honeysuckle bloomin' on the honeysuckle vine

I was visiting a friend  a couple weeks ago and we passed

by this cute old shed at her neighbour's.

I didn't notice on that day that there was a honeysuckle vine

at the corner of the shed.  I was too enamored with the

yellow door and the iron triangle hanging on it.

I was back again on Sunday and 'discovered' the beautiful

vine in bloom.  {It was the last time too}

Isn't it gorgeous?

But I do love that shed door too.  Don't you?

This is along the St. John River behind her house.  What a view!

Yeah,  I could sit and look at this view for a long time.

{the brush had been cut down since this photo - see below}

Do you see the sandspit off the island?

A great place to swim.

It was a lovely relaxing afternoon.

Did I mention that I LOVE that shed door?

Welcome to my new followers.

Thanks so much for visiting today.

I hope your day is blessed.

Pamela

a tea break with Wakefield china

It's time for a cuppa tea and a sweet.

I really like this china.

I like the coloured flowers on this china.

It was my mother-in-law's everyday china.  Most of it

has survived ~ like 11 cups and saucers but only 8

bread plates.  There are breakfast and dinner plates,

cereal bowls, dessert bowls, serving bowls and 2 platters too.

Oh, and a gravy boat and sugar bowl.

My mother-in-law's everyday china.  Saving it for daughter.

I don't think she'll mind if I use it for tea.

A few snippits from my gardens.

Do you stack your cups and saucers like this?

I do for a few of them.

Sunlight streaming in the window.

Thank you for joining me for tea today.

I am linking with

Tea Time Tuesday

and

Tuesday Cuppa Tea

Won't you join me with Sandi and Ruth?

Blessings,

Pamela

 

making hay while the sun shines

We have had a hot dry July here in most of Canada.

We still haven't had rain here and it is very dry.

The farmer told me the hay is very brittle.

It's a dusty, dirty and hot job on this almost 30° C day.

The baler shoots the bales onto the wagon.

The winrows of hay waiting to be baled.

One farmer takes the wagon load to the barn.

The farmer's brother heads back to the tractor to finish haying.

Thankfully for them, the tractors are enclosed and air conditioned.

Not like the old days!

Behind this hay field is the crop of soybeans.   They aren't

growing well in the dry conditions of this summer.

Hopefully we'll soon get some rain for this and other crops.

Our neighbour's vegetable garden.  It is usually a lot fuller than this.

Such a beautiful summer day.

A good day to harvest hay...

while the sun shines.

I hope you have a wonderful week!

I have had some difficulty posting comments on a few

blogs.  They were returned in my inbox for some reason.

So, I have visited and have tried to comment.

I'm not ignoring you.  :)

Blessings,

Pamela

power lines

Can you see them?  Look closely.

The power lines are to the right of center in the above photo.

The skies were beautiful the morning after the rain.

Brilliant blue with fluffy white clouds over the green

of the hills and valleys.

The lines string across the rural landscape like chains

from tower to tower.

Silver ropes in the sun.

Sometimes barely visible.

Yet very necessary.

Without them you or I couldn't blog.

Or do a million other things that require something to

be plugged in to the grid.

Over the hills and valleys to your house.

Some things we just take for granted.

I am linking up with Raindrops and Daisies for

Green Day.

Blessings,

Pamela

after the rain

We finally received some much needed rain on Tuesday.

We had showers in the afternoon and then thunder showers

in the evening. 

It wasn't a lot of rain - 6mm.  Barely enough to wet the ground.

Looking up the road towards the north.

Looking east across the valley at the back light of the sunset.

Gorgeous pink and mauve clouds.

God's masterpiece.

Looking northwest where the sun was setting.

I love the silhouette of the trees against the sky.

Looking up the hill behind us, kind of west southwest, where

thunder and lightning were still occurring miles away.

I love the play of light on the hay in the field.

 

A peek through the clouds.

It is sunny, dry and clear today.  No humidity. Northwest wind.

About 23° C.

It feels like September.  But, not for long.

I hope you are having a wonderful week.

Blessings,

Pamela

across the line ~ a visit to Houlton, Maine

We took a Sunday drive 'across the line' (the border)

to Houlton, Maine.

Houlton is a pretty town on the Maine-New Brunswick border. 

In 1807 Aaron Putnam and Joseph Houlton started a village

and they named it for Houlton.  It is the county seat for

Aroostook County and is at the northern terminus of

Interstate 95 located just 3 miles from the Canadian border.

The Meduxnekeag River flows through the town and

on into Canada.

This is a long post so I hope you stick with me to the end.

As you drive into the Market Square there is a small peninsula

in the street with this bust of George Washington.

The town square is known as Market Square and it has

several streets intersecting at each end of it.

This is looking back toward the entrance from the bridge

into Market Square.

The thermometer on the top of the building says about 80°

but it was really about 90° and very humid.  It was HOT!

There was a major fire in the early 1900's that destroyed most

of the Market Square so all the buildings are built after that.

They are all brick and have beautiful facades.

The Temple Theatre

The only thing open on this Sunday afternoon was the

Temple Theatre.

The only noise on the square was loud rock music playing

from the theatre disrupting the quiet of the day.

And these are the movies playing.

We noticed the flags on poles were all at half mast

and assumed it was to remember those that were killed

at the movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado by a lone gunman.

The movie showing at that theatre was Dark Knight Rises.

Such a terrible tragedy.

This appears to be an old fountain, now a flower

garden, at the upper corner of the square.

Notice that there are 4 different streets intersecting at

this corner of the square.

The square has a boulevard down the middle with parking on

both sides of it as well as along the side of the streets.

I think it's a very attractive square.

This is the beautiful Aroostook County Courthouse and Jail which is located on Court Street just around the corner from Market Square.

It has a very ornate clock tower with a beautiful

weather vane at the top of the cupola.

note the flags at half mast

There are some very beautiful old homes in Houlton too.

This beautiful footbridge is off of Market square and crosses

the Meduxnekeag River.  The red brick cobblestones

are laid at one end and many were engraved in honour of

loved ones.  Along the path and the bridge are placques that

give brief historical facts along with old photos of the town.

It was very interesting to read these as we walked.

Two views of the river from the bridge.  The American flag through the bridge work.

Millstones from the gristmill that used to be along the river here.

A visit to Houlton wouldn't be complete without a visit

to this place below.

This is the Houlton Farms Dairy which sells the most delicious

ice cream.  I got Peanut Butter Cup and it was so good!

I see you're still with me.  :)

I hope you enjoyed our visit to the pretty town of Houlton.

I am leaving you with a link that has a short video

of why *you* might want to live in Houlton.

I learned a lot about this little town from the video.

Have a great day!

Blessings,

Pamela