Moon over Exeter

Coming home through Exeter on Sunday night I was yearning to capture the moon. We haven't had a lot of clear skies lately so when it the clouds have finally parted, and the moon has come out, it's a beautiful sight.

Although this wasn't the image I had hoped for at the time, the double chimneys, old brick facade, winding vines and green shutters can't be denied in New England. The setting sun lent a helping hand with a golden glow.

I need to show off Exeter a little more often. It's a small city, but charm and history abound.

Got me good!

It's always interesting when you put that memory card in to see just what you've captured. Sometimes it's better than what you think, and sometimes it's worse. And sometimes it's not what you thought you had at all.

Beautiful morning here today, especially compared to yesterday. It's frosty and cold, but sunny with a potential for temps around 50.

This is a wonderful old farm in Stratham, NH. All the land is supposed to become conservation land, all 200 acres of it. Unfortunately they were having some disagreements concerning the stipulations so I don't think a deal has been etched in stone yet. I sure hope it all works out because the sunsets here are spectacular, not to mention the land is beautiful old time country farm fields. It would be a shame to see the fields filled with houses, or even worse, strip malls.

Looking towards another part of the field you can see Geese grazing amongst the old corn stalks. Can you see them? I know, they're small but they were quite a distance away and it was a hassle just to get this close in the first place. I wanted to creep down through the field but didn't feel comfortable doing that, plus I didn't want to scare the Geese away. Ha!

Feel free to click on any of these pictures to enlarge them.

Ah yes, look at all those Geese. Please look at them up close. Make sure to click on the image one more time after you open it. I know, they're still hard to see.

Yeah, they're decoys, and they got me good. Okay, so there were a few real ones off in the distance, even further away than these. Apparently it's hunting season.

I'm taking Lily for a walk now. Have a good Sunday!

Girls being Girls

Bare with me, I’m enjoying playing with textures.

I had taken these pictures in late October. It was getting dark and quite foggy so they didn’t come out that great. My camera seemed to pick up on the fog making it look bright outside, but it’s not. Of course realizing I had my camera on the wrong setting after taking most of the shots didn’t help either. Layering textures on seemed to rescue them a bit.

This is my older daughter Andria swinging on the wet tree swing for the first time … in a dress. The swing belongs to my younger daughters friend, Shannon, so Andria had heard about it first hand. The younger girls couldn’t wait to push her as high as they could just to make her scream. Scream she did. We were all laughing hysterically!

 

My younger daughter, Elise, takes a turn by herself.

Don’t you wish you could feel that kind of joy? Don’t you wish you could still swing on your stomach, flying around in circles? Remember winding the rope or chains as tight as they would go then pulling yourself in as it untwirled? 

This swing totally rocks! I wanted to swing too. Didn’t happen. Older daughter was late for a date.

  A little heavy on the textures for this shot, but I still kind of like it.

Girls just being girls.

Grateful

Sitting here with a Vanilla Dream candle burning, the mist softly falling, and the dogs sleeping, I’m contemplate a nap. 

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Okay, I actually took a nap after I wrote that and now I’m back. LOL! It’s just a dreary Thanksgiving Eve and a good day for relaxing, especially if you don’t have to prepare for visitors or dinner.

 Lately I’ve been trying to work with layers on some of my photo’s. Kate from over at Chronicles of a Country Girl has inspired me to learn. Guess you could say I’m thankful for YouTube and the great tutorials, as well as Flickr for the free textures!

What else am I thankful for?

… a healthy and loving family, a warm and comfortable home, the fact that I’ve been out of work for almost a month and we can still pay the bills, my mothers continued good health (she’s healing very well! The doctor said ‘better than most people who have had the same surgery’), a good strong stable marriage, the animals in our family who were all adopted and whose lives could have had a much different outcome, plenty of food in the cupboard and on our table, and as always, friends and family.

 I have so much to be thankful for even if I don’t always know it or appreciate it. I’ll be especially thankful if my hubby ever installs that crown molding I’ve been hoping for in the living room.

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So, are you ready to turn the corner from Fall decor into Christmas pizzazz? Judging by the blogs out there I’d say many of you already have! I just can’t quite do it until Friday, it just doesn’t seem right. I have to ride Autumn’s wave as long as possible. The above photos were taken this morning.

My December issue of Better Homes and Gardens arrived yesterday and I just love this Poinsettia idea so much that I have to share it!

It’s a Poinsettia Topiary!

Instructions are below. I plan on making this in the next few days but with a red velvet ribbon instead. My husband who loves flowers and plants thought it was a great idea too. We’ll see how it comes out. If you make it I’d love to see the results!

Okay, I’ve gone on long enough. I wish all of you a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving Day. Please be careful driving. It’s the most dangerous holiday of the year (article).

Happy Thanksgiving.

The sun sets on the largest Oak Tree in the County

Last week while at my parents house I looked out the back door and caught sight of a spectacular cotton candy sky.

Usually it's a better view from out in front of the house so that's where I went next.

I looked around and around ... where am I going to capture this? Everywhere I looked were lines, poles, traffic.


Sometimes you have to just go with what you have, like it or not



In my parents front yard sits the largest Oak tree in the county and I believe the 2nd largest Oak tree in the state. Each year they are very blessed with about a million acorns. So are the squirrels!

Mom and Dad's home dates back to the 1800's though it has been completely renovated top to bottom, inside and out. The only original part of the structure still remaining are the main beams that run through the center of the home. When they first bought it the plans were to renovate it, but not to the extent they did. The more Dad tore out, the more he found needed to be replaced. He tried to stay as true to the original home as possible, while making it into modern structure.

How much longer they'll stay there I don't know. It's a big home, too big for two people, but dad can't bare the thought of giving up his barn!

* I wanted to add a brief update about my mom. Every few days she seems to be making a little progress. Yesterday she and dad made supper together, which gave her a sense of accomplishment. The day before she was able to go upstairs, with assistance, to take her first real shower in a week. Finally healing can be seen. I never dreamed her back surgery would be so difficult to recover from. Neither did she. Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts, and kind words. It has meant the world to me.

Mill Pond View

There's a friend headed our way

Oops! Where'd he go?

There he is!

Oyster River and Mill Pond Dam

As in my previous post you can see it's quite overcast with brightening here and there. A tough shoot I thought.


I wish we still had this much color, but besides a random tree here and there, it's pretty much gone

In the above photo you are able to view the reddish/orange balls attached to the lines to help keep the Swans from hitting them as they fly over from Mill Pond into Oyster River. In years past it's happened several times and the Swan would fall to it's death in the river.

By clicking on the above photo it will enlarge, showing more historic detail of the area

Unfortunately there is talk of removing the dam. Like most other historic dams in the area, it's old and not really needed anymore. Removal costs about half the price of replacement and since the dam is no longer used the town feels it may be more economically feasible to remove it.

Though I'm not a resident of Durham, I can't imagine not having this view. Many other people in area feel the same way. Evaluation of the dam, the water, and it's surroundings are expected to be completed by the end of January. After that I imagine a decision will be made. If it's for removal you can best believe there will be an uprising to save it.

*I'd like to thank everyone who left such heartfelt and sincere comments for my mom and I. Some of you even taking the time to sending personal emails or share a story about your mother. I can't tell you how much it's meant to read each word.

My mom was sent home from the hospital last Saturday and rushed back via ambulance Sunday morning with terrible dehydration. On Tuesday she came home again. The first two days home she over did it and I thought we'd have to take her back. She thought if she just went upstairs and took a shower she would feel so much better. Trying to do so when no one was around was a BIG mistake! My dad came in the house and couldn't find her. There Mom sat upstairs in the bathroom, unable to move.

I think after the stairs incident my Mom is resigned to waiting it out until her body heals a bit more. Having just had major back surgery and has been a tough thing to face. Plus she will absolutely have to have help the next time she attempts stairs or taking a shower. My dad and I have stayed close just to make sure she follows the rules! At 114 lbs. she's a tough and determined lady.

A slight delay

I had intended on posting the second part of my Durham/Oyster River post long before now but I've been preoccupied with my Mom lately. Seems I can't even think straight so working on a post is just more than I want to deal with at the moment.

Thank you for understanding and I'll be back to blogging soon. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, I'm not sure.

Sharon

Oyster River Landing, Durham, NH

Living in the area all my life I drive through here quite often yet seldom think much about it. The fact is, Oyster River Landing is a beautiful and historic place. Seeing it as I drive over the bridge and seeing it up close are two different things.

Walking along side the river you can feel the history. Looking around at the old trees and historic homes built in the 1700's you know this was once where the action was. At least as much action as Durham had 200 years ago, which for a small community probably wasn't much.

A charming home that's seen it's share of renovations, I'd say.

This location hasn't been the center of town for many, many years. The center of town now resides where the University of New Hampshire is located, up the road a piece.

Oyster River Landing is far more appealing.



Looking at the map on the sign we're standing on Old Landing Road (letter I) near Newmarket road and the Mill Pond bridge


View Left down river

A favorite spot for ice fishing in the winter

View Right toward the dam and more historic homes

In my next post I'll show you a few more views of the immediate area. Foliage was just about to let go during my visit but the colors were still impressive and brilliant. It was an overcast day but the clouds did nothing to hamper the beauty.

Piscatiqua Cafe

I shot this back on July 3rd, during one of our rainy days that never seemed to end. At the time the fog made for some great views, but the rain made them hard to capture! Luckily when I shot the Cafe the rain had let up for a bit. This photo hangs on the wall in my family room as it's one of my favorites.

To read about this historic old building click here. For more on New Castle click here.

Hydrangea's for Mom

It's been a long day so I thought I'd post something pretty.

My mother finally had her surgery this morning and everything went very well. Tomorrow the PT nurses will have her up and around after breakfast. Glad I don't have to be there to watch. Hopefully she'll finally be able to walk without severe pain in her legs. That pain has worn her down for far to long.

If you'd like to see what type of surgery she had here's an excellent short video to view. Mom had 3 vertebrae fused instead of 2.

One of mom's favorite flowers is Hydrangea so I know she would love these. She'd cut the stems long to place in tall vases for the winter. Then next year she'd do it all over again.

I know this because she has a Hydrangea with a limited amount of flowers but she saves every one of them.


Old fence, old Hydrangeas, and a perfect fall day. A great combination.




Thank you for stopping by

Mosaic Monday: Waterfront Walk

For Mosaic Monday I am sharing a few images from a walk I took along the bay last week.

If you would like to participate head on over to Mary's blog: Little Red House. My mosiac was easily made in Picasa but Mary also has instructions on how to make one in Big Huge Labs.