Pink Saturday

Blooms in the garden are few now ~ the torrid heat and almost non-existent rain have wreaked havoc....................Nature struggles to put forth anything fresh, new or colorful these past few weeks. But I do love green! When permitted we water. Still restricted to a few hours a week but this does enable the many shades of green, from chartreuse to hunter, to fill in the bare spaces.

But this is PINK SATURDAY so I had to find something pretty and PINK. Here is the Mandevilla vine making its way up the gazebo and blooming in the heat because it's tropical.

The flowers start out pointed, somewhat like a Morning Glory bud, then slowly unfold and open in their stunning pinkness, surrounded by a backdrop of thick, leathery, dark green leaves.


The Mandevilla is an annual here so I plant a new one each year after the last frost ~ must have something pink throughout the long, hot Summer.



Be sure to visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound our Pink Saturday hostess. There you will find the list of this week's participants and I'm certain many of them are surrounded by every shade of pink imaginable!

Friday's Favorite Family Foto

Lost in the music while playing the piano at Arts Together

~ August 2008 ~

A granddaughter wants a piano. It doesn't have to be a fancy one. It does need to be in tune. The wood can be scratched...................piano shawls are beautiful. It has to fold up to fit into a small apartment or cottage!

Dream on sweet child. Sometimes dreams come true.

**************

Visit our hostess Deborah at Pictures, Pots & Pens for more FFFF posts ~ and do join in by sharing your favorite family photos each Friday.

Decoupage

I've always enjoyed painting and decoupaging pots. If you peek in the door of my potting shed you will find several stacks of plain terra cotta pots awaiting embellishment when the cooler weather arrives.

These below I decorated some years ago ~ they move around from shelf to shelf on the Welsh dresser in the dining room.

The one with the butterflies is a favorite. I was pleasantly surprised to see this image in the ad below in a current national magazine. Target will be selling John Derian decorative items during the month of September. He is the master of decoupage ~ cutting and gluing paper images to surfaces ~ his special talent being layering images under glass such as plates, platters, paperweights, coasters, bowls, bell jars, urns etc. I will be checking the Target offers as they often do well with affordable designer items.

Walking to France

Carcassonne, France~2006

Before visiting France in October, I need to get some exercise! The heat of this Summer has kept me indoors a lot. My walking shoes have been left empty by the door and the spare pair in the trunk of the car has probably broiled in the heat! Every now and then I play 'Hampton and The Hamster Dance' - go ahead laugh but I assure you it will get you moving! It will not however provide the same benefits as some serious walking.



Staying here while in Provence.

France......................aah! Think food, of course, great food. Beginning with breakfast croissants and baguettes still warm from the village boulangerie oven, followed by a light lunch to hold one until dinner...........that lovely time when, the foods of France and the talents of great cooks, bring families and friends together for leisurely eating and interesting conversation. Think wine, fabulous wine from grapes growing all around the village where I'll be staying - just take your jug and fill at the co-op for a couple of euros!

My neighborhood running/walking track.

So before climbing the hills of the Luberon which I'll also be visiting on a side trip to Provence, and to have the stamina required for many hours of market browsing so I can bring you photos of all the lovely things to buy..........................I plan to be walking here (Boring? Yes!) as often as possible.

My posts may become sporadic for a while - walking takes time - however I will check in with you now and then. I'm also cleaning out closets and organizing Fall clothing, spending a lot of time on my French homework assignments, trying to keep the parched garden from completely dying on me, making some important travel plans for next year, and squeezing in a little time for some creative projects which need attention.......as well as all the regular household stuff.

Life is busy, but then that's what life's all about, right?

Pink Saturday

"Come quickly Grandma, there's a visitor on the front doormat and I've taken a photo for you".

It had not flown into the glass storm door, thank goodness. This little fledgling was just visiting with its Daddy, a handsome tri-color Eastern Towhee, who was giving lessons on how to find food and take a drink from the fountain.

And look at this Dad.....................packing up the car to take the entire family on a Summer road trip in that big old gas guzzler................bet those were the days of 29 cents a gallon gas!

Hopefully that Mom will soon be out of that ladylike dress with the Peter Pan collar, and into her nifty swimming costume to join these gals who certainly seem to enjoy the beach.

Vintage pink framed prints from SuzAnna's Antiques

***** Hot Pink Saturday in the Summertime *****

Visit Pink Saturday hostess Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for the complete list of participants. Lots of fun pink posts to visit this week.

Friday's Favorite Family Foto

Driving to Spain from the South of France takes you through the incredibly picturesque Mediterranean seaside town of Collioure. Just a few miles north of the Spanish border it has a strong Catalan culture. The beautiful ancient terraced vines in the hills behind the town produce a fine full-bodied red wine and also the tiny sun baked grapes for the famous Banyuls aperitif and dessert wine.
Sharing a short travelogue from a favorite place plus pics of family having fun.

These favorite pictures of my brother, niece and granddaughter were taken when we stopped here for a quick beach breakfast of pain au chocolat and croissants, followed by rock climbing and a whiz around the local outdoor market.

Collioure - June 2006



Collioure's famous lighthouse converted into a church, Notre-Dame-des-Anges.
The medieval streets and the Royal Castle on the distant hill.
Today, August 15, Collioure starts its famous 3-day Summer celebration and the population doubles with visitors coming from all over France. I wish I could go back and join in!!

Deborah at Pictures, Pots & Pens is our hostess for Friday's Favorite Family Foto.

If Walls Could Talk

You move through the shop taking in the array of antique and vintage treasure piled on tables and chests, tucked into corners on shelves, balanced on wobbly chairs. You glance up. There, hanging silently, are the chandeliers, the prisms catching the afternoon sun as it streams through the big open doors. The delicate lighter chairs, waiting for a dining table, swing from the rafters. In the vintage kitchen section, old timey hand mixers and box graters dangle like holiday ornaments.

But don't forget the walls! I especially love the treasures hanging on weathered wood with peeling paint, on vintage bits of leftover wallpaper, on painted brick or natural stone. The walls themselves are treasures too, becoming lovely backdrops for prints and paintings, or for frames holding pictures, mirrors, pieces of tapestry embroidery or photos. Often frames are empty and their loveliness awaits some special treasure you might like to place inside.

All photos of treasures taken at SuzAnna's Antiques last weekend when shopping with my fun blog friends.

Framed smidgen of tapestry to give a room a touch of France.

Such an elegant 'black tie' apron.

Rusty iron ~ shimmering crystal.

The sconce of my heart ~ now on sale, shall I splurge?

What a great idea ~ using the little metal bench as a picture 'frame'.

Very old wedding photograph ~ circa early 1900's by the clothing I think ~ a huge family. Someone should have kept this treasure for future generations of their family.