Finished, At Long Last!

Three months to the day since the Chap wrote out the deposit check for our master bath renovation...it ended.

First, some before photos.

The tub. Pale grey tile everywhere.



The shower. Red cedar custom surround, and lots of tile.



Behold, the new loo! I chose my colours from the ones in a New England seascape we received as wedding present. (Visible in the top photo, and some to follow.) This enabled me to combine elements from New England, the American Southwest (our signed Amado Peña Indian Market art print purchsed in Santa Fe), South America (Ecuadorian flamingo wall hanging and an invisible smaller one with fishes behind the door.)



We re-used the red cedar removed from the shower to complete the tub surround in wood instead of tile. Much better! The bird tapestry on the pillow also came back from Ecuador with the Chap.



Our sinks (which we discovered are cast-iron, enamel-coated, very heavy, and very special) were formerly surrounded by the omnipresent pale grey tile. We liked our double-wide vanity so kept it, adding a new top.



I'm so happy with the new Italian tile round the tub. The driftwood collection on the little shelf under the seascape was gathered on various beaches--Martha's Vineyard, in the UK. The wall with the plant shelves was built so we could incorporate the new shower unit.



Towel bars in a new location. How I love our new 12 x 12 floor tile! The fresh paint on the wall and the colour of the baseboard trim.



Shower, with 2 seats inside!



My heirloom Christmas cactus (which judging from the buds will bloom around Thanksgiving) flanked by a brain coral and another coral the Chap acquired when he lived in St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. (Before he acquired me!)



I bought this goat planter years ago in New Mexico. He seems happy in his new surroundings.



It's hard to tell from photos, but even with the addition of a partial wall the master bath is still quite spacious--there's a good distance between the tub and shower.

We thought this project would never end. But at least we achieved the result we wanted! Completion came at the end of a very grey day, but I couldn't wait for sunlight to take photos.

Eye-popping

Yesterday I shot this photo--at the mall! Just to prove to you that we forest-living, lake-dwelling folks don't have a monopoly on beautiful foliage.

It's possible I might blog later from an alternate location. I'm not sure yet.

One in the Bag

One vote, that is.

When the Chap and I stopped at the Post Office on Saturday, we spotted a friend in the parking lot and waved. She came racing up to the car, looked right at me and announced, "I'm a registered Republican, but I've already voted for you."

We don't have early voting here. She'd filed an absentee ballot because she'll be travelling to Florida.

I thanked her for her support.

Nice to know my appeal to swing voters is intact. Also nice to learn that other people vote for the person more than the party. As I do.

Candidates' order on the ballot is based on a randomly chosen alphabet letter. Two years ago, the chosen letter was M. We had no M, N, or O candidates on our side of the ticket, meaning yours truly was at the top of the State Rep heap in my party's column.

This year the random letter is K. We have no L, M, N, or O candidates. Guess who's on top again? Check out the official sample ballot:



Yesterday was astonishingly productive on the church, state, and writing fronts. The Chap is attending an overnight conference in-state, so my solitude continued through the evening and I put it to good use.

The trees round the Lodge continue to put on a fine show.



I have a music lesson and errands today--more leaf peeping ahead.

Sunny Sunday Stroll

I can see this view from inside the house, but when I step onto the deck in the fresh air, it takes my breath away. No photo can do these colours justice, I fear. The sky is unbelievably blue, the trees amazingly vivid.



The Autumn Joy sedum has joyfully changed from rose to rust.



Flowers still bloom in my borders.

Black-eyed Susan.



Tall garden phlox.



And yes, even my mixed-up forsythia, who thinks early October weather is akin to late April.



Lily-of-the-valley in its autumnal form.



The maples in front of the house, near the road, are multi-hued...



...while those at the edge of the woods are just beginning their show.



For other strolls today, go here!

Harvesting

I was lurching all about the state yesterday, and it was an immense pleasure to be driving round on another heavenly bright day and peek at peaking foliage (and the campaign signs that have mushroomed on our rural roadsides!) I've had meetings, medical appointments, or errands every day and most evenings since last I blogged--hence the lack of blogging.

Yesterday was by far the busiest day. In the morning in the Capitol city I had a meet-up with a vampire. Well, actually a phlebotomist, and she was very friendly. The was a result from my annual physical, where I stunned all and sundry with my weight loss. We're now curious to see if there's an improvement in my cholesterol levels, which are generally good-to-normal. From the lab I raced to my meeting with the Bishop and others to plan our 2009 Diocesan Spring Event, but I was half an hour early, meaning I could eat yogurt covered raisins to restore my blood sugar level. (It was a fasting blood test.) After that I wandered over to the State House to empty my member mailbox--a cubbyhole really.

On my way back to the Lodge, I saw that the "cow corn" in the field near our road was being cut. I pulled over and got this shot--right after the harvester passed out of view.



I waited for it to return but I think the men were unloading the corn into a truck and I had to be somewhere else so couldn't wait. I expect the field will be flattened by the next time I drive past.

After a little while at home, another chance to boost my blood sugar and re-caffeinate myself, I departed for the Seacoast. In an effort to prop our failing economy, and to prepare for upcoming journey, I made some clothing purchases at Macy's and in a Portsmouth boutique. In dressing rooms and at tills I overheard lots of out-of-staters--presumably leaf-peepers taking advantage of our lack of a sales tax.

In the late afternoon I joined my fried Terry, better known to the reading masses as the super-talented Tess Gerritsen, at the Thai restaurant Chiang Mai, one of our favourite Portsmouth meet-up spots. She's on book tour for her current novel The Keepsake. As usual we chatted about family and politics and travel, not so much about writing. I followed her to the Barnes & Noble for her author chat, because I knew that at some point in her presentation she would pull out a shrunken head. Which indeed she did! She was entertaining and informative (I now know how to mummify a dead body), it was a great crowd, and she was selling and signing lots of books when I left the store.

The details of mummification and head shrinking were gruesome, yes, but I slept like a baby last night. No creepy nightmares!

This month the exhibit space at our town library is filled with some amazing art quilts by a former resident. On Wed. evening I had a chance to photograph her extensive collection. Here are my favourites:








I'm no quilter but I do love to look at them. I was fortunate to inherit some rather nice family quilts. And for a few years I served on the board of a nonprofit that provided comfort quilts to at-risk infants and children.

A while ago, sipping my morning tea, I watched a grasshopper walk up a window. When he almost reached the top, I went outside with the camera.



It's a fantastic day...shaping up to be a superlative Columbus Day weekend (running out of adjectives here to describe this spell of wondrous weather!)

The Other Anniversary

The day after we married the Chap brought me to New Hampshire for our honeymoon at the Big Lake cottage and in the White Mountains. We got here after dark, and we made a couple of necessary stops along the way. In Boston he introduced me to shockingly bad driving as well as taking me onto the USS Constitution berthed in Boston Harbor. In Danvers (formerly Salem Village) I had my first photo op at the Porter River and Porter Street. Imagine the thrill of marrying a river and a street!

I considered myself rather well travelled back then, yet it was my very first experience of New England and its version of autumn. Today, as I drove round to favourite beauty spots to photograph the annual display, I was remembering how magical it seemed to me. Back then I never imagined I'd one day live here.







I didn't need to travel so far for foliage, I can find it on our very own road.





Our little lake.



It was the perfect October day: crisp, breezy, bright, cloudless. The trees haven't peaked yet in the Capitol Region yet in some areas the leaves have already fallen to the ground.

Our Anniversary

Once upon a time on this very date in a historic old church in a Southern city a bride walked down the aisle wearing her mother's satin wedding dress and her grandmother's lace. She was marrying the man of her dreams...the one she'd met over three years earlier, and on meeting him knew beyond doubt that he was The One. The Only One.

A little while later the couple left the church arm-in-arm to begin their new life together. They had high hopes for the future, yet scarcely imagined how rewarding and joyful and supportive their partnership would be.



Here on my blog, you'll read a lot about me-me-me. On this day I need to honour the remarkable man with whom I share my life. I wouldn't be who I am without him. He is kind and thoughtful and living with me has made him patient. We have similar backgrounds and share the same values. We love many of the same people and things. He sets a wonderful example of integrity. He's by far the better person. He's the one with all the important, crucial life skills--you know, like being able to add and subtract, or change the oil in the car. The one who cheers me up when I need it. Who makes me laugh like nobody else. Who has proved a wonderful and devoted parent to a succession of mad canines. Who supports my every endeavour no matter how uncomfortable for him or how remote success appears ("We definitely need a second/third dog!" "I'm going to write novels and call it a career!" "I think I'll run for the Legislature!")

I don't know what I did to deserve him, I'll probably never figure it out. The best I can do is try to deserve him.

So, a lifetime of thanks to the one from whom--many years ago today--I acquired the surname printed on all those campaign signs he planted for me this weekend.

Sunday Stroll at the Big Lake

A sunny day on the Big Lake.

The view hasn't changed much...still a lot of green trees on the mountains.



Jewel is happy after our walk to the Point.



Ruth pleads for another walk!



Outside looking in at antique bottles on the windowsill.



The only spot of colour.



It was breezy enough to keep the flag aloft. I snapped this shot from the screened porch just before the Chap lowered the flag and stowed the flagpole for the season.



We did the sort of end-of-season chores that won't affect our enjoyment of the place on brisk autumn days like this one.

Celebrating

Been keeping busy with affairs of church (Diocesan Council North Country Retreat planning, Celebration of new ministry in my parish) and state (Dept. of Transportation public hearing, Regional Town Association meeting, managing the re-election campaign of 4 incumbents.)

And the master bath renovation (transformation!) is really and truly nearing completion. Tiling and grouting are finished, the new shower is fully installed. Priming the walls begins today, painting--perhaps tomorrow!

Last night our parish's relationship with our "new" rector became official. He initially came to us almost two years ago as priest-in-charge and he hadn't been in our midst more than a couple of weeks before we knew we wanted to keep him!

So our Bishop, still hearty and smiling after hosting the Presiding Bishop all weekend, came to our little church to lead us in a Celebration of New Ministry.

I'm fairly certain I haven't posted pics of our Bishop in the past. I suppose my discretion arose because of working so closely with him and a reluctance to infringe upon that relationship. Yet he's been pictured in every traditional media outlet and online publication in the world, numerous blogs, parish websites in this and many another diocese, the cover of the biography that Beth wrote and the recently published book he authored. Even on his own blog, which he wrote from England this summer. I'm thinking I might have been unnecessarily discreet....

So here he is, resplendent and seasonal in his consecration vestments, also worn on Saturday at the service with Presiding Bishop.



At that moment the two wardens were doing their presentation. The Chap is our Senior Warden, only he's not visible.

His stole was designed to include the leaves of trees native to New Hampshire.



After the service the parishioners and guests went down to the Undercroft for a delicious meal. The Bishop also blessed the new cross, built and painted by parishioners, which will soon sit atop the roof. (Our old one, more than 100 years old, was irreparably damaged last year during the re-roofing of the building.)



A sweet--and bittersweet--element of celebration could be found on the dessert table. This summer we lost a stalwart of our parish, beloved by all, in an automobile accident. She was famous for the lemon squares and other treats she provided for breakfasts, bake sales, and picnics. Someone used her recipe, making sure we had the lemon squares (they were delicious!) Even more amazing, we still had in the freezer a batch of chocolate chip cookies she'd baked for the Old Home Day celebration that occurred days after her death. She would've been so thrilled about last night's celebration, and it was the perfect time to serve those cookies!



No sooner does one celebration end than another begins. Our wedding anniversary approaches, as does the anniversary of my very first visit to New Hampshire. Now, as then, the foliage will be spectacular!