Of Shops and Things

Who doesn't love a quaint shop or a sweet little breakfast nook? All the better if adorned with hanging flower pots that match the OPEN sign like the ones hanging here at Rosie's where we ate a leisurely breakfast the first morning. Hot coffee, plenty of cream, perfectly cooked eggs, crispy bacon, crispy hash browns with soft centers, and buttered toast with strawberry jam...hmmmm. Thick fog that morning finally gave over to the most perfect of sunny days. A real corker!

I've tucked posies into my mosaic from other places and out of order with actual daily events. You'll notice a recurring motif. Fortunately, there are only four of us who know the linear progression of activity. Make that three. John doesn't remember yesterday.

This white birch arbor (below) was so fantastic that I had to take a picture. Oh, John! Do you know where to find some white birch?

Taking a drive with my aunt and uncle is fun and funny. This area is my uncle's ancestral home and he has nestled into the bosom of his family with so many in the community around him being relatives. "That's my cousin's house over there," and a short time later and a bit further down the road, "That's my cousin's house." It reminded me of a line from Jan Karon's In the Company of Others: ...no use to look for our ancestors in the cemeteries and church registers—we meet them in the DNA of the folks across the table, in the street, in the pew.

We drove around so much and in so many circles that I really have no clue where we were. We did eventually arrive at the proverbial fork in the road.

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Toward evening, we drove to Cornish where we were treated to a delicious seafood dinner. Most opted for scallops; I had haddock au gratin. Very tasty!

That evening, this doe crossed the road in front of us and, reaching the railroad track, stopped long enough to have her picture taken.The cute fellow in the center is an alpaca we saw on that drive. All the others were taken at my aunt and uncle's home: a hummer on my aunt's clothesline long enough for me to take a picture, the ducks live on a pond behind their house, and there's sleepy Molly (the poodle) in her napping spot.

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I've already shown you some lovely homes from that first evening's drive; though I have saved two, which just so happen to be my aunt's favorites. My aunt is affected by all things old and rundown and, like so many of you, worries about abandoned homes and barns and what will become of them. Such is the story of this home nestled at the bottom of a hill.

Even though the moving of such a homestead would be a great expense, Aunt Ess is considering putting it in the trunk piece by piece and carrying it home. Think she could?

Some of you have selected your favorite homes from the ones I've already posted. This is my aunt's favorite below.

It is a typical New England cape with an attached barn usually accessed via an attached shed. It is very similar to the home my first husband and I purchased when we were not yet 25 years old. If one stands in the front room and all the doors are open, one can look straight down to the back wall of the barn.

Now, if you'd like to join me tomorrow, I'm going to tell you about arriving uninvited at one of my uncle's cousin's homes. It's an interesting story. Hope to see you then!