Friendship

Tweeting is a way of life. At least it's become a way of life. It might even be too obsessive for me at times, but the truth is...I've made some wonderful friends on Twitter. I had the pleasure of meeting Janet @jkissnhug and Krista @kristakay13 on Sunday. If you are not following them yet, do so...you'll be glad you did! Janet arranged that we meet at Kensington Park at the nature center. From the first moment we exchanged hugs, it was as though we'd been friends forever and the laughter continued straight through the next four hours. We photographed butterflies, fed the birds, tweeted on the path and checked our blackberries for the RTs...Laura @DrMarm (another fun to follow friend!) came in first :) And by the way, Janet's phone plays a symphony while she T9's her tweets! Both Krista and Janet know a ton about birds, and they shared alot of great info with me as I'm a newbie at birding! We watched the sandbill cranes rise slightly and drift out of sight as the moon rose. Janet's camera can just about capture anything in the dark...gotta love that "5000" ISO! Anyway, here are some shots from our precious moments together...ENJOY!!

It was a lovely evening and hopefully we will get together again soon!! Everyone is welcome to join us!! Bring your camera and a sense of humor and you'll fit right in :)

Hometown Vermont

I didn't grow up in Vermont, but it's still home to me. Mom and Dad retired there in the mid 80's so for the last 25 years it's where we spend holidays, vacations, and have our good old family fun. During my trip there last week, we spent an afternoon in the beautiful town of Woodstock. It's what you would picture a beautiful Vermont town to look like. Buildings from the early 1800's, cute shops, and of course, a farmers market every Wednesday on the green. Did I mention my sister Suzy lives in Woodstock? She has a farm with way too many chickens and she sells all kinds of goodies at the market. Take a stroll through town with me and enjoy the scenery....

Looking down on the stream...it was a steamy hot day and a couple of children were splashing in the water

Nestled by the water a hidden bench

And just down from the little alcove, an organic coffee and tea shop

I loved the window of this ecclectic gift shop with vintage and new treasures

Another cute shop

Every shop was well manicured and had the most beautiful flower displays

This is the bridge over the stream on the other side of the road

This is a window from one of the older homes in town

And the white picket fence

And last, but not least, the market...this is my funny fun family...Mom, sister Suzy, and my daughter Kenzie in the chicken hat...the official harbinger of the opening of the market...GO KENZ!!

A fun day...more of Vermont to come...

Heaven On Earth

Since the mid 1990's, this little piece of "Heaven On Earth" has become very near and dear to my heart, and here's how it all happened. The mid 90's were a difficult time for me. My daughters were young, 5 and 7, and I went through an ugly divorce. At the same time, God answered my plea, and introduced me to a group of women friends who had formed a prayer group, and they opened their hearts to me and welcomed me in. We have all remained very close over the years. One of these exceptional women is my friend Kathy. Kathy had also gone through a divorce, and bought this cottage on Harsen's Island. Over the years, my friends and I have had many laughs, tears, conversations that have wings, and just good old down to earth fun here. The cottage is welcoming and warm. We have drinks on the dock, great food, and share a bond that will last a life time. I love my friends. I spent another lovely weekend here, and have some photo memories to share with you all. Welcome to my "Heaven On Earth"....

First, the cottage

Here's the infamous dock :)

And these are the great views across the channel and to the right

This is just a detail from the dock I thought was interesting

This chair is one of my favorite spots at the cottage. I used my lensbaby on this photo...

And a few views of the garden

There are two trees that are absolutely two of the most beautiful trees I've ever seen. Between their age and all the knots, there seem to be faces hidden in the bark everywhere you look.

This is P.J. ~ he's a Bengal cat with a great personality

This is Buffy. She's the matriarch

Ant his little cutie pie is Harry. He's still a puppy and gets his pals all wound up

And here's one last view across the chanel