Horsing Around

I was sorting through a box of family photos and found some old faves. On Monday I was telling one of the visiting relatives about my years as a little equestrienne. His kids attend horse camp in the summer and I was teasing him that he ought to buy them a horse of their own--as I had! (I don't think my lobbying effort was at all successful.)

Wearing my tiny helmet, seated on my tiny saddle, at a horse show or a hunt.



Legs not yet long enough for my dad's saddle. (Evidently I wasn't planning to ride that day--check out those spiffy red Keds!)



My mother.



Our property is plenty big enough for a horse...but who would look after it for me when I'm up at the lake?

By the Lake

This being Monday--or so I'm told, I'm not paying much attention to a calendar these days--the Chap was free, so we had some rare together time at the cottage. We weren't alone.

We took one of the out-of-state holidaymakers on a spin in my new car--all the way to the town dump. It was nice having someone to carry the recyclables to the bins for us!



In the non-recycling section, the rubbish-moving vehicle is adorned with mascot.



You can tell by all the watercraft that kids are visiting.



They decided that our seagull whirligig needed a nest.



Quick photo before swimming.



Seven ducks.



Seven swimmers. (Six Porters and one German au pair. There were seven Porters in the lake before I got out to take a photo.)



The water was 79 degrees. It rarely gets any warmer. Another scorcher but we natives were so starved for decent swimming weather that we're not complaining.

Sunday Stroll: Out & About

On Friday and Saturday I was a writing marathoner. Up till 2 a.m. one night and not quite that late last night. When the words flow so readily, I can't make myself stop. It was a very productive period at the Big Lake. And hot!

Came back to the Lodge late this morning. In the afternoon the Chap and I went to Concord for the NH Antiquarian Book Fair. I found a darling little book of verses from 1808. Saw a nice 17th century French engraved map of the British Isles, but didn't buy. I've so many framed prints and pictures now, there's hardly any place to hang another. I was able to learn the dates of some London book fairs that correspond with the next trip....

Afterwards, just before we got on the motorway, I snapped the Capitol Dome. Haven't spent any time there lately.



Crossing the Merrimack River.



The spot by the river where I see all the herons in spring and early summer.



A familiar country lane.



Some really precocious trees are beginning to turn. In just a couple of months the photo above will be vividly painted with autumn hues.

Cow corn.



People corn. (We stopped at the fresh fruit & veg stand near the arena where the bookfair was.)



They had something precious I can't find at the supermarkets in NH: green tomatoes.



So for supper we'll be having corn on the cob and fried green tomatoes. Mine won't taste as scrummy as my Southern grandmother's always did, but mine are pretty good.

Hot but happy dogs smiling for the camera.



Thanks for stopping by. More strolls can be found here.

Lodge & Lake Report

Yesterday the dogs cornered this milk snake in their fenced yard. It was either hunting for rodents or else resting in gap beneath a concrete step behind our garage.



It looks scary but it's completely harmless. Unless you're a rodent.

When I first arrived on the scene it was lying on the stone step, trapped between Ruth and Jewel who were barking their heads off. I keep telling them it's against state law to harrass wildlife, but they can't help themselves. So I put them inside the house and went back outside to wrangle the snake and remove it from their territory.

I picked up the snake on a this bamboo stake.



Then I gently flung it over the fence and into the woods.

Ooops--I accidentally pitched it into a hemlock tree!



I doubt it had ever been so high up, but it soon found a way to get down again, because when I went to check on it--no sign of the snake. We rarely see this species on the property, common garter snakes are more common--and evoke less reaction from the girls.

If you want to know more about the milk snake, go here.

By midday I headed to the Big Lake on my own. I'm always happy to see the horses grazing in the pasture down the road. Mostly appaloosas, but this summer there's a fifth horse which is solidly dark brown, almost black. You can see its head in the far right of the grouping.



When I arrived at the cottage, the Old Yankee weather stick was as flat and straight as I'd ever seen it.



But today it looks like this!



Perfect August weather, sunny and warm. I decided to work down on the dock. Here's my "office" set-up and view:



Commuters.



I had a very nice swim. The water is up to 76 degrees now, or a little more. By the time I came up to the house, there was writing all over the paper. Tonight I will type up the scene, and proceed to the next one.

Road-Tripping in Reverse

We negotiated the city streets and the road works clogging the motorway round Montréal, and followed the same route out of Québec that we did on Sunday to get there.

But...big difference. This time, the statuary store was open. I haven't been back for many years--we don't usually come home this way on a weekday. But today we did.

It is a mecca for the lawnware connoisseur.



Statuary comes in all sizes.

Tall



Small



There's a lot of choice.



Last time I purchased my horse head, exactly like this one. Perhaps it needs a plinth?



This lady is taller than I am.



The rule for any purchase--apart from fitting inside the car--is that I should be able to carry it out myself. This angel is just what I need!



This might be one of my most favourite dashboard photos, ever: reflection in the back of a milk carrier truck. It looks like the road ahead--in fact, it's the road behind, already travelled.



My special licence plate caused a bit of confusion at the US Border. Vermont legislative leadership plates don't look like ours. But we made it through.

South of Burlington, the whale tails wave goodbye. They are very near the airport--I managed to catch a small plane passing over the tails!



It was a pleasant drive through the Green Mountain State. And then we were back home in the Granite State. (Which also has green mountains.)

A lizard in the mirror may be closer than it appears.



Rose of the Day: Eglantyne welcomed us home to the Lodge.



In the early evening we drove over to the kennel to collect the girls. We saw turkeys in the field where we always see turkeys--they were huge! They were also congregating with a larger flock of Canada geese. We spotted a kestrel on a telephone wire, gazing over a field.

Ruth and Jewel are ecstatic to be home. I missed them while we were away. But I always love Montréal, and it was wonderful spending time with the Chap, on the road and in the city. I'm glad I decided to tag along!

Dejuener sur la terrace avec bloggers

This morning there was rain but it soon subsided, and exactly like yesterday it stayed away until we returned from our excursion. Today we ventured into a part of the city we rarely see--I think not since my very first time in Montreal. And even then, it wasn't quite the same area.

We got off the Metro and we made our way to the residence of Beth (of cassandra pages) and her husband J. we spotted several large dogs in guide dog harness.

We arrived right at 11:00. It was as though no time had passed since our last meeting although in fact it has been two years.

While we walked the neighbourhood, Beth spotted an albino squirrel.



Our walk took us to this boulangerie where we bought a loaf of French bread for lunch and the Chap picked up some croissants for his breakfast--they came well recommended. I hope he shares!



And during our stroll, again we saw the 3 or 4 guide dogs in harness. It seemed as though they were having some training.

As always when two or more bloggers gather, it was a photo op. The professional photographer in our midst seemed strangely challenged by a simple point-and-shoot digicam. (As well as by my excessively frequent blink rate!)



But the result, a J. original, is extremely artistic--I think I've found the photographer for my next book jacket. This apparently is how I look when concentrating on not blinking.



We ate on the terrace and had the perfect summer lunch--a selection of salads and some cheese and and delicious breads (I even tried the one with olives) and a bowl of fresh fruit. And wine!

Followed by black coffee and deep talk. (The Chap took this photo. Beth seems impressed by the fact that I'm not blinking.)



A little while after our lunch J. left for an appointment. Beth generously sent us off with some Ontario peaches for which we are most grateful. Our thanks to both of them for taking time out of their day...and we look forward to reciprocating their hospitality on our side of the border!

I was having such fun seeing our friends that I forgot to let Sparkle out--until we left. She's climbing their front step, trying to get back in.



Then Chap and I retraced our steps to the Metro stop. Although it was several hours later, the working dogs were still at work.





We stopped in the SAQ Express, hoping I might find my elusive Mort Subite framboise (raspberry) beer. The Chap only managed to score two of them last week. In recent days we've been in several SAQ's where we normally find plenty of it, but no luck. Till today!

So I bought half a dozen. And for 75 cents a six-compartment carrier to carry it in, which came with a "lifetime guarantee." I can add it to my ever-growing souvenir carrier collection. On this trip I'm accompanied by my hemp one from Waitrose in London and the Diocese of New Hampshire one that we've used here for the supermarket. Which, at the moment, is full of a Liefmans product, Fruitesse, which is not the same as Mort Subite framboise...but was was as close as I could get until today.

Standing on the Metro platform with carrier full of Belgian beer.



Just as we came out of the Place d'Armes Metro stop the skies opened up--just like yesterday. There's a pattern to these muggy summer afternoons. And like yesterday, the rain stopped before the Chap left for his meeting.

Monday in Montreal

There's a flower market near our hotel, so these were the first photo I shot this morning as we emerged.




We walked over to Vieux Montreal to a favourite quiet spot, the garden at the Chateau de Ramezay.




The flowers were very much in bloom.

Clematis



Coneflowers



And the potager was very productive!

Grands choux



Aubergine



Pommes en espalier



Cooling my hand in the fountain.



I let Sparkle out for some exercise.



Round the corner we visited the gallery of Christian Bergeron.



And we crossed over to wander through the market.



Right size. Not sure about the colour.



It was lunchtime. Instead of returning to a place where we'd dined previously, we tried a new one. Here's the menu that won us over.



Sparkle looks for lizard food. Failing to find it, she suggests moules et frites--which we would've chosen any way.



Delicious bread.



We always have these when we're in Montreal.



We strolled up towards the Hotel de Ville.



After a stop at the supermarket and the SAQ (liquor, wine, beer), we returned to our hotel. We speculate about the cones on top. Can you request a "cone room"? Are they set aside for Coneheads?



Exhausted from her exertions, Sparkle takes a nap.