First Day in May

"Coaster" 
Cole Scott Photography

Today is a heavenly sunny day with bluebird skies, no clouds and warm temperatures.  The promise of Summer is here.  

What I Did on my Summer Vacation

Actually, this was just last Sunday. One of the many "ponds" within a 30 minute drive from my house.

Summer's Wane

The Dock at Moose Pond
by Cole Scott

A Girl and Her Dog

Five miles or so from our home flows the Swift River, a winding, rocky, snow fed rush of cold water coming down from the mountains.  Unsuitable for canoe or kayak, due to huge boulders and low levels, it has picturesque scenic vistas, rocky outcroppings on which to sun, and deep swimming holes if you know where to look.  

Our dog Dewey and I on the steep banks looking down at my husband, standing on a river rock, taking the shot. Note the second photo, taken from the river upwards, shooting level.  Those trees are reaching out over the river then arching to the open sky.

Summer's Wane

Summer is on its way out. Images by Laura Trevey remind us of its bountiful pleasures.

Macro Flowers Saturday

One great thing about gardening is seeing the fruit of your labor bloom.  This time of year, our cottage garden is alive with peak summer flora such as the Shasta Daisy.  It makes a great, long-lasting cut flower, it's cheerful and it's cool looking.  

For more Macro Flower Saturdays, go here.

Gone Fishin'

"Gone Fishin" a popular title for print articles, signs and email, is code for "I'm on vacation"...which I am.

Fishing on the Lake  Summer 2010

We are, for a very short time, not empty nesters.  Our chicks are home to roost as we pursue a favorite summer activity, a home on the water, this time a lake.  We are in Maine in a waterfront cottage with a dock for our ski boat, a basement room for our dogs, a fire pit, a comfy house with lots of windows overlooking the lake.  We brought very little for the week as everything has been provided except the food and liquor.  Bathing suits, shorts, tees, sunscreen, lots of food, beer, soda and dog food.  My husband brought his hammock and cameras.  I, obviously, brought my computer although this is the first time I've opened it since Friday.  It is Monday.  I'm through one of three books I bought:  "That Old Cape Magic", Richard Russo's latest, then "The Girl Who Played With Fire" Steig Larsen's # 2 in his series; and John Irving's latest, "Last Night in Twisted River" which the bookseller assures me is akin to his older style of writing, i.e. "Garp", "Cider House Rules", "Owen Meany".  We'll see.

Oh, and by the way, the glasses are dirty, there are crumbs everywhere, the food is eaten as soon as I buy it and there's no running around naked except for the boys who think they are God's gift in the physique dept.  Oi.  What was I musing about in my last post???????

Ta ta for now.  Off to the boat to get in some quality time with the menfolk while they wakeboard and waterski. 

 

Summer's End

Wonderful image by Laura Trevey. It's tranquil, a bit wistful and for me, signifies the end of summer. We have three weeks til the official end but school begins next week in New England so, it's unofficially over.

Theme Thursday Festival

My summer vacations were spent in Laguna Beach, California, one of the most beautiful communities in the world. My grandmother began this two week tradition in the late 1940's and my mother continued it after she and my father married. From the time I was born, we spent two weeks in August in a house on the beach in my favorite small town.


Festival of the Arts circa 1960's


Our trips were like those of many other families. We had our routines: favorite restaurants, motor boat rental to travel round Balboa Island, the Fun Zone, the Pottery Shack, the Jolly Roger restaurant, Victor Hugo restaurant (coat and tie required) and always the Laguna Festival of the Arts.

The Festival of the Arts is a tradition that began in 1932 as a means of drawing attention to this small art colony following the '32 Olympics in Los Angeles. It began as a grass roots event with art exhibitions, plays, parades and its biggest hit, the Living Pictures Show. Created by a local artist and vaudevillian, the Living Pictures Show featured people theatrically made up and costumed, posed within a giant frame, replicating famous paintings.

Painting a Character

The tradition continued, evolving into the now world famous Pageant of the Masters. Mother took us to the Festival each year, fostering a love for the paintings and sculptures by the local artists. We were encouraged to buy a piece of art each year, many of which were extremely affordable.







Artistic display at Festival of the Arts







The Pageant itself, showcased by the 1960's in an amphitheatre, was a spectacle of light and dark, color and shadow, a perfect mimicry of great works of art with absolute stillness on the part of the stage participants as the tableaux flow by.


The Amphitheatre



Affordable and available to all, the Festival of the Arts runs from July 8 - August 31, 2009. General admission is only $7.00, a bargain! The Festival is situated on six acres, features over 140 artists who are "rigorously juried" according to their web site "to demonstrate and maintain high aesthetic standards." The 2009 theme is "The Muse" featuring works by Paul Gauguin, Maxfield Parrish, sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington, Monet, Vermeer, Frida Kahlo, Lalique and so many more.



Setting up a living art tableaux










It's impossible to convey the exquisite precision of these recreations. Suffice to say they have to be seen to be understood. My memories are vivid. We went every year. I consider myself lucky.


Finishing touches on living art tableaux

Trevi Fountain living art tableaux

For more information, visit Festival of the Arts - Pageant of the Masters.

Photos courtesy of FOAPOM.com.