Currently the Monhegan Museum of Art & History | Monhegan, Maine
Monhegan, Maine. A place of utter peace and tranquility. The most gorgeous views you could possibly imagine… History, everywhere you look. If you’re familiar with paintings from Monhegan, you will likely have seen a painting or two of the old lighthouse keeper’s house and outbuilding – what is now the Monhegan Museum of Art & History. If this is a photo, you can only imagine the stunning paintings. Vibrant blue skies, stark white with red roof. Just beautiful!
I saw these palms on a walk and I thought of Palm Sunday – what a nice thought to post the gorgeous palms coupled with the blooming azaleas! I love these wild palms that just pop up wherever they please. They usually appear where you don’t want them (on the very edge of a walkway for example), but occasionally they land in a good spot. We have one in our yard that we let get rather large (tree) it’s amazing that it all starts from these thin palm branches.
We live in an area of Charleston, SC with a lot of live oak trees. They’re magnificent and grand and have been around for almost a century. Many have Spanish moss hanging from their limbs. They have resurrection ferns growing over the large branches (look at image and it looks like crunchy dead brown ferns on the larger dark limbs) – once it rains, they turn magically green and looks like the prettiest ferns you’ve ever seen!
To those of you who haven’t been to Monhegan Island (Maine) – Wow. It’s a tiny island, for those who love the outdoors, love to hike and see beautiful things, eat wonderful food and visit with some of the nicest people. The hikes can be fairly easy or tough depending on which trails you choose (buy the trail map!) – the water is gorgeous and so different from the wharf side to the rocky side.
Such a pretty setting, isn’t it? All the pink blooms, with pops of white (and the cool blue chair) – all set in an English green space. Gorgeous! We stopped in Elizabeth Stuart Design (ESD) a week or two ago, looked around and then took a peek outside at the beautiful plants, furniture, etc. This setting is simply gorgeous! Bougainvillea’s are pretty amazing…
Charlie. He’s the sweetest beast. I took this photo last summer when I walked outside and there he was on the sofa cushions, head on the armrest. I’m not sure if he was deep in thought or if the sunshine had lulled him to sleep. One of his micro naps that gives him energy for hours, ha ha.
What are a few things that can make your day? It’s amazing how small it can be. It doesn’t have to be glitz and glamor, sometimes, the simple things bring the biggest smile and feeling of peace. A few of my things: A good book, this coffee mug (that is my everything mug – more on that…) and flowers. Who doesn’t love flowers? Especially flowers that express themselves so well, ha ha.
A simple sunflower. So colorful, so full of life, hope and possibilities. Sunflowers are strong to be able to hold the flower up and track the sunshine. Prayers for Ukraine are on my mind, like most people, we see what’s happening and it’s devastating, chaotic and senseless. I just want all the innocent people who have done nothing to provoke such attacks to be ok and free from such devastating loss. Say a prayer for every single person who is helping the people who need it so desperately.
Spring in Charleston is literally an explosion of color. The stunning array of bright colors and scents wafting through the air are absolutely magical. This is my very favorite part about spring. The bees look happy, the birds are very busy and I’m watching the larger birds swoop from branch to branch. #itsajungleoutthere
The azaleas in Charleston, SC are blooming like crazy right now. They truly are a wonderful mix of pink perfection (various shades of pinks, as well as white). We live in an older neighborhood and most yards have azaleas, they don’t always bloom at the same time, but when they do – Lookout! It’s stunning!
Azaleas, most of the year are a ubiquitous shrub with green leaves. New growth is usually a brighter green. We get buds and then blooms, then wilted blooms. This is the point to cut back your azalea if you wish to. If you wait until too late you risk not having blooms the following year (#beentheredonethat) – so the rule of thumb is to trim after blooming.
Another rule of thumb is that it’s ok to cut back 1/3 of the shrub without harm to the plant. We’ve gone even farther and they were fine. Azaleas can get leggy and thin. They aren’t as pretty when this happens. If you do something shocking, like cut them back, they come back stronger and thicker. It may look drastic when you do it, but they grow quickly and are back to normal in no time. I think this spring we will be cutting back a majority of ours.
When I look back over my posts on Instagram or Facebook I can see that I post a LOT of flowers. I love them. Inside, outside, I really don’t care where they are, I absolutely love flowers. You can never have too many, am I right?
I posted a similar photo last week, before I moved furniture back to its rightful place, at least for the time being. What strikes me are the lines, the white/black starkness, but also the softness of the green reflections, and the beauty that the orange tulips bring and the beautiful light from a very old lamp.
I think Tulip Trees are so interesting! They seem pretty incognito most of the year. They’re there but they don’t really stand out. Until it’s almost spring and THEN they come alive and are the star of the show. Sometimes their blooms get burnt by an end of season frost, but this tree in the area is blooming beautifully! Some of the Spanish Moss from the Live Oak tree has found it’s way to the limbs – beautiful!
I love the simplicity of this photo. The straight lines intrigue me. I was sitting in the sunroom when I took this photo looking through the house. The lines of the nearby window, the French doors and the beautiful window in the distance are so interesting. Couple that with the arch and the reflection of green in an otherwise black and white image is striking.
Today is a beautiful, sunny, warm day (for winter) – almost 70 degrees. I stepped outside to take our dog around the block and couldn’t believe how nice it was. So I thought I would post something cheery and spring-like today. This image was taken years ago on Monhegan. Beautiful flowers, happy butterflies and bees galore! #happyplanet
I’m not sure what these flowers are called, but they’re so cool. I love the dark leaves and the pops of red and pink from the flowers. Gorgeous.
Maine is a place we love to visit, we haven’t been there in several years, but have been thinking about it. Monhegan is a magical island about ten miles off the coast. The ability to slow down, be in fresh air, and just be is worth so much. Especially after several years of COVID. I would like to be off my devices more than I’m on them. They’ve been a lifesaver these past several years, helping to keep us in touch when we have to be far away.
Hoping for another visit to the island soon. For now I will look back at my photos through the years!
Oh, the sights we see when out walking! Of course, if I forget my phone there will be a phenomenal sunrise/sunset or a setting so perfect for a great photo and BAM… phone is at home. I rarely forget it, so I’m always armed to take a good shot – like above, this bird was posing… strutting… I stayed on the road, and left him (or her?) his own territory.
The marsh rises and falls with the tide. The grasses change with the seasons and the weather. Many trees dramatically hang over the water, like something you would see from days gone by. Charleston, SC is a city rich in history and plenty of beautiful water views. The city has changed a lot – many new large apartment buildings everywhere – it’s concerning for the wildlife when beautiful areas are bulldozed and built upon. I’m just curious how anyone is going to get anywhere soon? Traffic is a challenge now, but add a lot more people and? There must be a plan – I hope. Evacuating for a hurricane has never been a party. Our last evacuation was Hurricane Floyd – went to Charlotte, NC – took over ten hours for a three hour trip and we were very fortunate. We had a map, a paper map in the glovebox… #gofigure I have nightmares about that trip, and have heard of so many horror stories of people stuck on the interstate with no gas, etc. It was taking people over 2 hours to get to the interstate a few miles away. So I cannot imagine what it will be like with many, many more people?
I’m not sure how this turned into a hurricane post? Haha… Scroll back up, look at the photo, breathe in, breathe out… that’s better ;)
✍️ You made it to the weekend, which is fabulous if you don’t have to work (or if you love your job!) Enjoy your weekend (or your days off)- Until next time…
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