Floral Bright Spots

     The weather has been very cold the last few days with the frost having killed off the annuals in my garden. Amazingly, two roses are still in bloom. 

     Inside, the holiday cacti are putting on quite a show. In fact, everyone has been remarking about their cacti also being early and beautiful.

    I brought this hibiscus in from the sunporch when it started getting colder earlier this month. At first, it didn't seem to be adjusting too well, but now . . . Wow! 

Kaye England

     On Sunday afternoon I attended a talk by Kaye England which was held at Ann's Fabrics in Canton, MA. Kaye is the author of many quilting books and patterns, and besides being a master quilter she is also one very funny and entertaining woman. She showed many of her stunning quilts including some from an upcoming book. I purchased her book, Quilt Inspirations from Africa. The first half is a fascinating exploration of the world of African art and design while the second half provides ideas and patterns for sixteen African inspired quilts. An African safari has always been on my wish list and though I may never get to Africa, I can certainly use this book to create my own African inspired quilt.
     Saturday night I attended a performance of The Wiz at Weymouth High School. It was outstanding, truly a wonderful performance. There were a number of leads whose voices were unbelievable. It's amazing to see the talent that all of these young people have.
 

Pretty in Pink

     I haven't featured Emma in a post for a while, so today I thought I would share some recent photos. She is now ten months old. The photo above was taken last week before she was groomed. Here she is a few days later all spiffed up.

 This pink sweater had belonged to my sweet Katie whom I lost in January, and it made me smile to see Emma wearing it.   

     Emma had a fun time last weekend. Friends came for dinner Saturday night, and Emma, of course,  was sure they had come just to see her. Then on Veterans' Day, my cousin came with her two little girls to see the parade. When we returned to my house, the girls and their mom waited in the backyard while I went inside to let Emma out. Both my cousin and I wished we had thought to film it when Emma saw the girls. Excitement doesn't begin to define Emma's reaction. They have visited her a number of times since she first arrived, and Emma loves the girls, and they love her. There was much kissing, hugging, tail wagging, face licking, and happy dancing going on. The three had races, and they introduced her to the joy of jumping into a huge pile of leaves. Emma was a bit tentative at first, but soon joined in the fun.
     One last photo taken yesterday.

A Very Busy Day

     Wednesdays are always busy for me, but yesterday was even busier than usual. It started with  breakfast with friends at Stars in Hingham Harbor. Next, I dashed home to let Emma play outside for a little while before I was off to catch the 11:00 commuter boat from Hingham to Boston. A small group of fellow travelers from our Italy trip were headed into the North End for lunch. Along the way, we stopped to take a few pictures.

        Here's a peek into the Old North Church.

     We had a delicious lunch at La Familgia Giogo, and the portions were so large we each left with enough food for another meal.

   The next stop was Bova's Bakery also on Salem Street where I purchased some delicious pistachio cookies.  Here's the really interesting part. A camera crew from a local TV show, Chronicle, was in the bakery filming a piece which is supposed to air this Tuesday evening.

     We strolled around a bit more and then caught the 3:30 commuter boat back to Hingham which allowed me to get home early enough to spend time with Emma before heading back out again to meet my quilting buddies.  See what I mean about it having been a very busy, but also a very fun day? 

     

Voting Day 2012

     Today dawned clear, bright and cold here in New England, a perfect day to get out and vote. I just returned from casting my vote, and I was thrilled to see that by 9:10 a.m. 293 votes had already been cast at my precinct. There are many precincts in Weymouth, so this is a good indication that the voting turnout will be high.

     "Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual--or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country. "

Samuel Adams, The Writings of Samuel Adams, Harry Alonzo Cushing, editor (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1907), Vol. IV, p. 256.

     I am, admittedly, a political news junkie and watch the pundits on the major news channels and will spend tonight channel surfing. While my friends are totally tired and fed up with the long campaign, the thousands of commercials, the obscene amount of money being spent, the conventions and the debates, I have to say that I will miss it all!  :-)

    

The Dancing Queens Do Lunch

     The Dancing Queens met for lunch today at the 99 Restaurant in Hingham. Twelve of us were able to make it this time including two of our newly retired friends. These photos are a bit blurry, but it wasn't from a lack of trying. Our obliging waitress took multiple photos with two different iPhones and after some major tweaking, these are the best of the group.

     For those new to this blog, the Dancing Queens are a group of friends who taught for many years in the Weymouth School System.  Carol, our social secretary, does an excellent job of getting us together each month for some type of fun activity. 

   

     

A Few Fall Scenes

     Early one morning recently, I went with two friends from the South Shore Camera Club in search of  some fall color. The local color this season has not been as bright as one would have hoped. These shots were taken behind the town hall in Hanson. I did like the reflections, so I will definitely return to this spot next year.

     Then we headed to Lelan Farm in Middleboro where the owners allowed us to wander about to take a few photographs.

     Finally, we visited the Soule Homestead where there are nature trails and you may visit the animals in the pasture. Most of the sheep were neutral about our visit, but these two seemed to enjoy our company. (Carol took the photo below.) Nothing like scratching a few noses to make new friends! 

    

 Just the week before I had been in Siena . . . now I was making friends in a sheep pasture. Life is good!  :-)

     This final shot was taken last weekend while attending a four-day quilt getaway with friends at the Strong House Inn in Vergennes, VT. As always, we had a great time and visited a few quilt shops. I usually go out early each morning and drive around photographing farm scenes, but this time each morning the fog was just too thick. It wouldn't have been safe driving the unfamiliar backroads, but I did manage to make this shot at the falls.