Saturday, October 30, 2010

Autumn Beauty On The Island


Wild grasses turn a pinkish color each autumn.
The day I took this photo, the wind was
blowing and along with all the wild flowers,
the sea of pink grass was swaying back and forth.
It was a sight to behold.
-
Have you had a good weekend so far?
I hope so.....
Lord bless....Dee Dee

Friday, October 29, 2010

Watercolors, Pencils and Alice

Rabbit
 "Oh my ears and whiskers,
how late it's getting."
-
Alice
"It was much pleasanter at home,
when one wasn't always growing
larger and smaller,
and being ordered about
by mice and rabbits."
-
Alice
"It would be so nice
if something made sense
for a change."
-
Have a great weekend,
and by all
means.....
stay away from rabbit holes.
-
Dee Dee


Children's Fantasy....Belief In The Possibility Of The Impossible


....he fetched the books, volumns of
illustrations of eighteenth-century merchant
vessals and ships of the line.....
-
"I sailed here," said Jeremy, when he was once
more seated on Mr Hepplewhite's knees. "I sailed
in my little boat from my big ship to your ship."
-
.....Mr Hepplewhite turned over the printed part of
the book before them to find the pictures, but when
the pictures were reached,
he fell breathlessly silent.
Such marvelous sails rising one above another
 like towering white clouds,
such splendid figure-heads,
carved poops, flags flying in the wind and seas
 with curling waves
like the edges of pastry on a tart.
 And  what wonderful names like Neptune, Victory,
Mermaid, Garland and Illustrious. 
~Elizabeth Goudge's "The Scent Of Water"
-
 Elizabeth Goude has
become, yet ever so quickly, a favorite writer.
-
Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee

Thursday, October 28, 2010

All That Is Lovely......



She is refined gracefulness and the
vase is marked by elegance.
-
Have I said before watercolors and pencils
are both enjoyable and relaxing.
-
I hope your having a good week.
Blessings.....Dee Dee

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Growing Along The Path



Just a couple  more photos taken yesterday
while we were on the island.
A national park, Honeymoon Island
is in a constant state of renewal.
More recently, these vining plants
appeared along a pathway
leading to the waters of the Gulf.
I'm not sure what they're called
but the blooms remind me of the
Morning Glory. Perhaps
they are somehow related.  They do
seem to thrive in the sand and
hot Florida sunshine.
You can see that the south side
of the island, has been designed
to look uninhabited....unspoiled....
so that the birds and other
creatures can live in what
appears to be their natural habitat.
I do so love it here....
-
Blessings.....Dee Dee

Out To The Island Today

We took a ride out to the island today,
and as is the usual thing,
I took lots and lots of photos.
 I've selected a few  to show you,
so that you might see what a  fall day
looks like here in Florida.
The cool wind was coming out of the west
blowing straight into the shoreline,
creating quite the commotion with
the waves.  I don't think I've ever seen
quite so much activity before.
-
The umbrella photo was taken as
we crossed over the causeway.
The fisherman was out in the
water up to his waist, and doubt
that  he minded that I was taking
photos of his very fine set-up. 
I call it "designer fishing" noting his
 Tommy Bahama umbrella...
love the colors.
After driving all over the island,
we parked in our usual place
near a wooden swing.
 A choice place for watching sunsets,
at mid-day it was un-occupied.
We walked a short way down the
beach, doing the usual beachy thing
"shelling."
The lone bicycle (in photo) we've seen there before....
a frequent visitor to the island...just like us.
 I can never resist taking a photo, always
hoping that  one day the owner might
have fresh island flowers in
the  basket.
Lovely wild flowers do actually grow
in the beach sand, and can be found in
random places.  These I found today...
so beautiful, don't you think?
Got those fall colors going on....
-
I'm so glad you stopped by today, so now
you too have visited  Honeymoon Island.
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
-
Happy Wednesday.....Dee Dee

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Tea and Unhurried Conversation

.....oh yes.....tea parties are a sweet
time with my girl friends.
And I do especially enjoy
the unhurried conversation.
-
Enjoy the day.....Dee Dee
Martha Stewart images

My Kind Of Autumn


Cool ocean breezes and
salty air...all coming off of the
Gulf of Mexico.....
my kind of autumn.
-
Blessings.....Dee Dee

Monday, October 25, 2010

Autumn In Our Tropical Garden


We'll miss seeing the fall leaves up north this year....


The email from my sister-in-law had said they
will take a train ride through the
Great Smoky Mountains, to see
all the beautiful and colorful fall leaves.
Much of my childhood was spent
in those mountains and  I
remember the beauty of it all.
Maple trees lined our street and
nothing was  more beautiful than the
yellow, gold and red maple leaves.
-
I suppose I'll just have to make
do with the autumn showing in
our  tropical garden this year.
All looks mighty prettty, as you can see.....
  ......the  tall Hawaiian Ti plants,
beautiful striped Crotons and
the Nandina's are  spilling over with pretty orange berries.
-
Have a lovely week....Dee Dee

Sunday, October 24, 2010

A Walk In The Woods

Last fall, the Mister and I were back in our
old hometown....Aiken South Carolina.
During our visit, we took a walk in the woods,
just because they were there and we could.
Having lived in Florida for over
twenty years, we've missed the
woods and, the changing of the seasons.
I can recall even today, the cool air on my face,
the rich woodland smells and 
how my surroundings seemed all so  familiar.
It was as though my world
was somehow back in order.
I suppose feelings like that surface,
from my having left a beloved  home,
and long ago settled in a new place. 
-
We miss our old home
and all the connections.... the people
the places and the customs.
We still refer
to Aiken  fondly, as "back home."
-
Today I came across a photo
I took while walking
in the woods...the reason for my post.
I remember
looking up through the trees,and thinking 
how surreal, dreamlike and magical it all seemed.......
I remember wanting to keep those good  feelings forever and ever.
-
Lord bless you this day dear family and friends........
DeeDee

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Good Things....by Martha

I know were all busy decorating our homes
for the upcoming holidays.
But have you thought of visiting
Martha?
Her website is awesome and does
she ever have some great fall craft ideas.
The small wreath in the top photo, is made from
an old book.  I want to make this. The instructions are
might want to fix yourself  a nice cup of
tea before visiting...you'll want to hang
out there for a while.
-
You had to see Martha's Bittersweet wreath 
 and  her  beautiful orange cashmere scarf.
The scarf....I just happen to have
one like it.  Macy's..... last year's winter
sale. Can't wait to wear it!!
-
Have a great weekend.....
Blessings.....Dee Dee

Friday, October 22, 2010

Apples and Autumn


Pears, wild crab-apples, yellow delicious apples and cherries....yum......


My idea to paint a box of fruit...
mostly apples,
came to me this morning
while preparing
sweet Gala apples for breakfast....
A favorite ......
stir-fried in a little water, sugar,
butter, raisins
and cinnamon. 
My oh my....
served along
side ham and eggs....
an Autumn specialty.
Notice the little crab apples in the box? 
They are
a part of my pre-teen
memories. 
They grew wild in the woods
by our home in Pennsylvania.
We had cherry trees and pear trees....
Loving autumn
completely and hoping  
you are too.
Blessings.....Dee Dee

 

Thursday, October 21, 2010

So Pretty and Fall Colors....



Earlier in the day, I was at The Fresh Market.
I've posted before about their beautiful
fresh flower department.  No place in
the area can compete with them, in my
humble opinion.  I suppose the nice
lady I see there, doing all those gorgeous
arrangements has lots of experience
in what appeals to the lady-of-the-house.
I do know she exceeds my expectations
and then more.
And so it was, that I found these
tiny orange roses surrounded by all
sorts of lovely greenery.
Oh, they were pretty all right
when I put them in a white
pitcher vase and placed them
on a table in the living room.
But it wasn't until  the afternoon sun
splashed on them that they
became extraordinarily beautiful.
Thus, an afternoon post....
because I couldn't wait to share them with you.
-
Blessings sweet friends and family.....Dee Dee

Looking Over My Shoulder

This little scarecrow sits on a shelf
right up over my shoulder when
I'm sitting at the computer.
He's been around a long time
now, and comes out of the
box, becoming part of my fall/autumn
decorating, at this time each year.
-
I love to walk October's fields,
with the smell of Autumn in the air...
corn cobs lay scattered on the ground,
Mr. Scarecrow still stands proudly there....
~Barbara Cagle Ray
-
A land which the Lord, your God, looks after;
His eyes are upon it continually from the
beginning of the year to the end.
Deuteronomy ll:12
-
Have a blessed day.....Dee Dee

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

A Pleasant Surprise......


"The leaves fall, the wind blows, and
the farm country slowly changes from the
summer cottons into its winter wools."
~Henry Beston
-
This particular tall and slender
Nandina plant is
located in an inconspicuous
location in our tropical garden.
We hadn't noticed what
was taking place,
until today, when the
Mister was working
on our sprinkler system.
"Come look, and
bring your camera," he said.
Now, we have quite a few of
these planted around the
garden, but none of the
others have beautiful
red and golden leaves.
Pause....
For those of you living in
northern states...really
living with beautiful fall
foliage, you are by now wondering
"what's all the fuss?" Please keep
in mind, I live on
the west coast of Florida,
where "fall spectacular"
just never happens.
This sweet ole transformation of the Nandina
is a rarity and as you have noticed,
a most  pleasant surprise.
-
Hmmm..... takes so little to bring a smile to my heart.
-
Blessings....Dee Dee

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Have times changed? Maybe just a little.......

1867 First Harper's Bazaar Magazine


Swim Suit Issue 1876


Chain evening bag...1876....still in style today....love it!


Audrey Hepburn 1956....

Harper's Bazaar today.....with Ms Drew Barrymore


-
I bought the new Harper's Bazaar magazine this
past week.  The cover had Drew Barrymore
on it.  For the first time I actually noticed
this pretty young "movie star,"
having gained a healthy "performance  respect"
for her acting in "Grey Gardens."
Funny, we never hear those words
these days...."movie star"....perhaps they
only apply  to so few. 
 I'm an old movie fan kind of
girl  myself, and most of what I see  on TCM,
I can actually call the  actors and actresses "movie stars."
-
But, I've gotten off the subject.
-
As I turned through the pages of my new HP
magazine, it occurred to me that women are
pretty much the same today as they've always been.
We like to look pretty and the way we
 appear to others is very important to us.
Getting compliments are great for our self esteem.
-
In looking over these vintage magazine covers,
I thought of the styles back then and
how the magazines pointed to looking your best.
Women then learned  from magazine pages
 how to wear their hair,
style of dresses to make, shoes to wear
and all their needs to be in style.
-
In looking at my new HP
magazine I realized, as in the past,
today's magazine had  instructions for making
women over.
 Don't we all feel we need help
at some time or another?
Without question,
the magazine publishers have always counted on that.
-
HAIR & MAKEUP must haves & easy how-tos.
FABULOUS at every age....fashion to flatter you.
GET perfect skin.
UPDATE your look......
BEST BAGS & SHOES!
It's all there, page after page of gorgeous clothing,
worn by pencil thin models. New ideas to update my look. Wow!
-
Well, there you are .....expect to see me soon
with the perfect skin, looking fabulous with my
new hair-do, wearing great shoes and carrying
the best ever handbag!
-
Smiles.....Dee Dee
-
In all seriousness...I love the magazine and you will too.
Photo Credits go to Harper's Bazaar....thank you.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Things That Make Me Smile

Finding little things I can actually use
at an antique fair,
makes me smile.
Today is change the linens on the beds day.
So, while hanging them on the clothesline to dry
using a  hand full  of old fashioned
clothespins,...it made me smile. It also made
me smile again, while  hearing the Catholic Church
bells and chimes ringing out a favorite hymn....
Amazing Grace.  And, oh how sweet was the
sound....
I am partial to pretty porcelain pottery.
The little blue pot shown, has already
earned it's keep by holding a
"pumpkin cookie" scented candle.
Made me smile when I stood
watching the flame flicker back and forth.
-
A small turquoise colored antique
medicine bottle now sits in my
kitchen window.  Recognize
the little flower?  I clipped the
 stem from the basket
by the front door.
Now, each time I'm standing at
the kitchen sink....it makes me smile.
-
You might notice, it's just
the simple things in life that
somehow make me the
happiest. I suppose you
would call it contentment, or
just being downright thankful.
-
I hope you've all found that place in life....
-
Blessings.....Dee Dee


Happy Days!

Have a blessed week.....Dee Dee 

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Autumn Tapestries....

While red-gold leaves swirl all around,
Fall's beauty stretches far and wide
Across October's countryside.
I watch, spellbound, as Nature weaves
Bright tapestries of tinted leaves.
~Beverly J. Anderson
-
October is a painting,
A scarlet leaf display
Framed by a sky of sapphire blue
And wrapped in an Autumn day.
~Nora M. Bozeman
-
This morning I was out and about bright and
early.  I'm loving October and it is
everything the poets say.
I listen to the words in their poems more closely
these days.  It is a good time to
think about God's handy work and take it all in just how
amazing nature is.
-
I wore a light sweater and had a new
scarf around my neck.....the cool morning air
felt so good.
The annual Antique's Fair was taking
place in our little village. 
"The early bird gets the worm!"
And so it was that I found
Winslow Homer's
"The Herring Net" for the Mister.

Not an original,  but beautifully
reproduced on stretched canvas
and framed in an old oak frame.
He was so pleased with it as he
placed it on the wall  in the "man room."
-
I hope your enjoying autumn
as much as I am.
Have a blessed Lord's Day.....Dee Dee
photo Google Images

Saturday, October 16, 2010

My Favorite Place For Fall




Otesaga Hotel and Resort

All during this month of October, while celebrating changing
of the seasons, I will 
show some of my favorite fall photos taken
through the years.
The photo shown, was taken on
our first trip to Cooperstown New York....
home of the Baseball Hall of Fame and.....
our very beloved daughter and her sweet family.
-
We were not at all  prepared to fall in love with this lovely place
located high up in the Catskill mountains,  but it very easily
won our
hearts and almost instantly.
From day one,  we were quite overwhelmed
by the town's beauty, it's history, it's museums and it's people
and their customs.
Each time we visit, and that is as often as humanly possible,
Cooperstown has held that very same first time appeal to us.
-
So, be prepared for some pretty fall photos
 throughout the remainder of the month.
I hope you enjoy them.
-
Fall Blessings.....Dee Dee
click on photos to enlarge