fifty...

Years Young. Today.

Trying to embrace it.

Twenty-two years ago I was married. Today.

That one is easy to embrace!

~ ~ ~

Over the last year Dan has asked me repeatedly what I wanted to do today.

Paris was discussed... often!

But, in the end my true heart's desire was to wake up in my own bed, in my beautiful home that several years ago was only a dream, and spend the day with Dan and Ella, a lobster or two, a bottle of Veuve, and walk on the beach in Maine!

I struggled with this decision for a while because, you see, this is something we do rather often (sans the bottle of Veuve!) I felt I should want to do something big and grand.... but then, my gift came in the realization that for me personally, my perfect day is not some big celebration or trip, but something I get to do all the time! How lucky does that make me?!

Pretty darn.

With that said... we are off to Maine!

I thought we were just going for the day, but come to find out (I just found out:) we are going for several days! We are going further North than we have ever been (as we usually do day-trips) and are going to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park! I am so excited! If I see Martha I'll tell her you said hi!!


I hope to see some of this... puppy joy running on the beach!

"Happiness... not in another place but this place, not for another hour but this hour."~Walt Whitman~

see you soon!

snapshot...

vingnette of stacked antique mirrors in one of the guest bedrooms.

will you come visit?!!

the upstairs porch

Our house has three covered porches!

The front porch, the back porch off of the kitchen, and the upstairs porch off of the master bedroom!

We use them all daily.

These are photos of, and from the upstairs porch off of the master bedroom.

This porch grants us amazing sky views all day. The evening sky off of this upstairs porch is a thing of beauty! This porch is usually the porch-of-choice for an evening cocktail!

An English rain-barrel (a dolly tub) serves as a table base. Table top is an iron tray from an antique bakers cooling-rack that I sold years ago in my antiques business. Antique brass planter is Russian. Colorado forestwood acts as a backdrop for a fishing float and several candle holders. Chairs are my favorite pea-green/army green! One chair has a pea-green ticking pillow and the other has a burlap pillow.

Distant view facing northeast.

View from porch rail.

Ella enjoys the porch too! We often see deer, and turkeys, and a coyote makes it's way across the meadow every night at dusk! The same meadow where we saw the moose here!

The floorboards on all the porches are mahogany, and have been left to age naturally to a soft weathered-gray.

Fern in zinc pot.

Iron orb.

The zinc pot was a curbside find in Dallas! Dan made the orb from old, discarded wine barrel rings that I also picked up curbside in Dallas!

French doors to the master bedroom.

Antique mahogany table was recently purchased just for this spot! I had "thought" I wanted something larger, more rectangular- but in the end this one is perfect! Isn't it gorgeous?! I love how ornate it is, and that the beveled top mimics the shape of the table itself.

Vintage wire garden basket filled with old Japanese fishing floats. This is but a small assortment of a much larger collection!

The wall medallion is an antique copper ceiling medallion that Dan found at an antiques shop Mexico. Pair of iron lanterns by the chaise from the dearly-missed Smith and Hawkin. The ceilings on all of the porches are painted a sky-blue. It is historic to do so, and I've read it was "thought" to keep the bugs away... we use a skeeter-vac!





Throw-pillows are burlap- I love the color!
Table is vintage found at an estate sale in Dallas many years ago.

Large fishing floats sit next to the chair.

sweet Ella!

Hope you enjoyed the view!

Cheers from the porch!

the summer mantle

A few photographs of the summer living room mantle, as requested!

The antique chinese blue and white temple jars have stayed., as have the pair of antique mercury glass candlesticks and the English sterling-rimmed match strike. A piece of white coral, a coral fan, a shell and a shell fossil have replaced the conks!


We are thrilled with our recent find of the antique oil painting. It depicts a New Hampshire scene, and is a view that we see quite often across the state. The frame is original, but will have to be restored, as it has been painted with gold paint.

The fan coral was purchased in Maine; I love it's lacy quality. Tucked behind the temple jar you can see the shell fossil.

And, it's definitely summer here- we've been in the upper 90's this week. Today is a warm and humid 86 degrees. We are very grateful that we put in central AC when doing the renovation! Hope you are staying cool!

mailbox design

Last summer we bought the very last large copper mailbox that the much beloved Smith & Hawkin sold... ever. The story of how we acquired this little beauty is here.

I immediately began a hunt for the perfect post for the box. I didn't find anything that I liked last Fall, and since the ground freezes here in the winter I mentally put the project on hold. With the arrival of Spring I have been diligently looking for inspiration on-line, and when we go for drives around New England.

Nothing.

Then.... a couple of weeks ago Dan found in our stone and rock quarry (yes, we literally have our own small quarry going- I'll post about it soon) an antique granite gatepost original to our property.

Perfect!

We are at the design stage. What that means is I design, and then Dan has to figure out how to turn my design into reality!! This is never an easy job since elements are usually antique, and were never meant to go together!

Here are the mailbox design elements:

.

This is the granite gatepost- it is over 7 feet tall.


Another view of the gatepost. This is the side the mailbox will be placed on.


A few days after we found the mailbox I remembered this antique iron lantern arm that we found in our antiquing years ago. We have learned that if something speaks to you, buy it. You will generally find a use for it! It fits perfectly under the mailbox, and will act as a support bracket.


Here is the mock up I did, with the help of Dan and the tractor!
It's laying on the ground, but it really gives the idea of what it will look like when installed.
The part of the iron "bracket" that extends beyond the mailbox door will be trimmed to fit under the mailbox. You can see the old iron bolt at the top of the granite.




Opposite side view of the mailbox. From this side you can see the old iron hinge for the gate.

The use of a granite post as a mailbox holder is a common sight in New England (New Hampshire is the "granite state" after all!), but the posts are generally newly cut, perfectly square and smaller in scale. Due to the snow plowing in the winter you see lots of damaged mailboxes that get hit by the sanding truck. For obvious reasons you don't see them hitting granite post mailboxes, so that's a plus!!

I'll post photos when Dan completes the assembly and install!