celebrations

Celebrations are made of small minutes stitched together:

A burst of sun through the clouds, listening to a little kid giggle uncontrollably, the dog's happy dance when you come home, the smell of a library,

walking in the rain, the sound of leaves rustling in a warm breeze, A cardinal's

evening song, a hot shower after a cold day, the hush of snow,  reading words that are written so beautifully it hurts...

These are the things to celebrate - unexpected and full of promise.

Happy Birthday Kelly! May you continue to find things to celebrate each and every day, and may they continue to bring you inspiration for your beautiful words.

(I didn't have any pictures of cake, so I went with the next best thing...)

waiting for hurricane sandy ~ hampton beach, nh

Tomorrow looks to be interesting... a category one hurricane meeting up with a winter storm system. It was wild at the beach today, and that was with the tide going out and the storm still a day away. There's never a dull moment with New England weather, that's for sure. 

rural textures ~ willsboro ny

It's a moment that I'm after, a fleeting moment, 

but not a frozen moment.~Andrew Wyeth

{processed in photoshop elements using
 textures by kim klassen and distressed textures}

donna and charlie ~ dunstable, ma

 time spent with a good friend + horses + ice cream on a warm summer night = fabulous! 

{photos processed with radlab and snapseed for desktop}

sunflowers ~ newbury ma

Great is the sun, and wide he goes
Through empty heaven with repose;
And in the blue and glowing days
More thick than rain he showers his rays. 

Though closer still the blinds we pull
To keep the shady parlour cool,
Yet he will find a chink or two
To slip his golden fingers through.

The dusty attic spider-clad
He, through the keyhole, maketh glad;
And through the broken edge of tiles
Into the laddered hay-loft smiles.

Meantime his golden face around
He bares to all the garden ground,
And sheds a warm and glittering look
Among the ivy's inmost nook.

Above the hills, along the blue,
Round the bright air with footing true,
To please the child, to paint the rose,
The gardener of the World, he goes. 

~Summer Sun 

by Robert Louis Stevenson

pam and friends ~ harvard ma

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.  ~Winston Churchill

Or a woman... 
Horses are just plain good for you. 

adri and a poem

Life has loveliness to sell, All beautiful and splendid things, Blue waves whitened on a cliff, Soaring fire that sways and sings, And childrens's faces looking up Holding wonder in a cup. Life has loveliness to sell, Music like a curve of gold, Scent of pine trees in the rain, Eyes that love you, arms that hold, And for your spirit's still delight, Holy thoughts that star the night. Spend all you have for loveliness, Buy it and never count the cost; For one white singing hour of peace Count many a year of strife well lost, And for a breath of ecstacy Give all you have been, or could be. ~Sara Teasdale Barter [Processed using Radlab, texture by Kim Klassen]

{This is fabulous!}

august break ~ forest river park ~ salem ma

In summer, the song sings itself.

~William Carlos Williams

__________________________________________

Want to join in on The August Break?

{photo taken with my Canon PowerShot, processed using RadLab}

winter island ~ salem ma

Fort Pickering Lighthouse

I love a picnic table with a view... 

Community garden

When people ask me if I travel during the summer, I shake my head and smile. I am lucky to live in this corner of the world, where staycations are the best...
(More information on Winter Island here)

{shots taken using my canon powershot on miniature setting, editing and collages done in picmonkey}

seagulls and a poem

A boat, beneath a sunny sky Lingering onward dreamily In an evening of July— Children three that nestle near, Eager eye and willing ear, Pleased a simple tale to hear— Long has paled that sunny sky: Echoes fade and memories die: Autumn frosts have slain July. Still she haunts me, phantomwise, Alice moving under skies Never seen by waking eyes. Children yet, the tale to hear, Eager eye and willing ear, Lovingly shall nestle near. In a Wonderland they lie, Dreaming as the days go by, Dreaming as the summers die: Ever drifting down the stream— Lingering in the golden gleam— Life, what is it but a dream? ~Lewis Carroll A Boat, Beneath Sunny Sky {taken at revere beach, ma, with my iphone, processed using radlab}

beach day ~ hampton beach state park, hampton nh

 fantastic clouds + fabulous company + fried scallops = a perfect summer day

(iphone shots) 

wingaersheek beach, gloucester ma

A hot day + a bunch of kids (big and little) + a beautiful New England beach = a perfect summer evening.