If you’ve followed along for a while, you know that my life is split between Maine and Houston. I enjoy both places, but transitioning into Houston does have its challenges.
There are some highlights, including coming home to the house I love.
The first few minutes are spent wandering from room to room reacquainting myself with each one.
Even before bags are unpacked, I go to buy foodstuffs. Now, that is one of the joys of being in Houston. Costco and Trader Joe’s are just a few minutes away as well as a grocery store that has everything and then some. Between the three the pantry is well stocked and bunches of flowers make it seem like home.
Now for the hard part. Compared to Rockport, Houston is a behemoth! What that means is traffic, lots of it. Already I’ve had to do some freeway driving and after traveling mostly two lane roads for the last few months, six lanes of cars moving at fast speeds is a trifle scary.
Houston has been home for many years, and I do have good friends here that I am anxious to see. I appreciate the amenities this big city offers, but I miss the simple life and the natural beauty in Maine. Heck, I even miss shopping at TJ Maxx!
I especially miss opening my eyes every morning and looking out to see how Rockport Harbor is welcoming the day. Here, when I turn my head all I see is the wooden fence that separates us from the neighbors.
Oh well, it’s a good life and I am very grateful for all that each place affords.
i so appreciate your visit and the comments you leave behind
Folks are often surprised to learn that right on Maine’s midcoast is a Snow Bowl where from December thru spring there is skiing on Ragged Mountain.
The runs aren’t real long, but neither are the lines so a diehard skier can get his fill in a day.
There’s no snow this time of year, but on October Sundays one can take the chairlifts up the mountain.
Except for the fact that it got colder and colder as we went up the mountain and our hands turned to ice, it was a glorious experience. Ordinarily, leaves have gone by but thanks to a warm, dry summer they are at their best late into October.
I could only marvel at the beauty as we went higher and higher.
At the top of the mountain, one can see forever.
What is astonishing is the view of Penobscot Bay and the many islands that dot it. How many places can you think of where it is possible to ski while looking out onto the water?
It’s not just humans that enjoy being on the mountain! Here, there is ample opportunity for everyone to find something to enjoy.
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!
Like many of you, I’m crazy about hydrangeas, and here in Maine one variety or another blooms from spring until late fall.
The first to appear is the climbing variety. It does tend to take over if not groomed which makes my hubby crazy. If I don’t keep a watchful eye, he will attack with a vengeance tearing them away from whatever they’ve attached themselves to.
A favorite is the lace cap which starts blooming in late June and is still lovely as it fades away in September. These were almost lost as they were in the path of construction, but I dug them up hoping to save them until they could be relocated. Now there is a bumper crop!
This full bodied bloom changes from white to lime as it matures. It reminds me of my great grandmother’s house where outside the window of her living room was a hydrangea with blooms as big as my head. We called them snowballs and that is how I continue to think of this lovely.
Late August the hydrangea trees begin to show off cone shaped blooms that are first white and then turn to beautiful pink tones. 
When they have turned, it is a great time for gathering stems to dry for use in lovely arrangements.
How lucky am I to be surrounded by all this beauty right in my own yard!
Some things you’ve thought about doing for a long time aren’t always what you’d hoped they’d be, but that isn’t what we found to be true of an Alaskan cruise. Our seven days on Admiralty Dream exceeded expectations and took us to places full of wonder.
As with other places we would visit, much of Sitka’s economy depends on fishing for halibut, salmon and rockfish.
The days of wonder began when Admiralty Dream left the dock at Sitka and headed to open water and sights startlingly beautiful. 
As lovely as snow capped mountains were clouds hanging low splitting the mountains in half.
Though it doesn’t seem so, most of the mountains are higher than 5,000 feet which explains the snow. At that height, precipitation is snow and ice whereas at lower levels it becomes rain.
Because of those rocky surfaces rain cannot be absorbed so it is not unusual to see water cascading down the mountain creating some pretty impressive waterfalls. Should there be a few days without rain, rare I’m told, the waterfalls disappear.
Along the coast we stopped in places where we were exposed to new opportunity for discovery whether it be beachcombing
or learning about the Tlingit culture that has existed in southeast Alaska for hundreds of years. 
Theirs is a complex, socially organized matrilineal society whose stories and tradition are communicated in many ways. Tlingit stories that have been passed down through generations enhance knowledge of the physical changes that have occurred in southeast Alaska over the years.
It is impossible to capture the experience of seven days in one post, so you will have to come back for more about the days of wonder.
When there is as much hype surrounding an event as has happened with the block buster show Hamilton, one can only wonder if it is as good as advertised. The answer is an enthusiastic YES! I held off going during its Houston run because the tickets are pricey, but at the last minute there were some single seats available for a somewhat reasonable price, and I bit ending up with a great seat close to the stage.
As the story goes, the creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda, was inspired by Ron Chernow’s book Hamilton. Now, I read the book and while I learned much about Alexander Hamilton and his contemporaries, I got so bogged down in detail that I couldn’t imagine being creatively inspired. Thankfully, Miranda did not have the same response. As a result, he presents American history with a lesser known founding father, Hamilton, as the central character surrounded by the more familiar Washington, Jefferson, Madison and others.
While some clever person actually published a wonderful book of garage sale photos, I’m probably not that ambitious, so I focus on the presentation as if I were doing a shop.
Clothes are carefully organized by style, size and gender. A simple rack the hubby made for me back in the days when I did shows displaying my woven pieces has been invaluable for garage sales.
The same is true for another of his clever creations which works perfectly for arranging accessories.
Household and kitchen goods are arranged just so making it easy for shoppers to see without having to move things around.
Books are always a challenge, and no matter how orderly I arrange them it doesn’t take long for them to be all askew.
At the end of the day most of the stuff is gone, and I feel good about having gotten rid of some of what the girls don’t want to have to deal with. My only disappointment is that this top didn’t sell. Maybe all the stories that go with it mean that it should stay with me for at least one more Christmas dinner!
It is not often I share personal opinions on my blog as it is safer to write about food or travel or art. The recent tragedy at Parkland High School, however, compels me to speak out because it is silence that keeps change from happening. One thing I know for sure is that these senseless killings must not continue and our voices must be heard.
OK, you know the table is set so what’s for dinner?
Chicken Stoup
With its red walls, her old room is an easy one to make look season friendly. A winter throw is tossed on the bed and Santa will watch over her.
Like so many other things I have, Santa has been around for a long time and has a wonderful memory attached. I had gone to Oklahoma with a friend. On the return to Houston we made a journey of several hours stretch into the night by stopping at any and every place that looked of interest. If you guess that Santa came from one of those stops, you’d be right!
A few more little touches and the room is ready. Greenery and berries add touches of color among the birdhouses. 
These two are part of my rather large collection but are too big to be displayed with the rest. 
That’s OK because they are right at home sitting on a quilt, one of many made by my grandmother.
Speaking of quilts, so many made by different family members have ended up with me. Like with other textiles, I can’t bear to leave them wrapped in a closet and find ways to have them out. Somehow I feel they are a significant part of my heritage.
Getting back to preparing the room, there is a present or two left on the bed in the hope there is something there that will brighten the daughter’s day.