saturday in the city.
a morning walk through the oaks.
the chrysanthemums are blooming.
i found a nest of mushrooms under a tree.
i got a cup of coffee afterwards and a nice table and let my pen glide across the pages of my journal. ticking off thoughts as they entered my head. i don’t know why i haven’t done this before here, but it is such a nice way to end a jaunt down woodland paths.
i met my friend lewis at a diner for breakfast. she picked the place and told me it’s where they shot a a few scenes from madmen. i loved and miss that show. speaking of television i just started divorce with sarah jessica parker. and i’ve enjoyed the first few episodes of this is us.
i finally settled on a book. in the woods. i couldn’t commit to the woman in cabin 10 any further than the sample. we’ll see if a whodunit wakes me up out of my reading fog.
donald draper at the counter of rod’s in arcadia. photo courtesy of arcadiasbest.com
and…you may as well know that i’m having fantasies about remote stone cottages in the derbyshires. because i just am. because even when i’m home and perfectly content there’s a part of me that is dreaming of fairytale cottages and damp air and woodstoves and lambs and kittens. because i am. because i can’t stop.
waving to you and thumping my tail from my little hill in my little cottage in the gleaming metropolis. let me know how you is.
..and stone floors? I am.
I dream “IN THATCH” too! There is a part of me that thinks I should have grown up in England…maybe it’s growing up in a cozy English Tudor home (in NJ!) that fuels that fantasy. This past weekend I spent a gorgeous few perfect fall days in Woodstock, NY at the Woodstock Film Festival with old friends. We saw amazing films and shorts, ate awesome food, got spoiled rotten by our friend’s husband who loves to cook, and shopped at super cool little stores. A wonderful yearly event for us…with the most gorgeous fall leaves and deer as a back drop. I’m back in MA close to the sea and ready for a walk along the water with my dog. Have a lovely day!
“close to the sea and ready for a walk along the water”
mmmmmmmmmm
Hi MAM, I am writing this from a cute B & B in Glenn, New Hampshire. My niece, her husband, my husband and I have been in Maine and NH for almost a week. Last week we saw the rocky shoreline in Bar Harbor and drove through Acadia National Park, stopping long enough to scamper over rocks and peer out to the Atlantic, snapping pictures with wild abandon! Oh, and we ate lobster, clam chowder and all kinds of other tasty morsels. We have seen leaves in every fall color you could ever imagine! For once, we managed to get our timing right and saw the fall foliage at its peak. We could hardly believe our good luck at seeing the display at its finest.
In New Hampshire, we’ve seen more leaves, along with covered bridges and waterfalls. There are so many places to stay to suit every taste and budget. I’ve been guilty of mentally taking over a few of the old saltbox houses we’ve passed along the scenic byways. In my mind, I am inside, baking muffins and fresh apple cake. My crafty stuff has its own room with good light and plenty of room to spread out. The snow has begun to fall, but I am toasty warm in my fleece jammies and a cozy fire blazing away. (In reality the snow is not ready to fall…..but that is what dreams and imagination are for, right??)
Tomorrow we’ll hop over to Burlington, VT to meet a friend for lunch and then drive back down to Northampton, Mass…..our starting place. Wednesday we head south through Virginia, then on to Asheville, NC. Home to NW Florida on Friday. I think I have about 5,000 digital pictures to edit and make into a book for this trip, It has been so much fun and yes…there will be dreams and maybe some writing to come, too. Thanks for encouraging us to travel, write, dream and be creative.
oh marcia. oh oh oh
this sounds divine.
your descriptions have me dying to explore new england, which i’ve never done.
enjoy every second!
xo
Housekeeping question: Oh My Gouche pic link doesn’t seem to be live, nor the one next to it. The others are. Is it closed? Thx.
yikes! thanks for telling me, i’ve fixed them both. unintentional. love it when you guys tell me these things. so helpful!!!
Aaah Mary, please come to a cosy stone cottage in Derbyshire. You will love it. Derbyshire is the Peak District, the beautiful national park in the UK. There are so many gorgeous villages. I was there 2 months ago. I live in London but would love to drive to see you and treat you to a Bakewell pudding!
My dreams take me to a cottage by the sea. I have 2 Pinterest boards I go to for inspiration 🙂
Speaking of stone cottages in Derbyshire…you need to read Susan Branch’s A Fine Romance…she details her trip in the Lake District, culminating at Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top Farm. It is the perfect itinerary for a trip and I covet going with an art journaling travel friend…but can’t find anyone game in my area! Check it out.
oh thanks for the reminder. i am so on that, forthwith! also reminds me that i used to subscribe to her newsletter and it was sooooo good. but i haven’t received one in a while. must investigate!
I’m-a coming if you go! At least in my dreams. Have dreamt of a peat fire. Garden rooms. Moors. Book-filled rooms. Tea and crumpets. In the Woods is perfect when you are in an English state of mind. I just finished her latest. May your day be filled with pumpkins and chestnuts.
a bag of warm chestnuts sounds delish…
i have never been to england. never!
gah
What a lovely way to spend a morning. Fall is my favorite season and this walk certainly added a great glimpse.
If you need a stone cottage you don’t need to travel all the way to Derbyshire. Just come to Pennsylvania. There are loads
of them here. Here is one shown in a blog….
http://hookedonhouses.net/2013/07/22/a-small-stone-cottage-on-a-creek-in-pennsylvania/
But you might have to put up with snow if you plan a trip to Pennsylvania too late in the season…. LOL
Have you ever watched Doc Martin? One of my all time favorite series-yoou can find it on Netflix–it is filmed in a wonderful little village
every episode!
Hello from the high desert..raining cats and dogs just now. Two suggestions: Vera, BBC series filmed in Northumberland – lots of cottages and mystery… also for reading pleasure up all night: The Night Ferry by Michael Robotham.
Best to you
Nan
I am with you in Derbyshire…
In The Woods is a great book, if you’re reading Tana French’s book. I suspect there might be others with the same title. Assuming it’s hers, I’ve read all of hers. My other fave in the series is Faithful Place.
Happy wandering.
Wonderful photos! I wanted to sit there and sketch the pumpkins in the park.
Is this Huntington Gardens?
I’m always dreaming of stone cottages in the English countryside! My dear mom
was from the UK so I come by it naturally. I treat myself to the UK Country Living mag every month
and daydream away!
descanso gardens…
uk country living. sounds divine. have never heard of it. glad you mentioned!
You will really love it. Our B&N carries it.
Loved your pictorial journey. You have so many scrumptious places to explore! The beauty is that you document it. Like living life twice. Today took Grands to “explore” a pumpkin patch! They bring the gorgeous pumpkins in from Amish farmers. Tomorrow we head to Squirrel Park. First we will forage, next sketch our finds. Life can be beautiful, it is just around the corner. Have a great week.
wait. amish farmers. SQUIRREL PARK. oh lovely! and also drat! that reminds me i forgot to write that i saw a squirrel INSIDE a pumpkin eating the pumpkin seeds! all you could see was his bushy tail peeking out.
squirrels are my spirit animals
I love seeing the pumpkins along the path and the mums! Isn’t fall the best season?
Are you headed next to one of those stone cottages with sister? I’ll be happy to tag along with you two gadabouts.