Texture Tuesday

Textures Used: KK's February Magic & The Ladder

Linking with Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday. Check out more textured photos at:
 

A Preview of August

Wow! What a weekend! It was three days of boxes, lost treasures found, dirt, dust, and finding the remains of unwanted visitors. Once again my daughter, ex-sister-in-law and friend, MJ, and I are joining forces for the 127 Corridor World's Longest Yard Sale. We like to think we have a classy, well-organized sale full of cast off treasures, collectibles and even a few antiques. The yard sale extends from 5 miles north of Addison, Michigan, to Gadsden, Alabama.  This has become such a big thing that HGTV heads out to tape sellers and shoppers alike.  So there's my pitch for the yard sale that begins this Thursday, August 2 and ends Sunday, August 5th.

Sometimes a lady just has to try something new, hence the cut up photo of two coneflower blooms that fought the heat to survive and flourish as best it could.  The flower was planted this spring with great hopes of producing a nice bushy plant, but now I'm just delighted it soldiered through.  By the way...that is the color of the flowers and I just love it. 

August Break!

Yes I'm joining Susannah Conway again this year for The August Break.  There will be a photo most days, but few if any words unless something spectacular  occurs that I just can't keep to myself.  Oh wait...something spectacular did happen over the weekend, but it's too soon to spill the beans. Wanna join the August Break?  Hop over to Susannah's site and check it out. 

Whewwww.... busy weekend shaping up to be a busy week, but ya know busy is good. 

At the Dragonfly Tea Cottage

The sign on the front sidewalk says, "open" 

so let' have lunch at the Dragonfly Tea Cottage in Sylvania, Ohio! 

MJ had told me about this wonderful little oasis and I couldn't wait to visit.  We came in through the backyard garden , passed the welcoming back porch with dragonfly decorated ceramic boots setting a quaint scene.

 

A vibrant sign, just inside the door, greeted us and the ladies smiled warmly creating a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. 

Everything inside the tea house is colorful, eclectic and artistic.  From the charm of mismatched table settings to the whimsical salt & pepper shakers that adorn each table. 

Then....there's the tea and food.  Hot temperatures outside require cool drinks indoors.  We opted for flavored iced teas, refreshing and delicious. And the food....fresh, home made and wow!

Someday I'm going back for dessert!  

Dragonfly Tea Cottage

"We Love Tea Parties!"

5723 N. Main Street

Sylvania, Ohio, 43560

(419) 824-2153

By the way...there's another whole floor waiting for little girls everywhere to experience their dream fairy tea party, but I'm saving that for another post. 

Texture and Surprises

MJ took me to a wonderful little restaurant inside an old house, but before we had lunch at the Dragonfly Tea Cottage, we checked out  what was hiding just beyond the street.  A tiny historic village with buildings, plantings, and stories to tell. 

There were no guides to regale with facts and fables so we read the markers and peeked in windows...

and wondered what fried marbles tasted like.  Anybody ever heard of fried and marbles?  I'm guessing something like donut holes.

What lay beyond the bend of the sidewalk?

A garden of surprise and delight.  Who knew Sylvania held a secret place right in the middle of town! Read more about it here. 

I used textures on all the photos in today's post, but the last one is my submission to Kim Klassen's Texture Tuesday.

I also used textures from French Kiss and Distressed Jewell.  

We'll have tea tomorrow....I promise!

Priming the Pump

If you ever lived with a windmill outside your door you know what priming the pump means.  For those of you who think I've gone off the deep end...let me explain.  When a water pump dries up it must be primed or water added to get it flowing again.  The creative process is much like a moaning old pump...when the well runs dry it must be refilled with experiences, sights, sounds, tastes, and touch.  That's what my week in Toledo did for me...it replenished a drying up reservoir of imagination and creativity.  I came home ready to embrace my daily life with a new attitude. 

What did I do to prime my creative pump?  MJ and I nibbled on lemon poppy seed and orange burst muffins while gabbing between cups of Georgette's coffee in Maumee.  Where's the photo you ask?  I was so into the delicious muffin that I forgot to take out my camera. 

Maumee is a suburb of Toledo that is ever so charming.  It lacks the hoity-toity of Perrysburg which makes it even more quaint.  There's a nostalgia about the buildings....

street lamps....

and a night depository at a defunct bank.

But what got my attention more than anything was a sign swinging above heads...

What a jovial fellow, but who wouldn't be smiling when the smell of fresh-made pizza comes wafting out the door.

I should have been inspired to photograph so much more. Maumee was a battle setting for the War of 1812.  There are forts, landmarks, and old legends of Mad Anthony Wayne.  A river runs through the town adding that touch of romance that makes me sigh.  Another trip to Maumee is on my list of fall things to do and the next time I hope triple digits don't keep me from exploring the town as it should be.

As for the primed pump, every little bit helps and just sitting in a coffee shop with a Ten Thousand Villages shop in the back/front got the ball rolling.  What do you do to prime the pump of creativity when it begins to dry? 

Let's do tea tomorrow...shall we? 

Nature in the City Getaway

It's been a wild and crazy week and it's time for a little getaway.  The little man and I are heading for the city.  We'll be staying with a dear friend who I'll pal around with while the young ones attend a day camp full of nature and fun.  Isn't it funny that we're going to the city for a nature camp? 

Mr. Fuji will be accompanying me and I hope for some cooler mornings and evenings for some fun photo sessions. I'm looking forward to lots of girl talk, eating out as often as possible, and the change of scenery. 

Have a wonderful weekend and pray for rain!

In a Garden too Hot

Moving last year was a wonderful decision.  I love the yard, the trees, and the possibilities. A vegetable garden was planted and the cottage garden behind the house is in its infancy, but the too early spring and the too hot summer with too little rain heightens the challenges.

  Watering every other day keeps plants moving along, but it's certainly not going to be a banner year.

 Each day patrolling the garden for striped cucumber beetles and sap-sucking stink bugs requires a jar with a bit of gasoline in the bottom and using the lid to scrape the nasty pests into the jar.

Next year marigolds will play a bigger role in companion planting in an attempt to never use chemicals in the vegetable garden. 

If there's an upside to drought conditions it's the lack of mosquitoes, but then not many folks want to sit outside when the thermometer reaches triple digits.  How's the weather where you are?  Too dry, too hot, or just right? 

To all the good souls affected by the drought, fires, and dangerous storms that have been forcing many to live without power and evacuate their homes...my thoughts are with you.  

I'm linking with Rural Thursday today.  Mosey on over to A Rural Journal and see what's going on down country roads.

It's the Fourth of July!