out and stored until next season. All of these boats are familiar as they’ve passed by my windows many times during the summer.
The schooner Heron is heading out to Penobscot Bay with a full load of passengers. She, too, will soon be gone as she goes south for the winter.
All the lobster boats are in for the day. 
The last one has just unloaded its haul and the truck is ready to pull away with its bounty. Boy, I’ll miss that easy access to lobster!
Now on the other side of the harbor it makes me smile to see people enjoying a beautiful afternoon. With cold weather coming, folks take advantage of every opportunity to be outside beneath a warm sun.
Passing this boat reminds me of fun summer dinners and afternoon of mahjong. Talk about a great place to have people gather!
I’m not the only one out taking advantage of sunshine and blue sky. There are other kayakers,
a paddle boarder braving the cooling water
and someone capturing her own images of this beautiful place.
As I turn and head home, I pass a loon which is a most unusual sight on the harbor as loons tend to be more common around fresh water. I wonder if this evening we will hear its mournful calls or if it will have found its way back to more familiar environs.
I see home drawing near, and I think one more time how lucky I am to spend time in this wonderful place. I am happy to have you share it with me.
The most recent dinner was a visual treat. The delicately designed dishes are quite old, a memory of the hostess’s mother.
Without question, they made a lovely setting when combined with silver and glass.
Playing off the pale green in the pattern, the hostess found the perfect linen tablecloth and napkins. All together the look was quite elegant at the same time warm and friendly.
A few days before our gathering a storm blew through that flattened many of the small blooming things. The hostess was clever enough to see that her damaged flowers perfectly matched the colors in the china, so, voila, a just right centerpiece made in a silver bowl.
So there would not be question about where each person sat, there were name tags directing us to our place. That is always a thoughtful gesture.
The first course, a zucchini mold, happened to be my assignment. It was something with which none of us were familiar, so we all experienced a new taste treat. Not only was it tasty, it was easy to prepare which makes it worthy of making again as it gives a whole new way of presenting zucchini.
A few years ago when a friend purchased the property, this was 29 unkempt acres with little more than a barn. The plan, he announced, was to create a horse farm. Thoughtful, yes, because his wife’s favorite pastime is riding, but it occurred to me the fantasy was a little crazy because these two people have their hands full. Besides, I hadn’t noticed that many people rode horses around here.
Land has been cleared to create wooded riding trails, and new pens give horses a place to frolic and enjoy being outside.
The barn is updated and every stall is occupied by beautiful animals that are well groomed and spoiled with attention.
There is an indoor arena which makes riding in any weather possible.
One of the unique features at Pepper Hill is its stable of Icelandic horses.
Their smaller frame makes them the perfect horse for children learning to ride.
The Icelandic also has become a popular choice for adults as it has a pleasing diversity of gaits.
What is wonderful about Pepper Hill is that it gives positive proof that fantasy can become reality though making it happen requires considerable effort.
Here, much of that effort can be attributed to the hubby who spent hours clearing, building and sweating. Sometimes I wonder when he sleeps!
I was on some country road miles from Rockport when I saw this sign. I couldn’t imagine a winery in such an isolated area, and that was reason enough to find it.
Following the sign to the entrance, I was stopped in my tracks, first by a model train running through a field of lavender
and then by the panoramic view unfolding over fields and hills. Once again I was stuck by the beauty that defines Maine.
Inside, barrels were filled with wine waiting to be bottled.
Close by was a bright copper vat that reminded me of something out of Alice in Wonderland but is used for making gin. Interestingly, Maine is one of the few, if not the only, state where spirits can be tasted, so I couldn’t resist sampling. The hubby and I do enjoy a good martini, and my thinking was this might be a new gin for us to try.
In addition to tasting, it was interesting to peruse the list of gins posted with their ingredients. While similar in some respects, juniper berries appear to be the only one they all have in common.
