So Long, Sweet Summer

Did summer go by fast or what? (And this post is really really late!! Because fall flew by as well!)  I think it’s because we didn’t have much of a spring time transition this year. All of a sudden, it was summer. Though it feels like it slipped away so quickly, looking back on the photos and memories, we really lived in many beautiful summer moments this year. More and more I am trying to inhabit the present, to really SEE what is around me, to notice the small details, and the big connections between everyone and everything. Here are a few of my favorite summer moments captured~

Elysian Hills Tree Farm ~ Dummerston, Vermont

Sunset in the Harbor ~ Newport, Rhode Island

Tomatoes at Moulton’s Farm ~ Meredith, New Hampshire x Sunset ~ Center Harbor, New Hampshire 

On the way to the Basin ~ Franconia, New Hampshire

Field of Sunflowers at Colby Farm ~ Newbury, New Hampshire

Gregg Lake ~ Antrim, NH x Lobster Roll at Sunset ~ Rye, NH

The docks ~ Center Harbor, NH x Mornings ~ Center Harbor, NH

Green Tomatoes ~ Home x Incoming Storm ~ Greenville, NH

Pony in the Field at Kroka ~ Acworth, NH 

Twilight Time ~ Center Harbor, NH x Wild Blueberries ~ Pitcher Mountain, Stoddard, NH

Summer Fields ~ Sugar Hill, NH

Flora de Passion ~ Home x Favorite Walking Place ~ Temple, NH

White Mountains Waterfall ~ Woodstock, NH

Canoeing with the Pup ~ Greenfield, NH x Delphinium Bouquet ~ Home

Sunday Blooms ~ Peterborough, NH

Walk Around MacDowell Lake ~ Peterborough, NH

Mid-Summer’s Bounty ~ Home x Blooms and Breakfast ~ Home

Red Nasturtiums ~ Home x July Bouquet ~ Home

Garden Textures Late Summer ~ Home

Just Floating ~ Hancock, NH x Coneflowers and Zinnias ~ Wilton, NH

Sunset at the Beach Plum ~ Rye, NH

Freshly Picked ~ Milford, NH x Sunflowers Outside of the Bakery ~ Alstead, NH

Fly Fishing ~ Center Harbor, NH x Little Friend ~ Temple, NH

Skies Over White Mountains ~ Woodstock, NH x Wild Blueberries ~ Stoddard, NH

Sunflowers ~ Newbury, MA

My Garden ~ Home

A Quiet Winter

Ah winter. Quiet, rest, hibernation. Those “activities” are generally my over-arching winter goals. Yes, I miss outdoors time and flowers and long hours of light and warm air. But the calming nature of winter, the spare beauty, and the indoor coziness just about make up for it. This particular winter was quite restful for me, as I had to have surgery at the end of January. So I was able to rest and rejuvenate more than usual. I did manage to get out and about a little bit. Here are my favorite shots from this winter.

 

 

 

Hello, Summer

We are well into the full swing of summer here in New Hampshire ~ golden evenings that stretch lazily into the darkness, gardens bursting with food and flowers, and hot days that beg for swimming and exploring. Here are some of my favorite shots of this beloved season so far.

Happy summer everyone 🙂

Welcome Spring

Who is ready for spring? *raises hand* I love yard work, gardening and just seeing the earth come back to life after a long winter. I love the return of the birds; hearing the different songs each morning. I love when the flowers start to come out, each one in due time: first the delicate white snow drops, then the cute little crocuses, followed by the intensely bright yellow forsythia bushes and cheerful daffodils. And finally, the tulips and the delicious-smelling lilacs. Here are some of my favorite spring shots to welcome this glorious season of awakening. 

From the very faint whispers of spring we felt in February, to the torrent of snow melt in the river these last few weeks, to the first flowers, the change of seasons is upon us. I meant to post this awhile ago! It’s already Memorial Day weekend! Oops 🙂 Well, it still feels like March or April outside anyways… maybe one of these days it will warm up…

An Autumn Fun To-Do List

It could be because my husband and I lived in a warm climate during this past winter making this my 8th straight month of warm weather, or it could be because we have had the hottest, driest summer on record, or it could be just because I love the changing seasons; but I am really excited for fall. The foliage is already starting to change, and though people are saying we won’t have the same brilliant color display we had last autumn, fall in New England is still such a special time of year.

As I was contemplating the delightful change of season the other day it occurred to me that I ought to make an “Autumn Fun” to-do list. Because doesn’t Autumn just seem like the most fleeting season? Hopefully a to-do list will allow me to make the most of fall before it slips right by me. So without further ado, here is my…

Autumn Fun To-Do List:

1. Go apple picking! That also entails the subsequent Apple related cooking and baking. This year I hope to make a lot of apple butter and apple sauce, and have someone show me (again) how to can it safely so I can enjoy those treats year round.
2. A corn maze would be fun. I know there is a huge maze in Sterling, Massachusetts. I also did a really fun one in Lee, New Hampshire many years ago. There is a small one at Washburn’s Windy Hill Orchard in Greenville, New Hampshire that is also a lot of fun. I’m not sure why wandering around lost for an hour in a field is so enjoyable, but alas it is. Especially at night when it is creepy.
3. Enjoy a pumpkin spice latte. Preferably on a rainy day so I can take a walk after, admiring the colors while wearing wellies and using an umbrella. Yes I know this is rather specific, and with the current weather trend we may never get rain again. However, now that it is on the list, it is more likely to happen. That is just how it goes with to-do lists. Even if the rain doesn’t come (which I sincerely hope it does and not just for reason of providing an atmospheric setting to enjoy a fall beverage), I will still get the pumpkin latte. One cannot resist the fall flavors.
4. Go to a fair or festival. At least one. I’m very bummed to be missing the Common Ground Fair in Maine this weekend (for the third year in a row! something always comes up!) but I am hoping to get to the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival. You can be sure I will post about it if I get there.
5. Take a hike, or maybe a few hikes. The crisp fall air is perfect for a hike, and the foliage just adds to the already stunning views. I especially would like to climb Mount Monadnock. My one and only hiking experience with this beloved mountain was not a positive one. I was separated from my group and spent an hour wandering down, not sure if I was on a trail or not, fearing I was lost for good, envisioning headlines declaring my death by bear attack or exposure. Yes, yes, I survived, and perhaps I am being a tad dramatic. Anyways, I would like to give the mountain another go.
6. Plant bulbs. It never fails that the fall goes by, winter passes, and the spring flowers start emerging. And there I am kicking myself again that I forgot to plant bulbs in the fall. That’s not going to happen again! This spring, I will have daffodils and tulips coming up, I assure you. I also must remember to plant garlic, lots of it! I want braids and braids of it come spring time.

So, there you have it. This is what I hope to be doing in my time off this autumn. What is on your autumn fun to-do list?