Rainy Day Sunshine

     Today looks to be another day of rain, so I thought I would post some photos taken over this past weekend while on my retreat . There was a small wildflower meadow on the property, and the image below was taken early one misty morning.

There were also large tracts of sunflowers which I always enjoy photographing.

Finally, here is your sunshine for today.

  

Kripalu

     This past weekend I went with five other women to Kripalu which is a yoga retreat center in the Berkshires. I have not practiced yoga, but an opportunity presented itself and since I try to be open to life's possibilities off I went. The weekend for our little group was sponsored by the Cancer Community Renewal Project. We took part in the Women's Radiant Health program led by Sudha Lundeen  (pictured 2nd from the right).

     I was amazed at how large the facility was and just how many people from all over come to the center. There was a woman in our program who had come from Spain to visit Kripalu.
     Shortly after arriving on Friday afternoon, I attended a yoga class for beginners which easily had over 125 participants. Mind you, this was only one of of a number of yoga classes and programs going on at that time.
     At first I must confess I felt totally out of place and wondered just what the heck I was doing there,  but I gradually warmed to the experience. The food was very good and healthy and the people friendly and calm. All in all, it proved to be a very interesting experience.

Aliens Among Us?

     Today is another picture perfect day. It's hard to believe that so many people are still dealing with the effects of last Sunday's storm. There are thousands of people without power. Fortunately, my area didn't see much damage. I never lost electrical power and had only branches to pick up on Monday. I am so, so very grateful.
     Here's a photo taken on the dock outside my room when I was up in Boothbay Harbor a few weeks ago.

Is it just me, or does this not make it appear that there are aliens among us? Speaking of things other worldly, I'm adding a link to the bottom of this blog page to NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day. The photos are [pun alert] truly out of this world! When you go to this site, click on "Discover the Cosmos" and be sure to take a look at a photo which was posted on Aug. 14th. It's a remarkable image of a tornado and a rainbow together originally taken in Kansas back in 2004. What makes the site interesting is that there is an explanation written by an astronomer each day describing what you are viewing. Some of the images would provide wonderful inspirations for quilts.

Calm Before the Storm

As Hurricane Irene continues to churn up the coast and we batten down the hatches, I thought I would share some photos taken on Tuesday afternoon of a magnificent sky.

Are you curious about the origin of the phrase to "batten down the hatches"? As  the hurricane approaches, you can't listen to a newscast without hearing this expression. It was a nautical term.  When bad weather came, a tarpaulin was pulled over a ship's hatches and fastened down with strips of wood called battens, so "to batten down" means to secure property.

We'll just have to cross our fingers and wait to see what Irene brings to our area on Sunday.

The Help

I read Kathryn Stockett's The Help last year, and it was a good read.  A movie based on the novel was recently released.  While I always approach with trepidation movies based on novels that I have enjoyed, in this case, there was nothing to fear as the movie was wonderful. Viola Davis as Abileen, Octavia Spencer as Minnie, Emma Stone as Skeeter, and the rest of the cast were excellent. Overall, it was quite faithful to the book and definitely worth seeing. I would give it an A-.

Lake Winnipesaukee

     At the end of last week, I spent a couple of days in the Lake Winnipesaukee region of New Hampshire.  My cousin's mother-in-law has a wonderful place right on the lake in Moultonborough. I was invited by my cousin to join her, her husband, her lovely mother-in-law, and perhaps the cutest little two year old boy you have ever seen. I had a terrific time. I know it seems unbelievable, but I didn't take any photos other than a quick family shot or two. Since I don't have any photos to post, let me give you a word picture instead. Just imagine sitting in a comfortable recliner on a deck overlooking a sparkling blue lake with mountains in the distance. The only time I raised my head from my reading was when a motorboat pulling a water skier went by, and then it was back to my book. . . total relaxation. There was a trip to the beach, a boat ride around the lake, dinner in Wolfeboro, stops at local craft stores, and of course, a visit to Keepsake Quilting. (There were two ladies in the store who had driven all the way from West Virginia to visit this quilting mecca. Mind you, they weren't in the area for any other reason than to visit this shop. Now I know my non-quilter readers will find that hard to believe, but my quilter friends will think that it wasn't all that  unusual.) All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend a few days.
     The best part, however, was waking up each morning to the joyous sounds of my littlest cousin from downstairs asking, "Where's Janice?" He is the happiest little boy, and for some wonderful reason, he really, really likes me. :-)

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse

     Last Friday before heading home from the Boothbay Region, we drove up to Pemaquid Point to photograph the lighthouse there.  As hundreds of photographers before me have done, I climbed about on the rocks searching for a pool of water to get a reflection of the lighthouse.

Now if only there had just been a few white puffy clouds. Oh well . . . 

     I have visited Pemaquid Point a number of times, but the tower has always been closed. Friday it was open and visitors were allowed to go up in it. There were thirty steps in the narrow winding staircase and then you had to climb up six rungs of a ladder to get to the top.

Here's the view from the top.

It was a very cool way to end my mini vacation in Maine.