Walk a Mile in My Other Shoes

I'm taking another two mile walk, and more photos, as I test out a different pair of shoes.

 They are pretty also.

The other pair did not work --  sore feet and blisters.

Will these work for my trip?

They are the most comfortable "pretty" shoes I have ever tried on.

We'll see at the end of the walk.

 I had company.

And blue skies and sun!

 It's fun to walk with my husband.

He notices different things, like this pretty blue jay feather.

 Ah the Honeysuckle -- lovely scent, sadly invasive!

 On my beach walk I turned left at the end of our lane.

For this walk we turned right towards coffee and donuts.

 A peaceful & pretty cemetery.

 Our family has kind of adopted Azubah.

We say hello to her whenever we pass this way.

 

Such a pretty headstone.

 Weeping Willows were very traditional on New England headstones of the 19th century.

For more info on Cape Cod headstones, click here

 

A different rendition of the weeping willow.

At first glance it looked like angel wings.

(I probably need new glasses)

 

What would a New England country road be without a white picket fence . . . 

. . . or a pretty chuch and steeple?

 

My shoes and I arrived at our destination.

My husband did too, and bought the coffee, oj and donuts!

 

The General Store

Summer mornings, these benches will be full of locals solving the world's political problems before going to work.  Later they will be full of summer visitors eating donuts or ice cream and thinking this must be heaven!

An old fashion general store

They sell the most wonderful Beach Plum Jam,

and will make up a care package for your kids when they go away to college and are feeling a bit homesick!

The link may or may not be working, but I've put it in just in case.

Upstairs

 You're looking down at the first floor . . .

 Through this cool vent in the floor/ceiling!

Back to our walk

 

This gate really doesn't go anywhere, but I love how formal it looks.

 

And back to my garden.

6 hours later, I am still wearing my Naot sandals.

They are going with me on the trip!

Now if only I could stop obsessing about the clothes I plan to take.

Walk a Mile in My Shoes

 Come along with me as I take a long walk with lots of photos!

 

They're pretty.

Are they comfortable enough for my trip next month, where I will be walking many miles?

 

I headed out my back door, down a country lane to see. . .

 

. . . both whether the shoes would work, and the pretty scenery.

 

Grape Hyacinth by a stone wall.

 

up close

 

Ferns just sprouting.

 

The road towards the beach.

 

A fern faerie circle.

 

Ferns in the sun, bursting open.

 

Across the road where we used to summer.

 

This would make a lovely cranberry bog, if any cranberries were planted!

 

Cute cottages near the beach.

 

a close-up of a quanzon cherry in flower.

 

Finally, my shoes and I arrive at the beach.

The storms last winter took out so much of the parking lot it has been closed to cars.

But the beach is as beautiful as ever!

 The creek guarantees there is always water, even at low tide.

It's loads of fun to ride a raft or rubber boat out as the tide recedes or in when the water almost covers these rocks!

This looks so peaceful doesn't it?

We were having wind advisories and the wind was whipping around pretty fiercely!

 

I headed down the beach testing my ATS

(all terrain shoes/sandals).

 

I have no idea what a Skate looks like, 

but this is what they leave behind.

 Another beach

With the other parking lot washed out, will people discover this one?

 Another beach

Back on the road home

 They may be evergreen, but they too put out new growth/pinecones in the Spring.

Almost home

My favorite foot covering.

And I'm gonna have to find a different pair of sandals for the trip.

*sigh*

My Day in the Garden

Spring does not come early to New England.  It's not like California where I learned to garden.  Here you have to be both patient and flexible.  When there's a good day, it's time to get out into the garden.  Tomorrow it may be cold, overcast, or rainy!

A drop of dew caught in the Sedum

 

My loyal garden buddy & helper.

A couple years ago for Mother's Day my son gave me the gift of this front garden.  It had been leveled and new soil added when we re-did the kitchen.  I put in the brick path.  He bought plants and together we planted.  I took good care of it that summer.  Since then, I've been haphazard in my care.  Fortunately we both know perennials are the best plants for me, without doing anything, each summer flowers grow.   The catmint is always good for a big show of color! Some, like the Penstimom, have taken over.  Others, like the Shasta Daisies, never did very well.  Without him here I tend to neglect the garden.  He's home for the summer and working at a garden center again, so we have decided to re-design.

The sun caught this drop of water nestled in the leaves of the Sedum Autumn Fire.  It's what I bought my camera for -- these really, really close-up shots of plants.  Thanks Natasha, btw!

 The garden before a new plan

Yesterday, I was planning on working inside -- getting the house ready for my daughter's visit and re-opening the shop next week.  BUT if the weather is nice and you have a willing helper, spend the day in the garden!  Which is what we did.  For a while we both weeded and cut away the dead stuff from last winter.  Then my son, who has been observing the landscaper designers at the garden center, suggested I sit and plan a re-designed plot.  He kept digging out weeds and plants we don't want to keep.  He gave me this list --

How to design a garden: 

1) Choose a Theme.

2) Choose Plants for the Theme.

3)  Draw a Plan.     

The plot is already divided in fourths, so my son suggested I start with one quadrant.  He knows how distracted I get. My theme is English Cottage, so I got my garden books for that, used them to look at plants I liked.  He kept asking me how tall does it get, how much space does it need (I tend to ignore that info for the pretty pictures), which helped a lot.  So the SW quadrant is planned.  It is at the back, next to the house. The NW quadrant is good, only needs a little tweaking and perhaps another lavender plant.  The SE quadrant, I have no idea.  And the NE quadrant is where I raised such tasty bell peppers and chard.  I'd love to add lettuce to this plot but it gets full sun all day long and the last time the lettuce got a bit burned.

So that was my day in the garden.  Can't wait to finish the prep and get to planting!  I'll be sure to share photos.  I think it's going to look beautiful!

Steal Like An Artist

credit:  Austin Kleon

1. Steal like an artist.

Every artist gets asked the question, “Where do you get your ideas?”
The honest artist answers, “I steal them.”

A friend shared this link to Austin Kleon's website.  This article blew me away!   It's a list of great advice, including #2, Don't wait until you know who you are to start making things, which uses, among other things, Patti Smith's book, Just Kids, to make his point.

There's so much there I will probably be reading and pondering it all week. 

Contrary to Popular Belief . . .

. . . I did not get lost on Tom Sawyer's Island.  Tho I must admit, when I was a kid I knew it was one of my mom's dreams to be able to camp overnight there (and in a sneaky way too -- without park officials knowing she/we were doing so)!

No, I had some wonderful art adventures after that, came home and sadly spent the month of February in bed.  Some bug, something that made staying under the covers so much more appealing than getting up and doing anything.  I ate a lot of chicken soup and drank a lot of orange juice and watched a lot of old programs on Hulu!

I am doing fine now and just got out of the habit of taking photographs & blogging.  I will post again soon.  Thanks to all the well wishers for checking in on me.