My Maine Garden is in Full Bloom

My new sun dial in the front of the garden.

Spirea with hostas in a shady spot.

Japanese maple - grown from a seedling from Mom & Dad's tree, with orange daylilies and black eyed Susan's in the side yard.

Hydrangea 'Annabelle' with yellow evening primrose.
Hydrangea 'Endless Summer' - a great choice for northern gardens. I bought the plant last year, and this year it has about 20 flower clusters. These flowers were in Sarah's wedding bouquet last summer.

Hostas - the deer have not eaten them yet this year.

Goatsbeard - looks good by the edge of the woods.

Rose campion and geranium cranesbill - a new combination in my garden this year.

Red monarda, white hydrangea, yellow stella d' oro daylilies, with a hanging basket of purple petunias.

This beautiful white clematis is growing up a tree.

Yellow evening primrose, daisies, and cranesbill geranium. I love purple and yellow.


Orange daylilies and yellow loosestrife - such a happy combination.


Daylilies, black eyed Susan's, and daisies by the garage door.


Hosta, European Ginger, and Astilbe - a wonderful combination for shade.


We've had so much rain this summer. I haven't liked it, but the perennials have loved it!

A Summer Visit to Florida

I'm enjoying a week in Florida - after a rainy cold summer in Maine, it sure is hot down here.
But, its fun to see what is in bloom this time of year.


The beautiful crepe myrtle.


My bromeliads are blooming!



And here's my sylvester date palm 'untied'. It doesn't look like a 'nudnick' anymore.


Its so much fun to see all my friends down here.

Barns of the Finger Lakes

Soon after crossing the border into New York State from Massachusetts you see beautiful open farm land with lots of barns. Here's some of my favorites around the Finger Lakes.

Vineyards in the foreground, lake in the background.

Through the raindrops.

I've always loved this barn.

This beautiful stone barn got a new 'blue metal' roof sometime in the last few years.

A picture perfect barn on a beautiful day.

Barn behind a stone house.

Hay bales outside the barn.

Cows 'out of the barn'. They are always so curious, and come up to say hello when you walk by.

The Windmill - Keuka Lake, NY

One of our favorite places to go while visiting the Finger Lakes is The Windmill Farm and Craft Market located on 14A between Penn Yan and Dundee. It is only open on Saturdays. You can buy all kinds of things - beautiful flowers and locally grown produce.


Handmade dolls.
Pickles and jellies.
Spices.

Lots of wooden things.

Handmade quilts made by the local Menonites.


Flowers planted in all kinds of containers - at great prices (compared to New England).

We love the idea of planting in old shoes - especially the worn out toes.


Where else can you find a statue like this but around the Finger Lakes?

A trip to the Finger Lakes, NY

We took a trip to the Finger Lakes to celebrate Father's Day.


And Mom's 80th Birthday!

Everything grows so well, and there were beautiful flowers everywhere.

By the back door.

I made Mom this strawberry pie.

First we picked the strawberries.

Don't they look good?

Beautiful Keuka Lake. We got to kayak, sail, and buzz around in the motor boat.

We always enjoy being in wine country. There are vineyards everywhere.

Nathan and I did some wine tasting at Rooster Hill.

Sarah and Nathan look great with a lake behind them.

My favorites were Estate Gewurztraminer and Silver Pencil.

What a great week. How lucky we are!

Learning to Fly Fish

I went to the Kennebec Valley's Chapter of Trout Unlimited 'Fly Casting for Women' day. It was held in Winslow, Maine on a restored section of the beautiful Sebasticook River.

Jackie had all the right attire.

We learned how to tie flies. Twila wants to catch a striper.

All I caught was my sweatshirt, but it was a lot of fun, the instructors were great, but casting was not easy.

BartlettYarns - Harmony, Maine

20 Water Street, Harmony, Maine 04942 (207)683-2251

BartlettYarns specializes in wool hand-knitting yarns and is best known for its Fisherman-brand yarns.The mill, was founded in 1821, on the banks of Higgins Stream, and is believed to be the oldest continuously operating yarn mill in the U.S. Much of the yarn is spun on machines that are over 100 years old. It was also the setting in Stephen King’s movie “Graveyard Shift”.


When you enter the mill, you see boxes of fleece that sheep growers send or bring each spring. The growers are given raw wool in return which they can sell at farmstands or stores.

The wool is shipped out in big burlap bags to be cleaned and dyed.

When it returns, the yarn is spun on a spinning mule, "The Bartlett Mule". It is one of the last of its kind still operating in the US. It duplicates the motion of a hand spinner.

With it's 240 bobbins.

This machine twists the wool onto cones.

You can buy some of this beautiful wool yarn at the retail store across the street, or on their website.

I went with the Waterville Area Newcomer's Craft group. They are planning to have their first open house this summer on August 7,8,9, 2009.