Tower Hill Botanical Gardens

Ryan had an engagement to shoot at Tower Hill Botanical Gardens in Boylston on Sunday and I went along.

more Etsy update

For those of you who like Ryan's photos, he is beginning to sell some hand-printed copies of his work. Check them out here. He is starting with Hoarfrost.

I also made another necklace. It is made of coral colored glass beads and turquoise colored howlite on a two-tiered necklace. Another piece that I would wear myself. The listing is here.



Nearly all packaging I use to send out the items is recycled and/or reused.

TurtandElephant

Last week I decided that I would open an Etsy shop. I love Etsy. I look on there almost every day and am inspired by the items that others make. I thought I could make some as well. I have been to the craft store at least three times this week. There are too many things I like to make, I discovered, so for now the shop will be a hodge podge of home decor, pillows, necklaces, bracelets and scarves. I would like to make a few more things, but have yet to procure a sewing machine. For now it is just something fun to do with extra time...and make a little extra money. Ryan is joining me in this endeavor and will be hand-printing some of his black and white photos for the shop. For those of you who have been waiting for this moment, click here. Below are a few photos of my wares so far:





Prints of Ryan's will be selected from this set on Flickr.

the Cape and 4th of July Weekend

We got up early on Saturday morning to drive to Chatham, Cape Cod to visit some friends. We had just invited ourselves over a couple of nights before, but travel went fairly smoothly. After preparing lunches and comforting a toddler, we drove to the slip to enjoy a boat ride, lunch and some Atlantic Ocean. In the above image, we are getting back onto the boat after enjoying a sandy walk to the Atlantic Side of Cape Cod.



Susan, being fabulous on the boat, while holding the Beedle.


When we arrived back to the boat, we were informed that the Beedle had let go of his kite when excited by the return of his parents. Luckily it could be found. Pops steered the boat near the shallow end and Susan got out and swam/walked to retrieve the kite. Beedle was cheered.

When we returned, Beedle showed me how to be a Jedi:


It's a very intense process.



Later on in the evening, we enjoyed some Old Fashioneds, made by Matt.


Father and son.



Before dinner, we took a walk down to the end of the street, snapping pictures of the view and ourselves.



Susan made a fabulous blackened tofu with salsa, and grilled squash and asparagus for dinner. Once stuffed, we set about to our own devices. Before bed, we walked down the street to view the "planetarium" (it was so dark we could see many stars and the Milky Way). We slept hard.

In the morning, we got ready for the day and packed. Ryan and I went into downtown Chatham to see the different stores and drive to the lighthouse. There were some great places to go into and later on you will see the mirror that I purchased. We drove to Provincetown, which seemed like a fabulous place, except that we could not find any parking. We stopped once at a natural foods store, but could not park there to wander into the town. Vowing to try to go again, we started our drive back home.



When we got there, we found the hallway repainted. Now will they replace the carpet?



This is the mosaic mirror I purchased at Yankee Ingenuity in Chatham.



Brunch I made this morning: tofu, edamamme, broccoli and a whole bunch of spices. Today is for relaxing and doing naught. We do not feel like fighting traffic or finding a parking spot for the fireworks in town, so we will stay put. Happy Fourth, people!

hiking

One of the things we have missed about Alaska by moving here is the access to great hiking trails. This weekend we decided to drive to White Mountain National Forest, about a 2 hour drive from where we live. While not a 10 minute (or less) drive, it was fairly easy to get to and I'm sure we will be returning in the months to come. The trail we chose was Falling Waters. It is not a boardwalk trail; it is basically the forest floor - dirt, tree roots and rocks. At some points I didn't know if I would make it or if I would slip, but overall I did pretty well. Ryan is a natural and climbed right into the streams to take photos of waterfalls along the way.

a day in cambridge

First we drove to East Cambridge to check out Calumet for photography supplies. Although small, it held everything that Ryan wanted. Next, we went to Harvard Square to look around. I found a silicone watch for $10 and Ryan found a few things at a tobacconist. At 1 we found ourselves hungry and wandered around until we decided on Charlie's Kitchen. They had a few vegetarian options and I ordered a vegetarian black bean burger and fries. It was delicious! Soon rain came and we quickly paid our bill and sought shelter. On the way home, we stopped at Peace O' Pie, a vegan pizza place in Allston, MA. I ordered the Buffalo Chik'n Pizza and a 1/2 pound of Daiya shredded mozzarella. The pizza was amazing!! It was so hot and spicy, but still had a great flavor.

more saved furniture

This beauty was in the hallway. It needs new knobs and a coat of paint, but otherwise is great. I ended up breaking off the white parts of the pulls in the middle and that will do for now.