A Magical Place in Westbrook

Sandy introduced me to The Pink Sleigh many years ago and it's our tradition to make a stop there whenever I visit her. We both love Christmas things, and The Pink Sleigh truly is a magical place.

These freshly painted sleds caught our attention before we even stepped foot in the door.  Darn, I only took one photo of Sandy and I'm pretty sure her eyes are closed--we're such good friends that I hope she won't mind me posting it anyway.

 

Definitely some great ideas on how I could paint the little antique sleds that are hanging in our garage--project # 10,001 on my "to-do" list!  I really like the Swedish/Christmas feel of these.

 

Of course I bought a couple of ornaments to add to my ever-growing collection--you'll just have to visit our home around Christmas to see them on the tree!

A New Bakery in Avon

Dorine has introduced me to a magical little shop in Avon called Taste by Spellbound.

It's located in one of the old stone Ensign-Bickford buildings right off of Route 44, and the inside is magical indeed.

 

It's like stepping into a fairytale!  You can find photos of the delicious desserts on their website, and it's a perfect place to relax with a cup of tea and a sweet on a cool autumn day.  Everything is handmade right in this location too--definitely worth a visit!

Local Fun

Mark took a couple of vacation days last week to finish up some indoor and outdoor greenhouse painting before the weather turns cold and all the plants have to be moved back inside. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we had some fun too.

We went to Riverdale Farms shopping area in nearby Avon to have breakfast at Avon Country Deli.  Mark enjoys their homemade hash and I love that they serve breakfast all day.  One of their specials was apple cinnamon pancakes and they were delicious!  The apples were just the way I like them--a little firm yet cooked. 

We're starting to see some nice color in our area now even though there is still a lot of green.

After a leisurely breakfast, it was time to leave Riverdale Farms and head home to paint. I just love these clear autumn days with pumpkins and apples everywhere.

Fall in New England--my favorite time of year! 

Saturday Travels

On Saturday morning we got up bright and early to headed to Boston to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the Museum of Science.  It was fascinating to see examples of written language from 5,000 years ago. But the one item that really spoke to me from the whole exhibit was the pair of leather soles from sandals that were 2,000 years old--complete with impressions of the wearer's feet.  There was also a fabric remnant from Masada where the dark blue and tan threads were woven in a very distinct and still recognizable pattern. Somehow the fact that these items were worn by people so long ago made them very precious to me.

From the museum we went to visit Ross and Malima's new apartment, arriving in time to see Ross pull into the driveway. He's just taken off his helmet in this photo.

 

After the apartment tour, which took awhile since their new place is quite spacious, Malima's sister joined us for a walk to Sei Bar where we had a delicious lunch.  Mark had noticed an ice cream place and we stopped there for dessert on our way back to the apartment. I was favorably impressed by the size of their regular sundaes!

We were lucky to have good weather for our trip to Boston and even saw the beginnings of good fall foliage along the highway.  Even with a minor traffic jam in Hartford, we arrived back home by six. I'm glad we had an early start to the day and were able to see the Dead Sea scrolls before the museum became too crowded--a good plan to remember for next time.

A Fabulous Friday

As a continuation of her special birthday plans for me, Dorine picked me up this morning and we headed to Mozzicato's in Plainville for coffee and a sweet.

There are just so many delicious things in the display cases that it's hard to choose!  What I really want to say is, "Gimme one of each!"

So I went with an old Italian favorite, a cannoli with ricotta filling--and it was delicious.  Well, there was some cappuccino left in my cup so I had to get a couple of biscotti to go with it.  I must admit it made for a very interesting brunch.

 

Then we went to The Pottery Piazza, which is also in Plainville, to pick up the platters we decorated during Ladies' Night last Thursday.  First Dorine had surprised me with dinner at First and Last Tavern where we enjoyed the eggplant pizza, and she presented me with the lovely vintage rhinestone pin that I'm wearing on a ribbon necklace in the photo above.  But the best surprise was our trip to The Pottery Piazza!  We had so much fun gabbing and decorating our platters, and then we had to go back to pick up the fired pieces today.  Dorine used the symbol of her business as The Collegeologist to decorate her platter, and I decided to paint autumn leaves.  It's quite a painstaking process--3 1/2 hours of applying the glazes and waiting for them to dry between coats before the platters were ready for the kiln.  Definitely worth the wait--and I'm looking forward to making something else next time!

Thank you, Dorine, for finding the perfect birthday surprise for your crafty friend!

First Week of Autumn

Autumn began late Sunday evening and it is time for me to do some fall decorating.

Mums are 3/$15 at Big Y, our local supermarket--they are a good size and just coming into bloom, so I picked a yellow, a creamy white, and a rusty red to put with the faux pumpkins from Michael's. 

I just love the look of sunflowers in this old green earthenware pitcher.  The tablecloth has a pattern of colorful autumn leaves.

 

The cooler weather inspired me to make the Mushroom and Leek Lasagna recipe from Flour, Too by Joanne Chang, one of the cookbooks that Dawn got me for my birthday.  I served it to book group and Laurel kindly took this photo.  Everyone enjoyed it, and Mark said he likes the roasted tomatoes better than the tomato sauce that most lasagnas have.  While it wasn't difficult to make, it did have many steps and took several hours to prepare and assemble for baking.  Worth the effort!  I think I'll try one of the soup recipes next.

 

 

We brought Kita home on September 23, 2008--hard to believe she's been with us for 5 years now and will be turning 9 next month.  I sure love that little doggie!  Hmmm, I wore that same blouse yesterday...



NY Maker Faire

On Sunday, we headed to New York City to attend Maker Faire.  The weather cleared and we had a beautiful crisp day.  First on our agenda was attending a talk Dawn gave, entitled "When Makers Apply for College".  You can see the talk in its entirety at:
http://fora.tv/2013/09/22/when_makers_apply_for_college

After a long Q & A session, we explored Maker Faire.  Some exhibits were in the New York Hall of Science, and many more were set up outside under tents on the grounds of the 1965 World's Fair. There was sooo much to see--lots of techie things but also a large crafts area.

Here's Dawn standing next to the Maker mascot!

 

This is the first time I've ever seen the World's Fair globe up close--we've seen it from the road when going to JFK International Airport and even from the air upon takeoff.  Mark remembers going to the Fair but doesn't really remember what he saw.  My Girl Scout troop discussed taking a field trip to the Fair but never went beyond the planning stage.  I think my sister went--I'll have to ask her about it!

 

Of course the globe and the observation towers were featured prominently in one of our favorite movies, Men in Black.

Traffic on the way home was crazier and much more congested--reminding me why we rarely drive to NYC even though it's only two hours away (in perfect conditions) from where we live.  It was a long but very enjoyable day.



Annual Family Reunion

Despite a few sprinkles, we managed to spend a lot of time outside in Otis on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, our traditional family reunion.

 

After Ross took Fab for a ride on the jet ski, Fab returned the favor.

 

 

Yann had fun with the paddleboard.

 

Malima and Dawn enjoyed swimming.

 

 

Here's Dana during a rare quiet moment (OK, I asked her to pose there).

 

 

 

At six months, Kate is the youngest member of our clan.  She watched everything very closely!

 

On the way home, Dawn picked up pizza from Naples to share with her Parisian friends. And then we watched a movie (I guess the weekend really went by quickly--in my last post I stated we watched one on Saturday but I think it was actually on Sunday!)  And on Labor Day everyone had to pack up and return to Boston...but what a great weekend!

 





 

 



Labor Day Weekend

The weekend celebrations started Friday evening with the arrival of Dawn and her two French friends, followed by Malima and Ross on Saturday morning.  We tried to plan some American activities for Yann and Fabien so we headed to minigolf.

 

Of course we ate hot dogs at the snack bar first, played golf, and then headed back into the snack bar for ice cream--it's tradition!  On the way home we stopped at a farm stand to buy corn on the cob to go with the salad and steaks we were planning for dinner--another first for Yann and Fab.  I just read an article in today's WSJ that mentioned corn is more typically used for animal feed in France than for human consumption.  They were such good sports--they ate everything we served them!

We also had to prepare some food for the annual family reunion in Otis on Sunday of Labor Day weekend.  Our contribution was quinoa salad, Malima made cone sushi, and Dawn helped her French friends make some fabulous desserts. (Fabulous is too mild a compliment, they were incredible--and I've never seen desserts vanish so quickly during one of our reunions.) We enjoyed singing along with the player piano and finished our evening watching a classic American movie:  Animal House!

Whew, that was Saturday!  My next post will be about fun in Otis on Sunday.

 

New Birthday Toys

I have been looking for a new purse for quite a long time without any luck, mostly because I love the one I have been using daily for the past several years.  It's the perfect size, goes with everything, and I love the way it hangs securely under my arm without being stuck in my armpit.  However it's worn and faded past redemption so it's time to move on.

At the last possible store I could think of visiting, Marshalls in Avon, I found one that will work!  The size is right, it's a rich shade of teal (my preferred color), and the shoulder strap can be adjusted to fit the same way as my previous purse.  I may even use it as a satchel (those darn handbag handles are everywhere).  The major drawback for me is the large gold-tone MK, but it will be easy enough to wear against my body so it's not so noticeable.  And the best part is the price--half off retail! 

Since we were out and about looking at purses, we stopped at Farmington Valley Equipment to buy something Mark had been eyeing for a long time.  He used it this past weekend.

It's a new Stihl chain saw!  After several years of struggling with cheap ones from big box stores that needed constant repairs, Mark decided to upgrade.  Normally I would probably try to convince him that he should consider retiring from chainsawing at this point in his life, but after two consecutive years with two hurricanes and that freak October snowstorm, I realize that a working chainsaw can come in handy when trees and branches are down everywhere.

On Saturday Mark chopped down the dying birch and by Sunday afternoon we had a nice stack of firewood in the driveway!  I think the new saw helped us make quick work of a big job, and the nice weather didn't hurt either.  With luck the wood will dry out more and be ready to use in the little woodstove by January.

Although they are not really birthday presents, I am thoroughly enjoying my new washer and dryer!

I love the touchscreen controls!  So easy to use!  And the clothes come out nice and clean!  Between the new toys and family time over Labor Day weekend, I had a wonderful extended birthday celebration. 

All Kinds of Carousel Animals

While the carousel horses are my favorites, there are all kinds of animals at the New England Carousel Museum.

This camel and two giraffes from a child-size carousel certainly have long necks that would be perfect to wrap your arms around.  A giraffe would have to be pretty tall to look like it belongs on an adults' carousel.

A zebra might belong to the horse family, but I find this one especially appealing with the very graphic placement of its stripes.

This tiger looks pretty scary!

 

 

This adult-size camel looked pretty realistic and had the sweetest eyes.

 

 

One more giraffe!  And I think I've reached the end of my photos from the carousel museum!

Back to the Carousel Museum

The same old factory building that houses the Carousel Museum also contains 2 other small museums:

OK, the Museum of Greek Culture is actually one room.

The Museum of Fire History did take up one section of the second floor and contains the personal collection of a Bristol resident.

Fortunately most of the building showcases beautiful carousel animals in the Carousel Museum.

When our guide asked if anyone knew what kind of animal this is, Malima correctly said it was a hippocampus!

There was a display showing a horse in the process of being carved.  One of the current carousel restorers also carves new animals and he is very talented.

I especially enjoyed looking at some of the more unusual animals.  This king of the beasts was quite ferocious!

Family Fun

We got to do some serious visiting when Adria was in town recently.

With Dawn and Ross and Malima here to visit their Auntie, we had a wonderful lunch at the new Middle Eastern restaurant in Unionville.

Adria and I spent a couple of days in our hometown, and we met our first cousin Rita and her sister-in-law Sophie at Point Breeze for a delicious lunch.

Then we spent an overnight with our great-aunts (our maternal grandfather's half-sisters) and returned to Point Breeze the following day to celebrate Aunt Marie's 85th birthday.  Around the table from left to right we have Aunt Jenny (age 94), Aunt Alice (age 93), Aunt Marie, the birthday girl, who was married to the three sisters' brother, and Aunt Harriet (age 95).  Harriet's daughter, our cousin Janet, is standing behind her mother. The three sisters have so much fun together and are game to try just about anything!  Aunt Harriet suffers from dementia and Janet does a wonderful job taking care of her. The two younger sisters are getting physically frail but their minds are still pretty sharp. Aunt Alice in particular is quick with a funny comeback. It was so good to see them!

The Carousel Museum in Bristol, Connecticut

I just love carousel animals--especially the horses!  So when Ross, Malima, and her sister Vio came to visit us for Easter, we were happy to share The New England Carousel Museum and its wonders with some new victims (oops, I mean visitors!).  We took lots of photos and I hope you enjoy carousel animals too because I intend to post many of them.   ;-)

The museum restores antique carousel animals and occasionally exhibits new ones created by one of their carvers.  This antique jumper has beautiful gold leaf detailing. As someone who gets motion sickness very easily, carousels are just my speed!

The price of admission includes a ride on their children's indoor carousel that is used for birthday parties.  The horses may be small, but we all took a ride!  The Museum also operates the Bushnell Park Carousel in Hartford.

Do you see Lincoln's head on the trappings of this beautiful black horse?

Although I usually prefer the jumpers, this standing horse is one of my favorites.  Its trappings are fairly simple but this horse looks so realistic and majestic.

This ornate horse is actually fairly small in comparison to the others.  Its compact shape was designed for portable carousels that would travel to different fairgrounds--more horses could be stacked and shipped in a smaller container for moving from place to place.  I never tire of looking at these animals!